A selective boys grammar school in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,413 pupils on roll.
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School
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At a glance
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School is a long-established Sutton Coldfield grammar: founded in 1527 by John Vesey, moved to Lichfield Road in 1729, and now a selective boys' school with a co-educational sixth form of roughly 1,400 pupils. Its own history still matters on site, from Founder's Day at Holy Trinity to the Lowndes Hall, Sports Hall, Music Centre, Richards-Randon STEM Block and the new Learning Resource Centre planned for 2025.
The academic tone is scholarly rather than narrow. The curriculum pages show a grammar-school core with sciences, computing, design technology, languages including Mandarin, humanities, arts, EPQ and sixth-form pathways, alongside the school's stated mission of inspiration and excellence. Its values give equal weight to enquiry, resilience, kindness and an outward-looking community.
Co-curricular life is a prominent part of the Vesey offer: sport, music, drama, trips, the house system, library culture and the Mandarin Excellence Programme all sit alongside the classroom. The school also points to a tradition of alumni achievement across public life, journalism, entertainment, archaeology and music.
For Year 7, the published admission number is 192 and entry is through the West Midlands Grammar Schools process, with a qualifying score of 205 and priority-zone rules after statutory and pupil-premium priorities. The public benchmarks are strong: Ofsted Outstanding, Progress 8 around +0.75, 97.4% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 45.2% AAB or better at A level.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Birmingham and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Birmingham and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Birmingham and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,413 pupils; 1,393 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 29.7% | White | 420 |
| Indian | 24.6% | Asian | 347 |
| Pakistani | 11.7% | Asian | 165 |
| African | 5.3% | Black | 75 |
| Chinese | 5.1% | Asian | 72 |
| Any other mixed background | 5% | Mixed | 70 |
| White and Asian | 4.3% | Mixed | 61 |
| Any other ethnic group | 3.3% | Other | 47 |
| Bangladeshi | 3% | Asian | 42 |
| Any other White background | 2.3% | White | 32 |
| Any other Asian background | 1.8% | Asian | 26 |
| Unclassified | 1.4% | Unclassified | 20 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 1.3% | Mixed | 18 |
| Caribbean | 0.8% | Black | 11 |
| White and Black African | 0.3% | Mixed | 4 |
| Irish | 0.1% | White | 2 |
| Any other Black background | 0.1% | Black | 1 |
For 2027 entry, priority areas are straight-line home-to-school zones: Zone 1 up to 12 miles, Zone 2 from 12 to 20 miles, and Zone 3 beyond 20 miles. After looked-after and pupil premium places, qualified applicants are ranked by score within each zone; distance only separates tied scores.
Looked after and previously looked after boys
Priority goes first to looked after children, previously looked after children, and children who were previously in state care outside England and are now adopted or under a special guardianship or child arrangements order.
Pupil premium boys in priority zones
Up to 38 places are reserved for boys eligible for pupil premium who reach the qualifying score, with priority by score for Zone 1 and then Zones 2 and 3 if places remain.
Zone 1 boys who reach the qualifying score
Remaining places are offered by score to boys living in priority area Zone 1 who meet the qualifying score.
Zone 2 boys who reach the qualifying score
If places remain after Zone 1, Zone 2 applicants who meet the qualifying score are ranked by score.
Zone 3 boys who reach the qualifying score
If places still remain, Zone 3 applicants who meet the qualifying score are ranked by score, with distance used to break ties.
Admissions policy
Admissions Policy for 2027 Entry
2027 entry
Admissions policy
Admissions Policy for September 2026
2026 entry
Admissions policy
Admissions Arrangements 2025
2025 entry
Information booklet
Important Admission Information
2026 entry
Score cut-off
Grammar Schools in Birmingham results and offers
2026 entry
2026
229
Initial offer score
2025
234
Initial offer score
2025
229
Final or waiting-list score
2024
230
Initial offer score
2024
225
Final or waiting-list score
2023
229
Initial offer score
2023
222
Final or waiting-list score
2022
223
Historical score
There is no writing section; all answers are multiple choice. Scores are age-standardised, with 50% weighting for English/verbal reasoning, 25% for mathematics and 25% for non-verbal reasoning.
Shared exam route
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School uses the shared West Midlands route. Use these common practice resources for the route, then check the full consortium guide for the complete set and current test guidance.
View all West Midlands practice papersPaper 1
English, Verbal reasoning, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning
West Midlands Grammar Schools entrance test
Two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers, each approximately 60 minutes including instructions and example questions, covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal/spatial reasoning.
English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
Science is not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers, each approximately 60 minutes including instructions and example questions, covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal/spatial reasoning.
Non-verbal reasoning
Two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers, each approximately 60 minutes including instructions and example questions, covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal/spatial reasoning.
Science
Test registration opens
5 May 2026
PastReasonable adjustments deadline
12 June 2026
Requests and supporting evidence must be uploaded by 4pm.
Test registration deadline
26 June 2026
Registration closes at 4pm.
Test information sent
early September 2026
Entrance test
12 September 2026
Two sessions are planned; keep the whole day free until the allocated session is confirmed.
Entrance test results
16 October 2026
Local authority preference form deadline
31 October 2026
Address evidence deadline for zone priority
31 October 2026
Families claiming zone priority need address evidence by this date.
National offer day
1 March 2027
Read the 2027 admissions policy
Check the qualifying-score rule, priority zones and address-evidence requirement before registration.
Open 2027 policyRegister for the entrance test
Register by 4pm on 26 June 2026; reasonable-adjustment requests are due by 4pm on 12 June 2026.
Open registration siteKeep the test and result dates clear
The entrance test is on 12 September 2026 and results are due on 16 October 2026.
Check key datesSubmit the preference form
Use the entrance-test result before submitting the local authority preference form and any zone address evidence by 31 October 2026.
Check CAF deadlineAdmissions policy
Admissions Policy for 2027 Entry
2027 entry
Admissions policy
Admissions Policy for September 2026
2026 entry
Admissions policy
Admissions Arrangements 2025
2025 entry
Information booklet
Important Admission Information
2026 entry
Key dates
Grammar Schools in Birmingham 2027 admissions timeline
2027 entry
Latest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 76.8 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 75.2 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 75.8 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 77.1 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | A- average (48.0 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | A- average (45.1 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | A- average (45.0 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B+ average (44.4 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 99% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 99% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 98% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 97% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 1% |
| In employment | 0% |
Latest inspection: 1 May 2024
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Same Birmingham area and similar boys' selective route
Same Birmingham area and similar boys' selective route
Same Birmingham area and similar boys' selective route
Nearby West Midlands option with a similar admissions route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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Best Boys' Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best boys grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county and Ofsted before comparing schools by route and journey.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the 2027 admissions policy: Check the qualifying-score rule, priority zones and address-evidence requirement before registration. 2. Register for the entrance test: Register by 4pm on 26 June 2026; reasonable-adjustment requests are due by 4pm on 12 June 2026. 3. Keep the test and result dates clear: The entrance test is on 12 September 2026 and results are due on 16 October 2026. 4. Submit the preference form: Use the entrance-test result before submitting the local authority preference form and any zone address evidence by 31 October 2026.
Test registration opens: 5 May 2026. Reasonable adjustments deadline: 12 June 2026. Test registration deadline: 26 June 2026. Test information sent: early September 2026. Entrance test: 12 September 2026. Entrance test results: 16 October 2026. Local authority preference form deadline: 31 October 2026. Address evidence deadline for zone priority: 31 October 2026. National offer day: 1 March 2027
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 1 May 2024.