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School profile Record updated 27 October 2026

Birmingham Birmingham 11+

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School

Lichfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, B74 2NH

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.

Grammar school Boys Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test
2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #25
Year 7 places
192
Competition ?
High (estimated)
Ofsted ?
Outstanding
11+ route
West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #25
Sector
Grammar school
Admissions
Boys only
Assessment
West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test
Places in Year 7
192
Competition ?
High (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Ofsted ?
Outstanding

Overview

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.

Key points
Assessment route
West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test: 2 papers, covering English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning.
Places and demand
192 places in Year 7 and High (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Results
98.4% grade 5+ in English and maths and 79.5 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 45.2% AAB or better and 75.7% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2025/26 KS4 measures compared with Birmingham and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Birmingham, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M
Attainment 8
79.5
Grade 5+ English and maths
98.4%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Birmingham and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Birmingham, and England. 100 80 60 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 25/26

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Birmingham and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Birmingham, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Academy converter
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Boys only
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mr Dominic Robson
Pupil roll
1,455 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School
FSM ?
14.1%
EAL ?
28.1%
EHCP ?
0.5%

Facilities

Science labs Design technology

Extracurriculars

Drama Sport

School statistics

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,455 pupils; 1,436 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 28.6% Asian 50% Mixed 10.1% Black 6.4% Other 3.6% Unclassified 1.3%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Lichfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Postcode
B74 2NH
Area
Birmingham
Exam area
Birmingham 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mr Dominic Robson

School contact

School email
attendance@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk
School phone
01212505400

Admissions contact

Admissions team
School Office
Admissions email
enquiry@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk
Admissions phone
01212505400
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions

Appeals and waiting lists

A school admission appeal follows a refusal of a place. Use the school's current timetable and your refusal letter for the deadline. A test review, if available, has separate rules.

Read West Midlands school appeals Official school website Appeals directory

Residence and moving rules

2027 entry

For local priority

Live in the area and provide address evidence
By the application deadline

Applies to: Applicants claiming Zone 1 priority.

Policy wording, evidence and exceptions

Address for local priority

Evidence that the child lives in Zone 1 must be supplied by 31 October 2026. Birmingham Admissions may request address documents and carry out a home visit.

Area
Zone 1, within 12 miles of Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School.
Evidence required
  • Evidence that the child is resident in Zone 1
Official admissions policy

Checked

Year 7 places
192 places
Applications listed
1,061 applications (2026 entry)
First preferences
306 first preferences (2026 entry)
Competition ?
High (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Cut-off score
229 (2026 entry)
Final score accepted
229 (2025 entry)
Pass mark note
The qualifying score for 2026 entry is 205. Published offer scores can be higher; for 2026 entry, Category 3 all-other applicants needed 229 on national offer day.

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.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    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.

  2. 2

    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.

  3. 3

    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.

  4. 4

    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.

  5. 5

    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

Score history

  1. 2026

    229

    Initial offer score

  2. 2025

    234

    Initial offer score

  3. 2025

    229

    Final or waiting-list score

  4. 2024

    230

    Initial offer score

  5. 2024

    225

    Final or waiting-list score

  6. 2023

    229

    Initial offer score

  7. 2023

    222

    Final or waiting-list score

  8. 2022

    223

    Historical score

Exam and test format
September 2027 entry

Two multiple-choice papers with individually timed sections.

Test provider
GL Assessment
Format
Multiple choice
Scores
Age-standardised

Papers and timings

  • Paper 1 Multiple choice
    Approx. 50–60 min Includes instructions and examples.
  • Paper 2 Multiple choice
    Approx. 50–60 min Includes instructions and examples.

What the test includes

  • EnglishComprehension.
  • Maths
  • Verbal reasoning
  • Non-verbal and spatial reasoning
Official test guidance

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

West Midlands test guide

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Test registration opens

    5 May 2026

    Past

  2. Reasonable adjustments deadline

    12 June 2026

    Past

    Requests and supporting evidence must be uploaded by 4pm.

  3. Test registration deadline

    26 June 2026

    Past

    Registration closes at 4pm.

  4. Test information sent

    early September 2026

  5. Entrance test

    12 September 2026

    Past

    Two sessions are planned; keep the whole day free until the allocated session is confirmed.

  6. Entrance test results

    16 October 2026

    Past

  7. Local authority preference form deadline

    31 October 2026

    Past

  8. Address evidence deadline for zone priority

    31 October 2026

    Past

  9. National offer day

    1 March 2027

  10. Residence start date

    31 October 2026

    Past

How to apply

  1. 1

    Read the 2027 admissions policy

    Check the qualifying-score rule, priority zones and address-evidence requirement before registration.

    Open 2027 policy
  2. 2

    Register for the entrance test

    Register by 4pm on 26 June 2026; reasonable-adjustment requests are due by 4pm on 12 June 2026.

    Open registration site
  3. 3

    Keep the test and result dates clear

    The entrance test is on 12 September 2026 and results are due on 16 October 2026.

    Check key dates
  4. 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.

    Check CAF deadline

Official admissions documents

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

Key dates

Grammar Schools in Birmingham 2027 admissions timeline

2027 entry

Results

Inspection
View report
Outstanding

Latest inspection: 1 May 2024

Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Sixth form provision
Outstanding

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: Bishop Vesey's was graded Outstanding. Inspectors described a vibrant school where pupils are proud, relationships with staff are warm, challenging ideas are explored in a supportive setting, and co-curricular trips and leadership roles are central to school life.
  • Quality of education: Leaders place English Baccalaureate subjects at the heart of a rich curriculum, including two languages at key stage 3 and Mandarin Chinese. Teaching was often inspirational, with strong oracy and assessment helping pupils build secure knowledge.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: The report links pupils' strong learning to respectful, warm relationships with staff and peers. Pupils engage with complex ideas, listen carefully to one another and respond respectfully, creating a supportive environment for challenging academic work.
  • Personal development: A significant co-curricular and trips programme is built into pupils' experience. Leadership opportunities include house captains, form captains, Year 7 buddies and library captains, giving many pupils real responsibility within the school.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders were credited with moving the school forward since its previous inspection. The report highlights a clear determination that pupils receive a rich, rounded education that equips them to thrive beyond school.
  • Sixth form provision: Sixth form was graded Outstanding. The report includes sixth-form learning within the same ambitious culture, with pupils discussing demanding A-level mathematics fluently and using oracy to explain and compare approaches to challenging questions.

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Shortlist comparisons

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Related pages and guides

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which entrance tests does Bishop Vesey's Grammar School use?

For September 2027 entry, Bishop Vesey's Grammar School uses West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test. Check the named test and any alternative or later-stage requirements in the admissions policy.

How do I apply to Bishop Vesey's Grammar School?

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.

When are the key dates for Bishop Vesey's Grammar School?

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. Residence start date: 31 October 2026

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Bishop Vesey's Grammar School?

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 1 May 2024.