A selective boys grammar school in Birmingham, West Midlands, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 995 pupils on roll.
King Edward VI Aston School
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At a glance
King Edward VI Aston School is a selective boys' grammar school for ages 11 to 18 on Frederick Road in Aston, Birmingham. Founded in 1883 and now part of the King Edward VI foundation grammar-school network, it combines a long Birmingham grammar tradition with the shared West Midlands admissions system. The school is boys-only through the main school and has a sixth form, with around 995 pupils on roll.
Aston's curriculum pages are unusually explicit about the kind of pupil the school wants to develop. The school says the curriculum is the key driver of progress, with a general ethos of challenge, high expectations and deeper learning. Its three pillars are achievement through the taught curriculum, enjoyment through the enriched curriculum and personal development through shared values. The values page names kindness, integrity, honesty and diligence, and the curriculum intent is to produce articulate, well-rounded and well-educated young men with confidence and resilience.
The wider offer sits around that academic core rather than apart from it. The school material points to Duke of Edinburgh, clubs and societies, trips and expeditions, sixth-form progression and subject-led enrichment. Recent official school results pages record 97.15% grade 5+ in English and mathematics for 2024-25 and an average A-level grade of B, while the GOV.UK-linked performance data adds the longer official comparison context.
Year 7 entry uses the shared West Midlands Grammar Schools entrance test rather than a separate Aston-only paper. The published admission number is 140. The test route includes English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal or spatial reasoning across the shared multiple-choice papers, with age-standardised scoring. After looked-after children who reach the qualifying score, the policy includes Pupil Premium categories inside and outside catchment, catchment applicants reaching the priority score, and then other applicants reaching the qualifying score. The latest official record lists an Outstanding Ofsted judgement from May 2022, +0.14 Progress 8, 97.9% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 26% 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 995 pupils; 979 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistani | 33.3% | Asian | 331 |
| Any other mixed background | 12.6% | Mixed | 125 |
| Bangladeshi | 11.1% | Asian | 110 |
| Indian | 11.1% | Asian | 110 |
| African | 7.9% | Black | 79 |
| Any other Asian background | 5.5% | Asian | 55 |
| Any other ethnic group | 4.9% | Other | 49 |
| White British | 4.9% | White | 49 |
| Chinese | 1.7% | Asian | 17 |
| Unclassified | 1.6% | Unclassified | 16 |
| Any other White background | 1.5% | White | 15 |
| Any other Black background | 1.4% | Black | 14 |
| White and Asian | 1.2% | Mixed | 12 |
| Caribbean | 0.8% | Black | 8 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.4% | Mixed | 4 |
| White and Black African | 0.1% | Mixed | 1 |
A published catchment map is used for the pupil premium catchment category and the priority-score catchment category, but applicants outside catchment can still receive open-category offers if they meet the qualifying standard.
A published catchment map is used for the catchment-priority categories. Living outside catchment does not rule out an offer because open-category offers are still ranked by score.
Looked-after and previously looked-after children who reach the qualifying score
Applicants in this category are ranked by test score and, where scores are tied, by straight-line distance.
Pupil premium applicants in catchment who reach the qualifying score
This category is ranked by straight-line distance.
Pupil premium applicants outside catchment, up to 25% of places, who reach the qualifying score
Remaining pupil premium priority places can be offered outside catchment, ranked by test score, sibling, then distance.
Catchment applicants who reach the priority score
Applicants in catchment who meet the published priority score are ranked by sibling, then distance.
All other applicants who reach the qualifying score
Open-category offers are ranked by test score, then sibling, then distance.
Admissions policy
Admissions policy for 2027 entry
2027 entry
Score cut-off
Results and offers
2026 entry
2026
217
Initial offer score
2025
219
Initial offer score
2025
215
Final or waiting-list score
2024
218
Initial offer score
2024
214
Final or waiting-list score
2023
216
Initial offer score
2023
210
Final or waiting-list score
The shared West Midlands Grammar Schools entrance test applies for Year 7 entry; there is no separate school-only paper.
Shared exam route
King Edward VI Aston 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
English and verbal reasoning paper
The first multiple-choice paper covers English comprehension and verbal reasoning.
Paper 2
Maths, Non-verbal reasoning
Mathematics and non-verbal reasoning paper
The second multiple-choice paper covers mathematics plus non-verbal and 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
The first multiple-choice paper covers English comprehension and verbal reasoning.
Non-verbal reasoning
The second multiple-choice paper covers mathematics plus non-verbal and spatial reasoning.
Science
Registration opens
5 May 2026
PastReasonable adjustments deadline
12 June 2026, 4pm deadline
Registration closes
26 June 2026, 4pm deadline
Test information released
Early September 2026
Entrance test
12 September 2026
Results released
16 October 2026
Secondary application deadline
31 October 2026
National Offer Day
1 March 2027
Read the 2027 admissions policy
Use the policy and catchment map to check the shared Foundation oversubscription categories before you register.
Open policyRegister for the entrance test
Registration opens on 5 May 2026 and closes at 4pm on 26 June 2026. Any reasonable-adjustments request is due by 4pm on 12 June 2026.
View key datesSit the entrance test and check your result
The shared Foundation entrance test is on 12 September 2026 and results are released on 16 October 2026.
See timetableSubmit your local authority preferences
Name the school on your secondary application by 31 October 2026 after you have your test result.
Apply via BirminghamLatest 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 | 75 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 71 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 69.3 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 71.2 | 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 | B- average (36.1 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B- average (35.6 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B- average (37.7 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B average (38.4 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 | 98% | 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 | 96% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 1% |
| In employment | 1% |
Latest inspection: 11 May 2022
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 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
King Edward VI Aston School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the 2027 admissions policy: Use the policy and catchment map to check the shared Foundation oversubscription categories before you register. 2. Register for the entrance test: Registration opens on 5 May 2026 and closes at 4pm on 26 June 2026. Any reasonable-adjustments request is due by 4pm on 12 June 2026. 3. Sit the entrance test and check your result: The shared Foundation entrance test is on 12 September 2026 and results are released on 16 October 2026. 4. Submit your local authority preferences: Name the school on your secondary application by 31 October 2026 after you have your test result.
Registration opens: 5 May 2026. Reasonable adjustments deadline: 12 June 2026, 4pm deadline. Registration closes: 26 June 2026, 4pm deadline. Test information released: Early September 2026. Entrance test: 12 September 2026. Results released: 16 October 2026. Secondary application deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
King Edward VI Aston School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 11 May 2022.