Birmingham / Birmingham 11+
Scotland Lane, Bartley Green, B32 4BT
King Edward VI Five Ways School
1
A selective co-educational grammar school in Birmingham, West Midlands, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,311 pupils on roll.
At a glance
At a glance
A selective co-educational grammar school in Birmingham, West Midlands, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,311 pupils on roll. Families looking at Birmingham, West Midlands will usually see King Edward VI Five Ways School as a selective option for boys and girls aged 11-18, with sixth form continuing the academic journey on the same site. Current published roll and admissions data point to around 1,311 pupils on roll and 180 Year 7 places.
For parents thinking about the 11+, the admissions picture is one of the clearest differentiators here. The current route includes GL Assessment, with 180 places available in Year 7 and demand that currently looks high by grammar-school standards. Catchment or distance rules still matter at allocation stage, so this is the kind of school where families need to read the admissions policy carefully rather than rely on headline scores alone.
On current official measures, the school offers a clear academic profile for parents to weigh up. The latest published Ofsted judgement is Good. Recent official performance measures show Progress 8 at 0.68 and Attainment 8 at 77.1. 98.3% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths in the latest stored GCSE figures. In the sixth form, 40.9% of entries were awarded AAB or better at A level. Destinations data also suggest strong progression after sixth form, with 70% moving into higher education.
Published school information highlights facilities such as Library. The wider offer currently includes Drama. For many parents, the presence of a sixth form is part of the attraction, because it gives able pupils the option to stay in a familiar academic setting through to A level. King Edward VI Five Ways School is likely to appeal most to families who want strong academic expectations but also need the practical details, culture, and selective route to line up sensibly.
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.
Five Ways uses the shared Foundation entrance test and published catchment categories. The 2026 results page published category 3 and category 4 distances but no category 5 March offer, so there is no single open-category March score for that cycle.
A published catchment map is used for the catchment-priority categories. The latest published catchment-category distance threshold for 2026 entry was 4,384 metres, and the same results page also published a separate 5,075 metre threshold for the pupil-premium outside-catchment category.
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
2025
240
Final or waiting-list score
2024
231
Final or waiting-list score
2023
256
Initial offer score
2023
231
Final or waiting-list score
The school uses the shared West Midlands Grammar Schools entrance test rather than a separate school-only paper.
This school uses the shared West Midlands consortium route. The consortium page brings together the common test format, key dates and official papers used across that route.
Open West Midlands guidePaper 1
English, VR
English and verbal reasoning paper
The first multiple-choice paper covers English comprehension and verbal reasoning.
Paper 2
Maths, NVR
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 and Creative writing are 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
Creative writing
Registration opens
5 May 2026
Reasonable adjustments deadline
12 June 2026
Registration closes
26 June 2026
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 | 80.3 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 75.6 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 77.1 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 75.9 | 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 (46.5 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B+ average (43.8 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | A- average (46.2 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B+ average (43.4 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 | 99% | 97.8% | 91.4% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 99% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 0% |
| In employment | 0% |
Latest inspection: 29 November 2023
Local rivals first, then nearby alternatives that still fit the same shortlist-building context.
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Best Grammar Schools in Birmingham
Compare the best grammar schools in Birmingham for the 2026 admissions cycle using published GCSE results, Ofsted, admissions routes, and practical local context. Much of Birmingham sits within the West Midlands route, so shared testing still matters alongside each school's own admissions rules.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county, school type, and Ofsted. Useful for broad searches like top UK grammar schools, grammar school rankings, and 11+ school shortlists.
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.
Best Grammar Schools in Birmingham
Compare the best grammar schools in Birmingham for the 2026 admissions cycle using published GCSE results, Ofsted, admissions routes, and practical local context. Much of Birmingham sits within the West Midlands route, so shared testing still matters alongside each school's own admissions rules.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county, school type, and Ofsted. Useful for broad searches like top UK grammar schools, grammar school rankings, and 11+ school shortlists.
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 Five Ways 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. Registration closes: 26 June 2026. 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 Five Ways School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 29 November 2023.