School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Queen Mary's Grammar School

Sutton Road, Walsall, WS1 2PG

A selective boys grammar school in Walsall, West Midlands, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,377 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Boys Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment

UK rank: UK Rank #64
Year 7 places: 180
Competition ?: High
Ofsted ?: Outstanding
11+ route: GL Assessment

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At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank: UK Rank #64
Sector: Grammar school
Admissions: Boys only
Assessment: GL Assessment
Places in Year 7: 180
Competition ?: High
Catchment: You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Ofsted ?: Outstanding

Overview

Queen Mary's Grammar School is a selective boys' grammar school for ages 11 to 18 on Sutton Road in Walsall. It was founded in 1554 after George and Nicholas Hawe petitioned Queen Mary I for permission to establish a school, and the official history still gives the school a strong Old Marian identity. QMGS now belongs to The Mercian Trust, but its public account stresses that it keeps its autonomy and its long-standing academic purpose.

The school describes itself as academic in purpose, international in outlook, enterprising in spirit and generous in approach. Its values are often gathered under the CREDIT language used across school communications. The curriculum retains some very traditional grammar-school signals, including classics and a long sixth-form history, while the modern offer is broad enough to support sciences, humanities, languages, creative subjects, personal development and post-18 progression.

The co-curricular record is unusually deep. The official history notes a cadet corps dating from 1900, later becoming the Combined Cadet Force, and the school continues to highlight CCF, music, sport, languages, science and mathematics Olympiads, travel and wider connections. Recent school-published results give a strong outcome context: in 2025, QMGS reported 43% of A-level grades at A*/A, 70% at A*/A/B, 68% of GCSE entries at grades 7 to 9, and destinations including Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry and degree apprenticeships.

Year 7 admission is through the shared West Midlands entrance test, with a published admission number of 180. The test uses two multiple-choice papers covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal or spatial reasoning, with age-standardised section scores. The admissions process distinguishes qualifying scores from eventual allocation: a qualifying score allows consideration, while places are awarded under the school's published criteria, including Pupil Premium and other priority categories. Published measures show an Outstanding Ofsted judgement from March 2023, +0.60 Progress 8, 98.9% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 36% AAB or better at A level.

Key points

Assessment route: GL Assessment across a 2-stage process, covering English, Verbal reasoning, Maths and Non-verbal reasoning.
Places and demand: 180 places in Year 7 and High
Catchment: You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Results: 98.9% grade 5+ in English and maths and 74.2 Attainment 8
Sixth form: Sixth form available with 36% AAB or better and 62% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Walsall and England.

School Local authority England

Attainment 8: 74.2
Grade 5+ English and maths: 98.9%
EBacc APS: 7.23
EBacc entry: 88.8%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Walsall and England.

School Local authority England

Destinations

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

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown

School details

Sector: Grammar school
School type: Academy converter
Application: Local authority CAF
Gender: Boys only
Age range: 11-18
Headmaster: Mr Richard Langton
Pupil roll: 1,377 pupils
Sixth form: Yes
Trust: The Mercian Trust
FSM ?: 25.7%
EAL ?: 25.4%
EHCP ?: 0.4%

Facilities

Science labs

Extracurriculars

Drama Duke of Edinburgh

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,377 pupils; 1,374 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 11.2% Asian 70.6% Mixed 5.7% Black 10.9% Other 1.7% Unclassified 0.2%

Recorded group	Share	Category	Pupils
Indian	37.5%	Asian	517
Pakistani	18.2%	Asian	250
White British	9.2%	White	127
African	8.4%	Black	115
Bangladeshi	6%	Asian	82
Any other Asian background	5.9%	Asian	81
Chinese	3%	Asian	41
White and Asian	2.8%	Mixed	38
Any other mixed background	2%	Mixed	27
Any other White background	1.9%	White	26
Any other ethnic group	1.7%	Other	23
Caribbean	1.5%	Black	20
Any other Black background	1%	Black	14
White and Black African	0.5%	Mixed	7
White and Black Caribbean	0.4%	Mixed	5
Unclassified	0.2%	Unclassified	3
Irish	0.1%	White	1

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Location and contact

Address

Address: Sutton Road, Walsall, West Midlands
Postcode: WS1 2PG
Area: Walsall
Exam area: Walsall 11+

School leadership

Headmaster: Mr Richard Langton

School contact

School email: info@the.merciantrust.org
School phone: 01922720696

Admissions contact

Admissions team: Admissions office
Admissions email: admissions@qmgs.merciantrust.org.uk

Open in Map Open school website

Admissions

Year 7 places: 180 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed: 828 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences: 343 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition ?: High
Who can apply: You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Pass mark note: Qualifying scores and offer thresholds are handled through the West Midlands standardised score process. A qualifying score does not by itself guarantee a place.

There are 180 Year 7 places. Entry is through the West Midlands shared entrance test; candidates must reach the minimum qualifying score, then places are allocated by the published score-led criteria, including a capped Pupil Premium priority route.

There is no residential catchment area. Places are score-led after the minimum qualifying score, with a capped Pupil Premium priority route that ranks Walsall state-funded primary pupils before other Pupil Premium candidates.

Oversubscription and eligibility

1

Looked-after and previously looked-after children

Candidates who achieve the minimum qualifying score and are looked-after, previously looked-after, or regarded as previously in state care outside England are prioritised first by standardised score.
2

Pupil Premium priority

Up to 30% of Year 7 places, currently 54 places, are prioritised for candidates receiving Pupil Premium who achieve the minimum qualifying score. Within this group, candidates attending a Walsall state-funded primary school are considered before other Pupil Premium candidates, then rank order of standardised score applies.
3

Remaining qualified candidates

Remaining places are offered to candidates who achieve the minimum qualifying score in rank order of standardised score until the published admission number is reached.
4

Tie-break

If candidates are tied, the positions in the three tested skill areas are added together; if a tie still remains, independently verified random allocation is used.

Admissions policy

Admission Arrangements 2027-28

2027 entry

Information booklet

Admissions FAQ 2027 Entry

2027 entry

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

The shared West Midlands entrance test has two multiple-choice papers covering English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics, and non-verbal/spatial reasoning. Section scores are age-standardised.

Assessment route: GL Assessment
Papers and stages: 2 papers
Format: Multiple-choice papers
Weighting: English 50% / Maths 25% / Reasoning 25%
Age standardisation: Published as age-standardised

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

Familiarisation GL Assessment English familiarisation pack English General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Maths familiarisation pack Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Skills familiarisation pack Verbal Skills General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ.

View all 9 resources

Familiarisation Preparing for the entrance test Familiarisation West Midlands Grammar Schools entrance test Guidance GL Assessment official guidance and downloads General provider familiarisation. Use only the subjects in this school’s test; question counts and timings may differ.

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Papers and rounds

Paper 1

English, Verbal reasoning

Paper 1

Multiple-choice English comprehension and verbal reasoning questions.
Paper 2

Maths, Non-verbal reasoning

Paper 2

Multiple-choice mathematics and non-verbal reasoning questions, including spatial reasoning.

What the test includes

English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.

Science is not listed in the current published format.

Included

English
Maths
Verbal reasoning

Multiple-choice English comprehension and verbal reasoning questions.
Non-verbal reasoning

Multiple-choice mathematics and non-verbal reasoning questions, including spatial reasoning.

Not listed

Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders

Find open days and plan a visit

Registration opens

5 May 2026
Past
Registration closes

4pm on 26 June 2026
Past
Entrance test

12 September 2026
Past
Results

Middle to late October 2026
Secondary application deadline

31 October 2026
National Offer Day

1 March 2027

How to apply

1
Read the admission arrangements

Check the 2027 entry policy and appendix before registering for the shared West Midlands entrance test.
Open policy
2
Register for the entrance test

Registration opens on 5 May 2026 and closes at 4pm on 26 June 2026.
Open entry page
3
Send evidence where relevant

Use the appendix and FAQ where Pupil Premium, looked-after, or access-arrangement evidence is part of the application.
Open appendix
4
Sit the test and submit the CAF

The test is on 12 September 2026, results are due no later than 16 October 2026, and the CAF deadline is 31 October 2026.
Open FAQ

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admission Arrangements 2027-28

2027 entry

Information booklet

Admissions FAQ 2027 Entry

2027 entry

Supplementary form

Admission Arrangements Appendix 2027-28

2027 entry

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8 ?: +0.60 Progress 8
Attainment 8 ?: 74.2 Attainment 8
GCSE results: 98.9% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths ?: 98.9% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score ?: 7.23 EBacc APS
A-level results: 36% AAB or better
A-level average points: 40.93 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression: 62% in higher education
Apprenticeships: 7% in apprenticeships
Employment: 14% in sustained employment

Latest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.

Subject performance

Maths: 98.9% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English: 97.8% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences: 97.8% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages: 93.7% grade 5+ in EBacc languages

Performance trends

Recent trend

Overall GCSE performance

This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.

Queen Mary's Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	77.9	74.2	49.4
2022/23	74.3	71.8	47.0
2023/24	74.3	72.1	46.7
2024/25	74.2	72.3	46.8

Recent trend

Average A-level result

This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.

Queen Mary's Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	B+ average (42.6 points)	44.0 points	37.5 points
2022/23	B average (39.3 points)	40.5 points	33.7 points
2023/24	B average (39.7 points)	41.3 points	34.5 points
2024/25	B average (40.9 points)	41.8 points	35.0 points

Recent trend

Where pupils go after Year 11

This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.

Queen Mary's Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	100%	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	98%
In apprenticeships	0%
In employment	0%

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Inspection

View report

Outstanding

Latest inspection: 29 March 2023

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

Quick summary

Overall effectiveness: Queen Mary's Grammar School was judged Outstanding in every area. Inspectors found exceptional standards, exemplary behaviour, strong social mobility work and a rich offer that combines academic rigour with diversity, inclusion and pupil well-being.
Quality of education: The programme of study is highly ambitious and carefully sequenced. Inspectors highlight coherent progression in English, mathematics that prepares pupils for A level and university, contemporary courses across subjects, and strong support for SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
Behaviour and attitudes: Pupils feel safe and behave exceptionally well around school and in lessons. Leaders deal promptly with bullying, low-level disruption is virtually absent, and students in the sixth form are confident, resilient and highly motivated.
Personal development: Personal development is unusually rich: pupils benefit from the Change Your Mind well-being course, cadet force leadership, primary PSHE teaching, a top 100 cricket programme, the Wales field centre, Ramadan workshops, concerts, drama and international art trips.
Leadership and management: Leaders pursue trust priorities around transformation, social mobility and social justice while maintaining very high standards. Governors and trustees provide strong support and challenge, and leaders are mindful of staff workload and well-being.
Sixth form provision: Students joining in Year 12 are notably positive about the school. Sixth-formers develop leadership through cadet force roles and teaching PSHE in primary schools, and they are supported towards university, especially mathematics and science, as well as apprenticeships.

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Related pages and guides

Area and ranking pages

Best Grammar Schools in Walsall

Compare 2 Walsall grammar schools for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, West Midlands route, admissions rules, competition, and school profiles.

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.

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Queen Mary's Grammar School use?

Queen Mary's Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Queen Mary's Grammar School?

1. Read the admission arrangements: Check the 2027 entry policy and appendix before registering for the shared West Midlands entrance test. 2. Register for the entrance test: Registration opens on 5 May 2026 and closes at 4pm on 26 June 2026. 3. Send evidence where relevant: Use the appendix and FAQ where Pupil Premium, looked-after, or access-arrangement evidence is part of the application. 4. Sit the test and submit the CAF: The test is on 12 September 2026, results are due no later than 16 October 2026, and the CAF deadline is 31 October 2026.

When are the key dates for Queen Mary's Grammar School?

Registration opens: 5 May 2026. Registration closes: 4pm on 26 June 2026. Entrance test: 12 September 2026. Results: Middle to late October 2026. Secondary application deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Queen Mary's Grammar School?

Queen Mary's Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 29 March 2023.