A selective boys grammar school in Walsall, West Midlands, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,377 pupils on roll.
Queen Mary's Grammar School
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At a glance
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.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Walsall and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Walsall and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Walsall and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,377 pupils; 1,374 had a recorded ethnic group.
| 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 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shared exam route
Queen Mary'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
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.
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
Multiple-choice English comprehension and verbal reasoning questions.
Non-verbal reasoning
Multiple-choice mathematics and non-verbal reasoning questions, including spatial reasoning.
Science
Registration opens
5 May 2026
PastRegistration closes
4pm on 26 June 2026
Entrance test
12 September 2026
Results
no later than 16 October 2026
Secondary application deadline
31 October 2026
National Offer Day
1 March 2027
Read the admission arrangements
Check the 2027 entry policy and appendix before registering for the shared West Midlands entrance test.
Open policyRegister for the entrance test
Registration opens on 5 May 2026 and closes at 4pm on 26 June 2026.
Open entry pageSend evidence where relevant
Use the appendix and FAQ where Pupil Premium, looked-after, or access-arrangement evidence is part of the application.
Open appendixSit 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 FAQLatest 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 | 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
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 (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
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 | 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% |
Latest inspection: 29 March 2023
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Nearby West Midlands option with a similar admissions route
Nearby West Midlands option with a similar admissions route
Nearby West Midlands option with a similar admissions 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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Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Queen Mary's Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
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.
Registration opens: 5 May 2026. Registration closes: 4pm on 26 June 2026. Entrance test: 12 September 2026. Results: no later than 16 October 2026. Secondary application deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
Queen Mary's Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 29 March 2023.