Bishop Vesey's Grammar School 11+ Tuition: 2027 Entry

About Bishop Vesey's Grammar School

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School (BVGS) is a selective state grammar school on Lichfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B74 2NH. Founded in 1527 by John Vesey, Bishop of Exeter, it is one of Britain's oldest schools still operating and converted to academy status in April 2012. The school has approximately 1,455 pupils on roll, according to its most recent Ofsted inspection, and admits boys only from Year 7 to Year 11, with the Sixth Form open to both boys and girls. Pupils are organised into five houses — Blue, Gold, Red, White and Purple — and former pupils are known as Old Veseyans.

In its most recent inspection, dated 30 April 2024, Ofsted rated Bishop Vesey's Outstanding across every category assessed: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and Sixth Form provision. Academically, the school has been on a clear upward trajectory: in 2025 it posted what it publicly described as record-breaking GCSE results, with 77% of grades at 7-9 (up from 73% in 2024) and 57% at grade 8-9 (up from 49% in 2024), figures the school itself announced to celebrate the achievement. If you want the full background on the school's history, sixth form and wider admissions picture, our detailed Bishop Vesey's Grammar School 11+ guide covers that in depth; this page focuses on what a family needs to act on right now.

What Is the Shared Birmingham Grammar Schools 11+ Test?

Bishop Vesey's does not set its own separate entrance exam. Instead, it is one of eight Birmingham grammar schools that share a single entrance test, arranged by the King Edward VI Foundation and provided by GL Assessment: Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, King Edward VI Aston School, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, King Edward VI Five Ways School, King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls, King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls. A boy registers once and sits one set of papers, and the resulting standardised score can then be used to apply to any combination of these eight schools, each of which sets its own priority zones and oversubscription criteria. See our wider King Edward VI Birmingham grammar schools guide for how the other seven schools compare.

The test itself consists of two papers, each approximately 60 minutes long, made up entirely of multiple-choice questions with answers recorded on separate sheets. Between them, the papers assess English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal/spatial reasoning. Marks are weighted 50% for English and verbal reasoning combined, 25% for non-verbal reasoning and 25% for mathematics, and every score is standardised for the child's age before schools rank candidates, so a boy born in the summer term is not disadvantaged against a boy born in the autumn.

For September 2027 entry, the test was sat on Saturday 12 September 2026, across two sessions, with registration having closed at 4pm on Friday 26 June 2026. Results and school offers follow in March 2027, in line with National Offer Day. Bishop Vesey's admissions policy does not publish a single fixed pass mark in advance; instead, the qualifying standardised score moves each year depending on how the whole cohort performs, so any single year's reported figure should be treated as historical context rather than a guaranteed target for a future sitting.

What Are the Priority Zones and Oversubscription Criteria?

Rather than a single fixed catchment boundary, Bishop Vesey's published admissions arrangements define three priority zones measured by straight-line distance from the foot of the steps leading to the school's main entrance on Lichfield Road, calculated using a computerised system (Cartology) referenced to Ordnance Survey coordinates:

• Zone 1: up to 12 miles from the school
• Zone 2: between 12 and 20 miles from the school
• Zone 3: beyond 20 miles from the school

After looked-after, previously looked-after and internationally-adopted children who meet the qualifying score, the next priority group is Pupil Premium-eligible boys living in Zone 1, capped at a maximum of 38 places. Any unfilled places in that tier cascade to Pupil Premium boys in Zone 2, then Zone 3. To qualify, a boy must have been registered for free school meals at any point in the six years prior to the test registration deadline, with supporting evidence due by the end of November 2026. Remaining places are then allocated to boys within Zone 1, then Zone 2, then Zone 3, ranked purely by standardised test score. Where two boys are tied on score, the place goes to whichever candidate lives closer to the school, measured to the same fixed point at the main entrance steps. The Sixth Form applies a similar but separate Pupil Premium provision, capped at 20 places, with evidence due by the end of May 2027.

How Strong Are Bishop Vesey's 2025 GCSE Results?

One figure that rarely appears in generic 11+ guides but matters enormously to families choosing where to invest years of preparation is how a school's academic outcomes are actually trending. Bishop Vesey's own announcement of its 2025 GCSE results described them as record-breaking: 77% of all GCSE grades were at 7-9, up from 73% in 2024, and 57% were at the very top grades of 8-9, up from 49% the year before. That is a meaningful year-on-year improvement at a school that was already rated Outstanding by Ofsted (inspected 30 April 2024), and it is a useful, current data point for any family weighing up whether the level of competition for a Year 7 place — roughly five to six applicants per place — is worth the preparation effort. It clearly is: outcomes at BVGS are not just strong, they are strengthening.

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Why Bishop Vesey's Is So Competitive

With 192 Year 7 places against over 1,000 applications each year, Bishop Vesey's sits among the most oversubscribed grammar schools in the West Midlands, at roughly five to six applicants for every place. That competition is compounded by the shared-test structure: because a boy's standardised score from the single King Edward VI Foundation test can be used across all eight participating schools, families across a wide geography — not just Sutton Coldfield — register their sons, widening the applicant pool well beyond the immediate area.

The zone system adds a further layer families need to understand early. A boy scoring well but living in Zone 3 (beyond 20 miles) is ranked only after every qualifying boy in Zone 1 and Zone 2 has been placed, which means the practical threshold for an offer can differ meaningfully depending on where a family lives, even before Pupil Premium priority is factored in. Understanding where your son sits within this structure — zone, Pupil Premium eligibility and likely score range — is important planning information well before test day.

The school's Outstanding Ofsted rating, its 1527 founding, its five-house pastoral structure and now its record 2025 GCSE results all reinforce why demand remains so high. For many families in Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Streetly, Walmley and the wider Birmingham area, Bishop Vesey's is a first-choice school, and the margin between an offer and the waiting list can come down to a handful of marks.

How Leading Tuition Prepares Boys for Bishop Vesey's

Leading Tuition's specialist 11+ tuition programme works with families across Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Streetly and the wider West Midlands to prepare boys for the shared Birmingham grammar schools test. Because the same test score can be used for Bishop Vesey's and any of the other seven participating schools, a well-structured preparation programme gives your son the flexibility to apply broadly while aiming specifically at BVGS's competitive standard.

We begin with a diagnostic assessment across all four tested areas: English comprehension, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal/spatial reasoning. Because the test weights English and verbal reasoning at 50% of the total mark, our programmes place particular emphasis on comprehension accuracy, vocabulary depth and verbal reasoning question-type fluency, while still building strong technique across the 25%-weighted non-verbal reasoning and mathematics papers.

As test day approaches, we shift into full timed mock papers under exam conditions, replicating the two 60-minute multiple-choice papers your son will sit. This builds the speed and stamina needed when every mark matters against a roughly five-to-six-applicant field for each place. We also advise families on the practical side of the process: registration windows, Pupil Premium evidence deadlines, and how the zone system may affect realistic expectations, so nothing about the admissions mechanics comes as a surprise on results day.

Progress is tracked after every session, with short diagnostic tasks at the start of each lesson to catch any drift early and adjust focus accordingly. Parents receive regular updates throughout the programme. Whether your son is in the final weeks before a September test date or you are a Year 4 or Year 5 family starting to plan ahead for a future Birmingham grammar schools sitting, we tailor the programme to where he is now and where he needs to be.

When Are the Key Dates for 2027 Entry?

• Registration for the shared Birmingham grammar schools test: Closed 4pm Friday 26 June 2026
• Entrance test date: Saturday 12 September 2026 (two sessions)
• Pupil Premium evidence deadline (Year 7): End of November 2026
• Results and offers: March 2027 (National Offer Day)
• Sixth Form Pupil Premium evidence deadline: End of May 2027

Note: If you are a family with a son in Year 4 or early Year 5, the next Birmingham grammar schools registration and test cycle will open in 2027 for September 2028 entry. Starting structured preparation now — well ahead of registration — gives the strongest foundation for the shared test's English, verbal reasoning, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning demands.

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