Birmingham Grammar Schools

Bishop Vesey’s

Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://bvgs.co.uk/year-7-3/

Ofsted Report: Outstanding
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137988

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

Specialisation

Top Of The Leader Board

The annual Sunday Times Parent Power League Tables for secondary schools shows for the last six years that we are the best performing state school for boys with a co-educational Sixth Form in Birmingham and Walsall, and continually improving. We are ranked, with the nation’s very best, in the top 50 of the best 500 state secondary schools in the country. We have an outstanding record of preparing students to apply for the UK’s top Russell Group universities.

Not only does our excellent academic performance place us comfortably in the top 50 state schools in the country for attainment but we also win awards every year for student progress.

Mandarin

we are proud to be part of the Mandarin Excellence Programme, sponsored by the Institute of Education at the University of London and Confucius Classroom.

Sports

In sport, we continue to excel in rugby, cricket, hockey, basketball, cross-country, athletics, netball, rowing and tennis. This has been supported by the wonderful additions to our facilities: the outdoor cricket nets, our new rowing boats, our special indoor rowing room, the floodlights on Middle Field and our new tennis and netball courts.

STEM

Thanks to a 2 million pound grant from the Government and a further 1.1 million pound fund raising from the Vesey Community, in December 2016 we opened an inspiring new STEM block providing outstanding resources in Science, Technology, Mathematics and Computing (including a robotics suite).

International Trips

We hold many overseas trips including sporting tours to South Africa, South America and New Zealand as well as trips to China.

https://bvgs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/VESEY-PROSPECTUS-Sept-2019.pdf

King Edward VI Handsworth School For Girls

Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/admissions-timetable

Ofsted Report: Outstanding
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137047

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

Specialisation

University

Girls leave our Sixth Form to go to the most prestigious universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, and gain places on the most popular courses such as Medicine and Law.

Ofsted

We are one of eleven schools in the country that have gained five consecutive “outstanding” OFSTED inspections and one of only three schools in the country that have achieved all 1’s in their previous two OFSTED inspections.

Healthy Lifestyle

Through promoting healthy eating and lifestyle, we encourage girls to respect their bodies. Our ‘Healthy Schools Status’ demonstrates that the school has met Government standards regarding: personal, health and social education; healthy eating; activity; and emotional health and well-being.

Healthy lifestyles are a major theme at Handsworth and the school adopts a whole school approach involving working with children and young people, parents and school staff to contribute to the physical and emotional development of all members of the school community. We are particularly proud of our school meals that are not only delicious but also exceed the Government’s expectations. We have been awarded a ‘gold star’ in each of our inspections.

Charity

Fundraising for charity is a very high priority at the school. Girls commit enthusiastically to a range of adventurous and highly original fundraising events, for example, Kids Kampala, Pink Week (for Breast Cancer charities) and Children in Need. As a result, we raise over £15,000 a year.

Facilities

Our performance arts facilities are superb. We have a breathtaking Music Centre which exists in a converted church on the school site. This houses performance spaces, music rooms and practice rooms as well as a range of instruments. There is a purpose built Dance Studio complete with music system, mirrors, sprung floor and ballet barre. The Drama Studio houses a technical suite with lighting and sound, versatile staging and seating.

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls has one of the finest sets of buildings of any school in Birmingham. The grandeur of the Hall contrasts with the cosiness of the Playroom, our whole-school common room. Our sports facilities are excellent, with well-maintained pitches and courts, a lovely gymnasium, state-of-the-art sports hall and dance studio. There are five computer rooms and several class sets of netbooks and iPads, and well equipped science laboratories. We have a splendid Music Centre, with impressive practice rooms and concert hall. Our school site is very safe and our extensive bus network ensures that girls can travel here easily. Our magnificent new library blends tradition with the best of modern technology and design, providing a superb 21st century learning environment. We have a much extended and refurbished £2.2million science building equipping us with twelve laboratories.

International Trips

Geography fieldwork introduces girls to the varied landscape and scenic beauty of our island. Trips to Germany and France, where we have partner schools, enable the girls to practise their languages. Our girls learn about their heritage through a variety of history trips, for example, our battle sites trip. The cultural education of the girls is enhanced by many theatre trips.

There are also opportunities that offer exciting experiences in the outdoors. We firmly believe that all girls benefit from residential experiences. All Year 7 girls go to local venue for a weekend in their first term. In Year 9 they all go further afield, to Derbyshire, Wales, Devon or France for an outdoor activity or cultural visit. Our Lower Sixth all begin A Level by a residential conference at Wadham College, Oxford. Older girls can participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and, in recent years, expeditions to Namibia, Thailand, Venezuela, Borneo and Vietnam.

King Edward VI Handsworth girls have travelled all over the globe with the school and seen some of the world’s most famous landmarks, from the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Kremlin in Moscow to the canals of Venice. We have also made visits to Washington, Africa, South Africa and Asia. Our keen skiers have been to Austria and the USA in recent years.

King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School For Boys

Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/admissions-timetable

Ofsted Report: Outstanding in 2017 (Good in 2013)
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/103549

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/2021_Familiarisation_Sheet-KEVI.pdf

Specialisation

This is the oldest surviving selective school in Birmingham.

Music

The school puts on several concerts each year, helping to encourage the students to gain confidence in themselves by performing in front of an audience, or working behind the scenes. Many students partake of instrumental tuition at the School, learning instruments ranging from the guitar to the trombone and from the piano to the Dhol. As a result we can boast a big band, brass group, string quartet, guitar ensemble and other groupings.

https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/about-the-school/extracurricular-activities/

Art

Art is a strength of the School, with outstanding work being produced by the students for external exams, productions and displays. Collaborative work with other schools and organisations has resulted in both temporary and permanent public exhibitions of the students’ work.

https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/KEVI-HGS-Prospectus-2017-web.pdf

Mental Health Provision

King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School is a member of the NewStart Programme. NewStart is a prevention and early-intervention programme to promote mental health and emotional well-being in our school communities.

Led by Birmingham Education Partnership and funded by the NHS, the NewStart programme aims to build resilience and well-being for young people through a school-based community development model.

https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/about-the-school/

Facilities

An extensive programme of building work has been carried out in recent years, including two new MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) classrooms, an Administration

block, a new ICT (Information and Communications Technology) room, a Maths room, a new Sports Hall, three IT (Information Technology) classrooms and a new Library. In addition, we have built a new extension housing an Art room and Literacy room. Most recently we have built a brand new £1.6 Million Sixth Form Centre, refurbished our Dining Room and Design Technology laboratories and built an Astro Turf pitch on the main site. The School playing fields are just over a mile away in Handsworth Wood, on a pleasant site off Romilly Avenue which have also enjoyed considerable investment with 2 new Astro Turf pitches being built and the Pavilion being refurbished of late.

King Edward VI Five Ways School

Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://www.kefw.org/admissions

Ofsted Report: No current report as changed to an Academy, rating for school before change was outstanding.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/103552
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137046

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/2021_Familiarisation_Sheet-KEVI.pdf

Specialisation

The Foundation dates from 1552, although its origins can be traced back two centuries earlier.

Humanities & Science

In September 2004, we became a Specialist Humanities School and in 2008 took on a second Specialism in Science, although today specialisms are no longer funded by government.

https://www.kefw.org/welcome

Facilities

Most recent additions include The Chowen Sixth Form Centre, a Drama Studio, a £1 million Osmend Language Centre and Pavilion complex including hospitality and changing facilities. All of the existing classrooms and toilet facilities have been renovated.

Our Sports Hall, climbing wall and changing rooms form a sports complex together with the Dance Studio, Swimming Pool plus a purpose built Fitness Suite, completed in 2008. In 2015 we were delighted to open Fox Field, our multi-use astro turf pitch.

In 2019 we were delighted to open our new Music School in our Eyles Centre, complete with practice rooms, recording facilities, office space and music classrooms.

https://www.kefw.org/welcome

Sports

Sport plays a significant role in the life of Five Ways. The school enjoys a strong tradition, where all pupils are encouraged to take an active role in both the National Curriculum and extracurricular opportunities available to them.

https://www.kefw.org/sport

GCSE Results

https://www.kefw.org/exam-results
https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/137046/king-edward-vi-five-ways-school/secondary

King Edward VI School Aston

Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/admissions-timetable

Ofsted Report: No current report as changed to an Academy, rating for school before change was outstanding.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/103555
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137043

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

Specialisation

Sports

The school has a local, regional and national reputation for sporting excellence, particularly in the traditional team games. A strong focus on competitive sport against other schools, and students are expected to represent the school when selected.

Music

Students at Aston are encouraged to continue with their musical studies or to embark upon learning a new instrument. Every other year there is a residential course at Ingestre Hall for members of all the main school bands and also an oversees tour for members of the Big Band, Concert Band and String Orchestra.

Art

There is also a strong tradition in fine art. We have excellent photography resources, including a special dark room and also offer in-house certificates in photographic skills.

Familiarisation Programme

Designed to help disadvantaged pupils prepare for the 11+ entrance exam, this is a series of two hour classes looking at diffrent parts of the exam. Pupils are selected by their primary schools.

Aston Old Edwardians

Aston Old Edwardians represent the old boy’s association of the school. They hold an annual dinner each November and arrange a wide variety of activities at the sports ground.

Green Bus

The Green Bus company has bespoke routes for our students, dropping and collecting them last the school gates.

https://www.keaston.bham.sch.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=1004&type=pdf

GCSE Results

https://www.keaston.bham.sch.uk/page/?title=Exam+results&pid=15

King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys

Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/admissions-timetable

Ofsted Report: No current report as changed to an Academy, rating for school before change was outstanding.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/103554
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137045

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/2021_Familiarisation_Sheet-KEVI.pdf

Specialisation

Music

Music is an important part of life at Camp Hill.Boys are encouraged to make the most of their musical talents. An attractive purpose built Music Block houses the following

  •     A large very well equipped Music Room
  •     Music Studio
  •     Large Ensemble Room
  •     Four Practice Rooms
  •     Large secure Instrument Store
  •     Music Office
  •     A wide variety of instruments in excellent condition
  •     Brand new Yamaha PSR-E463 keyboards
  •     Computers running Sibelius, MuseScore 3, Audacity and and other music programs

Many talented pupils go on to study music at Conservatoire or University.
http://www.camphillboys.bham.sch.uk/departments/music/

Trips & Exchanges

We have a partner school in Germany, the Schule am Ried in Frankfurt am Main. For Year 8 pupils there is an exchange programme. The German partners come to Birmingham for 6 days in March/April when our boys are in Year 8 and our boys make the return trip to Frankfurt in October of the same year, i.e. when the boys are in Year 9. In Year 10, we take selected pupils to participate in the VDI (the Association of German Engineers) Schülerforum at the Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences) in Frankfurt. In Years 11 and 12, boys are able to do a week long work experience placement in Frankfurt and are accommodated with host families connected to the Schule am Ried. The work experience partnership programme won a Trade and Investment award in 2003.

We also run very popular trips to Paris for year 7 and to Paris/ Rouen for year 9. The year 7 visit includes a day in Paris, a visit to Asterix Park as well as a visit to the Palace of Versailles. The year 9 visit includes a treasure hunt, a river cruise on the Seine, a tour of Rouen as well as a visit to Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios.

http://www.camphillboys.bham.sch.uk/departments/modern-foreign-languages/

Careers

A stable careers programme delivered through PSHE and through the curriculum from years 7 to 13 that equips them to make effective use of careers information, advice and guidance and to develop career management and employability skills.

A structured work experience scheme in year 11 that consists of 5 days in the workplace and a work experience conference led by business and industry experts. Some of our students are able to take part in work placements in Germany through our long standing German exchange arrangements.

http://www.camphillboys.bham.sch.uk/departments/careers/

GCSE Results

http://www.camphillboys.bham.sch.uk/about/exam-results/


King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls

Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/admissions-timetable

Ofsted Report: No current report as changed to an Academy, rating for school before change was outstanding.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137044
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/103553

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/2021_Familiarisation_Sheet-KEVI.pdf

Specialisation

STEM

A discrete STEM lesson is embedded within the curriculum in Year 7 and 8 in which students gain the opportunity to work with state of the art technology, including 3D printers.

Music

Music is a real strength in the school. Currently over 200 students receive instrumental music tuition at school, from our team of visiting instrumental teachers. A wide range of instruments is catered for.

It is hoped that students will play or sing in one of our ensembles, orchestras or choirs, including those jointly organised with Camp Hill Boys. Many students progress to one of Birmingham’s youth orchestras and bands, and they have opportunities to perform in some of the city’s landmark venues.

Facilties

Accordingly, the school benefits from excellent facilities, many of which have been built or refurbished in recent years, including the locker area, the school Dining Room, a Geography and Science hub and a STEM block which includes further specialist Science Labs. During the summer of 2018 we completed work to extend the Sixth Form facilities to include additional study space and dining facilities.

The school also boasts an indoor swimming pool, music performance and practice rooms, and Art and Design suites which provide specialist classrooms and exciting modern environments for budding artists, designers and engineers.

A large Sports Hall is shared with Camp Hill School for Boys, which includes classrooms, a fitness room and a dance studio.

Quality Teaching

We are also extremely fortunate to have The King Edward’s Consortium located on our site, a provider of school-centered, Initial Teacher Training. The KE Consortium was rated as the No.1 provider in the country in The Good Teacher Training Guide 2017, and is made up of a group of 20, well-established and diverse schools from around the area. The KE Consortium has an outstanding track record in recruiting and training high-flyers for a successful career in teaching, boasting a 100% employment rate.

Leadership

We encourage our girls to develop their leadership skills. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is enormously popular and makes a strong contribution to this programme. School Council and Sports Leadership are enthusiastically supported and Sixth Formers increasingly take on responsibility for leading both whole school initiatives through the House System, and supporting younger students as mentors.

Languages

Three modern Foreign Languages, French, German and Spanish are offered throughout KS3, 4 and 5, and Latin is currently offered at KS3 and 4.

GCSE Results

http://kechg.org.uk/about/exam-results/

Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls

Entrance Exam Dates: September

Ofsted Report: No current report as changed to an Academy in 2012, rating for school before change was outstanding.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/103521
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/136778

Test Type: CEM

The test is provided by CEM and is made up of two papers, each approximately 50 minutes long. Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test verbal ability (reading & comprehension and literacy skills), non-verbal ability and mathematics. There are no sections of writing within the test - all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet. The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older. A familiarisation guide can be found at the bottom of this page that shows the style of questions to appear in the test and how answers must be recorded.

https://www.birminghamgrammarschools.org/content/test

You can download a familiarisation guide (PDF) here.

Specialisation

League Table

The annual Sunday Times' Parent Power Survey was published on 24th November 2019. The survey ranks the top 150 state schools across the country, based on the highest grades at A-level and GCSE examinations. This year, Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls has been ranked 41st of all state secondary schools in the country and third in Birmingham.

https://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/examresults

BBC Young Reporter

BBC Young Reporter is an exciting opportunity for young people to get involved with the BBC.

If you are 11-18 years old then this is a chance for you to tell the stories that matter to you.

BBC Young Reporter (formerly School Report) works in partnership with schools, colleges, youth organisations and charities to provide young people with the skills they need to create and understand the media.

Schools and organisations taking part will benefit from access to exclusive events, training and resources, as well as mentoring and career talks from BBC staff and journalists.

https://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/bbcyoungreporter

Facilities

We are fortunate to have fantastic facilities, including state of the art science laboratories, sports hall, library and a brand new teaching block which is home to the English department in addition to a multi-purpose social space.

https://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/page/?title=Headteacher%27s+Welcome&pid=66

Languages

French and Spanish is taught at the school.

https://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/page/?title=Year+7%2D9+Curriculum&pid=24

PSHE

Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) plays an essential part in equipping students to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and balanced lives.

https://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/page/?title=PSHE+and+Careers&pid=26

GCSE Results

https://www.suttcold.bham.sch.uk/examresults

>