How to prepare for the King Edward's School 11+ exam

The exam at a glance

For September 2028 entry, King Edward’s School uses its own entrance papers. The assessment is paper based and tests Maths and English only. There is no Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning, so preparation needs to go deeper in these two core subjects rather than spreading across more paper types.

King Edward’s School describes Year 7 as its main entry point, with most boys joining at 11+ and remaining through to Sixth Form. In practice, that means the admissions process is designed to identify children who can cope well with the school’s academic pace and who communicate clearly in both written English and mathematical working.

The school’s admissions information for current entry cycles shows that the process is more than just the written exam. Parents should expect the written papers first, followed by later stages for some applicants, including interviews in November. If your son is also considering a music scholarship, the school’s published timeline for the current cycle shows music scholarship auditions in November as well.

On the day itself, families should expect a formal test session at the school, with separate English and Maths papers. Because these are the school’s own papers, question style can feel a little different from standardised consortium tests. The safest preparation is therefore strong Key Stage 2 mastery, careful written method in Maths, accurate spelling and punctuation, and confidence with reading and extended writing in English.

Board: King Edward’s School’s own paper
Subjects: Maths and English
Reasoning papers: Not tested
Delivery: Paper based
Main entry point: Year 7 at 11+
Likely wider process: written exam first, then later admissions steps for shortlisted candidates

For a concise overview of the format, dates and admissions points, parents can also bookmark The King Edward's School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Registration and key dates

King Edward’s School runs its own admissions process rather than using a local authority grammar-school test portal. Applications are made through the school’s admissions route, and the school’s admissions pages set out the steps for registration and later acceptance.

For the currently published cycle on the school site, registration opened on 30 March 2026 and the deadline was 21 September 2026. The school’s published admissions timetable also shows a SEND consideration deadline of Wednesday 9 September 2026 at 9am. If your child may need access arrangements, it is important to start this conversation early and follow the school’s instructions exactly.

The school’s published timetable for the current cycle shows the entrance examination taking place on 3 October 2026. It also states that interviews are in November 2026, with music scholarship auditions in November 2026, and that results are sent on Friday 11 December 2026. The acceptance deadline is March 2027, although the school page marks that date as to be confirmed.

For families preparing for 2028 entry, the exact dates may not yet be published. Based on the school’s current timetable, the process usually opens in late March, closes in late September, and the exam is typically in early October, with results in December. Always check the school’s admissions page for the live cycle before acting.

The school also publishes open events. Its admissions information says open events are usually twice a year, one in the autumn term shortly before entrance-exam registration closes and one in the summer term. The next whole-school open event listed on the current page is Monday 28 June 2027, 5.00–7.30pm.

There is a non-refundable registration fee of £50 plus VAT payable at application. If you later accept a place, the school states that a non-refundable deposit of £400 is required from full fee-paying parents.

A sensible checklist for parents is:

Read the school’s admissions page and note the live year’s timetable.
Attend an open event if possible.
Register through the school by the published deadline.
Arrange any SEND or access-arrangement requests before the stated cut-off.
Prepare for an early October exam date unless the school announces otherwise.
Watch for December results and any later interview or scholarship communication.

If you want reminders when dates change, you can sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

King Edward’s School is an independent boys’ school in Edgbaston, Birmingham. The school says its normal entry points are 11+ for Year 7 and 16+ for Sixth Form, and that most boys enter in Year 7 and stay on for the Sixth Form.

The school’s admissions guidance makes one important eligibility point very clear: it does not accept applications from international students. Boys must hold either a UK passport or the relevant visas to remain in the UK, and they must be living locally with their family. For many parents, that is the key practical filter before beginning preparation.

Unlike many state grammar-school admissions systems, this is not a published catchment-score process in the same way. The school does not present a local authority-style cut-off distance or a publicly published pass mark on the admissions page we reviewed. Because of that, parents should not rely on forum claims about score thresholds or how far away successful families live. If the school later publishes more detail for a live cycle, use that official information rather than unofficial commentary.

Competition is usually strong for academically selective independent schools at 11+, but King Edward’s School does not publish a simple public pass mark on the admissions information reviewed here. The practical takeaway is that a child needs to be well prepared in both Maths and English, and families should be ready for a process that may include later interviews as well as the written papers.

A month-by-month preparation plan

For a child aiming for the autumn 2027 exam for 2028 entry, the most useful preparation is steady and calm. Because King Edward’s School tests only English and Maths, there is no need to divide time across VR and NVR. Instead, build accuracy, depth and written stamina.

January to March of Year 5

Start gently if your child is not already preparing. Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week across two or three short sessions. Focus on secure arithmetic, fractions, word problems, reading comprehension and sentence-level accuracy. At this stage, keep most work untimed. You are building habits, not chasing speed.

April to June of Year 5

Increase to 3 to 4 hours a week. Begin a more structured routine: one Maths session, one English session, and one mixed or reading-based session each week. In Maths, insist on clear method and checking. In English, cover comprehension, vocabulary in context, spelling, punctuation and one short piece of writing each week. This is also a good time to attend a school open event if one is available.

July to August before Year 6

Summer is ideal for consolidation. Keep work regular but manageable at 3 to 4 hours a week. Use one longer session for a half-paper or skills set, and shorter sessions for fluency. Start introducing some timed sections, but do not jump straight to full papers every week. If your child tires quickly, alternate one timed week with one untimed week.

September of Year 6

Move to 4 to 5 hours a week. By now, your child should be doing timed practice in both subjects. Focus especially on exam technique: reading instructions properly, deciding how long to spend on each question, showing working, planning writing briefly before starting, and checking answers. This is also the month to make sure registration and any access arrangements are complete by the school’s deadlines.

October of Year 6, up to the exam

In the final run-in, keep preparation steady rather than intense. Two short weekday sessions and one timed paper at the weekend is usually enough. In the last week, reduce volume. Review mistakes, key methods, spelling patterns and handwriting speed, but do not overload your child with new material.

A good rule of thumb is this: start timed full papers only when the underlying skills are reasonably secure. For many children, that means light timing in the summer and fuller timing in September. Starting too early often teaches rushing rather than thinking.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For King Edward’s School, Maths preparation should be based on strong Key Stage 2 content used in a selective setting. Practise arithmetic accuracy, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, multi-step word problems, measures, perimeter, area, data handling and number reasoning. Because this is the school’s own paper, questions may reward method as much as final answers, so children should be used to setting out their working clearly.

Good practice includes:

short daily arithmetic for fluency
one or two longer reasoning problems each session
careful reading of word problems and underlining key information
checking whether an answer is sensible before moving on
redoing mistakes a few days later, not just marking them once

If your child is quick but careless, prioritise accuracy over speed. If they are accurate but slow, use short timed sections rather than constant full-paper pressure.

English

English preparation should cover both reading and writing. For comprehension, practise retrieving evidence, explaining vocabulary in context, spotting tone, inferring character motives and answering in complete, precise sentences. Use good-quality fiction and non-fiction passages rather than only short workbook extracts.

For writing, children should be able to produce a well-organised response with clear paragraphs, accurate punctuation and varied vocabulary used naturally. Regular practice in planning, opening strongly, keeping to the task and finishing with enough time to check is more useful than trying to memorise impressive phrases.

Good practice includes:

reading widely and discussing meaning aloud
short comprehension exercises that require evidence from the text
weekly writing practice in different forms, such as narrative, descriptive and discursive pieces
editing work for spelling, punctuation and clarity
building handwriting speed and legibility for paper-based exams

Because there are only two tested subjects, English matters a great deal. A child who reads well but writes sparsely, or writes vividly but misses detail in comprehension, should work directly on that weaker side rather than doing only general English practice.

Practice papers and mock exams

Use practice papers as a tool, not a scoreboard. For this school, the best sequence is usually:

Learn the skill first. Teach or revise the topic before expecting test performance.
Use short timed sections next. This helps children learn pacing without becoming overwhelmed.
Move to full papers later. Save regular full papers for the final months, once knowledge is mostly secure.
Review every mistake. Ask whether the problem was knowledge, speed, reading the question, or careless checking.
Keep an error log. Revisit the same types of mistakes until they stop recurring.

Mock exams can be very useful for paper-based independent-school tests because they let children practise sitting still, turning pages carefully, and keeping calm in a formal room. One or two mocks are usually enough. Too many can make children stale.

For school-specific practice, parents can use Free King Edward's School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers). It is also worth keeping The King Edward's School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates) handy alongside your preparation plan, and signing up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

When marking English, do not look only at a total score. Check whether your child answered the actual question, supported ideas from the text, and wrote legibly enough for an examiner to follow comfortably. In Maths, inspect method and skipped steps, not just final answers.

On the day

The aim on exam day is calm routine. Prepare everything the night before, leave plenty of travel time, and keep breakfast familiar. Children rarely benefit from a last-minute cram session.

Arrive in good time so your child is not rushing.
Bring any items the school has asked for and follow its instructions exactly.
Remind your child to listen carefully to invigilator guidance before opening the paper.
In Maths, show working clearly and mark any question to return to if stuck.
In English, read the question twice, plan briefly, and leave time to check punctuation and sense.
If nerves rise, use one simple reset: feet flat, slow breath in, slower breath out, then start with the next manageable question.

Parents can help most by staying matter-of-fact. Present the day as an opportunity to show what your child can do, not as a judgement on their future. That steady tone often makes the biggest difference.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For the currently published cycle, King Edward’s School says results are sent on Friday 11 December 2026. Its timetable also shows interviews in November 2026, so some parts of the process happen before final results are issued.

If your child is offered a place and you wish to accept it, the school says a non-refundable deposit of £400 is payable by full fee-paying parents. The admissions timetable on the school site shows the acceptance deadline falling in March 2027, with the exact date marked as to be confirmed.

Because this is an independent school, the process is different from National Offer Day for state secondary admissions. The school communicates directly with families about results, offers and next steps. Read any offer letter carefully, because it will set out the acceptance process and timescale.

If your child is unsuccessful, ask politely whether the school can explain the next step or waiting-list position if applicable. Independent schools do not follow the same admissions-appeal framework as state schools, so parents should use the school’s own published complaints or admissions procedures rather than assuming there is a local-authority appeal route.

What has changed recently

From the sources reviewed, the clearest currently published updates are to the admissions timetable for the current cycle, including registration opening on 30 March 2026, the September deadline, the early October exam date, interviews and scholarship auditions in November, and results in December. The school’s admissions pages also list a forthcoming whole-school open event on 28 June 2027 and state that open events are usually held twice each year.

No separately announced recent change to the exam board or a move to reasoning papers was found in the official sources reviewed for this guide. For 2028 entry, the verified format remains the school’s own paper in Maths and English.

Frequently asked questions

Does King Edward's School test Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning at 11+?

No. For 2028 entry, the school assesses Maths and English only.

Is the King Edward's School 11+ computer based?

No. The assessment for 2028 entry is paper based.

Who runs registration for King Edward's School 11+?

The school runs its own admissions process. Parents should apply through King Edward's School rather than a grammar-school consortium portal.

When is the King Edward's School 11+ exam usually held?

Based on the currently published cycle, it is typically in early October. Always check the live admissions page for the exact date for your child's year.

Does King Edward's School accept international applicants for Year 7?

The school says it does not accept applications from international students. Boys must hold a UK passport or the relevant visas to remain in the UK and be living locally with their family.

How much is the registration fee?

The school states that a non-refundable registration fee of £50 plus VAT is payable when applying.

When do results come out?

For the current published cycle, the school says results are sent in December. Check the live admissions timetable for your child's entry year.

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Sources

King Edward's School Admissions: School website and admissions page; King Edward’s School is an independent boys’ school in Edgbaston, Birmingham; normal entry points at 11+ and 16+; most boys enter in Year 7 and stay on for Sixth Form; the school runs its own admissions process; it does not accept applications from international s

Preparing for other schools in Birmingham

Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.