England · Grammar school
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School
Sutton Coldfield · Boys only · ages 11 to 18
Official record: Get Information About Schools (URN 137988)
Overview
- Address
- Lichfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B74 2NH
- Status
- Open
- Admits
- Boys only
- From the school’s admissions policy
- Boys only at 11; girls join in the sixth form.
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Number of pupils
- 1,455
- Capacity
- 1,360
- Eligible for free school meals
- 14.1%
- Sixth form
- Yes
- School type
- Academy converter
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- Not yet available
- Local authority
- Birmingham
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Desk research (cited public sources) (get-information-schools.service.gov.uk), last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Schools' own admission arrangements (bvgs.co.uk), last checked 2 November 2026
Admissions and the 11+
- Admissions policy
- Selective (grammar school)
- Selection in this area
- Partially selective area10% of Year 7 places offered in Birmingham for September 2026 were at selective schools (DfE applications and offers). We class an area as fully selective at 25% or more. Confirm with the local authority's admissions guide.
- Entrance test
- King Edward VI Foundation entrance test
- Qualifying score
- Qualifying Score 205 (Foundation-wide); Priority Score 224 (2026 entry)
- Catchment area
- New from September 2027 entry: priority goes to boys who reach the qualifying score and live in Zone 1, up to 12 miles in a straight line from the school's main entrance steps; then Zone 2 (12 to 20 miles); then Zone 3 (over 20 miles). Within each zone places go by test score. Up to 2026 entry there was no catchment: places went by test score alone.
- Children from outside the catchment
- Yes: Up to 2026 entry places went purely by test score wherever you lived. From 2027 entry boys more than 12 miles away are offered places only if places remain after Zone 1.
Past offers: lowest score and furthest distance
| Intake | Applicant group | Lowest score offered | Last distance offered | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 | all other applicants (by score)Offer-day score; 225 by September. | 229 | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk |
| pupil premiumOffer-day score; 205 by September. | 210 | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk | |
| Sept 2025 | all other applicants (by score)Offer-day score; 229 by September. | 234 | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk |
| pupil premiumOffer-day score; all in this group offered by September. | 206 | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk | |
| Sept 2024 | all other applicants (by score)Offer-day score; 225 by September. | 230 | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk |
| pupil premiumOffer-day score; 206 by September. | 206 | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk | |
| Sept 2023 | all other applicants (by score)Offer-day score; 222 by September. | 229 | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk |
| pupil premiumEveryone in this group who applied was offered a place on offer day. | – | – | kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk |
From published allocation data found in desk research (checked 1 November 2026); not yet confirmed with the school. Scores from different tests or years are not comparable, and a past cut-off does not guarantee a future place.
Applications and offers for Year 7
For September 2026 entry, 1,059 applicants named this school (306 as their first choice) for 190 places. 65 of 190 offers went to children living outside Birmingham.
| Intake | Places offered | Applicants | First choice | First choices per place | Offers to children outside Birmingham |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 | 190 | 1,059 | 306 | 1.6 | 65 |
| Sept 2025 | 187 | 1,126 | 338 | 1.8 | 69 |
| Sept 2024 | 189 | 1,181 | 340 | 1.8 | 66 |
| Sept 2023 | 188 | 1,077 | 293 | 1.6 | 70 |
| Sept 2022 | 190 | 1,042 | 292 | 1.5 | 59 |
Show all 13 years
| Intake | Places offered | Applicants | First choice | First choices per place | Offers to children outside Birmingham |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2021 | 187 | 958 | 233 | 1.2 | 76 |
| Sept 2020 | 186 | 1,032 | 267 | 1.4 | 66 |
| Sept 2019 | 153 | 1,131 | 263 | 1.7 | 44 |
| Sept 2018 | 155 | 1,003 | 228 | 1.5 | 50 |
| Sept 2017 | 159 | 992 | 234 | 1.5 | 52 |
| Sept 2016 | 160 | 978 | 306 | 1.9 | 57 |
| Sept 2015 | 158 | 1,007 | 289 | 1.8 | 55 |
| Sept 2014 | 126 | 1,139 | 366 | 2.9 | 44 |
"Applicants" counts every family that listed the school as any preference, so it is higher than the number competing for each place. "Outside Birmingham" means a home in another local authority; it is not the school's catchment area. For grammar schools, offers also depend on the entrance test result.
Source: Secondary and primary school applications and offers (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Admissions research (cited public sources) (kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk, birmingham.gov.uk, kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk), last checked 1 November 2026
Key dates for September 2027 entry
- Test registration (King Edward VI Foundation (Birmingham))
- 5 May 2026 to 26 June 2026
- Test date
- 12 September 2026Closing time 4pm. Morning and afternoon sessions. Results and qualifying scores released from 16 Oct 2026. Sources are tuition guides quoting the Foundation page.
- Results sent to families
- 16 October 2026
- Apply to your council (September 2027 entry)
- By 31 October 2026This date has passed: late applications go to your council and are usually considered after on-time ones.
- National offer day
- 1 March 2027Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
- Open days
- Not yet available
- School opened (current registration)
- 1 April 2012
Unverified: test dates come from desk research (medium confidence). Confirm them with the council or test organiser. Sources: kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk, leadingtuition.co.uk.
Statutory dates: School Admissions Code (Department for Education).
Guide to the King Edward VI Foundation (Birmingham) and its schools · How applying works
Source: Test dates research (cited public sources) (kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk), last checked 1 November 2026 · Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026
Ofsted inspection
Inspected on 30 April 2024: overall Outstanding. Read the report ↗
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form provision
- Outstanding
Inspection history (4)
Source: Ofsted inspection reports, last checked 31 October 2026
Exam results
GCSE results 2025/26 (provisional)
| Measure | This school | Selective schools in England | All state schools in England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8Average grade across 8 GCSE-level subjects, doubled for English and maths (maximum 90). | 79.5 | 72.1 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 98.4% | 93.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 7 or above in English and maths | 86.4% | 57.7% | 14.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 99.5% | 98.3% | 64.8% |
| Progress 8Not published for most schools in recent years, because primary school tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021. | – | – | – |
Attainment 8 over time: 75.8 (2023/24) → 77.1 (2024/25) → 79.5 (2025/26).
191 pupils took GCSEs. Results reflect a selective intake: compare grammar schools with each other rather than with all schools.
Source: Key stage 4 performance (GCSE results) (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026
How to get there
- Postcode
- B74 2NH
- Map location
- 52.56901, -1.822
- Open in OpenStreetMap
- Directions and surroundings ↗
- Telephone
- 01212505400
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026
Official links and documents
- School website
- www.bvgs.co.uk
- Official register record
- Get Information About Schools (URN 137988) ↗
- Admissions policy document
- Not yet available
- Further reading
- Wikipedia ↗
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026