Warwickshire 11+: Schools & Test Guide

In short

• Warwickshire's selective schools include Lawrence Sheriff, Rugby High, King Edward VI Stratford, and Alcester Grammar, with several sharing a single consortium entrance test.
• The county's 11+ uses GL-style question types, typically covering English, Maths and reasoning, so familiarity with GL formats matters.
• Many Warwickshire grammars admit qualified children from a defined catchment first, then allocate remaining places by distance or score to out-of-area applicants.
• You register directly with the schools or the consortium for the test, separately from the local authority's school-place application form.
• Test dates typically fall in the early autumn term of Year 6, with registration usually opening the summer before.

Which grammar schools does Warwickshire have?

Warwickshire is home to a cluster of long-established selective schools, several of which sit within or near towns like Rugby, Stratford-upon-Avon and Alcester. The best known include Lawrence Sheriff School (a boys' grammar in Rugby), Rugby High School (girls), King Edward VI School in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Alcester Grammar School, which is co-educational. Nearby, families often also consider schools in neighbouring Solihull and Coventry, and some Warwickshire children sit for the wider West Midlands grammar consortium as well. Each school has its own character, sixth-form arrangements and admissions detail, so the starting point for any family is the individual school's admissions page. Provision is not evenly spread across the county: the selective options cluster around particular towns, which means catchment and travel are central practical considerations. Our Warwickshire 11+ region page sets out the local picture, and the wider 11+ by region index helps you compare with adjacent counties if you are near a border.

How does the shared consortium test work?

A distinctive feature of the Warwickshire area is that several grammar schools collaborate on a single shared entrance test rather than each running its own separate paper. In practice this means a child can sit one test and have the result considered by more than one participating school, which reduces the burden of multiple exam days. Exactly which schools take part in the shared arrangement can change, so you should confirm on each school's current admissions page which test it accepts and whether it is part of the consortium. A shared test is a genuine convenience, but it does not remove the need to register: you still typically need to tell the schools or the consortium that your child intends to sit, and to indicate which participating schools you are interested in. Because a single score can feed several applications, preparation for the shared format is efficient — one focused programme of GL-style practice serves multiple school ambitions at once, which is a real advantage over regions where every school sets a different paper.

What format and subjects does the test use?

Warwickshire's selective testing is GL-style, meaning it uses the standardised, multiple-choice-oriented question formats produced by GL Assessment. Typically this covers English, Mathematics and reasoning, though the precise mix and weighting can vary between schools, so always check the specific requirements for your target schools. GL papers are relatively predictable in structure, which rewards familiarity: children who have practised the exact question types tend to work faster and more confidently on the day. That makes format-specific preparation worthwhile. Standardised scoring means raw marks are adjusted for a child's age in months, so summer-born children are not disadvantaged by being younger in the cohort — our pass marks and SAS explainer walks through how standardised age scores work. To understand why GL formats reward structured drilling, and what has changed in recent years, see our GL vs CEM comparison and the broader exam boards strategy guide.

How do catchment and out-of-area places work?

Most Warwickshire grammar schools use catchment or distance criteria alongside the qualifying test score, which is a crucial distinction from the pure super-selectives found in areas like Sutton or Reading. In broad terms, a child usually needs to reach the school's qualifying standard on the test, after which places are allocated according to the school's admissions policy — frequently giving priority to children living within a defined catchment area, then to those living further away by distance. This means a strong test score does not, on its own, guarantee a place if you live outside the priority area and the school is oversubscribed. Out-of-area families can and do gain places, particularly in years where local demand is lower, but it is less predictable. The practical takeaway: read each school's oversubscription criteria carefully and be realistic about distance. Our guide to grammar school catchment areas explains how these rules typically operate and why two children with identical scores can receive different outcomes.

When are the tests, and how do you register?

Warwickshire's selective tests typically take place in the early autumn term of Year 6, with registration usually opening in the summer beforehand. Exact dates vary year to year and by school, so you must confirm the current timetable directly with each school or the consortium well ahead of the deadline — missing a registration cut-off is one of the most common and most avoidable ways to lose an opportunity. It is important to understand that registering for the test is a separate step from applying for a secondary school place through your local authority's Common Application Form, which is usually due in the autumn (commonly around the end of October). You need to do both: register for and sit the test, and separately list the schools on your council application. Our guide to 11+ registration deadlines and how to apply explains the two-track process, and applying to multiple grammar schools covers how to manage several registrations at once.

How competitive is entry, and how should you prepare?

Warwickshire's grammar schools are academically selective and generally attract strong demand, particularly the better-known names, though competitiveness varies by school and by year. Because most use a catchment element rather than being purely score-ranked, a child living close to a school with a solid qualifying score is often in a strong position, whereas out-of-area applicants face more uncertainty. Sensible preparation starts early in Year 5 with consistent, GL-style practice across English, Maths and reasoning, building toward timed papers by the spring and summer. Focus on the exact question types the county's test uses rather than generic material, and keep an errors log so practice targets genuine weaknesses. Sitting a mock exam or two in the summer before the test helps children get used to timed conditions. For the overall rhythm, our 11+ preparation guide and revision timetable set out a realistic Year 5 and 6 plan that fits around school.

Next steps for Warwickshire families

If you are considering the Warwickshire 11+, work through four practical steps. First, shortlist target schools and read each one's admissions and oversubscription criteria, noting whether it uses the shared consortium test. Second, map the distances honestly — for catchment schools, where you live matters as much as the score. Third, note the registration and Common Application Form deadlines in your calendar now, because they fall on separate tracks. Fourth, begin GL-style practice early enough to build fluency without cramming. A clear-eyed view of your child's current standing helps you plan sensibly rather than guess. To see where your child sits across English, Maths and reasoning before committing to a full programme, start with the free diagnostic — it takes about 15 minutes and needs no account, and gives an honest starting picture of strengths and gaps.