Children currently in Year 5 in Warwickshire schools who want to apply to one of the county’s six grammar schools in September 2023 will now take an 11+ exam from GL Assessment.
This is the result of a joint procurement exercise with The Schools of King Edward VI Foundation, which took place when the previous contract with CEM came to an end.
Warwickshire County Council’s Admissions Service operate a shared entrance test procedure with the Grammar Schools in the Birmingham Consortium, meaning candidates only need to sit one test to be considered for a place at a grammar school either in Warwickshire or Birmingham.
The GL Assessment 11+ exam is well established as a leading provider of similar tests and is already used by other authorities, including Buckinghamshire, Kent and Lincolnshire. The exams will test the same four competencies of Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning as the CEM papers have in previous years. Whilst a full preparation guide with detail of the new tests will be available later this Spring, intensive coaching or tuition is not needed or encouraged.
Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Children, Families and Education Cllr Jeff Morgan said “This change is a result of a joint tender process with The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham foundation and we’re delighted to be working with GL Assessments for the first time. Last year there were over 3,500 Warwickshire children who sat the 11+ exam, so it’s a significant undertaking and one that it is important we get right.”
Parents and carers wanting to register their child to take the 11+ exam in September 2022 (for entry into a grammar school in September 2023) can do so once the registration process opens in May. The deadline for registering is 30 June 2022.