Birmingham 11+

Birmingham 11+ - Children'Educational Material 11+ ^TM

The Birmingham 11+ exams are for entrance in to eight grammar schools which are not just concerned with academic excellence. Each school offers a wide range of extra curricular activities and pupils have opportunities to participate at all levels in sport, music and drama in addition to their academic education. The schools of the King Edward VI Foundation have now introduced catchment areas. They penalise children because of where they live. The schools do not believe all children are equal and heavily discriminate against children who have not had free school meals at any point in the last 6 years. They offer pupil premium qualified children much lower scores to gain entry. This means two children living next door to each other, attending the same primary school for six years, in the same class, could be subject to different qualifying scores. A child scoring a high mark may be denied a place and offered to a child that scores much less. Explain this to an innocent child, "Sorry your parents earn too much". This blatant discrimination provides higher funding to the schools.

Birmingham, Warwickshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton & Shropshire share the same test. Complete solutions are available using WordBuilder.co.uk and CoolCleverKids.co.uk.

2025 Year 7 Entry for Birmingham Grammar Schools

Registration	7th May 2024 to 28th June 2024 4pm (14th June 2024 for reasonable adjustments)
Test Dates	Saturday 14th September, 2024 Morning and Afternoon sessions Sunday 15th September, 2024 for followers of the Jewish and Seven Heavens faiths (who object to Saturday testing and want to know content from others)
Results	18th October 2024
Test Supplier	GLA Tests (GL Assessment) Weighting is 50% for verbal ability, 25% for numerical ability 25% for non-verbal ability. The test is made up of two papers, each approximately 60 minutes long (which includes time for instructions and example questions). Each test paper is divided into smaller individual sections that test English Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and Non-Verbal/Spatial Reasoning. There are no sections of writing within the test – all questions are multiple choice and children record their answers on a separate answer sheet.

Grammar Schools (King Edward VI Foundation and others)

Birmingham Grammar School	PAN (Year 7)
King Edward VI Camp Hill School (boys)	150
King Edward VI Aston (boys)	140
Bishop Vesey's Grammar (boys)	192
Handsworth Grammar School (boys)	150
King Edward VI Five Ways (mixed)	180
King Edward VI Camp Hill School (girls)	150
Sutton Coldfield Grammar School (girls)	180
King Edward VI Handsworth (girls)	192

11+ Preparation

Areas tested include English (Vocabulary: synonyms & antonyms; Comprehension; Cloze passages/text; Jumbled sentences); Mathematics including data processing, and Non-verbal reasoning.

There is no evidence any 11+ tests are tutor proof, nor tuition and preparation does not confer an advantage – the opposite is true.

Recommended Preparation Material.

1. English and Verbal Reasoning is covered at WordBuilder.co.uk

PDF downloads from the shop.

Booklet	Price
a. Ultimate Verbal Reasoning. 1,800 questions.Book 1	£5.99
b. Ultimate Verbal Reasoning. 800 questions.Book 2 for GL Assessment (Same Missing Letter in Pairs of Words, Synonym Pairs & Hidden Words)	£5.49
c. Ultimate Verbal Reasoning. 741 questions.Book 3 for GL Assessment (Spelling, Punctuation & Conjugation)	£5.49
d. Common Synonyms and Antonyms for 11+ & KS2 Sats (over 1,000 entries).	£4.99
e. Common Words With Multiple Meanings for 11+ & KS2 Sats (350 entries).	£1.99
f. Common Misspelled Words at Year 6 - KS2 & 11+ (over 250 words).	£1.49

2. Maths is covered at CoolCleverKids.co.uk

PDF downloads from the shop

Lesson Notes	Price
a: Ratio and Proportion Unit Method (Lesson Notes).	99p
b: Percentages (simple percentages) Lesson Notes.	99p
c: Percentage Multipliers Lesson Notes.	99p
d: Rules for Multiples of Numbers (Lesson Notes).	99p

3. NVR (Non-verbal Reasoning) is covered at CoolCleverKids.co.uk

Non-verbal Reasoning (NVR) Booklet	Price
Ultimate NVR: over 30 different types of NVR familiarisation questions.	£9.95

4. Mock Tests: Use Mocks in the Shop and SatsBooks.com

Mock Test (CEM style tests are still useful as the content is similar)	Price
1. 11+ Progress Mock Pack 1. MF Test A & B. (Use as first test during Year 5).	£6.95
2. 11+ Progress Mock Pack 2. MF Test A & B. (Use as second test during Year 5).	£6.95
3. 11+ Progress Mock Pack 3. MF Test A & B. (Use as third test during Year 5).	£6.95
4. 11+ Practice Mock Test Pack 1. MF Test A & B. Multi-format (MF).	£6.95
5. 11+ Practice Mock Test Pack 2. MF Test A & B. Multi-format (MF).	£6.95
6. 11+ Practice Mock Test Pack 3. MF Test A & B. Similar to SWW 2 Jul 13.	£6.95
7. 11+ Practice Mock Test Pack 4. MF Test A & B. Multi-format (MF).	£6.95
8. Letts GL Assessment Practice Mock Test Pack 1 [4 physical books]. Maths, English, VR & NVR {Click here to purchase with FREE P&P}	£36.95
9. Letts GL Assessment Practice Mock Test Pack 2 [4 physical books]. Maths, English, VR & NVR {Click here to purchase with FREE P&P}	£36.95

2017 Admissions Unlawful Conduct

We believe the King Edward VI Aston School has unlawfully offered 5 extra places to low scoring, less deserving, pupil premium qualified children, in 2017. Their admissions policy stated a maximum of 30 pupil premium places would be offered.

The school increased their PAN to 140, but their admissions policy did not allow allow an extra 5 places to be awarded to pupil premium children.

The Head and Governors knew this and were informed. They refused to back track and refused to abide by the law and British values of honesty and integrity.

Any child who was not offered a place should appeal and parents should sue the governors for misfeasence in public office.

Yet again, the dishonesty of the King Edward Foundation is exposed. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Tuition Culture & Pupil Premium Discrimination

There is a huge culture of preparation and tuition in Birmingham. Like most tests, those who prepare may significantly improve their chances of success. Not only does the King Edward VI Foundation allow pupil premium children lower marks for admission, it effectively provides free tuition to this group under the guise of an out reach programme. Some people argue this is effectively organised cheating with schools receiving greater funding.

The Foundation refuses to publish the material these children are provided with and allows people who have seen past tests (which are not released) to “tutor” this group. They go further and claim tuition is not required, yet the test is the easiest to prepare for and it does not require the use of tutors.

Online systems are a low cost solution with WordBuilder and CoolCleverKids providing a total solution coupled with mock tests from the shop.

CEM Centre for Evaluation
& Monitoring® CEM 11+ ® Tests

No official practice papers available
Short familiarisation material provided
Computer based tests only using CEM Select
Paper tests withdrawn from 2023 by new owners, Cambridge University
Mostly used by private schools and small schools
Similar tests to GL Assessments®
Prepare using WordBuilder & CoolCleverKids
Practice mock papers from the shop

GL Assessments®
(NFER®) 11+ Selection Tests

Practice papers available
Kent County Council provides a long familiarisation paper
Multiple choice format.
No claim that children do not need to prepare or practice or claim test is tutor-proof
Similar to tests from CEM Centre for Evaluation & Monitoring®
Prepare using WordBuilder & CoolCleverKids
Practice mock papers from the shop

11+ Children's Educational
Material Recommendation

English and Verbal Reasoning:
WordBuilder
www.WordBuilder.co.uk

Maths &
Non-verbal Reasoning (NVR):
CoolCleverKids
www.CoolCleverKids.co.uk

11+ Practice Papers from
Children’s Educational Material for the 11+
are available from the shop.
Word lists, lesson notes and `Ultimate NVR` questions are available from the shop.

Free material on this website.

11+ Tourism: Free Mock Tests

Under the Greenwich ruling all children, of the appropriate age, have a legal right to take any 11+ exam set by any authority and cannot be denied the opportunity to sit an exam solely on the basis of their address.

The Office of the School Adjudicator (OSA) confirmed the right to use tests as free mocks and the right to take tests late. A Head Teacher of a grammar school has confirmed in writing: `Legally I cannot stop you entering your child for our test.' Late testing is also a legal right.

Many regions do not have catchment areas. Taking 11+ exams outside home catchments does not prejudice the balance and fairness of the testing, as tests are different. To make such a claim would imply a defunct testing process.

Note: Taking a "free mock" will cost the school money. But one would expect financially astute schools to consider the financial implications of setting an early test date. Common sense dictates an earlier test is likely to be used as a "free mock" and this has been well known to occur for many years. CEM Centre object to this strategy when it is a legal right. We cannot image why, as if the test is resistant to prepping, what difference would free mocks make? We believe there is no evidence that any 11+ test is resistant to prepping and practise will simply improve performance.

CoolCleverKids
11+ Maths and NVR
CoolCleverKids.co.uk

The Maths site with NVR (Non-verbal reasoning) for Sats and 11+ preparation. Ideal for primary school education and selective school exams. Maths lesson notes; worksheets; presentations; games, & tests auto marked with explanations.

WordBuilder
11+ English & VR
www.WordBuilder.co.uk

Verbal reasoning and English for the 11+, Sats and private/independent school entrance exams as well as primary school. Spellings; definitions; meanings; synonyms; antonyms; cloze passages; jumbled sentences & comprehension.

Sats Papers
Year 2-6 & 11+
www.SatsPapers.org.uk

Information relating to Sats Tests. Free downloads of Sats papers covering Year 2 to 6 with no registration. Prepare for Year 6 level 3-5, level 6 & 11+ tests. Download the latest phonics tests.

ATA React
Free Android App
Google Play

Fun FREE Android App to test your thinking and reaction speed. Four fun games: colours; shapes; numbers and next letter. Stores score history. Ideal for Sats & 11+ fun whilst you prepare. Download from Google Play.

Survey Results

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11+ tourists, take the Warwickshire 11+. Tick the box to share results with Birmingham & Warks.

Download FREE SATs papers. No registration & no annoying popup adverts.

11+ English (Verbal Reasoning)
online preparation with

Spellings; Vocabulary; Synonyms; Antomyms; Conundrums; Cloze Passages; Comprehension, and Jumbled up sentences. Ideal for 11+ tests set at the CEM Centre, at Durham University^®.
www.WordBuilder.co.uk

11+ Maths (Numerical Reasoning)
and NVR online preparation with

Free maths question generator
Lesson notes; presentations (videos); worksheets; games; Sats style tests from Year 2 to 6 including mental maths audio tests; private school 11+ tests, and CEM style past questions.
Now includes Non-verbal Reasoning.
Ideal for 11+ tests set at the CEM Centre, at Durham University^®.
www.CoolCleverKids.co.uk