Do not make a decision on results day.
That is the whole of the advice, and it is the thing families most often get wrong. The score is fixed and the form is not due for a fortnight, so there is nothing that needs doing in the first 24 hours.
How the results arrive
By email, in the middle of October, about a month after the September test. They used to come by post, and the sheer volume of candidates has made email the practical way.
For 2027 entry, the King Edward VI Foundation stated that parents would receive their child's test score by Friday 17 October. The local authority preference form is then due by 31 October.
So the shape of it is: score in the middle of the month, decision by the end of it. That is roughly a fortnight, and it is deliberately enough time to think.
Before anything else, our 11+ score checker will tell you which side of the published thresholds the score falls, which is the first thing to establish.
The one rule
Results day is stressful. It is a day full of anxiety and pressure, for parents, for teachers and for the children, and it is a day when a lot of decisions appear to need making at once.
They do not. Remain calm, and do not make drastic decisions.
The specific error is starting to apply for other schools on the day the result arrives, before anyone has gathered the facts. I tell parents to wait a couple of days, gather the information, and then select carefully. Nothing is lost by waiting and quite a lot is lost by rushing.
What to work out first
Before any decision, establish where you actually are. Three questions, in order:
- What is the score, against which threshold? For the Birmingham King Edward VI schools, qualifying is 205 and priority is 224 for 2026 entry. Walsall and the other partnership areas set their own figures, so check the school rather than assuming. See our guide to why Walsall differs.
- Is it borderline? A score near a threshold is a different situation from one clearly above or below it, and it is the case where catchment matters most.
- What is your catchment position? This is the one families cannot change and often have not checked. See our catchment guide.
On pupil premium, be careful of a common misreading: in Birmingham it does not lower the qualifying score. Your child still needs the same mark. What it changes is the category, and therefore the order, in which they are considered. Several schools outside Birmingham do lower it. See our pupil premium guide.
What the next few days are for
Gathering facts, so the form is filled from evidence rather than from the feeling of results day.
- Previous years' cut-off scores for the schools you are considering, and the average across years rather than one year.
- Your distance to each school, and how each one ranks distance.
- Which schools your score realistically reaches, as against which you would like.
- At least one non-selective school you would genuinely accept.
- The deadline, 31 October, in the diary.
Then rank the form carefully. See our guide to ranking preferences and, if the score came in under, our guide to a missed qualifying score.
What to say to your child
Say it on the day, because they are watching your face while you read the email.
- That it is finished. There is nothing more to do and nothing more to revise.
- That the number is not a verdict on them. It is a sorting mechanism for a limited number of places, and able children miss by a mark.
- That you are not deciding today. It takes the weight out of the afternoon.
- Nothing comparative. Not what their cousin got, not what the child next door got.
See our guide to grammar versus comprehensive, which is worth reading on a low-score day, and our guide to the months that follow.
See where your child stands today
Timed sections in the GL Assessment format, marked instantly, with a topic-by-topic breakdown. No sign-up to start.
Do not apply for anything on the day
Results day is very stressful, a day full of anxiety and pressure for parents, for teachers, for students. It is a day where a lot of decisions have to be made. The key thing is to remain calm and not to make drastic decisions. Results are sent by email nowadays; back in the day they were sent by post, and that has changed purely because the sheer volume of students doing the test increases year on year.
So once they get the results, do not panic. First assess what score they got, and whether they are on the borderline. Understanding the score, the potential schools and the catchment is the more important thing.
In the first 24 hours the best thing is not to make a drastic decision and start applying for other schools. I normally tell parents to wait a couple of days, gather the facts, and then carefully select the schools based on catchment and the cut-off scores relating to previous years on average, and then make that decision clearly. The key thing is not to apply on the day they get the results. Let things settle and gather as much information as you can before making those selections.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
How do 11+ results arrive in Birmingham?
By email, in the middle of October, about a month after the September test. They used to come by post and the volume of candidates has made email the practical route. For 2027 entry the King Edward VI Foundation stated scores would arrive by Friday 17 October.
What should you do in the first 24 hours after 11+ results?
Nothing decisive. The score is fixed and the preference form is not due until 31 October, so wait a couple of days, gather the facts, then select schools carefully. The common error is starting to apply elsewhere on the day itself.
What should I work out before filling in the preference form?
The score against the right threshold, which for the Birmingham King Edward VI schools is 205 qualifying and 224 priority for 2026 entry. Whether it is borderline. And your catchment position, which is the thing families cannot change and often have not checked.
Does pupil premium lower the qualifying score on results day?
Not in Birmingham. Your child still needs the same mark, and what pupil premium changes is the category and therefore the order in which they are considered. Several schools outside Birmingham do lower it, so check the individual school.
What do you say to a child whose 11+ score is lower than they hoped?
That it is finished and there is nothing more to revise, that the number is a sorting mechanism for limited places rather than a verdict on them, and that no decision is being made today. Avoid anything comparative with other children.