A child with SEND can sit the entrance test, an EHCP carries real weight in the admissions criteria, and the deadline for access arrangements closes before registration does.
Those three facts are the ones worth having early, because two of them have dates attached.
What this page covers, and does not
Being clear at the outset. This sets out what the published admissions arrangements say and what the test format demands.
It is not advice on whether the 11+ is right for your child, or on their needs. I am a tutor, not a specialist, and that judgement belongs with you, your child's SENCO, and the professionals who know them. What I can usefully do is make sure the process is not the thing that defeats you.
If your child has an EHCP
An Education, Health and Care Plan that names a school carries more weight than any admissions criterion.
Alcester Grammar School's determined policy states that children with an EHCP naming the school "will be admitted first, subject to them achieving the required Minimum Academic Standard". Haberdashers' Adams makes admission conditional on the required academic standard "including those children with an Education, Health and Care plan who reach the required academic standard".
So the position is consistent and worth stating plainly:
- An EHCP naming the school places your child ahead of the oversubscription criteria.
- The academic standard still applies. An EHCP does not waive the test.
Naming a selective school in an EHCP is a conversation with your local authority, and it needs starting well before the Year 6 round.
Access arrangements close early
This is the date that catches families, and it is the single most useful thing here.
| Step | Roughly when | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Access arrangements request | Mid June of Year 5 | No adjustments for that test |
| Test registration | Late June of Year 5 | No test at all |
The adjustments deadline falls roughly a fortnight before registration closes, and schools state that no request can be made after it. A parent who sensibly plans to do the whole thing in late June has already lost the adjustment.
Our guide to access arrangements covers the process and who should apply.
The format challenges
Worth knowing in advance, because several are specific to this test and each can be prepared for.
- Individually timed sections that cannot be revisited. Difficult for a child who works slowly or needs to return to things.
- Audio instructions. Timings come from a recording rather than a person, which can be hard for a child with a hearing impairment or auditory processing difficulty.
- A separate answer sheet. Transferring answers accurately is a motor and attention task on top of the questions.
- No scrap paper, though working in the booklet is allowed.
- An unfamiliar room, often not their own school.
Several of these can be rehearsed at home at no cost, and rehearsal is worth more than preparation on content for a child who finds the setting hard. See our guide to exam day.
Building the evidence
Adjustments rest on a child's normal way of working, documented.
- Start with the SENCO in the spring term of Year 5.
- Gather what exists: the EHCP, SEN register entries, educational psychologist or medical reports.
- Make sure the support is recorded, not just happening. Informal help a teacher gives may not appear anywhere.
- Submit by the June deadline and keep a dated copy.
- Chase a written confirmation. Silence is not agreement.
Deciding whether to enter at all
A fair question, and one only you can answer.
Two things that may help. Sitting the test costs nothing and commits you to nothing: a result does not oblige you to accept a place. And a child who sits it and does not get a place is no worse off in the admissions round, because the preference form still runs normally.
What it does cost is the preparation year and whatever that asks of your child. If that year would be damaging, that is a real reason not to, and it is a better reason than any score prediction. Our guide to grammar versus comprehensive is worth reading alongside this.
One last point. The partnership publishes no specific guidance for families of children with SEND beyond the access arrangements process. Everything here is drawn from the general arrangements and individual schools' determined policies, so confirm your own case with the schools and your local authority.
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.
The date is the thing I would act on today
Access arrangements close before registration closes, by about a fortnight. So a parent who sensibly plans to sort the whole thing out in the last week of June has already lost the chance to ask for adjustments, and nobody tells them that.
The other thing is not to talk yourself out of asking. Parents often think their child's support is too informal to count, or that asking looks like making excuses. It is neither. The principle is that the test should reflect what a child can do, not how fast they can handle a format that was never designed around them.
Start with the SENCO in the spring term of Year 5, not in June. They hold the evidence, they have done this before, and they will tell you honestly whether there is a case. That conversation costs nothing and it is the one that decides whether this happens at all.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
Can a child with SEND sit the West Midlands 11+?
Yes. Children with SEND sit the same test, and access arrangements such as extra time can be requested in advance. The request deadline falls around mid June of Year 5, roughly a fortnight before registration closes.
Does an EHCP guarantee a grammar school place?
It carries significant weight but does not waive the test. Alcester's policy admits children whose EHCP names the school first, subject to achieving the required Minimum Academic Standard, and Haberdashers' Adams applies the same principle.
When should I apply for access arrangements?
By around mid June of Year 5, which is earlier than the registration deadline in late June. Schools state that no request can be made after that date, so a family doing everything in late June has already missed the adjustment.
What parts of the test format are hardest for a child with SEND?
Individually timed sections that cannot be revisited, instructions delivered by audio recording rather than a person, the separate answer sheet as an extra motor and attention task, no scrap paper, and an unfamiliar room. Several can be rehearsed at home at no cost.
What evidence is needed for access arrangements?
Documentation of your child's normal way of working: an EHCP, SEN register entries, and educational psychologist or medical reports. Informal help a teacher provides may not be recorded anywhere, so check with the SENCO that the support is written down.
Is there official guidance for SEND families on the 11+?
None specific beyond the access arrangements process. The position here is drawn from the general arrangements and individual schools' determined admissions policies, so confirm your own case directly with the schools and your local authority.