Open evenings are where you can get the numbers that decide your application, and almost nobody asks for them. Most families tour the science labs and leave without the one figure that would have told them whether to apply.
Here is what to ask, and why each question earns its place.
When they happen
Most Birmingham grammar school open evenings fall in the summer and early autumn term, broadly June to October, which puts them before the June registration deadline for some schools and after it for others.
That timing matters more than it sounds. If a school's open evening is in late September, you will already have registered for the test by the time you visit. So do not treat the open evening as the moment you decide whether to apply. Decide earlier, and use the visit to rank.
Dates are published on each school's own site and are not coordinated across the partnership, so check each one individually and expect clashes.
The five questions worth asking
Ask these of a member of staff rather than a sixth former on a stall. They are all reasonable, and schools answer them.
| Ask | Why |
|---|---|
| What was the lowest score offered a place last year? | The qualifying score is a threshold. This is the real bar |
| How far down the waiting list did you go? | Tells you whether a near miss is recoverable here |
| Which wards are in your catchment this year? | Catchments are reviewed; last year's map may be stale |
| How many in-year places came up last year? | Tells you if later entry is realistic or theoretical |
| How does the pupil premium route work here? | It differs sharply between schools |
That third question is the one I would not leave without. Catchment decides more outcomes than score does, and the boundaries are reviewed.
What to have your child look at
Your child is forming the impression that will carry them through five years, and they are not assessing the exam results.
- The journey. Do it at the right time of day, at least once, properly.
- The corridors between lessons. Calm or chaotic tells you more than any presentation.
- How pupils talk to staff, and to each other.
- One thing beyond the classroom they would actually join.
- Where they would eat lunch, which sounds trivial and is not.
What not to be swayed by
Three things impress on the night and tell you very little.
- Facilities. A new building is pleasant and it does not teach your child.
- Headline results. At a selective school these largely reflect who was admitted, not what the school added.
- Your own impression of the head. Heads move. The culture in the corridors is the more durable signal.
Afterwards
Write down what you were told, that night, with the date and who said it. Figures given at an open evening are the ones you will be weighing in late October, and by then you will not remember which school said what.
Then rank your form on what you actually want. Under equal preference, putting an ambitious school first costs you nothing at the schools below it, as our guide to ranking preferences explains. See also our guide to catchment.
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.
Ask for the numbers. They will tell you
Families go to an open evening and come away with a feeling about the place, which is worth something, and no information at all about whether they can realistically get in. The numbers are sitting right there and nobody asks.
The one I would never leave without is the catchment. Catchment is where most of the confusion sits, and the guidelines and mapping are something most parents never really learn to navigate. They are reviewed too, so last year's understanding can quietly be out of date. Ask which wards are in it this year and write the answer down.
And ask what the lowest score offered a place was. That is a different number from the qualifying score, and it is the one that tells you what is actually required at that school. Schools will tell you, in my experience the ones outside Birmingham more readily than a large foundation can. It is a perfectly fair question and you are entitled to ask it.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
When are Birmingham grammar school open evenings?
Most fall between June and October, in the summer and early autumn term. Dates are published by each school individually and are not coordinated across the partnership, so check each school's own site and expect some to clash.
What should I ask at a grammar school open evening?
The lowest score offered a place last year, how far down the waiting list the school went, which wards are in the catchment this year, how many in-year places came up last year, and how the pupil premium route works at that school. All five are reasonable and schools answer them.
Should I wait for the open evening before registering for the 11+?
No. Registration closes in late June and some open evenings fall in September, after that deadline. Register for the test first, since it costs you nothing to have the result, and use open evenings to decide how to rank your preferences in October.
What should my child look at on an open evening?
The journey done at the right time of day, how calm the corridors are between lessons, how pupils talk to staff and to each other, one activity beyond the classroom they would genuinely join, and where they would eat lunch. Those shape five years more than the facilities do.
Do exam results tell you much about a grammar school?
Less than you would think. At a selective school headline results largely reflect which children were admitted rather than what the school added, so they are a weak basis for choosing between two selective schools.