No. There is one entrance test, sat once, in September of Year 6, and there is no resit for that admissions round.
That is the short answer, and it is worth knowing early, because it changes how you treat the registration deadline in June.
One test, one sitting
Since the partnership moved to a single shared test, a child sits two papers on one occasion and that result goes to every partnership school they have applied to. There is no second attempt, no best-of-two, and no separate paper for a different school.
King Edward VI Handsworth's determined admissions policy puts it plainly for children admitted outside their normal age group: a child in those groups "has only one opportunity to sit the entrance test". The same principle runs through the arrangements generally.
What happens if your child is ill on the day
This is the exception families most need, and it is not a resit.
Where a child is ill on the test date, schools make arrangements for the test to be taken on an alternative date. Wolverhampton Girls' High School requires a medical note within five days of the test date in those circumstances.
But note the limit, because it is strict and it is stated: schools cannot make allowance for performance that may have been affected by illness or other exceptional circumstances. In other words, if your child sits the test while unwell, that result stands. The time to tell the school is before the test, not after the result.
The deadline that really ends it
| Deadline | Roughly when | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Access arrangements request | Mid June of Year 5 | No extra time or adjustments |
| Test registration | Late June of Year 5, 4pm | No test at all |
| Local authority preference form | 31 October of Year 6 | Late application, processed after offers |
Late test registration is normally only considered in genuinely exceptional circumstances such as illness or bereavement, and a child tested late may be placed on a waiting list rather than offered a place outright.
Trying again in a later year
There is a route, and it is not a resit of the same test.
From January after a pupil starts Year 7, parents may apply to a grammar school for an in-year place. If a vacancy arises, candidates on that school's waiting list are invited to take a test set by the school, and the place goes to the highest scoring candidate above a minimum standard.
So a child who narrowly missed out is not finished. They are waiting on a vacancy, which normally only appears when a current pupil leaves. See our guide to joining after Year 7.
What to do instead of hoping for a second chance
- Treat June as the real deadline, not October.
- Request access arrangements early, before the earlier deadline.
- Tell the school about illness before the test, not after the result.
- Apply widely, because thresholds differ sharply across the nineteen schools.
- Use the waiting lists, which move from March onwards.
See where your child stands today
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June is the deadline, not October
Registering for the West Midlands 11+ is straightforward, but the timing is where families come unstuck. Registration opens at the start of May and closes at the end of June, and that June deadline is the real one. October feels like the deadline because that is when you name your schools, but if your child has not sat the test, naming a school achieves nothing at all.
There is no second go. That is the part parents find hardest, because almost everything else in education gives you another attempt eventually. This does not, within the cycle.
So my advice is to treat the registration window as the thing you cannot get wrong. Do it early in the window rather than late, because the access arrangements deadline actually falls before the registration deadline, and a family who leaves it to the last week has already lost the chance to ask for extra time.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
Can you resit the 11+ in the West Midlands?
No. There is one shared entrance test, sat once in September of Year 6, and the result goes to every partnership school you have applied to. There is no second attempt and no best-of-two within that admissions round.
What happens if my child is ill on 11+ test day?
Schools arrange for the test to be taken on an alternative date, and Wolverhampton Girls' High School, for example, requires a medical note within five days. Crucially, if a child sits the test while unwell the result stands, because schools cannot make allowance for performance affected by illness. Tell the school before the test, not afterwards.
Can my child take the 11+ a year later?
Not as a resit of the same test. From January after a pupil starts Year 7, parents may apply for an in-year place, and if a vacancy arises candidates on the waiting list are invited to take a test set by the school, with the place going to the highest scorer above a minimum standard.
What happens if I miss the 11+ registration deadline?
Your child normally cannot sit the test, which means no grammar school place can be offered regardless of the preference form. Late registration is considered only in genuinely exceptional circumstances such as illness or bereavement, and a child tested late may be placed on a waiting list rather than offered a place.
Which 11+ deadline matters most?
The test registration deadline in late June of Year 5, because missing it ends the application entirely. The access arrangements deadline falls about a fortnight earlier, and the local authority preference form is not due until 31 October of Year 6.