Solihull has no state grammar schools, and has not had any since 1970.
So if you live in Solihull and want a selective place, you are applying outside the borough. That is entirely normal and thousands of families do it, but it changes the tests your child sits and the deadlines you work to.
Solihull has no grammar schools
Solihull's education committee voted in 1970 to end the 11+ locally and move to comprehensive education, completed by 1974. Nothing selective in the state sector survived it.
That history catches people out, because "grammar schools Solihull" is a search people make constantly and the honest answer is that there are none to find. What there is instead is a borough that sits between two different selective systems.
Where Solihull families apply
| Where | What decides it |
|---|---|
| Birmingham, King Edward VI Foundation | Qualifying 205, priority 224, and ward-based catchment |
| Warwickshire | An Automatic Qualifying Score set after the test, plus priority areas |
| Walsall | Each school sets its own, for example Queen Mary's at 180 |
| Wolverhampton Girls' High | No catchment at all, places on score |
The last row is worth noticing from Solihull. A school with no catchment area removes the single biggest disadvantage of applying from outside, which is usually distance. See our Wolverhampton Girls' guide.
For the Birmingham schools, catchment is ward based rather than distance based, so whether Solihull helps or hurts depends on exactly where you are. Check the ward rather than assuming. See our catchment guide.
Which tests, and how many
The good news first. The 19 West Midlands partnership schools share one test, so Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and the Warwickshire partnership schools can all consider a single September result. Your child does not sit four tests. See our list of all 19.
What you must do is register separately for the test, in May or June of Year 5, which is a different thing from applying for a school. Missing it has no remedy. See our registration guide.
How the application works
- Register for the entrance test in May or June of Year 5, directly with the partnership.
- Sit it once, in September of Year 6.
- Results in mid October.
- Apply through Solihull, your home local authority, not through Birmingham or Warwickshire. You list out-of-borough schools on the Solihull form.
- Deadline 31 October, the same date nationally.
- Offers on 1 March.
Point four is the one Solihull families get wrong. You always apply through the council you live in, whichever schools you are naming. Confirm the current detail on Solihull Council's admissions pages.
See our guide to applying across two areas.
The independent option
Worth naming, since it is the other reason Solihull families search for an 11+.
Solihull School is an independent co-educational school in the borough with its own entrance examination, set separately from the partnership test and sat on its own timetable. It is a different process with fees attached, not a grammar school.
See our comparison of grammar and independent and our guide to fees.
See where your child stands today
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You apply through Solihull, whichever school you want
The thing Solihull families get wrong most often is the application route. Wherever the school is, you apply through the council you live in. So a Solihull family naming King Edward VI schools in Birmingham still puts them on the Solihull form. People assume they apply to Birmingham and lose time finding out otherwise.
The part that works in your favour is that the partnership shares one test. Nineteen schools, one morning in September. In some parts of the country children sit three or four separate papers for different schools, and here they do not.
And check the ward before you decide anything about catchment. Birmingham's King Edward VI catchment works by ward rather than by distance, so two Solihull addresses a mile apart can be in completely different positions. It is worth half an hour with the map.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
Are there any grammar schools in Solihull?
No. Solihull's education committee voted in 1970 to end the 11+ locally and move to comprehensive education, completed by 1974, and no selective state school survived it. Solihull families applying for a grammar place apply outside the borough.
Which grammar schools can Solihull children apply to?
The Birmingham King Edward VI schools, the Warwickshire grammar schools, the Walsall schools and Wolverhampton Girls' High. All are part of the 19-school West Midlands partnership, so one test covers them.
How many tests does a Solihull child have to sit?
One. The 19 West Midlands partnership schools share a single entrance test sat in September of Year 6, so Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and the Warwickshire partnership schools can all consider the same result.
Do I apply through Solihull or through Birmingham?
Through Solihull, your home local authority, whichever schools you are naming. Out-of-borough grammar schools go on the Solihull common application form, due by 31 October like everywhere else.
Does living in Solihull hurt our chances?
It depends on the school. Birmingham's King Edward VI catchment is ward based rather than distance based, so check your ward rather than assuming. Wolverhampton Girls' High has no catchment area at all and allocates on score, which removes the issue entirely.
Is Solihull School a grammar school?
No. It is an independent co-educational school in the borough with its own entrance examination, set separately from the partnership test and with fees attached.