For September 2028 entry, your child is in Year 4 now, registers in the summer term of Year 5, and sits the test in September of Year 6. Registration is expected to open in early May 2027 and close in late June 2027.
Those 2028 dates are the established pattern rather than published figures. The partnership confirms each cycle's dates on the partnership registration portal, and you should check there before relying on any of them. The structure, though, does not change, and it is the structure that catches people out.
Two separate forms, and missing either one ends it
This is the single most important thing on this page.
| Entrance test registration | Local authority preference form | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Books the test | Applies for school places |
| Who to | The partnership, online | Your home local authority |
| When (2028 entry, expected) | May to late June 2027 | By 31 October 2027 |
| If you miss it | No test, so no grammar place | No offer, even with a great score |
Families lose places on this every year. Registering for the test is not applying to a school, and naming a school in October does nothing if your child never sat the test.
The expected timeline for 2028 entry
- Early May 2027: registration opens.
- Mid June 2027: deadline for access arrangement requests, which closes about a fortnight before registration does.
- Late June 2027: registration closes, typically at 4pm. Late entries are not normally accepted.
- September 2027: the test, usually over two or three days.
- Mid October 2027: results issued.
- 31 October 2027: local authority preference form due.
- 1 March 2028: National Offer Day.
Read the second bullet again. The access arrangements deadline falls before the registration deadline, so a family who leaves registration to the last week may have already missed the chance to request extra time.
The boxes on the registration form
The form is where most of the irreversible decisions get made, and it takes ten minutes to get wrong.
- Share your result with every school you might want. Results do not go to every partnership school automatically. Haberdashers' Adams, for example, requires you to tick SWW, and states that a child whose data was not shared will not be considered even if the school is named on the preference form in October.
- Declare pupil premium. It is worth real places, and several schools state that nothing can be submitted after the registration deadline closes.
- Request access arrangements if your child needs them, by the earlier deadline.
- Check the test centre. It is assigned from your home postcode and may not be your child's own school.
- Keep a copy of what you submitted.
What to expect at the other end
Results arrive in mid October and are reported on an age-weighted standardisation around a median of 200 across all nineteen schools. Each school or foundation then sets its own threshold: the King Edward VI Foundation publishes a qualifying score for its Birmingham schools, while the Walsall, Wolverhampton, Shropshire and Warwickshire schools set their own.
You then have roughly two weeks to turn that number into a ranked preference list. Our guide to ranking preferences covers that fortnight, and our Year 5 plan covers the year before it.
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.
Registration is the deadline that actually ends applications
Registering for the West Midlands 11+ is very straightforward, but the timing is where families come unstuck. Registration normally 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.
The other thing I check with every family is the boxes. Your result does not travel to every school in the partnership on its own. You have to say, at registration, which schools you want it shared with. Miss that and you can sit the test, score well, put the school down in October and still never be considered.
And do it early in the window rather than late. The access arrangements deadline comes before the registration deadline, so a family who leaves it to the last week has already lost the chance to ask for extra time. There is no fixing any of this in November.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
When do I register for the 2028 West Midlands 11+?
In the summer term of Year 5, with registration expected to open in early May 2027 and close in late June 2027, for a test sat in September 2027. These follow the established pattern rather than published dates, so confirm them on the partnership registration portal.
What year group registers for the 11+?
Children register during Year 5 and sit the test at the start of Year 6. For September 2028 entry that means a child who is in Year 4 during the 2026/27 school year.
Is registering for the 11+ the same as applying for a school place?
No, and confusing the two costs families places every year. Registration books the entrance test with the partnership in May or June. The local authority preference form applies for school places and is due by 31 October. You must complete both.
What happens if I miss the 11+ registration deadline?
Your child cannot normally sit the test, and without a test result no grammar school place can be offered regardless of what you put on the preference form. Late registration is only considered in exceptional circumstances such as illness or bereavement.
When do I need to request extra time for the 11+?
By the access arrangements deadline, which falls roughly a fortnight before the registration deadline itself, so around mid June. This catches families who leave registration to the final week and find the chance to request adjustments has already passed.
Does my child's 11+ result go to every school automatically?
No. You indicate at registration which schools the result should be shared with. Haberdashers' Adams, for instance, requires you to tick SWW and states that a child whose data was not shared will not be considered even if the school is named on the local authority preference form.