Alcester Grammar School: Comprehensive 11+ Admissions Guide

Key Information Summary

• School Type: Co-educational grammar school (ages 11-18)
• Location: Birmingham Road, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5ED
• Current Roll: Approximately 1,290 pupils
• Ofsted Rating: Outstanding (December 2022)
• Academy Status: Since April 2011
• 11+ Test: West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test
• Registration Period: Early May to late June
• Test Date: Mid-September weekend
• Priority Area: 16.885 miles radius from Stratford upon Avon Fountain

About Alcester Grammar School

Alcester Grammar School has established itself as one of Warwickshire's premier educational institutions, consistently delivering exceptional academic outcomes for over a century. Located in the historic market town of Alcester, the school serves families across Warwickshire and the broader West Midlands region who seek rigorous academic preparation and outstanding pastoral care.

Under the leadership of Headteacher Ms Rachel Thorpe, AGS maintains its reputation for academic excellence whilst fostering a harmonious community built on mutual respect and high expectations. The school's recent substantial building programme, including a state-of-the-art science teaching block, demonstrates its commitment to providing modern facilities that support exceptional learning outcomes.

The school's academy status, achieved in 2011, has enabled greater autonomy in curriculum design and resource allocation, allowing AGS to maintain its distinctive character whilst adapting to evolving educational demands. This independence has been instrumental in sustaining the school's Outstanding Ofsted rating across multiple inspections.

The 11+ Assessment Process

Alcester Grammar School participates in the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test, a standardised assessment designed specifically for selective secondary school entry. This comprehensive examination ensures fair and consistent evaluation across all participating grammar schools in the region.

Test Structure and Content

The entrance examination comprises two one-hour papers administered on a single weekend in mid-September:

• Paper 1: English comprehension and verbal reasoning
• Paper 2: Mathematics and non-verbal reasoning

Each section is carefully calibrated to assess academic potential rather than simply testing curriculum knowledge, ensuring that capable students from diverse educational backgrounds can demonstrate their abilities effectively.

Registration and Timeline

• Registration Opens: Early May
• Registration Closes: Late June
• Test Administration: Mid-September weekend
• Results Released: Mid-October

Parents must register their children online through the official testing portal during the specified registration window. Late registrations are not typically accepted, making adherence to these deadlines crucial for prospective families.

How to Apply

Oversubscription Criteria

Given AGS's exceptional reputation, the school consistently receives more qualified applications than available places. When oversubscribed, places are allocated according to the following priority order:

1. Looked-After and Previously Looked-After Children: Children in care or previously in care who achieve the required minimum academic standard receive highest priority
2. Free School Meals Eligibility: Children within the priority area eligible for Free School Meals who meet academic requirements
3. Priority Area Residents: Children living within the designated priority area who achieve the automatic qualifying score
4. Outside Priority Area: Children from outside the priority area who achieve the automatic qualifying score
5. Waiting List Candidates: Children scoring above the minimum academic standard but below the automatic qualifying threshold

Priority Area Definition

The priority area encompasses a 16.885-mile radius from the Fountain in Rother Street, Stratford upon Avon. This generous catchment area reflects the school's role as a regional centre of excellence, serving families across multiple local authority boundaries who value selective education.

Application Process

Following successful completion of the 11+ examination, parents must submit their secondary school preferences through their local authority's standard application process. AGS should be listed among the preferences, with careful consideration given to the likelihood of meeting oversubscription criteria based on geographic location and test performance.

Preparing for the Alcester Grammar School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Alcester Grammar School 11+ usually come to us a year or so before the assessment, though shorter runs work where the foundations are already sound. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors build each programme around the format the school actually uses, whether a written paper, an online pre-test, an interview or a combination of them.

More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, so the preparation is led by people who know how selective schools assess. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families work with us online from anywhere in the UK or abroad, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.