If King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls is on your family's list, the single most useful thing to understand is how this school actually admits pupils — because it shapes everything you should, and should not, do. Lordswood Girls is a girls' comprehensive within the King Edward VI Foundation in south-west Birmingham, and, importantly, it is non-selective: there is no 11+ entrance test for a Year 7 place. That changes the whole preparation picture. Instead of drilling for a pass mark, your job is to get the application right and to make sure your daughter starts secondary school reading widely and confident with number. This guide explains exactly how selection works here, what is genuinely worth practising, a calm build-up through Years 4 to 6, and how to handle application day and after — with free practice on Quest Arena where it helps.
About King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls
Lordswood Girls is one of the newer additions to the King Edward VI Foundation, sitting in south-west Birmingham. It is a girls' secondary (11–16) with a mixed sixth form, so Years 12 and 13 open to boys and girls while the Year 7 intake is for girls. Unlike the Foundation's selective grammar schools, Lordswood is a comprehensive: pupils are not ranked by an entrance exam, and there is no qualifying score to reach. Here are the key facts to keep in mind as you plan.
- Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
- Intake: Girls (Mixed Sixth Form)
- Founded: 1957
- Type: Foundation school (King Edward VI Foundation)
- Admissions test: None — non-selective; Year 7 places allocated by sibling then distance criteria
You can read the full school profile on Quest Arena, and compare it with nearby selective options in our grammar school directory. For this year's admissions policy, catchment details, open evenings and application deadlines, always treat the official school site, lsg.kevibham.org, as the authority — the oversubscription criteria and dates are confirmed there first and can change year to year.
How selection works at King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls
There is no admissions test at Lordswood Girls for a Year 7 place. Because the school is oversubscribed most years, places are allocated against published oversubscription criteria rather than by exam performance. In broad terms, after any looked-after and children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority typically runs to girls with a sibling already at the school, and then by distance — how close your home is to the school, measured by the local authority's method. You apply through Birmingham City Council's co-ordinated secondary admissions process, naming your preferences on the common application form (CAF) by the national closing date.
This is where families often get confused, so it is worth being precise. The King Edward VI Foundation also runs a group of selective grammar schools — including the Sutton Coldfield pair — and those schools do use a shared entrance test, set by GL Assessment and sat in September at the start of Year 6. Lordswood Girls is part of the same Foundation but is not one of those test-selective grammars, so sitting the Foundation test is not required, and not relevant, for a Lordswood place. If Lordswood is your only target, there is no 11+ exam to prepare for at all — a genuinely reassuring fact. Do check the current criteria carefully, though, because for a comprehensive the exact distance and catchment rules are what decide places.
| Feature | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Entrance test | None — non-selective comprehensive |
| How places are decided | Oversubscription criteria: sibling, then distance |
| How you apply | Birmingham City Council co-ordinated CAF |
| Key deadline | National secondary closing date (autumn of Year 6) |
| Age range | 11–16, with a mixed sixth form |
| Foundation grammar test | Separate GL test used by the selective KEVI schools only |
What to practise for this school
With no entrance exam for Lordswood itself, "practice" means arriving at secondary school genuinely ready, not chasing a score. The best use of Years 5 and 6 is steady, low-pressure work on the fundamentals every strong Year 7 relies on.
- Reading and comprehension: wide, daily reading is the biggest single lever for confident secondary study. Our free worksheet library has comprehension sets to sharpen inference and vocabulary.
- Core maths fluency: times tables to 12×12, number bonds, fractions and place value, done quickly and accurately. Short, regular sessions beat long ones.
- Reasoning for confidence: a little verbal and non-verbal reasoning stretches thinking and is enjoyable, even where no exam demands it.
Many Birmingham families apply to Lordswood and to one or more of the selective King Edward VI grammar schools as a back-up or first choice. If that is you, then the grammar route does need exam preparation: the September GL test covers English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning as tightly timed, multiple-choice papers. Start with our free GL Assessment practice papers, build stamina with full timed mock papers, and in the closing weeks use centre-specific mocks matched to the Birmingham Foundation format. That way one plan serves both applications — solid fundamentals for Lordswood, and exam-sharp technique for the grammars.
A realistic preparation timeline
Because Lordswood is non-selective, your timeline is really an application timeline, with light academic readiness alongside. Confirm the actual dates on the school site and our key dates page.
- Year 4 onward: daily reading for pleasure and confident times tables. No formal papers — just broad vocabulary and quick mental arithmetic.
- Year 5: visit open evenings, check the school's catchment and distance rules, and confirm your home address is well placed. If you may also try the grammars, begin 15–20 minutes of free worksheet practice a few times a week.
- Year 6 autumn (apply): complete Birmingham's co-ordinated common application form by the national closing date, ranking your real preferences honestly. If sitting the separate grammar test, note it falls in September.
- Year 6 spring: National Offer Day is in early March. Review your offer, and use the waiting-list and appeal routes if needed.
Keep everything in one place with our revision hub, which lets you track which skills are secure well before the summer transition.
On the day and after
For a non-selective school there is no test hall to fear — the pressure points are the application form and the wait for offers. Get the CAF in early, double-check your ranked preferences, and keep evidence of your home address in case the local authority queries it. If your daughter is also sitting the Foundation grammar test in September, treat that morning calmly: a normal breakfast, an early night before, and the reassurance that practice mocks have made the real hall feel familiar. Remind her to read each instruction, mark answers cleanly, and move on from any hard question rather than losing minutes.
After you apply, resist refreshing for news. Offers arrive on National Offer Day in March; if Lordswood is not the first offer, you can usually stay on waiting lists and appeal. Whatever the outcome, the reading, number fluency and composure your daughter has built are lasting gains that carry straight into Year 7.
Frequently asked questions
Does King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls have an 11+ entrance exam?
No. Lordswood Girls is a non-selective comprehensive within the King Edward VI Foundation. Year 7 places are decided by oversubscription criteria — typically sibling links and then distance from the school — not by an entrance test.
Is it the same as the King Edward VI grammar schools?
It shares the Foundation name, but it is not one of the test-selective grammars. Those grammar schools use a separate GL Assessment entrance test in September; Lordswood does not require it. If you apply to both, only the grammar route needs exam preparation.
How do I get a place?
Apply through Birmingham City Council's co-ordinated secondary admissions in the autumn of Year 6, ranking your preferences. Places follow the published criteria, so check the current sibling and distance rules on lsg.kevibham.org and confirm your address falls within reach.