Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Sutton Coldfield

In its own words: "Our mission is inspiration and excellence. We want all our learners, irrespective of background, to be scholars, well equipped for life beyond school, with a deep knowledge, understanding and life-long enthusiasm for the subjects they are studying."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Founded in 1527, our mission is to strive for inspiration and excellence in everything that we do. Our school is a very special place, founded nearly 500 years ago. My mission, our mission, is to inspire young people and help them to excel as citizens."

In 2026, pupils at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 79.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.5 in Birmingham and 47 across England.

98% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Birmingham and 47% in England.

That is up from 77.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.75: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 77.2, against 79.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 2.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Chemistry, Biology and Physics.

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 306 families put Bishop Vesey's Grammar School as their first choice and 1059 named it as one of their preferences, for 190 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 156 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Bishop Vesey's Grammar School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Birmingham's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Birmingham has 8 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Bishop Vesey's Grammar School are Plantsbrook School (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.1); Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls (1.1 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 80.5); Fairfax (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.5); and The Royal Sutton School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.8).

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Of the 191 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 98% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 3% to a further education college and 1% into work.

Of the 202 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 76% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 9% into work. 56% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

12.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 28.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (44%), White British (26%) and Mixed (10%).

In 2026, 101 pupils (6.9%) received SEN support and 8 (0.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

The nearest railway station is Sutton Coldfield Rail Station, about 460 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bishop Vesey's School (opposite), 100 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 188 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Birmingham (435).

In 2024/25, Bishop Vesey's Grammar School issued 28 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Bishop Vesey's Grammar School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles), Whitehouse Common Primary School (0.5 miles), Town House Primary School (0.8 miles) and Coppice Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.