Join Us in Year 7
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Opportunities at Adams are limitless.
Haberdashers’ Adams is a selective state grammar school for boys and girls aged 11-18 with boarding for boys. The vast majority of pupils join us in Year 7 with admission to the school conditional upon achieving the required academic standard in the school’s entrance test and on the availability of places. The school will admit 135 day pupils and up to 15 boarders into Year 7.
We are one of the very few selective grammar schools in the UK to offer state boarding for boys. There are no education fees to worry about so you just pay the costs associated with boarding (a fraction of the fees payable at independent schools) which are exempt from VAT. For families where parents work long hours and/or travel for work, there has never been a better time to discover state boarding.
Application Timeline
The entrance procedure and timetable is laid out below.
- January Open Week (attend when prospective pupils are in Year 5)
- May-June Registration for the Entrance Test via online portal
- September Sit the Entrance Test (when prospective pupils are in Year 6)
- Mid October Test results received
- End October Local Authority Application Deadline
- November Boarding interviews
- December Boarding offers
- March Confirmation of School Allocation by Local Authority
- July Induction Day for pupils awarded a place
Admission to the school in Year 7 is conditional upon achieving the required academic standard in the school’s entrance test (including those children with an Education, Health and Care plan who reach the required academic standard) and on the availability of places.
Parents wishing to apply for a boarding place should indicate their boarding preference on the Entrance Test Registration Portal.
The registration form to sit the entrance test on its own will not be regarded as a valid application. Parents must also complete and return an application form to their local authority.
Open Days
Taking a look around Haberdashers’ Adams is the best way to find out more about the school. Open Week takes place every January. Whether joining for seven years or two years, in the Sixth Form, there are lots of different elements you need to consider.
Open Days
First and foremost, in the mind of a prospective pupil visiting the school should be to think about whether they think they would be happy here. The school is a vibrant and lively environment, there is always lots going on and we expect pupils to get involved.
We strongly believe that a happy child will thrive in whatever environment they are in. If you are unable to attend our open events, please watch the video on the home page and read the prospectus below and our Good Schools Guide Review.
Boarding Open Events
Boys are able to join as boarders in Year 7, benefitting from the support of the boarding house and boarding tutors, the company of one another and the opportunity to enjoy after school activities. Open Evenings and Taster Weekends are an ideal opportunity to see Longford Hall, the junior boarding house, when the boys are home, and to meet some of the staff.
Junior Boarding Taster Weekends
On arrival, the boys spend the Saturday afternoon and evening in our boarding house, taking part in a number of activities with our current boarders before having an overnight sleep in one of the dormitories. On Sunday morning, they have a short session of prep, again with our current boarders, and take part in another of the typical weekend activities that we organise for our boarders.
The Taster Weekend finishes with lunch on Sunday and family members are invited to join us, with the opportunity to talk to some of our boarding staff and to meet parents of current boarders, who will help to answer any questions whilst sharing their own experiences as a boarding parent. In the first instance, please complete our short ‘Interested in Boarding’ form.
The Test
For entry in Year 7, we administer the Entrance Test as part of a Consortium of grammar schools in Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton but are part of the larger partnership of grammar schools, known as ‘West Midlands Grammar Schools’, which incorporates all Birmingham, Shropshire, Walsall, Warwickshire, and Wolverhampton grammar schools.
The Test
The Test comprises two papers, which assess English Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning provided by GL Assessments. Normally, each test paper is approx. 50 minutes in length. School administration for each test will normally be 1 hour. All questions are multiple choice and contained in a question booklet. Candidates MUST write answers on the separate answer sheets provided.
The scores for each section are standardised to take into account differences in age, meaning younger children are not disadvantaged compared to children in the same cohort who could be almost a year older.
The registration form to sit the entrance test on its own will not be regarded as a valid application. Parents must also complete and return an application form to their local authority.
Atom Learning
We work in partnership with Atom Learning, a leading online Key Stage 2 learning and 11+ preparation platform, to provide children who are eligible for pupil premium with a free account. The programme is designed to benefit all eligible children, whatever their current attainment level.
Free Resources for Disadvantaged Children
Children can access online resources to support their learning throughout Key Stage 2, tailored Year 6 SATs revision and Grammar School Entrance Test familiarisation materials and practice papers. We hope this offer will help to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged children, whatever their future aspirations.
If your child is currently in years 3-6 and has been eligible for income-based free school meals at any point in the last six years, please register via the link below. You do not need to be planning to apply to Haberdashers’ Adams to be eligible. Your child’s primary school will be required to provide proof of eligibility for pupil premium as part of this process. Please contact the Head of Outreach with any questions or issues with registering.
Keep Up to Date
September 2026 Entry
September 2026 Entry
Open Week for prospective pupils in Year 5 was 20-24th January 2025.
Registration for the Entrance Test opened at 9am on Tuesday, 6th May 2025 and closed at 4pm on Friday, 27th June.
The Entrance Test was on Monday 15th September 2025 and the results were released on Wednesday 15th October 2025. The entry requirement score was 205 and for Pupil Premium 195.
September 2027 Entry
September 2026 Entry
Open Week for prospective pupils in Year 5 was held on 19-23rd January 2026.
There will be a Junior Boarding Open Afternoon on Wednesday, 4th March 2026 at 4pm at Longford Hall.
The entrance test registration portal will open on Tuesday, 5th May 2026.
Read our Prospectus
Admissions Policy & Documents
To view our Determined Admissions Policy and Application Forms.
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