The Warwickshire grammar schools
- Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls — strong reputation; selective entry.
- Alcester Grammar School — co-educational; serves the Alcester area.
- King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon — boys (admits girls into sixth form); historic foundation.
- Lawrence Sheriff School — boys grammar in Rugby.
- Rugby High School — girls grammar in Rugby.
All five use the Warwickshire 11+ as the primary entry criterion, supplemented by their own oversubscription policies (typically distance, sibling status, or pupil-premium priority).
The Warwickshire 11+
GL Assessment provides the test format. Four sections — English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning — sat in late September of Year 6. Registration deadlines fall in the summer term of Year 5; details published annually on Warwickshire County Council's website.
How tutoring usually focuses
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Not taught in school. Tutors drill the recurring GL question types systematically — coded language, analogy, sequence patterns, matrix recognition. Most students need 4-6 months of consistent practice for fluency.
Maths fluency
KS2-level content but under tight time pressure. Tutors drill arithmetic, fractions, percentages, ratio, and multi-step word problems until students can answer reliably within the time per question.
English comprehension
Reading-comprehension passages with varied question types. Wider reading consistently helps; tutors supplement with explicit comprehension-skill drilling on inference, retrieval, and language analysis.
Past-paper density
Commercial publishers (Bond, CGP, Letts) provide GL-style practice papers that match the Warwickshire format closely. Past-paper density rises in the final 2-3 months before the September test.
Choosing a Warwickshire 11+ tutor
- GL Assessment familiarity — strong tutors know the GL question patterns.
- Local or online — both work. In-person tutors cluster around Stratford, Warwick, Leamington, and Rugby; online tutoring opens up specialists outside Warwickshire.
- School-specific track record — ask about previous students placed at the specific grammar you're targeting.
- Comfortable with all four sections — most Warwickshire families want generalist 11+ tutors covering English, Maths, VR, and NVR.