Showcase
Birmingham and Lincolnshire grammar schools, side by side.
GCSE (Attainment 8, median)
Birmingham vs Lincolnshire · 2025/26
Eng & maths grade 7+
Birmingham vs Lincolnshire · 2025/26
Applications per place
Birmingham vs Lincolnshire · 2026/27 entry
Free school meals
Birmingham vs Lincolnshire · latest school census
Where they are
Each marker shows the school's 2025/26 Attainment 8. Blue: Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield. Rose: Lincolnshire.
What the numbers say
- Birmingham's grammars are a tier above on results, and harder to get into. The median Attainment 8 is 78.6 against 62 in Lincolnshire, and 79% of pupils get grade 7+ in English and maths against 24%. But each Birmingham place drew 6.1 applications for 2026 entry, against 2.0 in Lincolnshire.
- The gap is mostly about selectivity, not teaching. Birmingham's eight grammars draw from a large, competitive city, and their offer lines sit far above the 205 qualifying score (category 3 and 5 lowest offers of 216 to 255 in 2026). Lincolnshire's consortium sets a qualifying standard aimed at the top quarter of children, and most schools then allocate by distance.
- Birmingham's grammars are the more socially mixed. A median 22% of pupils have free school meals, against 12% in Lincolnshire, helped by pupil premium priority in every Birmingham grammar's admissions.
- The best Lincolnshire schools compete with the Birmingham ones. The King's School, Grantham (73.2) out-scores King Edward VI Aston and Handsworth Grammar for Boys at GCSE.
- Catchment is tightening in places. At King Edward VI Five Ways, the furthest distance offered to in-catchment high scorers on offer day fell from 5.6 km (2024) to 4.9 km (2025) to 4.4 km (2026). At Bourne Grammar, the last place given on distance alone fell to 7.0 miles in 2025.
Area against area
| Measure (median) | Birmingham & Sutton Coldfield | Lincolnshire | Gap | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 78.6 | 62 | 16.6 | 2025/26 |
| Eng & maths 5+ | 98% | 82% | 16.2 | 2025/26 |
| Eng & maths 7+ | 79% | 24% | 54.9 | 2025/26 |
| A-level points | 43.8 | 35.9 | 7.9 | 2024/25 |
| A-level AAB+ | 41% | 19% | 21.7 | 2024/25 |
| Applications per place | 6.1 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 2026/27 entry |
Head to head
Every Birmingham school (rows) against every Lincolnshire school (columns). Each cell is row minus column.
| Green: Birmingham ahead | King's School, Grantham | Caistor GS | Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School | Bourne GS | Kesteven and Sleaford High School | Queen Elizabeth's GS, Horncastle | Spalding High School | Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough | Carre's GS | Spalding GS | Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Alford | KE VI GS | Boston High School | Boston GS | Skegness GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Coldfield Grammar Girls | +7.3 | +12 | +12 | +13 | +18 | +18 | +18 | +19 | +21 | +21 | +21 | +22 | +24 | +26 | +27 |
| Bishop Vesey's GS | +6.3 | +11 | +11 | +12 | +17 | +17 | +17 | +18 | +20 | +20 | +20 | +21 | +23 | +25 | +26 |
| KE VI Five Ways School | +6.1 | +10 | +11 | +12 | +16 | +17 | +17 | +17 | +19 | +19 | +19 | +21 | +23 | +25 | +25 |
| KE VI Camp Hill Girls | +5.6 | +9.9 | +10 | +12 | +16 | +16 | +16 | +17 | +19 | +19 | +19 | +20 | +22 | +24 | +25 |
| KE VI Camp Hill Boys | +5.2 | +9.5 | +10 | +11 | +15 | +16 | +16 | +16 | +18 | +19 | +19 | +20 | +22 | +24 | +24 |
| KE VI Handsworth School | +3.0 | +7.3 | +7.8 | +9.0 | +13 | +14 | +14 | +14 | +16 | +16 | +16 | +17 | +20 | +22 | +22 |
| KE VI Handsworth Grammar Boys | -1.9 | +2.4 | +2.9 | +4.1 | +8.3 | +8.6 | +8.8 | +9.3 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +13 | +15 | +17 | +17 |
| KE VI Aston School | -3.3 | +1.0 | +1.5 | +2.7 | +6.9 | +7.2 | +7.4 | +7.9 | +9.9 | +10 | +10 | +11 | +13 | +15 | +16 |
All 23 schools
| School | FSM | Inspection | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for GirlsSutton Coldfield · Girls | 80.5 | 99% | 86% | 44.3 | 41% | 6.1 | 17% | Goodprevious framework |
| Bishop Vesey's Grammar SchoolSutton Coldfield · Boys | 79.5 | 98% | 86% | 44.4 | 45% | 5.6 | 14% | Outstandingprevious framework |
| King Edward VI Five Ways SchoolBirmingham · Mixed | 79.3 | 98% | 85% | 43.4 | 41% | 7.7 | 17% | Goodprevious framework |
| King Edward VI Camp Hill School for GirlsBirmingham · Girls | 78.8 | 97% | 84% | 46.7 | 55% | 6.1 | 30% | Exceptionalreport card (achievement) |
| King Edward VI Camp Hill School for BoysBirmingham · Boys | 78.4 | 98% | 74% | 47.0 | 62% | 5.5 | 28% | Outstandingprevious framework |
| King Edward VI Handsworth SchoolBirmingham · Girls | 76.2 | 100% | 73% | 40.8 | 34% | 6.0 | 26% | Not judgedprevious framework |
| The King's School, GranthamGrantham · Boys | 73.2 | 98% | 53% | 43 | 39% | 2.0 | 8% | Goodprevious framework |
| King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for BoysBirmingham · Boys | 71.3 | 98% | 53% | 40.5 | 31% | 7.5 | 19% | Goodprevious framework |
| King Edward VI Aston SchoolBirmingham · Boys | 69.9 | 99% | 60% | 38.4 | 26% | 7.1 | 25% | Strong standardreport card (achievement) |
| Caistor Grammar SchoolMarket Rasen · Mixed | 68.9 | 90% | 41% | 39.3 | 33% | 1.6 | 7% | Goodprevious framework |
| Kesteven and Grantham Girls' SchoolGrantham · Girls | 68.4 | 90% | 33% | 40.3 | 20% | 1.9 | 9% | Outstandingprevious framework |
| Bourne Grammar SchoolBourne · Mixed | 67.2 | 88% | 35% | 39.4 | 23% | 2.0 | 7% | Goodprevious framework |
| Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective AcademySleaford · Girls | 63 | 83% | 24% | 37.8 | 20% | 2.2 | 10% | Not judgedprevious framework |
| Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, HorncastleHorncastle · Mixed | 62.7 | 83% | 31% | 38.3 | 33% | 2.5 | 12% | Goodprevious framework |
| Spalding High SchoolSpalding · Girls | 62.5 | 86% | 25% | 37.4 | 11% | 2.0 | 14% | Outstandingprevious framework |
| The Queen Elizabeth's High School, GainsboroughGainsborough · Mixed | 62 | 74% | 27% | 34.2 | 16% | 1.4 | 12% | Goodprevious framework |
| Carre's Grammar SchoolSleaford · Mixed | 60 | 82% | 24% | 35.8 | 19% | 2.0 | 9% | Goodprevious framework |
| Spalding Grammar SchoolSpalding · Boys | 59.9 | 77% | 21% | 34.2 | 16% | 1.9 | 8% | Goodprevious framework |
| Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Alford - A Selective AcademyAlford · Mixed | 59.9 | 75% | 22% | 35.9 | 20% | 2.9 | 16% | Expected standardreport card (achievement) |
| King Edward VI Grammar SchoolLouth · Mixed | 58.8 | 67% | 19% | 29.8 | 11% | 1.9 | 13% | Goodprevious framework |
| Boston High SchoolBoston · Girls | 56.6 | 67% | 16% | 30.9 | 12% | 2.0 | 15% | – |
| The Boston Grammar SchoolBoston · Boys | 54.7 | 61% | 13% | 27.2 | 15% | 1.6 | 16% | Needs attentionreport card (achievement) |
| Skegness Grammar SchoolSkegness · Mixed | 54 | 69% | 24% | 33.6 | 12% | 2.8 | 31% | Expected standardreport card (achievement) |
GCSE 2025/26 (provisional figures; Progress 8 is not published for this cohort). A-level 2024/25. Applications per place: 2026/27 entry. Inspection grades from the new report cards and the previous framework are shown separately and not combined.
The 11+ in each area
Birmingham: one test, eight schools (plus 11 more across the West Midlands)
Qualifying score 205; priority score 224 for the King Edward VI schools. 2027 entry test on 12 September 2026.
| Lowest score offered, open category (March) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Coldfield Grammar Girls | 222 | 229 | 229 | 227 |
| Bishop Vesey's GS | 229 | 230 | 234 | 229 |
| KE VI Camp Hill Girls | 249 | 239 | 243 | 255 |
| KE VI Camp Hill Boys | – | 260 | – | 254 |
| KE VI Five Ways School | 256 | – | – | – |
| KE VI Handsworth School | 217 | 217 | 216 | 219 |
| KE VI Handsworth Grammar Boys | 215 | 217 | 216 | 216 |
| KE VI Aston School | 216 | 218 | 219 | 217 |
Lincolnshire: one consortium test, plus Caistor's own
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning; an aggregate standardised score of 220 qualifies (aimed at the top 25%). At Kesteven and Grantham Girls', 346 sat the test for 2026 entry and 239 qualified, for 174 places.
Catchment, school by school
Sutton Coldfield Grammar Girls
Offers by test score in three categories: 1) looked after / previously looked after (205+); 2) Pupil Premium (205+); 3) all other applicants. Lowest score offered to category 3 on National Offer Day: 222 (2023), 229 (2024), 229 (2025), 227 (2026).
Bishop Vesey's GS
Three straight-line distance zones measured to the foot of the steps at the main school entrance (Lichfield Road): Zone 1 up to 12 miles, Zone 2 12 to 20 miles, Zone 3 beyond 20 miles. Qualified boys are offered places zone by zone, by rank order of score within each zone. Residence in Zone 1 must be evidenced by 31 October 2026.
KE VI Camp Hill Boys
Category 4 (priority score 224+, within catchment) is ranked by distance. Furthest distance offered on National Offer Day: 5,856 m (2023, all offered by September), 5,698 m (2025; 6,186 m by September). All category 4 applicants were offered in 2024 and 2026.
KE VI Five Ways School
Category 4 (priority score 224+, within catchment) is ranked by distance. Furthest distance offered on National Offer Day: 5,625 m (2024), 4,918 m (2025), 4,384 m (2026); all were offered by September in each year. The distance has shrunk each year.
KE VI Aston School
Catchment area used for Pupil Premium (category 2) and priority-score (category 4) applicants; others compete on score (category 5 lowest offer 216-219, 2023-2026). The catchment's definition is in the school's admissions policy (not yet compiled).
King's School, Grantham
Priority for boys living within 30 miles (straight line) of the school, ranked by score. Up to 20 places for full Pupil Premium boys within 30 miles first. Remaining places to other qualifiers by score. Ties broken by straight-line distance, then lottery.
Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School
Qualifiers refused mainly on distance. Furthest straight-line distance of an offer: 13.906 (2020), 16.821 (2021), 30.391 (2022), 22.021 (2023), 19.563 (2024), 20.377 (2025). 174 places offered on National Offer Day in most years.
Bourne GS
Final deciding criterion is distance (score does not rank applicants once qualified). Last place offered on distance alone: 7.459 mi (2021), 10.75 (2022), 9.188 (2023), 8.984 (2024), 6.997 (2025). Furthest anyone was offered: 16.627, 16.268, 17.186, 16.012, 19.348. 240 offers each year from 462-577 applicants.
Spalding GS
Qualifiers inside the school's catchment are prioritised; outside the catchment, places go by 11+ score. Lowest score offered outside catchment: 247 (2021), 220 (2022), 223 (2023), 226 (2024), 222 (2025). 141-150 offers each year from 236-292 applicants.
Spalding High School
Qualifying standard: aggregate standardised score of 220 in verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests. PAN 150.
Caistor GS
In-catchment = principal residence within 6.5 miles in a straight line from the school's Post Office address. After EHCP and looked-after children, qualified in-catchment candidates are admitted first. PAN 96. Own verbal reasoning tests; 220+ to qualify.
Compiled school by school from published admissions records; reviewed by our team before it appears in reports.
How this improves on our first, hand-made comparison
- Every figure is checked and dated, not copied from third-party league tables.
- The newest results: 2025/26 GCSEs (provisional) instead of 2024/25, with every year labelled.
- Competition for places: applications and first preferences per place for every school.
- 11+ cut-offs for four years and catchment distances, from the published records.
- Real school locations from the national register, not hand-placed markers.
- Free school meals context, so selectivity is visible next to results.
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Dataset built 2026-10-25.