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Applying to Lawrence Sheriff School for September 2028? This guide covers the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test, the qualifying score, how the 150 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.
Lawrence Sheriff School 11+ at a glance
School type: boys' grammar school
Location: Rugby, Warwickshire
Number of places in Year 7: 150 (2027-entry figure — Lawrence Sheriff School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
Qualifying score: No fixed pass mark is published. Each year the Headteacher sets an Automatic Qualifying Score and a lower minimum standard for a place on the waiting list.
Catchment or priority area: yes — the Eastern Area of Warwickshire and a 10.004-mile priority circle
Source: Lawrence Sheriff School Admissions Policy 2027-28. Last checked October 2026.
Key dates for September 2028 entry
Lawrence Sheriff School confirms its exact dates in the spring before each cycle. The windows below follow the 2027-entry timetable: registration ran from Thursday 7 May 2026 to 4pm on Tuesday 30 June 2026, the test took place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026 and results were due on Friday 16 October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the school publishes its 2028-entry dates.
Key dates for Lawrence Sheriff School 11+ entry in September 2028, with expected windows where the school has not yet confirmed exact dates.
Date
What happens
Early May 2027
Test registration expected to open (Warwickshire opens registration on 7 May each year)
Late June 2027
Test registration expected to close
Mid-September 2027
Entrance test, usually across a weekend
Mid-October 2027
Test results expected
Sunday 31 October 2027
Deadline to apply for secondary school places through your home local authority. This date falls on a Sunday.
Wednesday 1 March 2028
National offer day for secondary school places
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Lawrence Sheriff School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.
Register your child for the test through Warwickshire County Council. Registration opens on 7 May each year for children in Year 5.
Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Lawrence Sheriff School on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. For September 2028 entry the deadline is Sunday 31 October 2027. As it falls on a Sunday, you may find it easier to submit your form in the days before.
Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.
What will my child be tested on?
The test is run by Warwickshire County Council's admissions team and is shared by grammar schools across Warwickshire, Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Shropshire through the West Midlands Grammar Schools partnership. Your child only needs to sit it once to be considered for any of these schools.
Lawrence Sheriff School says the test is set by GL Assessment. There are two papers, each lasting about 60 minutes: around 15 minutes of practice questions and instructions, and around 45 minutes of testing. The papers cover English comprehension and verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning. Questions are multiple choice, and answers go on a separate answer sheet.
Marks are weighted 50% for English and verbal reasoning, 25% for non-verbal reasoning and 25% for maths, and scores are standardised.
How are places allocated at Lawrence Sheriff School?
If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 150 Year 7 places, Lawrence Sheriff School offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027/28. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.
Lawrence Sheriff School oversubscription criteria in priority order, from the 2027/28 admissions policy.
Priority
Who it covers
First
Children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) naming the school must be admitted
1
Looked after and previously looked after children who reach the Automatic Qualifying Score, score up to 20 marks below it, or reach the minimum standard for the waiting list (whichever is lower)
2
Up to 30 places for children eligible for Pupil Premium when they registered for the test, living in the Eastern Area of Warwickshire or the Priority Circle, on the same lower score rule as criterion 1
3
Up to 5 places for children eligible for Service Premium when they registered for the test, living in the Eastern Area or the Priority Circle, on the same lower score rule
4
Children of staff who have worked at the school for two or more years, who reach the Automatic Qualifying Score
5
Children living in the Eastern Area of Warwickshire who reach the Automatic Qualifying Score
6
Children living in the Priority Circle who reach the Automatic Qualifying Score
7
If places remain and fewer than 30 Pupil Premium places went under criterion 2, the balance goes to Pupil Premium children living outside the catchment areas, on the same lower score rule
8
If places remain and fewer than 5 Service Premium places went under criterion 3, the balance goes to Service Premium children living outside the catchment areas, on the same lower score rule
9
Children living outside the catchment areas who reach the Automatic Qualifying Score
10
Children inside or outside the catchment areas who reach the minimum standard for a place on the waiting list
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Pupil Premium places across criteria 2 and 7 are capped at 30, and Service Premium places across criteria 3 and 8 at 5. Within every criterion, children with the highest test scores are offered places first. Brothers and sisters get no extra priority.
Does Lawrence Sheriff School have a catchment area?
Lawrence Sheriff School uses two areas. The Eastern Area of Warwickshire is the town of Rugby plus a list of surrounding parishes set out in the policy, with a map in its appendix. The wider Priority Circle has a radius of 10.004 miles from the Rugby Water Tower and includes the Eastern Area.
Where scores are equal, children who were eligible for Pupil Premium or Service Premium when they registered come first, then the child living nearest the school in a straight line. If that still doesn't separate them, a computerised random number generator decides.
If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?
A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest and after-school activities. It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.
How can I help my child prepare for the test?
The West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.
Stay on track with a clear plan
One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.
A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.
Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.
That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.
Build smart exam technique
As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.
Atom's 11+ practice papers are built to match the format, timing and question styles of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.
We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.
Encourage regular reading
Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.
Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.
Over time, regular reading will broaden their vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts.
When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.
Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.
That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.
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Take control of your child’s 11+ preparation.
Not sure if your child is on track for the grammar school 11+? You don’t need to guess what to cover or whether they’re ready. Atom shows you exactly what to practise each week and how they’re performing, so you can stay ahead of the process without the stress.
