Know exactly where your child stands for Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School
Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School is a boys' grammar school that uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entry, with no interview stage. There is no specific catchment area, and any family in the UK can apply. Priority for day places is given to looked-after and Pupil Premium boys, then to those from named primary schools, and finally by test score, with boarding places decided separately.
If your son is academic and you like the idea of boarding without leaving the state system, Haberdashers' Adams is an unusual school worth a look. The Good Schools Guide has reviewed it, and the school's own aim is to develop confident, articulate young people who are interesting, balanced and care for one another. Much of its character comes from the house system and the boarding side. Junior boarders live in a Grade II listed house set in more than a hundred acres of grounds, while senior boarders are in a purpose-built modern house in Newport, Shropshire.
The school has a long history. It was founded in 1656 by William Adams, a wealthy member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, who set up the school during the Interregnum and appointed the Haberdashers' Company as its governors, a link that continues to this day. It takes pupils aged 11 to 18, with boys and girls as day pupils and state boarding offered for boys. It is traditional and academic, with a particular emphasis on STEM, and it makes room for creative talent too. Sport has a strong reputation here, supported by good facilities including a sports hall, a swimming pool and extensive grounds.
Led since September 2025 by headteacher Daniel Biggins, Adams suits an academic child who will thrive in a traditional grammar. The mix of a long history, boarding and an academic core gives it a distinctive feel among state grammars, and the boarding option makes it well worth considering for a family who wants that for their son.
Key facts
Year 7 places
Day: 135 Boarding: 15
Admissions
Admissions contact
reception@adamsgs.uk
Admissions phone
0195 295 3810
Registration form
https://westmidlandsgrammarschools.co.uk/
Sibling policy
What this school tests
West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test
English
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Magic squares
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Number Walls
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Extended Figure Series
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Operations
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Most Like Three Figures
- Most Like Two Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Triangle Series
- Vertical Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Combining Shapes
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Shape Completion
Verbal Reasoning
- Anagrams
- Compound Words
- Embedded Words
- Form a Word
- Insert a Letter
- Letter Analogies
- Letter Calculations
- Letter Codes
- Letter Grids
- Letter Sequences
- Move 1 / 2 Letters
- Number Analogies
- Number Calculations
- Number Sequences
- Related Words
- Rhyming Synonyms
- Shuffled Sentences
- Synonyms
- Word / Logic Puzzles
- Word Analogies
- Word Completion
- Word Match
- Word Opposites
- Word Pairs
- Word Relationships
- Words and Codes
Catchment area
Does Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School have a catchment area?
There is no catchment based on where you live, and any family in the UK can apply. If day places are oversubscribed, priority goes first to looked-after and Pupil Premium boys, then to boys on roll at one of around 35 named primary schools in Telford and Wrekin, and finally by test score. Boarding places are decided separately.
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 71.8 across their GCSEs. 94.6% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 51% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
A-level results
In 2025 students achieved a B average grade per A-Level entry. 32.3% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School use for the 11+?
Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entrance exam.
What is the 11+ pass mark for Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School?
The specific 11+ pass mark for Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School is not publicly disclosed.
Does Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School interview as part of the 11+ process?
No, Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School does not include an interview stage as part of its 11+ admissions process.
Is Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School co-educational or single-sex?
Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School is a single-sex school for boys.
Does Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School have a catchment area for 11+ entry?
There is no fixed catchment area; families from anywhere in the UK can apply. However, priority for day places is given to specific groups and then by test score.
What is the official website for Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School?
The official website for Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School is https://www.adamsgs.uk/.
How do you get a place at Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School?
Your child first needs to reach the required standard in the school's own entrance test. For day places, if more children pass than there are places, the school ranks them in this order: looked-after and previously looked-after children; children on Pupil Premium or service premium; children at one of the named local primary schools; then test rank, with distance as the tie-break. There is no sibling priority. Boarding places, for boys, use a separate list and an interview.
What happens if my child is ill on 11+ test day at Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School?
Contact the school office as soon as you can. The policy allows for late testing where there is a valid reason such as illness or bereavement; if the school accepts the reason, your child can sit the test later and, if they reach the standard, be offered a place or added to the waiting list. Any access arrangements, such as extra time for a special need, must be requested on a Special Arrangement Form by the Jun deadline.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2413.9060094072934!2d-2.3804347!3d52.7699691!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x487a7dde983beaa3%3A0x3a3b442e46077cf3!2sHaberdashers%27%20Adams!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1780592344093!5m2!1sen!2suk
