List of Schools in Birmingham: A Parent's Moving Guide

How Birmingham school admissions work

Birmingham City Council runs a single coordinated admissions round. Applications for secondary places close at the end of October and primary applications close in mid January with offer days in March and April. Missing those dates means applying in year and taking whatever remains rather than choosing.

If your move completes after the deadline you can still apply from your current address and update the council once you exchange. Keep the solicitor letter because most admissions teams will ask for proof of the new address before they reallocate a place.

Grammar schools in the city

Birmingham keeps a well known set of selective grammar schools including King Edward VI Aston King Edward VI Camp Hill Handsworth Grammar and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls. Entry is by the consortium eleven plus test which is sat in September so registration happens in the summer before.

Grammar places are not tied to catchment in the same way as community schools which gives families moving into the city more flexibility than they expect.

Popular areas by school reputation

Families relocating to Birmingham most often look at Sutton Coldfield Harborne Edgbaston Moseley and Kings Heath. Each combines well regarded primaries with reasonable travel into the city and prices reflect that so factor it into your budget early.

• Sutton Coldfield for grammar access and family housing
• Harborne and Edgbaston for independent and strong state primaries
• Moseley and Kings Heath for village feel and city access
• Solihull border areas for consistently high performing schools

Timing the move around term dates

Moving in the week before a new term starts gives children time to unpack and settle but it is also the busiest window for removal firms. Book six weeks ahead if you want a specific date and ask for the children's rooms to be unpacked first so they have somewhere familiar on night one.