King Edward's School, Birmingham, was founded by Royal Charter in 1552 and is one of the most successful boys’ schools in this country.  It is an independent HMC day school with 840 boys aged 11-18. In 1936 the school moved from the centre of Birmingham to its present beautiful site of 50 acres close to the university.

The school has always had the reputation of being the leading school of Birmingham, and it reflects very closely the diverse racial mix of the city itself. It also attracts pupils from areas beyond Birmingham. Academic standards in the school are extremely high.  The vast majority of students attain A and B grades at A-level (90% in 2006) and at GCSE 86% of all subject entries were A* or A in 2006. On average, twenty pupils are accepted by Oxford and Cambridge and the vast majority of pupils go on to the best universities. 

However, that is not the only purpose of the school. There is a very rich experience in the classroom and beyond. There are many societies, including Debating, Living History, Film, Classic Rock. Music and drama are exceptional with one major dramatic production and three major concerts in the year, including one in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. Sport is very diverse and successful, with sixteen different sports and major fixture lists in rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics. The school is nationally successful in basketball and water polo. Outdoor pursuits are also of central, and growing, significance: a majority of pupils complete the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and over twenty each year undertake the Gold Award; the Combined Cadet Force thrives with Army, Navy and RAF sections; there is a very rich range of trips and visits for boys of all ages both in term-time and out. This year boys will have gone on many walking, cycling and camping trips in this country and to Normandy, the Ardèche, Grasse, Madrid, Salamanca, the Pyrenees, Berlin, Utah, Egypt (twice), Morocco, Namibia and Australia.

The school is very conscious of its responsibility to be accessible to able pupils of whatever background. There is an extensive, and recently extended, Assisted Places Scheme for pupils whose parents could not afford the fees, and over 25% of the pupils have some form of financial support.

The vast majority of boys enter the school at 11+, but others do join at 13+ and 16+. In each case entry is dependent on the taking of an entrance examination. For 11+ and 13+ that examination takes place in January and the closing date for entry is in December. At 16+ the examinations are in March and the closing date for entry is February. Further details are available on the school’s website, www.kes.bham.sch.uk and from Mrs. Nicole Phillips, the school’s Admissions and Marketing Co-ordinator on 0121 472 1672 or admissions@kes.bham.sch.uk.