Admissions

Following the Stay & Play session, an offer of a place will be made if the child is physically, emotionally and socially ready to participate and progress at The Blue Coat School.

As The Blue Coat School is usually oversubscribed, if your child’s application is not received before the deadline, or the school is oversubscribed with applications from within the first month of birth, you may be placed on the waiting list. We will contact you via telephone if a place becomes available after the Stay & Play sessions, or at a later point. 

You will be contacted annually to confirm that you would like to remain on the waiting list. 

We welcome approximately 28 new children into Year 3 each September at Blue Coat. 

The first stage is the 7+ exam which involves maths and English tests. 

The admissions process ensures that children who join Year 3 will be happy learners who will thrive at Blue Coat. 

Admission at age 7 is academically selective, therefore, offers will be subject to the child’s score on the 7+ test. 

The second stage of the 7+ admissions process is an experience day for the child where they will spend a whole day at Blue Coat. This gives children the opportunity to meet fellow pupils, teachers and become familiar with the school. 

Parents will be invited for a meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team so we can begin to get to know each other.

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At The Blue Coat School Birmingham, we offer several scholarships to children entering Year 3 each year, awarding both academic and musical excellence. 

Both internal and external pupils are eligible to apply, however, external pupils must meet the requirements of the 7+ admissions criteria before a scholarship can be awarded. 

Find out more about Scholarships

Moving schools is a big change in a child’s life. To ensure they embrace the change with excitement and confidence, both you and your child will be invited to a series of welcome events. 

Welcome to Prep: This information session, delivered by the Head and Deputy Head of Prep, is for parents of pupils joining the school in Years 3 to 6. It will provide you with all of the practical information about joining The Blue Coat School. 

Moving Up Day: Every pupil in School takes part in Moving Up Day, including new pupils joining the school. This gives them the opportunity to go to their new classroom, get to know their new Form Tutor and for new pupils, meet their class friends. 

The most exciting part of Moving Up Day is the House Sorting Ceremony. On this day, all children entering Year 3 find out which of the six Houses they will be in. 

Welcome Afternoon 

The day before School starts, all Year 3 pupils, new and returning, are invited into School for the afternoon to prepare for the new academic year.

We will contact those on the waiting list as soon as a place becomes available, but this does not always happen within an academic year. However, if a place becomes available mid-year, we do encourage children to start as soon as possible and not wait for the start of the next academic year.

There is no numerical order to our waiting list. Should a place arise in a given age group, priority is given to any children who have siblings currently at the School, followed by children with siblings who have provisional places to join the School in future years. 

If there are no siblings to consider, allocation is then based on how soon families have applied after birth. 

There is therefore no need to apply for the waiting list each year. If no places arise in a given year then we will let you know and will check whether you would like your child to remain on our waiting list for the following year. 

Children on the waiting list under the age of 6 will be invited to take the 7+ Entry Test for admission into Year 3.