King Edward VI High School for Girls: admissions and fees

King Edward VI High School for Girls, usually called KEHS, is an independent girls’ day school in Edgbaston. It educates pupils from Year 7 to Year 13. It does not provide boarding.

KEHS and King Edward’s School occupy neighbouring sites but are separate schools. KEHS admits girls; King Edward’s School admits boys. Their application dates and entrance examinations are also different.

Who should consider KEHS

KEHS may suit a family seeking a selective girls’ education in Birmingham from age 11. Approximately 96 pupils normally enter Year 7. The other main entry point is Year 12.

This is a day-school application for a family living locally. The school requires an applicant to have a UK passport or appropriate permission to live and study in the United Kingdom. She must also live locally with her family.

The current parent contract says that KEHS does not hold a Child Student sponsor licence. Families needing school-sponsored immigration permission should therefore look elsewhere.

Curriculum

All Year 7 pupils study a broad programme that includes separate sciences, two humanities, French, Latin, computing, arts and practical subjects. In Year 8, pupils select two modern languages from French, German, Mandarin and Spanish.

At GCSE, English Language, English Literature, mathematics, science and a modern language form part of the core. The school lists 21 GCSE subjects in total. Classical Greek is available as an additional GCSE.

Sixth Form pupils usually study three or four A levels. The school also offers the Extended Project Qualification, known as the EPQ. The EPQ is optional and is equivalent in size to half an A level.

Year 7 admission for September 2027

Applicants must have been born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016. A parent applies through the school’s online portal and uploads a recent photograph. KEHS also requests a report from the applicant’s current school.

The entrance examination has one English paper and one mathematics paper. Some candidates are then invited to interview. Interview groups include applicants considered for scholarships or Assisted Places and those whose application needs further investigation.

Stage	Date
Applications opened	30 March 2026
Deadline for requested SEND exam arrangements	9 September 2026 at 9:00
Application deadline	21 September 2026 at 12:00
Entrance examination	2 October 2026
Interviews and music auditions, by invitation	November 2026
Results sent	11 December 2026
Acceptance deadline	March 2027; exact date still TBC

The SEND deadline is earlier than the general application deadline. Parents requesting access arrangements should send the supporting evidence by 9 September 2026 at 9:00. The admissions policy says late access requests may still be considered before the general deadline, but they may not be possible to accommodate.

The registration fee for Year 7 and Year 12 is £50 plus VAT, or £60 including VAT. KEHS waives it for families receiving Universal Credit, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance. The admissions page specifically says that Tax Credits do not qualify for this waiver.

Year 12 and occasional entry

The normal external Sixth Form route uses an application, personal statement, predicted GCSE grades, a school reference and an interview. Offers are conditional on final GCSE results.

Applicants normally need at least grade 7 in GCSE mathematics and grade 7 in English Language or English Literature. The school also normally expects a GCSE grade-point average of 7.2. Individual A-level subjects have additional grade requirements on the admissions page.

Applications for September 2026 Year 12 entry closed on 2 February 2026. The school has not yet published a Year 12 deadline for September 2027. Families considering that intake should ask Admissions when the new application cycle will open.

Places may occasionally become available in Year 8, Year 9 or during a school year. Parents must first ask Admissions about availability. Assessment can include a school report, interview, English and mathematics papers, and papers in other subjects.

The registration charge outside the main Year 7 and Year 12 entry points is £150 plus VAT, or £180 including VAT. Assisted Places and scholarships are not available for these occasional-entry routes.

Assisted Places

An Assisted Place is a means-tested reduction in tuition fees. It is separate from an academic or music scholarship. Funding is limited, so meeting the financial criteria does not guarantee an award.

Assisted Places are usually available only at Year 7 and Year 12 entry. The applicant must also have attended school, or been formally home educated, in the West Midlands region for at least 12 months when applying.

The school examines both income and assets. Its policy uses gross household income, gross assets, dependants and wider evidence of affordability. It gives £500,000 as a guide to the upper asset limit. Awards are reassessed every year and can increase, decrease or end when circumstances change.

For one child in the scheme, the published 2026/27 scale begins as follows:

Relevant household income	Tuition fees payable
£0–£24,999	0%; help with some expenses
£25,000–£27,999	0%; no expenses grant
£28,000–£33,999	5%
£34,000–£38,499	10%
£38,500–£44,999	15%
£45,000–£49,999	20%
£50,000–£55,999	30%
£56,000–£59,999	40%
£60,000–£64,999	50%
£65,000–£68,999	60%
£69,000–£72,999	70%
£73,000–£76,999	80%
£77,000–£79,999	90%
£80,000	100%

The same document has a different scale when two children from one family are in the scheme. In that table, families start paying full fees at £100,000 of relevant income. This does not mean every family below that amount qualifies. The means test still considers assets, dependants and the available funding.

Pupils receiving a fully funded Assisted Place may also qualify for meals, travel, uniform and compulsory-trip support. From Year 8, school meals are not automatically covered unless the pupil qualifies for free school meals.

The Conditions of Award applying from September 2026 add important liabilities. An award can be varied after annual review. It can also be ended for financial or conduct reasons. In specified cases, the school may seek repayment of benefits, including up to three terms’ assistance after certain serious breaches or withdrawal without the required notice.

Fees and other costs

The school’s live fee page gives the 2026/27 tuition fee as £6,260 before VAT per term. The amount payable including VAT is £7,512 per term, or £22,536 for three terms. The annual amount is our calculation from the published termly fee.

Tuition includes textbooks, stationery, teaching materials, personal-accident insurance, normal public-examination entry fees and mandatory curriculum day trips. It does not include examination resits, music tuition, meals or residential trips.

Lunch is compulsory in Year 7 and costs £4.75 per school day, charged termly. It is optional by term in Years 8–11. Families should ask for the current annual estimate because the total depends on the number of catering days.

A £400 acceptance deposit is required for a full-fee place. Families accepting a fully funded Assisted Place do not pay it. The contract says the remaining deposit balance can be refunded after the pupil leaves, after deductions, if parents request it in writing by the end of the following academic year. Without a timely request, the balance passes to the Assisted Places fund.

The school offers a 25% sibling discount when three children from one immediate family attend KEHS or King Edward’s School simultaneously on full fees. The current policy describes the discount as applying to the oldest child. The older 2025/26 charge sheet describes it as applying to the third and later children. Families relying on the discount should obtain written confirmation of the 2026/27 calculation.

Fees are due before the start of each term unless the school agrees a separate instalment arrangement. The school’s fee page offers termly or monthly direct debit. The parent contract permits interest of up to 1.5% per month, calculated daily, on overdue amounts.

SEND and English-language support

The SEND department says it supports a range of learning, medical and emotional needs. Its staff include qualified special educational needs coordinators and a full-time learning support assistant. The school also identifies a staff member who coordinates support for pupils using English as an additional language.

The Warnock Room provides a quiet space before school, during breaks and at other specified times. Regular access is arranged through the SEND department.

Parents should disclose existing or suspected needs and provide relevant reports during admission. The admissions policy says KEHS considers whether reasonable adjustments can be made without undermining selection or imposing an unreasonable burden.

The parent contract is more consequential. It says formal assessment may need to be arranged by parents, and additional support may be charged where lawful. It also allows the school to cancel a place or require withdrawal if it later concludes that it cannot adequately meet a pupil’s needs. Ask for a written support plan and all likely charges before accepting an offer.

Leaving after acceptance or entry

After the 14-day cancellation period described in the parent contract, parents normally must give one full term’s written notice. The notice must arrive before the first day of a term and expire at that term’s end. Otherwise, one term’s fees in lieu of notice are payable.

The notice rule also applies when a pupil will leave after GCSEs or Year 12. Separate notice is required to stop extra tuition. Assistance under an award does not cover a term’s fees in lieu of notice.

Compare KEHS with other Birmingham schools if day-school logistics or mixed education matter. Read the United Kingdom school guide for the wider admissions context.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.