Transparency data

King Edward VI Handsworth School (Birmingham) URN: 137047

Updated 10 December 2020

This transparency data was withdrawn on 14 July 2023

The Selective Schools Expansion Fund is closed and there are no plans to run future rounds.

Applies to England

Fair access and partnership plan summary

King Edward VI Handsworth School has made a commitment to deliver the following fair access and partnership plan by the school year 2021 to 2022 (and in subsequent years) as part of its successful Selective Schools Expansion Fund bid.

Admissions

The year 7 published admission number (PAN) will increase by 32 places to 192 in 2021 to 2022.

King Edward VI Handsworth School has a ‘priority score’ mark and a ‘qualifying score’ mark in the test. The priority score is higher than the qualifying score. The qualifying score, being the basis by which students eligible for the pupil premium are admitted, is lower than the priority score required in the other admission criteria categories. For entry in 2020, the qualifying score was 92% of the priority score. The qualifying score and priority score for each year will be published on the Grammar Schools in Birmingham website prior to the entrance test.

After the admission of looked after and previously looked after girls, 48 girls eligible for the pupil premium living within the school’s catchment area and achieving the qualifying score will be prioritised for admission. If fewer than 48 girls eligible for the pupil premium living within the catchment area, apply and achieve the qualifying score, girls eligible for the pupil premium living outside the catchment area will fill the remainder of the 48 places providing they have achieved the qualifying score.

Girls not eligible for the pupil premium will receive priority for the remaining places if they achieve a higher priority score.

Outreach

The school currently has well-established links with the following primary schools:

• St James CE Primary School B21 8NH
• Canterbury Cross Primary School B20 3AA
• Heathfield Primary School B19 1HJ
• Birchfield Primary School B6 6AJ
• Twickenham Road Primary School B44 0NR
• Prince Albert Primary School B6 5NH
• Thornton Primary School B8 2LQ
• Great Barr Primary School B44 8NT
• Warren Farm Primary School B44 0DT
• Kingsland Primary School B44 9PU
• St Francis RC Primary School B19 1PH
• St Michael’s Primary School B21 0UU
• Yew Tree Primary School B6 6RU
• George Betts Primary School B66 1RE
• Aston Tower Community Primary School B6 5BE
• Anglesey Primary School B19 1RA

These outreach partners have been selected based on the number of pupil premium children on roll, proximity to the school and their current desire to work in partnership with King Edward VI Handsworth School.

New activities to support the admission of disadvantaged pupils

In the academic year 2020 to 2021, parents will be invited to a special open morning with a tour to:

• watch and participate in ‘secondary school style lessons’ being taught
• hear from students about their experience of applying to and starting at a selective all-girls school

An important element of familiarising parents with a selective school is informing them of the details of registering for the entrance exam and of how to support their daughter.

As part of the website revamp, King Edward VI Handsworth School will produce a film aimed at primary school girls showing the reality of learning in a girls’ grammar school. This will show the diverse and welcoming nature of the school, demonstrating its commitment to developing confident, ambitious and independent young people from all backgrounds.

Current and continuing activities

A member of the senior leadership team has specific responsibility for outreach work. This includes identifying local and catchment area schools with which to build partnerships. Two senior prefects support the organisation of the widening access and outreach work.

Meetings and open events are held at primary schools to break down barriers around access to selective education and inform parents and children about local grammar schools. These meetings and open events are attended at the request of primary schools, however, King Edward VI Handsworth School also offers to run these sessions at partner primary schools which serve areas of disadvantage.

A programme of curriculum enrichment events are held throughout the academic year to which primary partners can sign up. The aim of these events is to enrich the curriculum by broadening the current knowledge and understanding base of pupils as well as to engage them in the life in school and encourage parents to consider making an application to it. Those schools who participate serve areas of disadvantage and have high numbers of pupil premium students on roll. They are asked to select more able female learners eligible for the pupil premium to attend. The programme currently covers sessions in maths, English, science, art and design but will extend to include a debate day and a particle physics workshop. These events will continue to be developed and added to each academic year as King Edward VI Handsworth School responds to feedback from primary partner schools.

King Edward VI Handsworth School holds an annual ‘taster day’ where local primary school pupils have the opportunity to gain an insight into a day in the life of a grammar school student. This serves to address any misconceptions about what it might be like to learn at King Edward VI Handsworth School. They take part in taster lessons in religious studies, modern foreign languages, PE, English, art, music and drama as well as having a tour of the school. King Edward VI Handsworth School encourages schools to send their more able year 5 pupils who are from a disadvantaged background. In the academic year 2018 to 2019, 55 primary school pupils from 11 different primary schools attended the day.

Local primary schools are invited to attend special events such as visiting speakers, concert rehearsals and performances. This gives local primary pupils the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the school as well as gaining an insight into the extra-curricular offer.

An alternate Wednesday afternoon masterclass series has been delivered by sixth form students onsite at King Edward VI Handsworth School. There have been 2 series to date:

• problem-solving
• maths

Primary schools were asked to target able disadvantaged girls in year 5 to take part in the sessions. The aim of these sessions is to offer:

• King Edward VI Handsworth School’s students leadership opportunities
• primary pupil premium students a student-led experience of the school

The purpose of the series is to raise standards and to ready these pupils for a selective school environment. For the academic year 2020 to 2021, discussions will be held with local primary schools about desirable foci to extend the learning beyond the primary school curriculum.

Upper school and sixth form students visit local primary schools which have high numbers of pupil premium pupils on roll to offer support in guided reading as well as maths and English mentor sessions. Participants are selected by the primary school with the aim of supporting those pupils who struggle in this area or to challenge those who are exceeding current age-related expectations.

King Edward VI Handsworth School’s most local primary schools already use the school’s facilities for sporting events. One local primary school makes use of the facilities on a weekly basis and another holds its sports day at King Edward VI Handsworth School. Local primary schools also make use of the facilities when participating in sessions led by King Edward VI Handsworth School’s sports leaders. This is important in raising aspirations of primary pupils, providing them with opportunities they could not otherwise access and offers leadership opportunities for King Edward VI Handsworth School’s own students.

The school’s ‘pupil promise’ provides financial support for pupils on roll at King Edward VI Handsworth School who are entitled to pupil premium funding. Parents can select from a range of options up to the value of £835 per pupil per academic year. These include:

• a uniform grant of up to £150
• up to £50 for a pair of school shoes
• up to £50 for a school coat
• meeting the cost of a bus pass
• up to £25 for the purchase of school stationery and other essential items
• the cost of the year 7 residential or day visit
• subsidising the cost of the year 9 residential
• meeting the cost of any additional curriculum-related activities and trips
• support with the cost of peripatetic music tuition in school

Partnership

Partnership work focuses on raising standards for pupils and also professional development for teachers. It focuses on the schools listed in the outreach section and these additional schools:

• Welford Primary School B20 2BL
• Benson Primary School B18 5TD
• Grove School B21 9HB
• James Watt Primary School B21 0RE
• St Clare’s RC Primary School B20 3RT
• William Murdoch Primary School B21 9NT
• Westminster Primary School B20 3PN
• Rookery Primary School B21 9PY
• Lozells Junior and Infant School B19 2EP
• Holy Trinity CE School B20 3LP

As with King Edward VI Handsworth School’s outreach work, primary school partners have been selected based on the number of pupil premium children on roll, proximity to the school and their desire to work in partnership with King Edward VI Handsworth School.

New activity

There will be a design and technology outreach project offering both enrichment for primary school pupils and continuing professional development for primary school staff. Local primary schools have identified that they do not always have the necessary subject expertise nor resources for the design and technology curriculum. The aim will be to develop practical and manual skills in addition to literacy and numeracy skills and to enrich the primary curriculum. Boys and girls from local primaries will be invited to be part of this project.

Local primary schools will be invited to participate in King Edward VI Handsworth School’s careers education guidance and information work through invitations to listen to guest speakers, participate in its national careers week activities and an enterprise afternoon. This will provide an opportunity for primary pupils to encounter a wider range of career options and professionals to help to support and develop pupils’ career aspirations. This offer has been developed following discussions with primary partners who have indicated that an awareness and understanding of long term future pathways which incorporate life beyond secondary school, higher education and career routes are key to pupil premium pupils and their families.

Current and continuing activities

The school has established professional development links with the following schools to the mutual benefit of King Edward VI Handsworth School and the partner school:

• Heathfield Primary School B19 1HJ
• Birchfield Primary School B6 6AJ
• William Murdoch Primary School B21 9NT
• Welford Primary School B20 2BL
• Aston Tower Community Primary School B6 5BE
• St Michael’s Primary School B21 0UU

For example, the deputy headteacher of Heathfield Primary School helped deliver a continuing professional development session on stretch and challenge to members of staff from 4 schools in the King Edward VI Academy Trust. She demonstrated expected standards of attainment for year 6 to inform King Edward VI Handsworth School’s year 7 planning.

Subject leads in primary schools for English, maths and science are invited to King Edward VI Handsworth School’s enrichment sessions, offering these staff the opportunity to:

• visit a selective secondary environment
• consider the pedagogy and level of challenge in that session with a view to feeding that back into the primary classroom and furthering support for the learners

Those in attendance are sometimes asked to feedback or teach an element of the session’s learning to the rest of their class upon their return to primary school.