Grammar schools

Grammar schools in England, area by area.

All 163 state grammar schools, grouped by the 11+ test they use — with how each test works, how places are given and what to do when.
grammar schools
163grammar schools
test areas
28test areas
boys’ schools
56boys’ schools
girls’ schools
59girls’ schools
co-educational
48co-educational
with a sixth form
163with a sixth form
How entry works

The same calendar, wherever you live.

Tests and rules differ from area to area, but every grammar school place in England follows the national admissions timetable. The dates that matter most are the registration deadline in Year 5 and the 31 October application deadline.

  1. Year 5, spring to summer

    Register for the test

    Each area or school opens its own registration window — some as early as March, most closing in June or July. Missing it usually means missing the test.

  2. Year 6, September

    Sit the test

    Most tests are taken in the first three weeks of September. A few schools test earlier in the summer, or in stages into November.

  3. Year 6, mid-October

    Get the results

    Results arrive before the application deadline in most areas, so you know whether your child qualified before you choose schools.

  4. 31 October

    Apply to your council

    Name your grammar schools on your home council’s secondary application — even schools in another council area. Qualifying is not an application.

  5. 1 March

    National Offer Day

    Every family in England hears which school has offered a place. Waiting lists and appeals follow.

Qualifying is not a place

A pass or qualifying score makes a child eligible. Each school then decides who gets in, by score, distance or both.

Your council handles the application

You apply through your home council by 31 October, naming three to six schools in preference order, depending on the council — including grammar schools elsewhere.

Rules change every year

Providers, papers and dates move. Each area page links to the official source and says when we last checked it.

Find a school

Search all 163 grammar schools.

By area

Every test area, region by region.

An area is a group of schools that share one test, or — where each school tests on its own — the schools of one town or borough. Open an area for its test, how places are given and every school in it.

London19 schools

Barnet

3

Separate tests at each school

Three grammar schools in north London, each running its own entrance test. Two of them, Queen Elizabeth's School and The Henrietta Barnett School, are among the most competitive in the country.

1 boys’ · 2 girls’

Bexley

4

Bexley Selection Test

Four grammar schools in south-east London sharing one selection test, with registration in March of Year 5 — earlier than almost anywhere else.

1 boys’ · 1 girls’ · 2 co-ed

Bromley

2

Separate tests at each school

Two highly selective schools in Orpington — Newstead Wood for girls and St Olave's for boys — each with its own test.

1 boys’ · 1 girls’

Enfield

1

Latymer School admissions test

One mixed grammar school, The Latymer School in Edmonton, with an early registration window and its own test.

1 co-ed

Kingston upon Thames

2

Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls' School tests

The two Tiffin schools — Tiffin School for boys and The Tiffin Girls' School — each run a two-stage test that finishes after the October application deadline.

1 boys’ · 1 girls’

Redbridge

2

Redbridge 11+

Two grammar schools in east London — Ilford County High for boys and Woodford County High for girls — sharing one council-run test.

1 boys’ · 1 girls’

Sutton

5

Selective Eligibility Test (SET), then a second stage

Five grammar schools in south London sharing a first-stage test, followed by a second stage set separately for the girls' and boys' schools.

3 boys’ · 2 girls’

South East57 schools

Kent

32

Kent Test

The largest grammar school area in England: 32 schools across the county, all using the Kent Test.

13 boys’ · 13 girls’ · 6 co-ed

Medway

6

Medway Test

Six grammar schools in the Medway towns, using their own Medway Test rather than the Kent Test.

1 boys’ · 1 girls’ · 4 co-ed

Buckinghamshire

13

Secondary Transfer Test

Thirteen grammar schools sharing one test, the Secondary Transfer Test, with a single qualifying score for all of them.

4 boys’ · 4 girls’ · 5 co-ed

Reading

2

Separate tests at each school

Two grammar schools in Reading — Kendrick School for girls and Reading School for boys — each with its own test and timetable.

1 boys’ · 1 girls’

Slough

4

Slough Consortium test

Four grammar schools in Slough sharing the Slough Consortium test.

4 co-ed

North West19 schools

Trafford

7

Trafford Grammar Schools consortium test

Seven grammar schools in Altrincham, Sale, Stretford and Urmston — five sharing a consortium test and two Catholic schools testing separately.

2 boys’ · 2 girls’ · 3 co-ed

Wirral and Liverpool

7

Wirral Admissions Test (four schools)

Six grammar schools on the Wirral and one in Liverpool. Four Wirral schools share a test; the Catholic schools and Liverpool's Blue Coat School test separately.

3 boys’ · 3 girls’ · 1 co-ed

Lancashire

4

Separate tests at each school

Four grammar schools — two in Lancaster, one in Clitheroe and one in Rossendale — each with its own test.

1 boys’ · 1 girls’ · 2 co-ed

Cumbria (Penrith)

1

QEGS entrance test

One grammar school, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, which sets its own test.

1 co-ed

Who writes the tests

GL Assessment

Supplies the tests in many areas, including Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Birmingham and Warwickshire. Papers usually mix English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, often multiple choice.

CSSE

The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex writes its own English and maths papers, answered in writing rather than multiple choice.

Quest Assessments and FSCE

Newer providers now used in several areas, including Bexley, the Wirral, Plymouth, Calderdale and some single schools. Several areas are switching to them in the next few years.

The schools themselves

Some schools write and mark their own papers, sometimes in two stages, with a second round for the highest scorers.

Free · 15 minutes · Years 3–5

Where does your child stand today?

Our free 15-minute check scores Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning against your child’s year — the four areas these tests are built from.

Take the free check

Questions parents ask

What is a grammar school?

A state secondary school that selects its pupils by academic ability, usually through an entrance test taken at the start of Year 6 — the 11+. Grammar schools are free to attend. England has 163 of them, in a few dozen local authority areas; most of the country has none.

Does passing the 11+ guarantee a place?

No. Passing, or reaching the qualifying score, makes a child eligible. Places are then allocated under each school’s admissions policy, which can rank children by score, give priority to those living nearby, or both. Popular schools fill with children who qualified comfortably.

Can my child apply to a grammar school outside our area?

Usually, yes. Most grammar schools accept applications from anywhere, though some give priority to local children or ask out-of-area applicants for a higher score. You still apply through your own council’s secondary application, naming the school by 31 October.

What does “super-selective” mean?

An informal term for schools that offer places mainly in order of test score, often with little or no catchment, so competition is national rather than local. Several London and Midlands grammar schools work this way.

Which test will my child sit?

It depends on the area. Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Essex and others run one shared test for all their schools; elsewhere each school sets its own. GL Assessment supplies many of the tests; others come from the CSSE in Essex, Quest Assessments, FSCE, or the schools themselves. Each area page explains its arrangement.

What if my child does not qualify?

Some areas have a review process for children just below the standard, and every family can appeal a refused place to an independent panel. Your area page and the school’s admissions policy explain what is available.

When should we start preparing?

Many families start steady practice in Year 4 or early Year 5, about a year before the September test. Short, regular sessions build the skills more reliably than intensive cramming in the summer before.

School details come from the Department for Education’s Get Information about Schools register (Open Government Licence v3.0), as of 6 October 2026. Test arrangements are summarised from the councils’ and schools’ published information — always confirm dates and rules with the official source linked on each area page.

Practice for every 11+ test.

Adaptive daily practice in Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with timed mock exams in the style of GL, CEM and independent-school papers.

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