How grammar school admissions actually work.

1Decide if grammar school is right for your child

Grammar schools are state-funded and free to attend, with academic entry by the 11+. They suit children who are comfortable with challenge, can handle a fast-paced classroom, and ideally enjoy school. A grammar isn't automatically the right answer just because it's selective — a happy child at a strong comprehensive often outperforms an unhappy child at a grammar.

The honest test is whether your child is regularly performing above the expected standard at primary school, and whether they have the temperament for a fairly intense exam process in Year 5 and 6. There's no shame in deciding it's not the route — and many of the best secondary schools in the country are non-selective.

2Make a shortlist of schools

Most regions have several grammars. Catchment usually decides which of them you actually have a realistic chance at — distance is the main oversubscription criterion in most policies. Visit open days in Years 4 and 5, look at recent Ofsted reports, talk to current parents, and check the school's actual cut-off distance from last year's intake.

3Register for the test

You must register separately for the 11+ test — it doesn't happen automatically through your child's primary school. Registration windows close in late June or early July of Year 5 for most regions. Miss the deadline and you'll need to wait a year.

Each region handles registration its own way: Kent and Medway register through their respective County Councils, Bucks through Buckinghamshire Council, Essex's CSSE schools register directly with the Consortium, Slough and Trafford have shared portals. Check your region's exam guide for the exact link.

• MayRegion opens registration for the September test.
• Late JuneRegistration closes — diary this date now.
• Early SeptTests sat at primary schools or designated centres.
• Mid-OctResults released to parents.
• 31 OctNational secondary-school application deadline.

4Prep through Year 5

The best 11+ preparation isn't a one-month cram in the summer holidays — it's a steady drip of practice across Year 5 and the start of Year 6. Most successful children do three to six short sessions a week over twelve months, not marathon weekend slogs. Quality of focus matters more than total hours.

Cover the four core subjects in roughly equal time at first, then over-weight your child's weakest area in the final three months. Quest Arena's revision hub breaks each subject down by topic.

5Sit the test

Tests are usually sat in early September at the child's own primary school, at the secondary school they hope to attend, or at a designated examination centre. Children get a familiarisation session first, are read the test instructions carefully, and sit the papers in one morning.

The morning matters more than the months. Sleep, breakfast, and arriving relaxed lift scores more than one extra week of revision. Don't drill the night before — a calm walk, a vocabulary chat at the dinner table, an early night.

6Read the results properly

Results come out in mid-October — before you apply for secondary places. The results sheet shows a standardised score, not a raw percentage. This is the bit that confuses parents most.

Standardised scoring explained

The 11+ is age-standardised. Two children might get the same raw mark on the test, but the younger one's standardised score will be higher because the test adjusts for the child's exact age in months. The national mean is set at 100; most grammars publish a qualifying score around 121, which means roughly the top 17% of test-takers nationally.

7Apply for secondary places

By 31 October of Year 6, you must submit your secondary school preferences through your home Local Authority's website. You typically rank between three and six schools. Put grammars in the preference order you actually want — listing a grammar lower doesn't hurt your chance at it (preferences are not seen by schools until allocations are made).

If your child qualified on the 11+, you can list grammars. If they didn't qualify, listing a grammar is wasted — they won't be considered. Either way, list a non-selective fallback school you'd be happy with.

8Allocation day

Secondary allocations are released on 1 March of Year 6. You get one offer — the highest preference your child qualifies for under the school's admissions criteria. Most grammars decide oversubscription by catchment distance; a few use a banding or random ballot among qualifiers.

You can accept the offer, accept and appeal another school, or stay on a waiting list. National Offer Day is genuinely a national event — schools, councils and admission portals all release at the same hour.

9Appeals and waiting lists

If your child qualified on the 11+ but didn't get a place at a preferred grammar (usually because of distance), you can lodge a formal admission appeal. Appeals are heard by an independent panel between April and July. The success rate is low — usually under 10% for grammar appeals — and appeals are not a second-chance test sitting.

Waiting lists for grammars are also worth joining. Movement happens between March allocations and the end of September, especially in areas with strong independent-school pull. Don't withdraw the appeal until any waiting-list movement has stopped.

10Frequently asked questions