Grammar School Entry Requirements 2025 — By County & School

England has 163 state grammar schools — but entry requirements, exam formats, and score thresholds vary enormously between them. This guide explains how grammar school selection works, what different counties require, and how to find the exact requirements for your target school.

How Grammar School Selection Works

All grammar schools are selective — they admit students based on academic ability rather than geography alone. However, the mechanics of selection differ significantly:

• Fully selective: The school takes only students who pass the 11+ above a set threshold
• Partially selective: A proportion of places are allocated by ability; remaining places by distance
• Banded selection: Students are placed in ability bands; the school then takes equal numbers from each band

The 11+ exam itself is administered either by the local authority (all schools in the area use the same test) or by individual schools (each school sets its own test). This matters significantly for preparation — if your local authority runs a single test, all grammar schools in the area use that result. If each school runs its own test, your child may need to sit multiple different exams.

Grammar School Entries by County

Kent — largest grammar school county in England

Kent has the most grammar schools of any county — 32 in total. The county-wide test (the "Kent Test") is administered by GL Assessment and covers: Mathematics, English, and Reasoning (verbal and non-verbal combined). Kent is unusual in that virtually all secondary school places in many areas are at grammar schools, meaning almost all children take the test. The test is sat in September of Year 6.

Qualifying score: Kent uses a "standardised" score with the pass mark varying by school — most Kent grammar schools set their threshold between 420 and 435 on the standardised scale.

Key Kent grammar schools: Tonbridge Grammar School, Weald of Kent Grammar, Dartford Grammar, Simon Langton Girls' Grammar, The Judd School.

Buckinghamshire — fully selective county

Buckinghamshire is one of only two fully selective counties in England (along with parts of Kent). Every state secondary school student takes the 11+. The test is run by Buckinghamshire Council and uses GL Assessment materials, covering: Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, and English (reading comprehension).

Key point: In Buckinghamshire, if your child does not qualify for grammar school, they attend one of the county's upper schools — there are no non-selective state secondary schools in most of the county. This raises the stakes significantly and makes preparation particularly important.

Key Buckinghamshire schools: Aylesbury Grammar School, The Royal Latin School, Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, Dr Challoner's Grammar School (one of the highest-demand grammar schools in the country).

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire has 15 grammar schools serving different parts of the county. The Lincolnshire County Council runs the 11+ using GL Assessment papers covering Mathematics, English, and Reasoning. The test is sat in September/October of Year 6.

Notable schools: Lincoln Christ's Hospital School, Caistor Grammar School, Skegness Grammar School.

Birmingham and the West Midlands

Birmingham's grammar schools use CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) rather than GL Assessment. This is a critical distinction — CEM tests are deliberately harder to prepare for with format-specific resources. The Birmingham test covers verbal and numerical reasoning in a blended format.

Key schools: King Edward VI Handsworth, King Edward VI Camp Hill (Boys and Girls), King Edward VI Five Ways, King Edward VI Aston — all part of the prestigious King Edward VI consortium. Competition is extremely fierce; these are among the most oversubscribed state schools in England.

Trafford (Greater Manchester)

Trafford has one of the highest concentrations of grammar schools outside the South East. The consortium uses its own test format covering English and Mathematics. Places are highly oversubscribed.

Key schools: Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale Grammar School, Stretford Grammar School, Urmston Grammar School.

Gloucestershire and Cheltenham

The Gloucestershire grammar schools run their own selective process using CEM testing. Cheltenham and Gloucester have several highly regarded grammar schools with significant competition for places.

Key schools: Cheltenham Ladies' College (independent but highly selective), Pate's Grammar School (one of the most oversubscribed state grammar schools in England), Sir Thomas Rich's School, The Crypt School.

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire has three grammar schools in Hertford and Watford. They operate independently and each uses different selective processes — some use their own tests, others use GL Assessment materials. Entry is highly competitive.

Essex

Essex has 13 grammar schools spread across Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend-on-Sea, and other areas. The Chelmsford schools (notably KEGS — King Edward VI Grammar School) are among the most sought-after in the country. Different schools use different testing systems — some use the CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) test, others run independently.

London — selective schools overview

London has no local authority grammar schools, but several highly selective schools operate independently:

• Wilson's School — Sutton, uses its own entrance test
• Sutton Grammar School — part of the Sutton grammar consortium
• Wallington County Grammar — highly selective, own test
• Henrietta Barnett School — one of the most oversubscribed schools in England
• Queen Elizabeth's School Barnet — consistently high-performing, own test

London selective schools typically use their own bespoke tests rather than GL or CEM — making preparation more challenging because fewer past papers are available.

What Score Does My Child Need?

Grammar school score thresholds are almost never published in advance — they are set after the test based on how the cohort performed that year. This makes it impossible to give a single "pass mark." However, the following guides apply:

• Standardised scores (GL Assessment): Raw scores are converted to standardised scores (usually on a scale of 60–140, with 100 as average). Most grammar schools require 110–120+, with the most competitive schools requiring 130+.
• Ranking: Some schools simply rank all applicants and offer places to the top N% — in this case there's no fixed threshold, just competition with other applicants.
• Subject minimum scores: Some schools require a minimum score in each subject, not just the total — meaning a very high Maths score cannot compensate for a very low English score.

How to Find Your Target School's Exact Requirements

The most reliable sources, in order of reliability:

1. The school's own admissions policy — published on the school website, usually updated for the following September's intake in November/December
2. The local authority's admissions guidance — for county-wide tests, the local authority publishes a guide each year explaining the test, registration process, and indicative score ranges
3. The school's open day — most grammar schools hold open evenings where admissions staff answer questions about the selection process directly
4. Historical score threads on Mumsnet or 11+Forum — parents often post the scores their children achieved and whether they received offers, giving a realistic picture of what scores are competitive

Borderline — What Happens If My Child Just Misses the Threshold?

Most grammar schools have a borderline review process for students who score within a few points of the qualifying threshold. This typically involves reviewing school reports, teacher assessments, and sometimes a second assessment. Some schools have a formal appeal process.

If your child is borderline, it's worth requesting a review — the decision-making at the margin is less clear-cut than published thresholds suggest, and additional evidence of academic ability can make a difference.

Preparing for Grammar School Entry

Given the variety of formats across different counties, the most important first step is identifying your target school's exact test format. Once confirmed:

• If GL Assessment: start with format-specific practice papers, learn all 21 Verbal Reasoning question types, and practise timed conditions from the start
• If CEM: focus on building genuine underlying skills — wide reading, mental arithmetic fluency, and practising under time pressure with varied question types
• If bespoke school test: use any available specimen papers from the school, supplemented by general 11+ practice

ExamVerge offers practice papers aligned to GL Assessment, CEM, and general 11+ formats — with instant marking, predicted grade against grammar school thresholds, and a parent dashboard. Free to start.