PARENT’S GUIDE
The next step,
made clearer.
A practical starting point for parents: understand your school’s test, build a manageable routine and make time to review together.
A WEEK THAT FITS YOUR FAMILY
Your first week, made simple.
An example rhythm, not a timetable to keep up with. Adjust it to your child.
Try a short sample
Set aside ten minutes. Try the maths sample together and notice which questions need more thought.
Talk through one answer
Read its explanation together. Ask your child to explain the method in their own words.
Choose the next small step
Pick one skill to revisit and a convenient time. Keep the routine manageable, with room for reading and play.
THREE REALISTIC ROUTINES
Choose the week you actually have.
Consistency matters more than squeezing in the longest possible paper.
2 × 10 minutes
One learning page and one short sprint. Review a single mistake together.
3 × 10–20 minutes
Two focused sprints, one vocabulary session and a short review.
2 short + 1 longer
Keep two light sessions, then add one subject paper or mock when confidence is secure.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO NEXT?
Let the last session guide the next one.
Open the relevant Learning Hub page and work through one example without a timer.
Go to the Learning Hub →Repeat a familiar 10-minute sprint and practise moving on from a stubborn question.
Build a sprint →Review the saved answers and name the cause before doing more questions.
Open progress →Introduce a longer subject paper, then a full mock when stamina is ready.
Choose a longer format →FAMILY PREPARATION CHECKLIST
Keep the essentials in one place.
- Confirm the target school, test provider, subjects and timings.
- Check registration, evidence and admissions deadlines.
- Choose a weekly routine that leaves room for school, sleep and play.
- Use learning pages before testing an unfamiliar method.
- Review why mistakes happened, not only the final score.
- Practise the response-sheet format before exam day.
- Plan travel, equipment and the morning routine in advance.
What is the 11+?
Grammar schools select pupils by academic ability and use an entrance or selection test. GL Assessment describes the 11+ as one test or a series of tests covering one or more of English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Some independent schools and local consortia use different providers or their own papers.
WHAT THE TEST CAN LOOK LIKE
A visual guide to GL-style 11+ papers
This is a common pattern, not a universal format. Your school or consortium’s current guide is always the final word.
Verbal skills
Question numbers and section timings are set locally and can change between entry years.
Mathematical & non-verbal skills
Non-Verbal Reasoning may be divided into several short, separately timed sections.
Published local formats differ. For example, some GL tests use two mixed papers, while Medway currently publishes three separate papers. Question counts, timings and subject combinations can change each year.
How answers are recorded
Many paper tests use a separate answer sheet. The child marks one answer for each question, so the number on the answer sheet must match the number in the question booklet.
How marking becomes a result
Correct answers produce a raw mark. The test authority then converts scores to an age-standardised result and applies its own weighting, qualifying score and admissions rules.
Check the official GL familiarisation materials and your target school or consortium’s current admissions guide before final timed practice.
There is no universal paper length
GL’s own familiarisation guidance warns that exact timings and question numbers in a local test may differ from its practice materials. A school may test only some subjects, combine subjects into papers, divide NVR into timed sections or set a different format altogether. Use ElevenSprint for broad GL-style preparation, then match final practice to the official information issued for your target school.
How marking and scores work
Raw marks may be converted into age-standardised scores so children of slightly different ages can be compared fairly. The method, score range, qualifying standard and treatment of ties vary between admission authorities. A percentage achieved on ElevenSprint—or any commercial practice paper—is therefore not directly interchangeable with a local selection score.
Some areas use a qualifying threshold and then apply other admission rules; others rank candidates by score. Read the current policy rather than relying on last year’s cut-off.
Admissions: the usual sequence
- Research schools early.Check eligibility, catchment, transport, open events and published oversubscription criteria.
- Register for each required selection test.This is often separate from—and earlier than—the secondary-school application.
- Request access arrangements on time.Follow the test authority’s evidence and deadline rules.
- Sit the test.Tests commonly take place near the start of Year 6, but local dates vary.
- Submit the Secondary Common Application Form.Name schools in genuine preference order by your home authority’s deadline.
- Review the result and allocation.Selective eligibility does not guarantee a place; oversubscription rules may still apply.
Finding the right schools
Use the government’s Find and compare schools service, your local authority’s admissions pages and each school’s own current policy. The government confirms that admission criteria differ by school and can include entrance-test results, distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and pupil-premium priority.
Your school research checklist
- Which organisation sets or administers the test?
- Which subjects and question formats are included?
- Are there catchment, residence or evidence requirements?
- How and when must you register for the test?
- Is a separate school or consortium form required?
- What are the published oversubscription and tie-break rules?
- How many preferences can your home authority accept?
- What travel time and cost would attendance involve?
Access arrangements
If your child normally receives adjustments at school, contact the test authority early. Each authority sets its own evidence, application method and deadline. Do not assume primary-school arrangements transfer automatically, and do not wait until the test invitation arrives.
A realistic preparation timeline
- Early preparation: strengthen reading, vocabulary, arithmetic and problem-solving habits; introduce unfamiliar reasoning types gently.
- Developing stage: alternate focused topic work with short mixed tests and keep a simple error log.
- Final months: practise the target authority’s published format, timings and response-sheet method.
- Final week: reduce volume, revisit familiar strategies, organise test-day details and protect sleep.
Start from the child’s current needs rather than a fixed commercial timetable. More questions are not automatically better practice.
A sensible preparation routine
- Begin with untimed learning and short practice; accuracy comes before speed.
- Review why an answer was wrong—knowledge gap, misunderstood instruction, rushed calculation or timing.
- Mix familiar and unfamiliar topics so the learner must identify the method.
- Introduce longer timed papers gradually and practise transferring answers accurately.
- Keep reading varied fiction and non-fiction; vocabulary grows best through regular reading and discussion.
- Protect sleep, schoolwork and time away from tests. Consistency is more useful than cramming.
Using ElevenSprint week by week
Learn: use the Learning Hub when a method or question family is unfamiliar. Practise: use a 10-minute sprint or topic test several times a week. Review: inspect all answers or only mistakes and revisit weak topics. Rehearse: add subject papers and full mocks when foundations are secure.
Reading a practice result
Look beyond the total. Group mistakes into four useful causes: missing knowledge, incorrect method, misunderstood wording and avoidable timing or transcription errors. The next activity should address the cause—for example, a teaching page for missing knowledge or a timed sprint for pacing.
Exam-day habits worth rehearsing
- Listen to or read every section instruction before starting.
- Keep question and answer-sheet numbers aligned.
- Eliminate clearly incorrect options and make one deliberate choice.
- Move on from a stubborn question and return only if the section permits.
- Use spare time to check unanswered questions and transferred marks.
After results are issued
Follow the authority’s instructions for score queries, waiting lists, reviews or appeals. Passing a test and receiving a school place are different decisions. Continue to submit the normal secondary-school application correctly and on time, even where test registration was completed separately.
FIND YOUR SCHOOL
Grammar schools using GL Assessment
Grouped by county or council area in England. Includes schools using GL for only part of their entrance test. Reference cycle: September 2027 Year 7 entry (usually tested in autumn 2026). Sources checked 15 September 2026.
Search the school directory 119 schools
119 schools in 23 groups.
Barnet (London) 2 schools
Separate applications and tests. Henrietta Barnett uses GL for its first round; a second round follows.
- Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet
- The Henrietta Barnett School
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Barnet (London) — St Michael’s 1 schools
GL Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning familiarisation is supplied by the school’s test provider. English is a separate written paper. Read the school’s faith and admissions criteria.
- St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Birmingham 8 schools
West Midlands shared entrance test.
- Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School
- King Edward VI Aston School
- King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
- King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls
- King Edward VI Five Ways School
- King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
- King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls
- Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (Dorset) 4 schools
GL for September 2027 entry. Changes are announced for the 2027 testing round; check the school’s update for 2028 entry.
- Bournemouth School
- Bournemouth School for Girls
- Parkstone Grammar School
- Poole Grammar School
Buckinghamshire 13 schools
Shared Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.
- Aylesbury Grammar School
- Aylesbury High School
- Beaconsfield High School
- Burnham Grammar School
- Chesham Grammar School
- Dr Challoner’s Grammar School
- Dr Challoner’s High School
- John Hampden Grammar School
- Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
- Royal Latin School
- Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
- Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School
- Wycombe High School
Enfield (London) 1 schools
GL Maths and Verbal Reasoning plus school-set English for 2027 entry. Check the separate 2028 admissions arrangements.
- The Latymer School
Gloucestershire 7 schools
GL for September 2027 entry. Changes have been announced for September 2028 entry: check the new arrangements before preparing.
- Denmark Road High School
- Marling School
- Pate’s Grammar School
- Ribston Hall High School
- Sir Thomas Rich’s School
- Stroud High School
- The Crypt School
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Kent 32 schools
Kent Test route. Some schools also offer a separate assessment route; Cranbrook has different entry points. Medway has its own test.
- Barton Court Grammar School
- Borden Grammar School
- Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School
- Cranbrook School
- Dane Court Grammar School
- Dartford Grammar School
- Dartford Grammar School for Girls
- Dover Grammar School for Boys
- Dover Grammar School for Girls
- Folkestone School for Girls
- Gravesend Grammar School
- Harvey Grammar School
- Highsted Grammar School
- Highworth Grammar School
- Invicta Grammar School
- The Judd School
- Maidstone Grammar School
- Maidstone Grammar School for Girls
- Mayfield Grammar School
- The Norton Knatchbull School
- Oakwood Park Grammar School
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Faversham
- Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys
- Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School
- Sir Roger Manwood’s School
- The Skinners’ School
- Tonbridge Grammar School
- Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School
- Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
- Weald of Kent Grammar School
- Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
- Wilmington Grammar School for Girls
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Lancashire 1 schools
English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning. Other Lancashire schools must be checked individually; this is not a county-wide test.
- Lancaster Royal Grammar School
Lincolnshire 14 schools
Lincolnshire Consortium route. Caistor runs a separate test and is not included in this consortium list.
- Boston Grammar School
- Boston High School
- Bourne Grammar School
- Carre’s Grammar School
- Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School
- Kesteven and Sleaford High School
- King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Alford
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Horncastle
- Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough
- Skegness Grammar School
- Spalding Grammar School
- Spalding High School
- The King’s School, Grantham
Medway 6 schools
Separate Medway Test; do not register for the Kent Test as a substitute.
- Chatham Grammar
- Fort Pitt Grammar School
- Holcombe Grammar School
- Rainham Mark Grammar School
- The Rochester Grammar School
- Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
North Yorkshire 1 schools
The September 2026 test adds English and Maths content. Do not rely on the older VR/NVR-only format.
- Ripon Grammar School
Redbridge (London) 2 schools
Shared Redbridge 11+ test.
- Ilford County High School
- Woodford County High School for Girls
Slough (Berkshire) 4 schools
GL for the September 2026 test (2027 entry). The September 2027 test changes to Quest for 2028 entry.
- Herschel Grammar School
- Langley Grammar School
- St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School
- Upton Court Grammar School
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Telford and Wrekin 2 schools
West Midlands shared entrance test.
- Haberdashers’ Adams
- Newport Girls’ High School
Torbay (Devon) 3 schools
Torbay selection route; check the individual school’s admissions criteria.
- Churston Ferrers Grammar School
- Torquay Boys’ Grammar School
- Torquay Girls’ Grammar School
Trafford (Greater Manchester) 5 schools
Five-school consortium, September 2027 entry. Check new policies for later entry years.
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
- Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
- Sale Grammar School
- Stretford Grammar School
- Urmston Grammar
Trafford — separate school tests 2 schools
These schools are outside the five-school consortium. GL is used for only part of their tests. Saint Ambrose uses GL Verbal Reasoning, with school-set Maths and English.
- Loreto Grammar School
- Saint Ambrose College
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Walsall 2 schools
West Midlands shared entrance test.
- Queen Mary’s Grammar School
- Queen Mary’s High School
Warwickshire 5 schools
West Midlands shared test. Ashlawn School also uses this route for its selective stream; it is partially selective, not a fully selective grammar school.
- Alcester Grammar School
- King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon
- Lawrence Sheriff School
- Rugby High School
- Stratford Girls’ Grammar School
Wiltshire 2 schools
Separate tests and registration processes; not one shared Salisbury test.
- Bishop Wordsworth’s School
- South Wilts Grammar School
Official admissions / test information →Supporting official guidance →
Wirral (Merseyside) 1 schools
Separate school test: published GL English and Verbal Reasoning materials. Confirm the current entry-year policy directly.
- Upton Hall School FCJ
Wolverhampton 1 schools
West Midlands shared entrance test.
- Wolverhampton Girls’ High School
Provider changes and schools needing a separate check
- Bexley: its four grammar schools now use Quest, so they are not listed above as GL schools.
- For Gloucestershire, Slough, Dorset, Trafford and The Latymer School, check the new entry-year policy rather than assuming the 2027 route continues.
- Caistor Grammar School runs a separate test from the Lincolnshire Consortium.
- Plymouth’s grammar schools: the published September 2026 test information names Quest, so they are not listed as GL schools.
- The provider still needs direct confirmation here for Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (Lancashire). Its current council-published policy describes a separate entrance examination without naming the provider.
Northern Ireland’s transfer assessments and partially selective schools are outside this England grammar-school directory. ElevenSprint is not affiliated with any listed school or assessment provider.
Official information
- GL Assessment 11+ FAQs
- GL Assessment free familiarisation materials
- GOV.UK school admissions guidance
- GOV.UK admission criteria
Dates, qualifying scores and policies change. Treat this page as orientation, not an admissions authority. Confirm every requirement directly with the relevant school, consortium and local authority.
PUT THE GUIDE INTO PRACTICE
Try a short maths test together.
10 questions, 10 minutes and explanations at the end. No account needed.