How to get into a grammar school: a 2027 exam application guide

For a grammar-school place, you need to follow the school’s academic selection process and complete the school-place application. Registering for an 11 Plus test does not apply for a place, and a qualifying result does not guarantee an offer. The practical task is to match the right test, admission policy and deadlines for each school.

1. Choose schools your child could realistically attend

Read the official admissions policy, visit where possible and consider curriculum, support, activities and the daily journey. Check age eligibility, Year 7 admission requirements, catchment or priority areas and any relevant supplementary form. A nearby grammar school may use different rules from another in the same county.

Start with which schools use the 11 Plus and how important catchment is. Keep non-selective options in your shortlist as schools to evaluate in their own right.

2. Confirm the entry year and test timetable

Buckinghamshire’s 2028 entry timeline identifies children born from 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017 as the normal cohort. It lists registration in May–June 2027 and testing in early September 2027. This is a named local timetable, not a national registration window.

The Crypt School’s 2028 entry page confirms the Gloucestershire test on 3 July 2027, in Year 5, with registration from noon on 8 February to noon on 19 March 2027. Researching only after the summer holidays would be too late for that main test. Record unconfirmed future dates as unconfirmed rather than copying last year’s calendar.

3. Register for the correct test

Use the school, consortium or council portal specified by the organiser. Check whether registration is automatic for your child or requires action. Save the confirmation and reference number. If several schools share results, complete any required score-sharing choices; naming schools later on the council form may not repair a missed consent deadline.

Request access arrangements through the published procedure if needed. A support request may have its own deadline and does not necessarily register the child for the test. See how to register for the 11 Plus.

4. Prepare for the actual assessment

Start with official familiarisation materials for the correct cycle. Identify the tested subjects, answer format, instructions and any second stage. Use practice to find gaps and review mistakes, while keeping schoolwork, reading, rest and other activities in balance. There is no universal mock percentage that guarantees admission.

Paid tutoring is not an application requirement. Ask what your child needs to understand next before buying a package, and verify that resources match the published test rather than an outdated provider label.

5. Read the result alongside the admission rules

Kent’s grammar-school application guidance explains the key distinction: being assessed suitable allows consideration, but an oversubscribed school ranks applicants using its own criteria. Elsewhere, score, catchment, defined priority categories or distance may play different roles. Read whether score or distance comes first.

6. Submit the separate council application

GOV.UK’s application guidance explains that families list schools in preference order on the local council application. For the usual September 2028 intake, submit by 31 October 2027. Follow your home council’s process even when schools are in another authority, and use the number of preferences it permits rather than assuming every council offers six.

List schools in your genuine preferred order and include realistic choices. Keep the submitted version and confirmation, and complete any school-specific supplementary requirements. Naming only one school does not improve your chance there.

7. Respond to the offer and any further instructions

Check the offer letter and acceptance deadline. If you are considering another school’s waiting list or an appeal, establish the procedure while protecting the place available to your child. An unsuccessful test result, an unsuccessful review and a refused school place are different stages; each has its own next step.

8. Check that every stage is actually complete

Are interviews or a portfolio required?

Ordinary state grammar-school day-place admission is not an interview contest. The School Admissions Code prohibits admission interviews, with a specific exception for assessing suitability for boarding, and prohibits financial contributions as part of admissions, including tests. Do not assume achievements, behaviour references or paid mock interviews create extra priority. Follow the published criteria; independent-school assessments are separate.

If the outcome is disappointing, use the unsuccessful-result guide to choose the appropriate next step without missing the ordinary school application.