Grammar Schools in England: A Practical Guide for Parents
There are 163 state grammar schools in England, all free to attend - but the application process has two separate stages that catch many families out. Here is what you need to know, and when.
Where Grammar Schools Are
There are 163 state grammar schools in England, all free to attend. They are not spread evenly across the country - grammar schools are concentrated in a handful of areas where local authorities never moved to a fully comprehensive system.
The main grammar school areas are:
- Kent - the largest fully selective county in England, with around 33 grammar schools - Buckinghamshire - another fully selective county, where virtually all children sit the 11-plus - Lincolnshire - selective in several districts, with a mix of grammar and comprehensive schools - Greater Manchester - selective schools in Trafford and a few other boroughs - West Midlands - grammars in Walsall, Wolverhampton, and surrounding areas - Yorkshire - selective schools in areas including Calderdale and parts of the East Riding - Essex and Hertfordshire - several grammar schools alongside comprehensives - Some London boroughs - including Barnet, Bromley, Kingston, and Sutton
If you live outside these areas, the nearest grammar school may require a long commute - or crossing a county boundary. Many schools do accept out-of-area applications, but transport and catchment implications are worth thinking through early.
Use the School Signal school finder to check which grammar schools are within a reasonable distance of your home postcode before you start preparing.
How the 11-Plus Works
The 11-plus is a selective entry test taken at the start of Year 6, typically in September. It is set and administered by the school or consortium, not centrally by the government, so the format varies considerably depending on where you live.
Most 11-plus tests assess some combination of:
- Verbal reasoning - language patterns, word relationships, codes - Non-verbal reasoning - spatial patterns, shapes, sequences - Maths - arithmetic and problem-solving at roughly Key Stage 2 level - English comprehension and writing - less universal, but included in some areas
Consortium tests vs individual tests
In Kent, Buckinghamshire, and Lincolnshire, schools work together through a consortium arrangement. Children sit one set of tests that is shared across most or all grammar schools in the area. This means one registration process and one sitting, even if you are applying to several schools.
Outside consortium areas, grammar schools often set their own tests independently. In Greater Manchester or Essex, for example, each school may have its own test date, format, and registration deadline. Families applying to multiple grammars may need to sit several different tests in September and October.
This distinction matters a lot for planning. Check whether your local grammars use a consortium or individual tests as soon as possible - ideally before the end of Year 5.
The Application Process Step by Step
This is the part that catches many families out, because there are two completely separate processes involved.
Step 1: Register for the 11-plus test (May to July, the summer before Year 6)
This is not the same as applying for a school place. Before your child can sit the 11-plus, you must register them directly with the school or consortium. Registration windows typically open in May and close in June or July - well before the summer holidays.
Miss this window and your child cannot sit the test that year. There are very few exceptions, and schools are not obliged to accommodate late registrations.
Step 2: Sit the test (September, start of Year 6)
Tests are usually held on one or two Saturdays in September. Results are typically returned by October, sometimes earlier. Your child will receive either a pass or a score, depending on the area.
Step 3: Name the school on your LA secondary application (by 31 October)
This is the standard secondary school application process, coordinated by your local authority. You can name up to six schools in order of preference - include any grammar schools your child qualifies for alongside your other choices. The deadline is 31 October.
Receiving a grammar school pass does not guarantee a place, and it does not automatically add the school to your application. You must name it yourself.
Step 4: National Offer Day (1 March)
All state secondary school offers are made on 1 March. If your child passes and you have named the grammar school, and if there are enough places, an offer will come through on this date.
How places are allocated
Most grammar schools admit purely on test score - the highest-scoring children get the places, regardless of where they live. Some schools use distance from school as a tiebreaker when two children have identical scores. A small number give priority to looked-after children or siblings before applying the score-based ranking.
Unlike most comprehensives, distance alone does not get your child a place. A child living next door to a grammar school but below the qualifying score will not be offered a place.
Is Grammar School Right for Your Child?
This is worth thinking about honestly, separate from the question of whether your child can pass.
Grammar schools suit children who are genuinely comfortable working at pace with others of similar ability. The workload is demanding from Year 7 onwards, and the environment is academically competitive. For some children, this is exactly the right context. For others, a strong comprehensive where they are not always in the middle of the pack can be a better fit.
It is also worth considering the cost of preparation. The 11-plus is a learnable test, and most children who pass have done significant preparation. Tutoring is common and can run to several hundred pounds over a year. Free and low-cost resources exist - past papers, sample questions, and practice books - and self-directed preparation works well for motivated children.
If you are weighing up grammar versus comprehensive, look at actual results data for both. Ofsted grades, Progress 8 scores, and subject-level outcomes are all available on School Signal for state schools across England.
Finding Grammar Schools Near You
The quickest way to see which grammar schools are accessible from your address is to search by postcode on School Signal and filter by school type. Each school profile shows the admissions type, recent Ofsted outcome, and a map of the local area.
If you are early in the process, also check:
- The school's own website for registration deadlines and test format - Your local authority's secondary admissions guidance, which explains the consortium arrangements for your area - DfE performance tables for Progress 8, attainment, and subject data
The 11-plus timeline moves faster than most parents expect. The golden rule is: register for the test in the summer before Year 6, not in September when the tests are already happening. Set a calendar reminder for May and start researching your local grammar schools well before then.