Grammar schools near Forest Gate and east London: a parent’s guide to the 11+

Key takeaways

• →In east London, Redbridge has two grammar schools: Ilford County High (boys) and Woodford County High (girls), with 180 Year 7 places each.
• →Redbridge gives priority to children who live in its common catchment area. Children outside it rank last, so check your postcode on its map before you register.
• →Registering for the test and applying through Newham by 31 October are two separate steps. Offers come on 1 March.
• →Free practice material helps with the format, but Redbridge warns it may not match the exact test.

1. Grammar schools near Forest Gate

Forest Gate is in Newham, and families here look to neighbouring boroughs for grammar schools. In east London, Redbridge runs its own 11+ for two selective schools: Ilford County High School for boys and Woodford County High School for girls. Redbridge’s published 2026 figures show 2,062 registrations for the two schools, 167 of them from children living in Newham.^[4]

Each school has 180 Year 7 places. Redbridge Council is the admissions authority, so it runs registration and the test for both schools.^[2]

2. The Redbridge 11+: test, dates and results

The test is provided by GL Assessment and has two papers: English and Verbal Reasoning, then Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Parents register in Year 5 and children sit the test in Year 6. In the 2026 round, which leads to September 2027 entry, registration opened on 1 May 2026 and closed at 5pm on Monday 15 June 2026. The test was on Friday 18 September 2026, and results were emailed in mid-October, which leaves time to finish your school list before 31 October.^[1]

Redbridge emails a photo ID form and an invite letter in early September, and your child cannot sit the test without the completed form. If your child needs special arrangements, ask when you register and send the primary school’s care plan. No adjustments are considered after the deadline.^[1]

Check for test clashes: Grammar school tests are often held on the same day. If your child misses Redbridge’s test because of another entrance test, the council cannot offer a different date.

3. Will a Newham child get a place?

Redbridge ranks children in this order: looked-after children first, then up to 45 places (25%) for pupil premium children, then other children living in the common catchment area, ranked by test score. Last come children living outside the area, also ranked by score. Ilford County High also sets a minimum score of 104, and nobody below it is added to the ranking or the waiting list.^[2]

The catchment area is the blue-lined area on Redbridge’s online map. Choose “education”, then “11+ common catchment area”, and type in your postcode to see which side of the line you are on.^[1]

If you live outside the area, be realistic. Woodford says on its admissions page that “in practice, no places are ever awarded out of the catchment area”. Ilford County High puts children from outside the area in its last group too.^[3]

Sitting the test is not the same as getting a place: Children outside the catchment area can register, but they are ranked last. Check the map first, so you know where Redbridge fits in your plan.

4. Other selective schools within reach

Some selective schools elsewhere in London, such as those in Bexley and Queen Elizabeth’s in Barnet, do not limit applicants by area, but each has its own test, dates and rules. Others only admit from set areas. The Latymer School, for example, says it only admits students living in listed postcode areas (E2, E4, E5, E8, E9, E17, N1 to N22 and parts of EN), and E7 is not on the list.^[11]

5. How the timeline works

Registering for a test and applying for a place are two separate steps. You register for each test with whoever runs it. Then you list your schools on one application through your home council, even for schools in another council area, by 31 October in the autumn of Year 6.^[5]

Newham families apply online, and Newham asks for proof of address if you list a school outside the borough. Check each outside school’s own closing date, because these can differ.^[6]

Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday. Bexley will only consider your child if you also list one of its grammar schools on your application.^[5]

Dates change every year: These are the 2026 dates, for September 2027 entry. Check each school or council page before you register for the next round.

6. How to prepare

Redbridge points families to free familiarisation material on the GL Assessment website, and practice papers can be bought there. It also warns that free material “might not match the exact test your child will take”, because the number of questions, the question types and the difficulty can differ between areas. Use it to get used to the format, not to predict the paper.^[1]

Other schools do the same. Queen Elizabeth’s says past papers are not available, but it publishes sample papers on its website. Henrietta Barnett links to free GL Assessment booklets, and Bexley points to familiarisation exercises on the Quest website.^[8]

Short, timed sessions, little and often, work better than one long cram. Wide reading builds vocabulary, and regular practice with verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions means the format is never a surprise on the day.

Use free material to learn the format, not to guess the paper.

7. How Brainhub can help

94% of our 11+ students were placed in their first- or second-choice school (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). We teach the 11+ one-to-one online, or in person at our Forest Gate hub, and every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment.

1. 1. Is registering for the Redbridge 11+ the same as applying for a school place?

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2. 2. Where do children living outside Redbridge’s common catchment area rank?

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3. 3. Does Redbridge say free practice material matches the real test?

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Your next steps

• Type your home postcode into Redbridge’s map to see whether you are inside the common catchment area.
• Note each test’s registration window and date. Redbridge, Bexley and Queen Elizabeth’s all differ.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see where your child is now.

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