Grammar schools near Kingston and Sutton: a parent’s guide to the 11+

Key takeaways

• →If your child is in Year 5 now, they are aiming for September 2028 entry. Sutton’s test registration opens on 1 May 2027, and the Tiffin schools opened theirs in June last time.
• →Registering for a test and applying through your home council are two separate steps, and you need to do both.
• →Despite its name, Kingston Grammar School is not a state grammar school. It is independent and fee-paying, with its own entrance exam and interview.
• →Each school has its own rules on where you live. Tiffin favours nearby families, while several Sutton schools give some places by score alone, wherever you live.

1. How the 11+ timeline works

These schools choose pupils by test, so there are two steps. First you register your child for the test. Registration opens in the summer term of Year 5, and the tests are early in Year 6. We could not find 2028 dates for the Tiffin schools in October 2026, but their dates for 2027 entry, below, show the pattern.^[4]

Second, you name your choices on the Common Application Form from your home council. For 2027 entry the deadline is 31 October 2026 and offers go out on 1 March 2027. Passing a test does not guarantee a place, and you must name the school on the form to be considered.^[11]

Check each school’s own dates: Sutton Council tells families to verify test dates on each school’s own website. Do the same for every school, because dates move from year to year.

2. The two Tiffin schools in Kingston

Tiffin School (boys) and The Tiffin Girls’ School both call themselves selective and use a two-stage test in English and maths. Stage One is mostly multiple choice and computer-marked, with each paper lasting up to an hour. Stage Two is for invited children only and needs written answers, including longer English answers. Both tests assume Year 5 National Curriculum work but include some unfamiliar question types.^[2]

Tiffin School ranks boys by combined score, half English and half maths. Boys living within 10 km of the school, measured in a straight line, are in its Priority Area and are ranked above boys who live outside it.^[3]

The Tiffin Girls’ School has 180 Year 7 places. Priority goes to girls living in its Inner Area (13 named wards in Kingston and Richmond) and its Designated Area (44 postal districts, including KT1 to KT10, plus areas in TW, SW, W, SM and CR). Girls from outside rank after them, and its policy says all places continue to be offered to girls in the Designated Area.^[5]

3. Kingston Grammar School is independent

Many parents who search for “Kingston grammar schools” are looking for Kingston Grammar School. Despite its name, it is not a state grammar school. It describes itself as a co-educational independent day school for ages 11 to 18, so it works separately from the state process.^[7]

You apply to the school itself and register by its own deadline, which was early October 2026 for 2027 entry. The 2028 deadline has not been published. The entrance assessment is two 50-minute papers, English (comprehension and creative writing) and maths, then interviews for children who show potential. For September 2028 entry the exam is in November 2027, interviews are in January 2028 and offers are emailed in February 2028.^[9]

It is fee-paying: The school’s own fees page lists £9,750 a term, including VAT, for 2026–27.

4. Sutton’s grammar schools and the SET

Sutton works differently. Six schools share one first-stage test, the Selective Eligibility Test (SET): Greenshaw High School, Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls and Wilson’s School. You register once, with any of them. Passing lets a child sit each school’s own second-stage exam, apart from partly selective Greenshaw, where it earns eligibility for an ability place.^[10]

The SET is two multiple-choice papers, maths and English, of 40 to 50 minutes each. It is based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, with no verbal or non-verbal reasoning and no negative marking. Each school sets its own pass mark on a standardised score. The second stage is written, not multiple choice, and the SET score counts towards the final result.^[11]

For September 2028 entry, registration opens on 1 May 2027 and closes on 31 July 2027. The SET is expected on 14 September 2027, and the boys’ second-stage test on 2 October 2027. We could not find 2028 second-stage dates for the girls’ schools.^[12]

5. How to prepare

Start with the material the schools publish. Sutton Grammar School links sample SET English and maths questions and a sample answer sheet, and Wallington County Grammar School lists the same on its entry page. Sutton Grammar says it does not provide specimen papers or sample second-stage tests.^[11]

Tiffin School publishes some illustrative Stage One and Stage Two questions. Neither Tiffin school publishes past papers or recommends particular providers, and The Tiffin Girls’ School runs no mock tests. Tiffin School says practice may help, including learning to work on your own for an hour at a time.^[2]

Because Stage One and the SET are marked from an answer sheet, practise recording answers neatly. Because the second stage is written, practise full written answers too. Practise little and often, under timed conditions, so the real test feels familiar.

Know the format, and practise little and often.

6. 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, live online, so families anywhere near Kingston and Sutton can take part, and every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment.

1. 1. Is Kingston Grammar School a state grammar school?

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2. 2. How many times do you register for Sutton’s SET?

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3. 3. Is registering for a test the same as applying for a place?

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Your next steps

• Shortlist the schools you could realistically reach and check each one’s area rules.
• Note each school’s registration window and watch its website for 2028 dates.
• Book a free assessment to see where your child is now.

Subject guides to go with this

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