Grammar schools in London: a borough-by-borough guide to the 11+

Key takeaways

• →This guide covers 20 state selective schools in seven London boroughs: Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Enfield, Kingston, Redbridge and Sutton. One of them, Greenshaw, is only partly selective.
• →There is no single London 11+. Each borough or school sets its own test, so find out which one your schools use before you practise.
• →Where you live matters. Latymer only admits children from listed postcodes, Redbridge ranks children outside its catchment last, and Bexley and Queen Elizabeth’s set no area limit.
• →Registering for a test and applying through your home council by 31 October are separate steps. Offers come on 1 March.

1. How the London 11+ works

GOV.UK describes grammar schools as schools that “select their pupils based on academic ability and there is a test to get in”. There is no single London test. Bexley runs one test for four schools, Sutton’s selective schools share a first-stage test, and others, such as Queen Elizabeth’s, Tiffin and Newstead Wood, set their own.^[1]

Two steps are needed. First, register your child for each test with whoever runs it. Registration opens between March and June of Year 5, and most first tests are in September or early October of Year 6. Second, list your schools on your home council’s application by 31 October, even for schools in another council area. Offers follow on 1 March.^[2]

“Near me” can mean another borough: You apply through your home council even for a school in another borough. But a school’s area rule still decides whether your child can sit its test or rank high enough, so check it first.

2. Barnet

Barnet has three selective schools, and each sets its own test. Queen Elizabeth’s says it has no catchment area, and where children score the same it ranks them by straight-line distance from home.^[8]

3. Bexley

Bexley has the simplest system. The council runs one Bexley Selection Test for all four schools, and it is open to all children “regardless of where they live”. Each school then allocates places by its own rules, and distance from home is a key factor in most. There are 800 places in total for September 2027.^[3]

4. Bromley

Bromley’s two selective schools each run their own test. Newstead Wood ranks girls living within 9 miles ahead of those outside, and says it has not offered places beyond that.^[17]

5. Enfield and Kingston

Enfield’s one selective school, Latymer, only admits children who live in its listed postcodes, which include parts of Enfield and much of north and east London. There is no preference within that list.^[12]

Kingston’s two selective schools both use a two-stage English and maths test and favour nearby families.^[19]

Names can mislead: Enfield Grammar School says it is “NOT a selective grammar school”. Kingston Grammar School is an independent day school. Neither is a state selective school.

6. Redbridge

Redbridge runs one 11+ for its two schools. It is provided by GL Assessment, with two papers: English with verbal reasoning, then maths with non-verbal reasoning. Each school has 180 places. Children living outside the common catchment area rank last, and Woodford says that “in practice, no places are ever awarded out of the catchment area”.^[4]

7. Sutton

Sutton works differently. Six schools, including partly selective Greenshaw, share one first-stage test, the Selective Eligibility Test (SET), and you register for it once. It is two multiple-choice papers, English and maths, based on Key Stage 2, with no reasoning questions. Passing makes a child eligible for the second-stage tests. Greenshaw, which is partly selective, holds no second stage.^[25]

Area rules differ: most schools keep some places for score alone, and others for listed postcodes or a set distance.

8. Just outside London

Dame Alice Owen’s is in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, and is partly selective. For 2027 entry, 65 of its 200 places are filled by entrance exam, with 10 more by music aptitude. Only children living in its Local Priority Areas can sit its tests.^[34]

Buckinghamshire’s grammar schools use the council’s Secondary Transfer Test. For September 2028 entry, the council says registration is in May and June 2027 and the test is in early September 2027.^[36]

Slough’s four grammar schools, Herschel, Langley, St Bernard’s Catholic and Upton Court, work as a consortium and share one GL Assessment 11+. The exam is held for all candidates “whatever their home address”, though the consortium says it mainly serves families in and around Slough.^[37]

9. Key dates for September 2028 entry

If your child is in Year 5 now, they are aiming for September 2028 entry. These are the dates we found published in October 2026, and Sutton’s test date is expected, not confirmed. The council application closes on 31 October 2027, and offers follow on 1 March 2028.^[33]

Other schools only showed last round’s dates. As a guide, for September 2027 entry Bexley registered in March 2026, Redbridge from 1 May to 15 June 2026 and Queen Elizabeth’s from 1 May to 8 July 2026, with all three testing in September.^[3]

Dates change every year: Check each school’s own page before you register, because dates move from year to year.

10. How to prepare

Find out which test your schools use before you practise, because they differ. Sutton’s SET has no reasoning questions, while Redbridge, Newstead Wood and Latymer include verbal reasoning.^[25]

St Olave’s says it provides no past papers, but its test page has sample questions. Use free material to learn the format, then practise little and often under timed conditions. Where answers go on a separate answer sheet, as at St Olave’s Stage 1 and Newstead Wood, practise filling it in neatly. Our guide to the 11+ exam explained covers the basics.^[16]

Check which test your school uses, then practise for that one.

11. 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 in London can take part, and every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment.

1. 1. Is there one 11+ test for all of London?

   Show answer

2. 2. Which London grammar school only admits children from listed postcodes?

   Show answer

3. 3. By when must you apply through your home council?

   Show answer

Your next steps

• Shortlist the schools you could realistically reach and check each one’s area rule.
• Note which test each school uses and when registration opens.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see where your child is now.

Subject guides to go with this

Want one-to-one help? See how our online lessons work.