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11+ Consortia in the UK: Every Grammar School Area and the Test It Uses (2027 Entry)

By OxbridgeX Team
10 min read
11+ Preparation

Not every grammar school uses the same 11+. Some share a test through a consortium, some set their own, and several areas have changed provider in the last two years. Here is every UK grammar school area, the schools in it and the test your child will actually sit for 2027 entry.

11+ Consortia in the UK

There is no single 11+ exam in the UK. Each grammar school area decides how it selects pupils, and the result is a patchwork of shared tests, school-set papers and four different test providers.

A consortium is a group of grammar schools that agree to use one entrance test. Your child sits it once, and the score counts for every school in the group. Buckinghamshire's 13 grammar schools work this way, as do Lincolnshire's 14 and the 10 schools in the Essex consortium (CSSE).

Other schools run their own test, even when a neighbouring school sits a few miles away. In Salisbury, the boys' and girls' grammar schools set different papers. In Lancaster, the two grammar schools don't even use the same provider.

Why does this matter? Because the provider shapes what your child will face on the day. A GL Assessment paper, a Quest paper and an FSCE paper look different, test different mixes of subjects and reward different kinds of preparation. Practising for the wrong one is an easy mistake to make, especially when so many online guides are out of date.

This guide lists every state grammar school area in England and Northern Ireland, the schools in each one, and the test they use for September 2027 entry (tests sat in autumn 2026). Wales and Scotland have no state grammar schools.

The four test providers, in plain English

GL Assessment is still the biggest name. Most GL tests are multiple choice, marked by machine, and built from some combination of English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Each area picks its own mix: Lincolnshire tests reasoning only, while South West Herts tests just maths and verbal reasoning.

Quest Assessments is the fastest-growing alternative in the state sector. It has long been used by independent schools and has now been adopted by Bexley, the Wirral consortium, the Plymouth grammar schools and Tiffin School's first stage. Slough and the Dorset schools join for 2028 entry.

FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) is a not-for-profit set up by Reading School. Its papers follow the Key Stage 2 curriculum closely, focusing on English and maths rather than puzzle-style reasoning. FSCE does not publish past papers; the only official material is the free familiarisation guide each school posts on its website (example from North Halifax Grammar School). It is now used across parts of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, and Gloucestershire and Trafford move to it for 2028 entry.

School or consortium papers are written in-house. The Essex consortium (CSSE) sets its own English and maths papers. Tiffin Girls', St Olave's, St Anselm's and several others do the same.

Two more names you may still come across:

  • CEM ran a widely used 11+ until it withdrew its paper test after the 2022 round. Almost every former CEM area has moved on, so CEM-branded practice books are mostly out of date. Liverpool Blue Coat School is the notable exception: it still uses CEM materials on screen.
  • SEAG is the single transfer test for Northern Ireland. It replaced the old AQE and GL tests from November 2023 and is set and marked by GL Assessment.

Every grammar school area, region by region

South East

Kent: the Kent Test [Quest Assessments]

Official page: Kent County Council, Kent Test

Kent runs the largest selective system in the country, with 32 grammar schools on one county test covering English, maths and reasoning. One registration covers them all.

  • Barton Court Grammar School
  • Borden Grammar School
  • Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School
  • Cranbrook School
  • Dane Court Grammar School
  • Dartford Grammar School
  • Dartford Grammar School for Girls
  • Dover Grammar School for Boys
  • Dover Grammar School for Girls
  • Folkestone School for Girls
  • Gravesend Grammar School
  • Harvey Grammar School
  • Highsted Grammar School
  • Highworth Grammar School
  • Invicta Grammar School
  • The Judd School
  • Maidstone Grammar School
  • Maidstone Grammar School for Girls
  • Mayfield Grammar School
  • The Norton Knatchbull School
  • Oakwood Park Grammar School
  • Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham
  • Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School
  • Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys
  • Sir Roger Manwood's School
  • The Skinners' School
  • Tonbridge Grammar School
  • Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
  • Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
  • Weald of Kent Grammar School
  • Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
  • Wilmington Grammar School for Girls

Worth knowing: Weald of Kent also offers its own Quest-based assessment as a second route in.

Medway: the Medway Test [GL Assessment]

Official page: Medway Council, About the Medway Test

Medway is a separate council with its own three-paper test, written specifically for Medway and including a writing task. A Kent Test pass does not count here, and a Medway pass does not count in Kent.

  • Chatham Grammar (also accepts the Kent Test)
  • Fort Pitt Grammar School
  • Holcombe Grammar School
  • Rainham Mark Grammar School
  • Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
  • The Rochester Grammar School

Chatham, Fort Pitt and Holcombe became co-educational from September 2026.

Buckinghamshire: the Secondary Transfer Test [GL Assessment]

Official page: Buckinghamshire Council, The Secondary Transfer Test

Bucks is fully selective. Children sit two papers of about an hour each, covering English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. The test is open to children who live outside the county, which is why many Reading and Slough families sit it too.

Slough Consortium [GL Assessment] [Quest from 2028 entry]

Official page: St Bernard's, 2028 entry and the move to Quest

Four schools share two papers mixing reasoning, English and maths. Slough scores are not shared with Reading or Bucks.

Reading: two schools, two separate tests

  • Reading School (boys) [FSCE] uses FSCE, its own not-for-profit. In-catchment boys sit the test in July at the end of Year 5, months earlier than most areas.
  • Kendrick School (girls) [Own test] runs its own September test. Check the school's admissions page for the current format.

London

Bexley Selection Test [Quest Assessments]

Official page: Bexley Council, About the Bexley Selection Test

Bexley moved from GL to Quest. A Kent Test pass is not accepted.

  • Beths Grammar School
  • Bexley Grammar School
  • Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School
  • Townley Grammar School

Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) [Schools' own two-stage test]

Official page: Sutton Grammar School, SET registration and dates

Stage 1 is a multiple-choice English and maths test; children who reach the standard sit a written Stage 2 set by the schools.

Redbridge [GL Assessment]

Official page: Redbridge Council, Redbridge 11 plus

Two papers: English with verbal reasoning, and maths with non-verbal reasoning.

  • Ilford County High School
  • Woodford County High School

Barnet (separate school tests) [GL Assessment papers]

Each school runs its own process, so register with every school you want. GL papers are widely reported for all three, and Henrietta Barnett adds a school-set second stage.

Bromley (separate school tests) [Own tests]

Enfield [Own test]

  • The Latymer School: its own entrance test.

Kingston: the Tiffin schools [Quest (Tiffin School Stage 1)] [Own test (Tiffin Girls')]

Official page: Quest Assessments, Tiffin School 11+ assessment

Both schools use two stages: a multiple-choice English and maths first round, then written papers for those invited back.

East of England

Essex and Southend: CSSE [Consortium's own papers]

Official page: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex

The CSSE sets two papers of its own: English (including writing) and maths. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning, which surprises parents who have prepared for a GL-style test. Children need a standardised score of at least 303 to be considered.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls [FSCE]

CCHS sits outside the CSSE and uses FSCE, so it needs a separate registration and different preparation.

South West Herts Schools Consortium [GL Assessment]

Official page: Hertfordshire County Council, ability and aptitude testing

These are partially selective schools, so only a share of places goes on the test. The academic test covers maths and verbal reasoning only; some schools also offer music aptitude places.

South West

Gloucestershire Grammar Schools [GL Assessment] [FSCE from 2028 entry]

Official page: Pate's Grammar School, 2028 entry and the move to FSCE

Seven schools share two multiple-choice papers covering English, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning.

Dorset and BCP Consortium [GL Assessment] [Quest from 2028 entry]

  • Bournemouth School
  • Bournemouth School for Girls
  • Parkstone Grammar School
  • Poole Grammar School

Torbay Consortium [GL Assessment]

One test on one Saturday covers all three schools. Results come back as a simple yes or no for each school, rather than a score.

Plymouth [Quest Assessments]

The three Plymouth schools moved to Quest from the September 2026 test, with English and maths papers on two Saturdays. Devonport High School for Boys adds its own writing paper.

  • Devonport High School for Boys
  • Devonport High School for Girls
  • Plymouth High School for Girls

Colyton Grammar School, East Devon [Own test]

Colyton runs its own entrance test and has been reported as moving to Quest Assessments. Check the school's admissions page before preparing.

Wiltshire (separate tests) [GL Assessment]

Salisbury's two grammar schools both use GL Assessment but set different papers, so register with each separately.

West Midlands

The West Midlands has one of the most useful arrangements in the country. A single GL Assessment test, the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test, is shared by 19 schools across Birmingham, Warwickshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Shropshire. It is two multiple-choice papers covering English, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning. Registration runs through different bodies depending on the school, so check which schools your child's result will be shared with before you submit.

Birmingham (King Edward VI Foundation) [GL Assessment]

Official page: King Edward VI Foundation, The Test

  • King Edward VI Aston School
  • King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
  • King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls
  • King Edward VI Five Ways School
  • King Edward VI Handsworth School (girls)
  • King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
  • Bishop Vesey's Grammar School
  • Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls

Warwickshire [GL Assessment]

Official page: Warwickshire County Council, grammar schools and the 11+ test

  • Alcester Grammar School
  • King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon
  • Lawrence Sheriff School
  • Rugby High School
  • Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls
  • Ashlawn School (selective places only)

Shropshire, Wolverhampton and Walsall [GL Assessment]

Stoke-on-Trent [Own test]

  • St Joseph's College: its own test of verbal and non-verbal reasoning only, with no English or maths paper.

East Midlands

Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools [GL Assessment]

Registration example: The King's School, Grantham, registration for 2027 entry

Fourteen schools share two GL papers on consecutive Saturdays: one verbal reasoning, one non-verbal and spatial reasoning. There is no English or maths paper. The qualifying score is 220.

Caistor Grammar School [Own test] sits outside the consortium and sets its own verbal reasoning tests.

North West

Trafford Grammar School Consortium [GL Assessment] [FSCE from 2028 entry]

Official page: Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, 2028 entry and the move to FSCE

Trafford's two Catholic grammar schools, Loreto Grammar School and St Ambrose College, set their own tests outside the consortium.

Wirral Admissions Test [Quest Assessments]

Official letter: Wirral Consortium, change of provider to Quest

The four non-Catholic Wirral schools switched from GL to Quest from the September 2026 test. The papers cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths. Plenty of guides online still describe this as a GL test, so check the date on anything you use.

The two Catholic grammars run separate processes with earlier deadlines:

  • Upton Hall School FCJ (girls) [GL Assessment]
  • St Anselm's College (boys) [Own test] three one-hour papers written by the school.

Liverpool [CEM]

Lancashire (no shared test)

Lancashire's four grammar schools each run their own test, and they don't all use the same provider.

Cumbria [FSCE]

Yorkshire

Northern Ireland: the SEAG Entrance Assessment [SEAG (set by GL)]

Official site: Schools' Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG)

Northern Ireland has one transfer test for every academically selective school. Children in P7 sit two papers, English (or Irish-medium) and maths, on two Saturdays in November. The test is set and marked by GL Assessment, and results arrive in late January. SEAG says 63 schools use its results. They include:

  • Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Newry
  • Antrim Grammar School
  • Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, Belfast
  • Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch
  • Ballyclare High School
  • Ballymena Academy
  • Banbridge Academy
  • Bangor Grammar School
  • Belfast High School
  • Belfast Royal Academy
  • Bloomfield Collegiate School
  • Cambridge House Grammar School
  • Campbell College
  • Carrickfergus Grammar School
  • Christian Brothers Grammar School, Omagh
  • Coleraine Grammar School
  • Dalriada School
  • Dominican College Fortwilliam
  • Dominican College Portstewart
  • Down High School
  • Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
  • Foyle College
  • Friends' School Lisburn
  • Glenlola Collegiate School
  • Grosvenor Grammar School
  • Hunterhouse College
  • Larne Grammar School
  • Lecale Trinity Grammar School
  • Limavady Grammar School
  • Loreto College, Coleraine
  • Loreto Grammar School, Omagh
  • Lumen Christi College
  • Lurgan College
  • Methodist College Belfast
  • Mount Lourdes Grammar School
  • Omagh Academy
  • Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock
  • Our Lady's Grammar School, Newry
  • Portadown College
  • Rainey Endowed School
  • Rathmore Grammar School
  • Regent House School
  • Royal Belfast Academical Institution
  • The Royal School Armagh
  • Royal School Dungannon
  • Sacred Heart Grammar School, Newry
  • St Colman's College, Newry
  • St Columb's College
  • St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls
  • St Joseph's Grammar School, Donaghmore
  • St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena
  • St Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel
  • St Malachy's College
  • St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School
  • St Mary's Grammar School, Magherafelt
  • St Michael's College, Enniskillen
  • St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon
  • St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh
  • Strabane Academy
  • Strathearn School
  • Sullivan Upper School
  • Thornhill College
  • Victoria College Belfast
  • Wallace High School
  • Wellington College Belfast
  • Lagan College (selective places only)
  • Slemish College (selective places only)
  • Strangford Integrated College (selective places only)

The official member list is on the SEAG website, and it's the one to trust if a school's status changes.

Changing for 2028 entry: is your child in Year 4 now?

If your child is in Year 4 this year, they will sit the 11+ in 2027 for September 2028 entry. Four areas have already announced a new provider for that round:

  • Gloucestershire: GL Assessment to FSCE. Later cohorts will sit the test in the summer term of Year 5.
  • Trafford consortium: GL Assessment to FSCE. From 2029 entry, the test also moves to the summer term of Year 5.
  • Slough Consortium: GL Assessment to Quest Assessments.
  • Dorset and BCP: GL Assessment to Quest Assessments.

These are not small changes. FSCE leans heavily on curriculum English and maths, while GL tests often rely more on reasoning. A Year 4 child in Gloucestershire or Trafford who is working through a stack of GL non-verbal reasoning books may be preparing for a test they will never sit. Earlier test dates also shorten the runway, so the summer of Year 4 becomes the sensible time to start planning.

How to use this guide when planning your child's 11+

  1. List every school you might apply to, not just your first choice. If they sit in different consortia, your child may need two or three separate tests, each with its own registration deadline.
  2. Find the provider for your child's entry year. Look for the year your child will start Year 7, not the year you are reading this. A guide written for 2025 entry may describe a test that no longer exists.
  3. Check the school's own admissions page. Councils and schools publish the provider, test dates and registration window each spring. Treat that page as the final word over any third-party guide, including this one.
  4. Match practice to the format. Use the provider's own free familiarisation papers first, then practice material written for that specific test. Generic "11+ papers" can drill the wrong skills.
  5. Note the registration deadline early. Some areas close registration in spring or early summer of Year 5. Liverpool Blue Coat closes in April and Reading School tests in July, well ahead of the usual September sitting.

Frequently asked questions

What is an 11+ consortium?

An 11+ consortium is a group of grammar schools that share one entrance test. Your child sits it once, and the result can be used to apply to any school in the group. Examples include the Buckinghamshire grammar schools, the Lincolnshire Consortium and the CSSE in Essex.

Which 11+ test does my child's grammar school use?

For 2027 entry, most areas use GL Assessment, including Kent, Medway, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire and the West Midlands. Quest Assessments is used in Bexley, the Wirral and Plymouth, and FSCE in Calderdale, Kirklees, Skipton and some Lancashire schools. Essex sets its own papers, and Northern Ireland uses the SEAG test.

Is the CEM 11+ still used?

Almost nowhere. CEM withdrew its paper-based 11+ after the 2022 round, and nearly every former CEM area moved to GL Assessment or another provider. Liverpool Blue Coat School is the main exception, using CEM materials on screen.

Can my child use one 11+ result for schools in different areas?

Only within the same consortium. A Kent Test pass is not accepted by Bexley or most Medway schools, and Slough results are not shared with Reading or Buckinghamshire. The West Midlands is the big exception, where one GL test covers 19 schools across five areas.

What is the FSCE 11+?

FSCE stands for Future Stories Community Enterprise, a not-for-profit set up by Reading School. Its tests focus on curriculum English and maths rather than non-verbal reasoning, and it is spreading quickly. Gloucestershire and Trafford both move to FSCE for 2028 entry.

Is the 11+ the same in Northern Ireland?

No. Northern Ireland uses a single transfer test, the SEAG Entrance Assessment, sat in P7 in November. It covers English and maths and is used by every academically selective school in the country.

Preparing for a specific test?

Knowing which test your child faces is the starting point. Preparing well for it is the harder part, and it looks very different for a GL reasoning paper, a Quest test or an FSCE English and maths paper.

OxbridgeX tutors work with families preparing for grammar school entry across the UK. If you'd like help planning your child's preparation around the right test, get in touch with our team and tell us which schools you're considering.

Information checked on 3 November 2026 against council, school and test-provider websites. Arrangements change most years, so always confirm with each school's admissions page before registering.