If you are reading this with an email from CSSE open in another tab, you probably have a number in front of you and a lot of questions about it. Results for the September 2026 sitting were emailed after close of business on Monday 12 October, and CSSE asked families to allow 24 hours for them to arrive. The Common Application Form (CAF) deadline is 31 October, which leaves under three weeks to turn that number into a decision about which schools to name.
This guide explains what a CSSE result does and does not tell you, what to do in the next few days, and how to think about it whether the score is better, worse or about what you expected.
What the number is, and what it isn't
Children sit two papers for the CSSE, one in English and one in Maths. There are no verbal or non-verbal reasoning papers. Marks from the two papers are age-standardised, so a child born in September is not compared unfairly with one born the following August, and then combined into a single standardised score.
That score is not a pass or a fail, and it is not an offer. CSSE sets a consortium-wide minimum qualifying score, which has historically been 303. A child below it cannot be considered by any CSSE member school. A child above it is eligible, and what happens next depends on the admissions policy of each school you name.
Why eligible does not mean offered
Meeting the qualifying score opens the door. It does not put your child in the room. Most of the ten schools in the consortium receive more qualifying applicants than they have places, so each one applies its own oversubscription criteria. Some give priority to particular groups first, such as children in care or those eligible for Pupil Premium, and then rank the remaining applicants by standardised score, with distance from the school deciding ties. Others weight things differently. Your school's admissions policy, linked from the CSSE schools page, is the only reliable source for how it works.
CSSE publishes a Historical Guidance Sheet under the Freedom of Information tab of its website. The current edition shows cut-off data as of 1 March 2026, which means last year's entry. It is the best official indication of how scores have translated into offers, and CSSE itself describes it as guidance only. Cut-offs move with each cohort, so treat it as context rather than a prediction. At the most oversubscribed schools, the lowest successful scores in past years have sat well above the consortium minimum.
What to do this week
- Find your result. Check your junk folder before worrying. If nothing has arrived after the 24 hours CSSE mentioned, email admin@csse.org.uk. The office is open 9:30am to 3:30pm and is closed during school holidays.
- Read each target school's admissions policy. Look at the oversubscription criteria in order, and work out honestly where your child would sit in them. Distance, siblings and Pupil Premium status can matter as much as a few points of score.
- Send any extra forms to the school. If your child is eligible for Pupil Premium and you are applying to Colchester County High School, Colchester Royal Grammar School or King Edward VI Grammar School, CSSE asks you to complete its Pupil Premium Form and return it directly to the school. The Southend CSSE schools do not require it. Some schools also ask for a supplementary information form, so check each policy.
- Complete your CAF before 31 October. You apply through your home local authority, even if the school you want is in a different one. The number of preferences you can list depends on your authority. Rank them in the order you truly prefer them, because the allocation is based on that order, and make sure at least one choice is a school where an offer is very likely.
- Know who handles what. CSSE only administers the exam. It has no involvement in applications, admissions or appeals, so those questions go to your local authority and the school.
National Offer Day for secondary schools is Monday 1 March 2027. Until then, no school can tell you whether your child has a place.
If the score is lower than you hoped
A disappointing result lands hard, and usually harder on the parent than the child, who may already be thinking about something else. Give yourself a day before making decisions.
Then separate two questions. The first is practical: which schools can you realistically name on the CAF, and does your list include options you would be happy with? Your local authority's admissions team can walk you through that. The second is about learning. A CSSE score is a snapshot of one morning in September, and it says very little about how your child will do in English and Maths over the next five years. Many strong GCSE and A Level students did not go to a grammar school.
If your child is below the qualifying score, grammar school places at CSSE schools are not available through this route, and the better use of your energy is the quality of the school you do choose and the support your child gets there.
If the score is comfortably above the minimum
It is tempting to relax. Do not skip the admissions policy step. Eligibility is only the first filter, and a strong score at a heavily oversubscribed school can still end without an offer if other criteria rank higher. Name the schools you want, in the order you want them, and keep one safe choice on the form.
Planning ahead for the next round
If your child is in Year 5, the next window is 2028 entry. CSSE has said registration will open next year and that important dates will be published by Easter 2027. Because the exam is English and Maths only, preparation can be focused on those two papers, and families with a year or more to prepare have time to build gaps in understanding rather than cram around them.
OxbridgeX provides online 11+ tutoring with qualified tutors, matched to each child's level and the exam they are working towards. If you would like to talk through where your child stands and what a realistic preparation plan could look like, you can book a free consultation on the OxbridgeX website.
Frequently asked questions
When were the CSSE 2026 results released? CSSE emailed results after close of business on Monday 12 October 2026 and asked families to allow 24 hours for receipt.
What is the CSSE pass mark? There is no pass or fail letter. CSSE reports a standardised score, and the consortium-wide minimum qualifying score has historically been 303. Individual schools' practical cut-offs can be considerably higher, depending on demand.
Does reaching the qualifying score guarantee a grammar school place? No. It makes your child eligible. Places are allocated after the CAF deadline using each school's oversubscription criteria, and offers are made on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027.
Which schools use the CSSE exam? The ten member schools are King Edward VI Grammar School, Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School, Southend High School for Girls, Southend High School for Boys, Westcliff High School for Girls, Westcliff High School for Boys, St Bernard's High School, St Thomas More High School and Shoeburyness High School. Chelmsford County High School for Girls runs its own separate entrance test.
What is the deadline to apply? The CAF deadline for Essex secondary applications is 31 October 2026. You apply through your home local authority.
Who do I contact about appeals or admissions questions? Your local authority and the individual school. The CSSE office handles examination administration only.
Sources:
- csse.org.uk
- cognito.org
- leadingtuition.co.uk