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London grammar prep

11 Plus preparation for London families

In London, grammar school places are not found — they are earned through months of deliberate, format-specific practice, and the families who start earliest consistently outperform those who start in Year 6.

Greater London is home to eight of England's most fiercely competitive state grammar schools, including Henrietta Barnett School in Barnet, the Tiffin twins in Kingston, and the Sutton cluster of Wilson's, Wallington County Grammar, and Nonsuch — each receiving thousands of applications for a few hundred Year 7 places combined. The effective acceptance rate at London's top selective schools sits well below 5%, requiring children to perform consistently in the top 1–3% of their national age group across Maths, English, and reasoning. Unlike many areas with a single regional consortium, London families must navigate multiple independent registration processes, different exam formats (GL Assessment for most Sutton and Barnet schools, bespoke papers for Tiffin and Henrietta Barnett), and tight deadlines beginning as early as June of Year 5. Applaa's 11 Plus preparation tools provide London-specific timed practice across all paper formats, adaptive question banks calibrated to the standardised score thresholds these schools demand, and a structured revision pathway designed for the 18-month preparation window that top-performing London candidates typically use.

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London's Selective Grammar Schools: The Full Picture

Greater London is home to some of the most academically competitive grammar schools in England. The eight selective state schools spanning Sutton, Kingston, Barnet and Edmonton attract thousands of applicants each year for a handful of places. Wallington County Grammar and Wilson's School in Sutton routinely receive over 2,000 applications for roughly 150 places each, making the effective pass rate well under 10%. Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls' School in Kingston-upon-Thames are among the most oversubscribed in the country, with distance tie-breakers that can come down to a matter of metres. Henrietta Barnett School in Barnet is consistently rated one of England's top state schools, drawing applicants from across North London and Hertfordshire. Understanding each school's specific admissions process, catchment area, and exam format is the essential first step in any London family's preparation journey.

  • ✓Wallington County Grammar School (Sutton): boys' grammar, GL Assessment papers in English and Maths, approximately 150 places, 2,000+ applicants annually
  • ✓Wilson's School (Sutton): boys' grammar, GL Assessment format, 210 places across Year 7 and Sixth Form entry, uses a standardised score threshold
  • ✓Nonsuch High School for Girls (Sutton): girls' grammar, GL Assessment papers, 180 Year 7 places, tied closely to Sutton selection consortium deadlines
  • ✓Tiffin School (Kingston, boys): bespoke Tiffin papers in Maths and English, two-stage process, distance tie-breaker applied within the qualifying band
  • ✓Tiffin Girls' School (Kingston): bespoke papers, two-stage test with a second-round 'super-selective' test for borderline candidates, enormous national draw
  • ✓Henrietta Barnett School (Barnet): verbal reasoning plus bespoke English and Maths papers, national draw, typically 93 places with over 2,500 first-stage sitters
  • ✓Queen Elizabeth's School (Barnet, boys): GL Assessment verbal and non-verbal reasoning, ranked UK's top state secondary repeatedly by league tables, roughly 180 places
  • ✓Latymer School (Edmonton): mixed selective, GL Assessment format, combines academic record with exam performance, 186 Year 7 places

How London 11 Plus Exams Work: Formats and Timelines

Unlike many parts of England where a single regional consortium administers one uniform test, London's grammar schools largely operate independently, each setting its own registration window, test date, and paper format. Most Sutton schools (Wallington, Wilson's, Nonsuch) align loosely in their September test window and use GL Assessment standardised papers covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English comprehension, and Mathematics. The Tiffin schools and Henrietta Barnett use bespoke papers designed to differentiate within an already high-achieving cohort. Latymer uses GL Assessment. Crucially, families can and often do apply to schools across multiple boroughs — a child sitting tests for Wilson's, QE Boys, and Tiffin in the same autumn is entirely normal in London. Managing multiple registration deadlines, each potentially in a different week of the Year 5 summer term, is a logistical challenge that London families must plan for carefully from the spring of Year 5.

  • ✓Sutton consortium schools (Wallington, Wilson's, Nonsuch) use GL Assessment standardised scoring — raw scores are age-standardised to account for birth-month effects
  • ✓Tiffin School runs a first paper in September and an invitation-only second paper in October; only top performers from stage one are invited back
  • ✓Tiffin Girls' runs a similar two-stage process; the second stage is intentionally harder, testing extended Maths reasoning and analytical writing
  • ✓Henrietta Barnett's first-stage test (verbal reasoning) is a GL Assessment paper; the second stage includes bespoke English and Maths components
  • ✓QE Boys (Barnet) uses GL Assessment verbal and non-verbal reasoning in a single-stage test, typically held in early September of Year 6
  • ✓Latymer School releases its own registration portal in June/July of Year 5, separate from any borough consortium, and tests in October of Year 6
  • ✓Registration deadlines vary by school: Sutton schools open in July, Tiffin and Barnet schools typically in June–August — missing one can close off an entire tier of options
  • ✓Score thresholds are not published in advance; each school releases qualifying scores or rank cutoffs only after results day in October/November

Competition Reality: What Score Do London Children Actually Need?

London's grammar school competition is among the fiercest in England, and families frequently underestimate the standard required. Nationally, a GL Assessment standardised score of 111–114 might earn a grammar school place in many counties. In London, particularly for the Sutton and Barnet superselectives, children are typically expected to score 121 or above on age-standardised scales, with the very top schools seeing qualifying thresholds of 125 or higher in strong years. The Tiffin schools do not publish a standardised score in the traditional sense, but analysis of successful applicants consistently places performance requirements in the top 1–2% of the national age cohort. For Henrietta Barnett, entrance to the final round requires near-perfect verbal reasoning scores. This is not to discourage families, but to set realistic expectations: genuine, sustained preparation beginning 18 to 24 months before the exam is the norm among successful applicants in London, not the exception.

  • ✓GL Assessment standardised scores at Wallington and Wilson's typically need to be 121+ to be competitive; top 100 places often require 125+
  • ✓Nonsuch High School for Girls qualifying threshold has historically sat around 118–121 on GL Assessment scales, lower than the boys' Sutton schools but still highly selective
  • ✓Tiffin School performance analysis suggests successful candidates score in approximately the top 1% nationally on combined Maths and English reasoning
  • ✓Henrietta Barnett first-stage pass rate is roughly 15–20% (candidates invited to stage two); final offer rate is approximately 3.5% of all sitters
  • ✓QE Boys (Barnet) standardised score thresholds typically fall around 118–122 on GL Assessment, with distance tie-breakers applied within a band
  • ✓Latymer School uses a composite score combining test performance with school reference; roughly the top 8% of applicants receive an offer
  • ✓Children born in summer (August in particular) benefit from GL Assessment age-standardisation, but the raw score gap at London's schools is large enough that preparation remains the dominant factor
  • ✓Mock exam data from London tuition centres shows that practice frequency — not just total hours — is the strongest predictor of score improvement in the four months before the test

Subject-by-Subject Preparation Strategy for London Schools

Preparing for London's grammar schools requires a different emphasis depending on which schools are being targeted. For GL Assessment schools (Sutton, QE Boys, Latymer), verbal reasoning is a distinct and learnable skill — children must practise the 21 standard GL Assessment question types until they are second nature. Non-verbal reasoning (pattern recognition, shape sequences) is equally important and often neglected by families who focus only on English and Maths. For the bespoke Tiffin and Henrietta Barnett papers, the weighting shifts dramatically: deep Maths reasoning, multi-step problem solving, and extended English writing carry far more marks. Tiffin's Maths paper includes questions at a level significantly above the Year 6 curriculum — topics such as ratio, algebra, and advanced geometry appear regularly. Henrietta Barnett's English component demands sophisticated analytical vocabulary and the ability to infer authorial intent, skills that take months to develop reliably.

  • ✓GL Assessment verbal reasoning: practise all 21 question types (letter series, word analogies, coded sequences, logic puzzles) until each type takes under 30 seconds
  • ✓GL Assessment non-verbal reasoning: use timed practice papers from Bond, CGP, and official GL Assessment materials; aim for 90%+ accuracy before September
  • ✓Tiffin School Maths: cover ratio and proportion, basic algebra, angle properties, area and perimeter of compound shapes, and multi-step word problems well beyond Year 6 curriculum
  • ✓Tiffin Girls' English: practise analytical writing on unseen literary extracts; learn to write structured responses identifying theme, tone, and authorial technique
  • ✓Henrietta Barnett verbal reasoning: target near-perfect accuracy — one wrong answer in the first stage can drop a child below the invitation threshold in a strong year
  • ✓Wilson's and Wallington Maths: GL Assessment Maths papers include data interpretation, fraction operations, percentage change, and basic algebra — all must be secure by August
  • ✓Latymer English comprehension: requires extended written answers with textual evidence — practise PEE (Point, Evidence, Explain) paragraph structure from Year 4 onwards
  • ✓Speed and accuracy under time pressure is a London-specific priority: GL Assessment papers allow roughly 50 seconds per question; timed practice from Year 5 is non-negotiable

Logistics, Registration, and Secondary Application for London Families

Beyond exam preparation, London families face a uniquely complex administrative process. Grammar school registration in London is entirely separate from the standard secondary school application through the local authority (LondonAdmissions portal, submitted by October 31 of Year 6). Families must register directly with each grammar school — there is no shared London-wide consortium portal — and each school has its own eligibility criteria, registration form, and deadline. Once results are released in October or November, families then have a narrow window to include their preferred grammar schools on the LondonAdmissions form. The strategic ordering of choices on that form matters enormously: distance tie-breakers mean that a child who qualifies for both Tiffin and QE Boys may have a realistic chance at one but not the other depending on home address. Families should map their home location against each school's distance data before finalising their choices.

  • ✓Register directly with each grammar school via its own portal — there is no single London 11+ registration platform; Sutton, Kingston, Barnet, and Edmonton all operate independently
  • ✓Sutton schools (Wallington, Wilson's, Nonsuch) open registration in late June or July of Year 5 and typically close by late August — set calendar reminders in May
  • ✓Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls' registration typically opens in June of Year 5; applicants from outside the Kingston area are eligible but distance tie-breakers apply within qualifying bands
  • ✓Queen Elizabeth's School and Henrietta Barnett in Barnet open registration around June–July; QE Boys is boys-only with a London-wide draw at stage one
  • ✓Latymer School (Edmonton) runs its own registration in June/July of Year 5; as a mixed school it differs from the single-sex Sutton and Barnet grammars
  • ✓The LondonAdmissions secondary application deadline is October 31 (Year 6) — grammar schools must be listed here even if the child has already sat the selective test and received a qualifying score
  • ✓Distance tie-breakers: Tiffin schools use straight-line distance from home to school; even 0.1 miles can determine an offer in borderline years — check school distance data early
  • ✓Families should request school references and ensure primary school is aware of grammar applications, as Latymer and some schools request a primary school reference alongside test scores

Practical plan

London 11 Plus preparation plan

Step 1

January–April Year 5: Identify target schools across Sutton, Kingston, Barnet, and Edmonton; map home address against each school's distance tie-breaker data; begin GL Assessment verbal and non-verbal reasoning practice three times per week using timed Bond or CGP papers, and identify and close any Maths curriculum gaps at least to a secure Year 5 level

Step 2

May–August Year 5: Complete registration for all target schools (most London grammar registration opens June–July of Year 5 — do not miss these windows); introduce full timed mock papers monthly; for Tiffin and Henrietta Barnett targets, begin bespoke paper practice and analytical English writing; aim for consistent 80%+ accuracy on GL Assessment mocks before the summer holiday ends

Step 3

September Year 5–April Year 6: Increase mock frequency to fortnightly full papers; review every error by question type; for Tiffin targets, begin second-stage style extended Maths problem solving; build exam-day stamina through back-to-back paper sessions; track standardised score progress and adjust focus toward weakest subject domains

Step 4

May–October Year 6: Final intensive preparation phase — sit at least two full London-style mock exams under strict timed conditions each month; refine exam technique (question skipping strategy, checking time, ruling out distractors); sit the actual tests September–October; upon receiving qualifying results in October/November, complete the LondonAdmissions secondary school application by the 31 October deadline with grammar schools listed in informed preference order

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Frequently asked questions

Which grammar schools can my child apply to in Greater London?

There are eight selective state grammar schools in Greater London. In the London Borough of Sutton: Wallington County Grammar School (boys), Wilson's School (boys), and Nonsuch High School for Girls. In the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames: Tiffin School (boys) and Tiffin Girls' School. In the London Borough of Barnet: Queen Elizabeth's School (boys) and Henrietta Barnett School (girls). In the London Borough of Enfield/Haringey: Latymer School (mixed). Children can apply to any combination of these schools regardless of home borough, though distance tie-breakers at schools like the Tiffin schools can significantly affect realistic chances based on home address.

When should we start preparing for the London 11 Plus?

For London's most competitive grammar schools — Henrietta Barnett, the Tiffin schools, and QE Boys — most successful applicants begin structured preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5, roughly 18 to 24 months before the test. At minimum, preparation should start no later than January of Year 5. This is because London's papers, particularly the bespoke Tiffin and Henrietta Barnett tests, require skills (advanced Maths reasoning, analytical reading, verbal reasoning fluency) that take sustained months to build. Registration for most London schools opens in June or July of Year 5, so families who start preparation in September of Year 5 are already significantly behind the most competitive applicants.

Do all London grammar schools use the same 11 Plus exam?

No — this is a crucial point for London families. The Sutton schools (Wallington, Wilson's, Nonsuch), QE Boys in Barnet, and Latymer in Edmonton use GL Assessment standardised papers covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English, and Mathematics. Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls' School use their own bespoke papers with a two-stage process. Henrietta Barnett uses a GL Assessment verbal reasoning first stage followed by a bespoke second stage. Each format requires a different preparation emphasis, so families targeting multiple schools across boroughs must prepare for more than one style of paper simultaneously.

What standardised score does my child need to pass the London 11 Plus?

Score thresholds vary by school and fluctuate year to year depending on cohort strength. For GL Assessment schools in Sutton, competitive candidates typically need a standardised score of 121 or above, with the very top places requiring 125+. QE Boys (Barnet) thresholds typically sit around 118–122. Henrietta Barnett's first-stage pass rate is approximately 15–20% of sitters, implying extremely high verbal reasoning accuracy is needed. Tiffin School and Tiffin Girls' do not publish a GL Assessment standardised score — instead they rank all sitters and invite a fixed number to a second round. Families should aim for consistent 90%+ accuracy in timed mocks before September of Year 6.

How does the Tiffin School 11 Plus two-stage process work?

Tiffin School (boys) and Tiffin Girls' School both operate a two-stage admissions test. In the first stage, all registered applicants sit bespoke papers in September of Year 6 — typically covering English comprehension and Mathematics. Results are marked and only the top-performing candidates (those likely to be in approximately the top 15–20% of sitters) are invited to sit a second, harder paper in October. The second stage is designed to differentiate among already high-performing children. Final offers are made based on combined performance across both stages, with distance tie-breakers applied within qualifying bands. The two-stage process means a child cannot afford to have a bad day on stage one, so consistent preparation and exam technique under timed conditions is essential.

Is it possible to get into Henrietta Barnett School from outside North London?

Yes — Henrietta Barnett School (HBS) in Barnet operates a national draw and does not restrict applicants by geography at the initial entry stage. In the first stage, any registered candidate sits a GL Assessment verbal reasoning paper. However, because HBS has approximately 93 Year 7 places and receives over 2,500 first-stage applications nationally, the qualifying threshold for stage two is extremely high. Successful applicants travel from across London, Hertfordshire, and beyond. That said, once a student qualifies, distance from home to school does not apply as a tie-breaker in the same way as at the Tiffin schools, making HBS theoretically accessible to any family willing to manage the commute.

Can my child sit tests for grammar schools in different London boroughs?

Absolutely, and this is standard practice among London families pursuing selective state school places. A child can register for and sit tests at Wilson's School in Sutton, QE Boys in Barnet, and Tiffin School in Kingston in the same autumn term. Each school has its own registration process and test date, so there are rarely clashes — most tests fall between early September and mid-October of Year 6. Families must manage multiple registration portals and deadlines independently, as there is no shared London grammar school consortium. Budget adequate preparation time for each school's specific paper format, since GL Assessment schools and bespoke-paper schools require meaningfully different skills and practice materials.

How does the LondonAdmissions secondary school application interact with grammar school offers?

These are two separate processes that must both be completed. Grammar school registration and testing happen directly with each school in Year 5 and early Year 6. Results (qualifying or non-qualifying) are typically released in October or November. Separately, the formal secondary school application is submitted through the LondonAdmissions portal (for most London boroughs) with a deadline of 31 October of Year 6. Grammar schools must be listed in preference order on this form — the selective test result alone does not secure a place. If a child qualifies for a grammar school but fails to list it on the LondonAdmissions form, they will not receive an offer. Strategic ordering of choices on the form, taking distance tie-breakers into account, is an important final step.

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