The Buckinghamshire 11+
Buckinghamshire’s Secondary Transfer Test is set by GL Assessment and sat in September of Year 6. Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools are entered automatically, and a score of 121 qualifies for any of the county’s grammar schools.
At a glance
- The test
- The Secondary Transfer Test
- Set by
- GL Assessment
- Subjects
- English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning
- Answers
- Multiple choice, on a separate answer sheet
- Who sits it
- 9,217 children sat the test in September 2026 for 2027 entry, of whom 3,459 (38%) scored 121 or more (provisional figures at 9 October 2026, Buckinghamshire Council statistics published by TBGS). For 2026 entry, 9,816 sat and 3,994 qualified including selection reviews.
The papers
Two multiple-choice papers sat on the same day with a short break, each about 45 minutes of questions (about 60 minutes with the introduction and examples), with audio instructions and a separate answer sheet. One paper tests verbal skills (comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning); the other tests mathematics and non-verbal skills, including spatial reasoning. A shorter practice test (two papers of about 40 minutes, not marked or sent home) is sat two days before.
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Dates, results and scores
When is the 11+ in Buckinghamshire?
The 2027 test: Early September 2027 (exact dates not yet published) The 2026 test: Thursday 10 September 2026, with the practice test on Tuesday 8 September 2026. Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary and Partner schools sit both in school; others sit them at a grammar school or other central venue, mostly on the same dates, though some may be tested slightly later if venues are full.
How do you register for the 11+ in Buckinghamshire?
For the 2027 test (2028 entry): Early May to early June 2027 (exact dates not yet published) For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Friday 1 May to 3pm on Tuesday 2 June 2026, for children at Partner schools or any school outside Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes). Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools are entered automatically (parents could withdraw them by 2 June).
When do 11+ results come out in Buckinghamshire?
For the 2026 test: Friday 9 October 2026 for papers received by the Admissions Team by 18 September 2026 (by email, or through the primary school where no email was given). Papers received between 19 September and 16 October: results by 31 October 2026; after that, as soon as possible.
What score qualifies in Buckinghamshire?
A Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS) of 121 or more qualifies a child for any Buckinghamshire grammar school; the council expects about 37% of children to reach it. The STTS combines the age-standardised scores (each between 60 and 170) as 50% verbal, 25% mathematical and 25% non-verbal. A score above 121 gives no extra priority: qualified children are offered places by each school's oversubscription criteria. All the grammar schools also offer some places to non-qualified Pupil Premium children who reach a minimum score set in each school's admissions policy.
Not confirmed yet
- Exact registration dates and test dates for the September 2027 sitting (2028 entry): the council gives only early May to early June 2027 and early September 2027
- The September 2026 figures (9,217 sat, 3,459 qualified) are provisional; Selection Review outcomes for 2027 entry are due in spring 2027
- Date of any extra test session at central venues if capacity was exceeded (families are contacted separately)
Check these on the official page: buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/grammar-schools-and-transfer-testing-11
Good to know
Reviews
Selection Review for children who score below 121: parents submit a written case with academic evidence and evidence of exceptional circumstances by Friday 30 October 2026 (if results came on 9 October), and the child's headteacher completes a summary sheet. A panel of two grammar school headteachers and one primary headteacher (sometimes with an educational psychologist) decides; heads of state-funded Buckinghamshire primary and Partner schools also give a grammar school recommendation before results are known. Most reviews are heard between November and January and outcomes go out on Friday 12 February 2027. A successful review qualifies the child for all Buckinghamshire grammar schools. The council says most successful reviews have been for scores of 110 to 120; for 2026 entry, 296 children qualified after review.
Late testing and moving to the area
Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary or Partner schools who are ill on test day sit later in school; others are offered one alternative date if independent evidence is sent within 3 working days. Late registration is not normally accepted without exceptional reasons, but families who move into Buckinghamshire by 18 June 2027 are offered late testing with evidence of the move (late testers can request a Selection Review until 12 February 2027). Children living abroad are tested once they are in the UK. A Late Transfer Procedure covers entry after the start of Year 7.
Who runs admissions
Each of the 13 grammar schools is an academy and its own admission authority. They run the test jointly through The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS), and Buckinghamshire Council administers testing, results and Selection Reviews under contract to TBGS. Families apply through their home local authority by 31 October 2026.
Grammar schools in Buckinghamshire
Schools with a page of their own have their places, qualifying scores and priority areas, from their admissions policies.
| School | Town | Takes |
|---|---|---|
| Aylesbury Grammar School | Aylesbury | Boys |
| Aylesbury High School website | Aylesbury | Girls |
| Beaconsfield High School website | Beaconsfield | Girls |
| Burnham Grammar School | Burnham | Mixed |
| Chesham Grammar School website | Chesham | Mixed |
| Dr Challoner's Grammar School | Amersham | Boys, mixed sixth form |
| Dr Challoner's High School website | Little Chalfont | Girls |
| John Hampden Grammar School | High Wycombe | Boys |
| The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe website | High Wycombe | Boys |
| Royal Latin School website | Buckingham | Mixed |
| Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School website | Aylesbury | Mixed |
| Sir William Borlase's Grammar School website | Marlow | Mixed |
| Wycombe High School website | High Wycombe | Girls |
More on the 11+
Sources
Every fact here comes from the official pages below. Dates and scores change from year to year, so check them there before you rely on them.
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-index/school-admissions/grammar-schools-and-transfer-testing-11
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/grammar-schools-and-transfer-testing-11/the-secondary-transfer-test
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/grammar-schools-and-transfer-testing-11/register-for-the-secondary-transfer-test
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/grammar-schools-and-transfer-testing-11/timeline-for-following-year
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-index/school-admissions/school-admissions-guides-policies-and-statistics/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/secondary-transfer-test-results
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-index/school-admissions/school-admissions-guides-policies-and-statistics/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/selection-review
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/test-dates-for-secondary-transfer-test
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/illness-on-secondary-transfer-test-day-and-late-tests
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/will-my-child-get-a-grammar-school-place-if-i-dont-live-in-buckinghamshire
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/registration
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/secondary-transfer-testing-process
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/marking-the-secondary-transfer-test
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/timeline-for-following-year
- thebucksgrammarschools.org
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/the-secondary-transfer-test
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/tbgs-schools
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/test-data
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/_files/ugd/ab3fe9_eedafb24a9d4449baef06f0a23544d03.pdf
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/_files/ugd/ab3fe9_aab16136f8854c78bae4b368900cbf7f.pdf
Checked 2 November 2026.
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