The Reading 11+

Reading’s two grammar schools set separate tests. Reading School, for boys, uses FSCE’s four papers, sat in July of Year 5 by catchment and boarding applicants; Kendrick School, for girls, uses two GL Assessment papers in September of Year 6.

At a glance

The test: Two separate tests: the Reading School entrance test (boys) and the Kendrick School admission test (girls)
Set by: FSCE (Reading School); GL Assessment (Kendrick School)
Subjects: English, maths, verbal reasoning (Kendrick), non-verbal reasoning (Kendrick), science and other KS2 subjects (Reading School), creativity task (Reading School)
Answers: Some multiple choice, some written, depending on the paper
Who sits it: Kendrick: 698 girls sat the September 2026 test for 2027 entry, of whom 352 reached 99.00 (school results FAQ). Reading School: 1,298 boys registered for the 2027-entry test (school data release, summer 2026); the number who sat is not published.

The papers

Reading School (FSCE): four papers in one day, in any order: Adventure and Compass (multiple choice), Beacon (short written answers) and Discovery (a handwritten creative response). Questions cover 'thinking like an author', 'thinking like a problem solver' and Key Stage 2 subjects up to the end of Year 5 (any of art and design, computing, design and technology, English, geography, history, languages, maths, music, PE and science), with audio instructions and separate answer sheets. All papers except the creativity task are computer-marked and age-standardised; the creativity task is assessed only for boys with eligible scores on all the computer-marked elements. Kendrick School (GL Assessment): two multiple-choice papers of about one hour each, covering English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, with no creative writing.

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Dates, results and scores

When is the 11+ in Reading?

The 2027 test: not published yet. The 2026 test: Reading School: in Year 5, on Thursday 16 July 2026 for catchment and boarding applicants (Wednesday 15 July 2026 for those needing special arrangements; sporting aptitude assessment Sunday 12 July 2026), and on Friday 25 September 2026, online, for day applicants living outside the catchment area. Kendrick School: Friday 18 September 2026 at the school (morning or afternoon); girls living outside the designated area sit on a later date.

How do you register for the 11+ in Reading?

For the 2027 test (2028 entry): not published yet. For the 2026 test (2027 entry): Reading School: Friday 27 March to midnight on Sunday 17 May 2026. Kendrick School: Friday 1 May to midnight on Wednesday 1 July 2026.

When do 11+ results come out in Reading?

For the 2026 test: Reading School: by email by mid-October 2026. Kendrick School: in the Applicaa portal before 31 October 2026 (now released).

What score qualifies in Reading?

Reading School: no pre-set pass mark. The governors' admissions committee sets the eligible score for 2027 after the test, from the cohort's performance, earlier cohorts, the oversubscription criteria and the 150 places; a boy must be of the standard in each element, and elements may be weighted. Looked-after boys, and catchment boys with Pupil or Service Premium or social or welfare need, need 5 marks below the eligible score. Eligible boys are then ranked by score within the oversubscription categories. Kendrick School: the qualifying score for 2027 entry is 99.00 (described as the total standardised score of Paper 1 and Paper 2), or 94.00 for looked-after girls and for Pupil or Service Premium girls in the designated area. Girls are ranked by score and the 128 places go by oversubscription category, up to 75% to Priority Areas 1 and 2 in rank order.

Not confirmed yet

Reading School's eligible score for 2027 entry is not published
Number of boys who actually sat the Reading School test (only the 1,298 registrations are published)
Reading School's registration start: the website says Friday 27 March 2026, its 2027 day admissions policy says 25 March 2026
Exact release date of Kendrick's results (the school says only before 31 October 2026)
Dates of Kendrick's out-of-designated-area sitting and supplementary test day (TBC in the prospectus)
How Kendrick combines the two papers into the 99.00 'total standardised score'
2028-entry dates for both schools (Kendrick's 2028 policy is due in January 2027)

Check these on the official page: reading-school.co.uk/admissions/year-7-entry

Good to know

Late testing and moving to the area

Reading School: late registrations are accepted only with evidence of exceptional circumstances or a move into the area after the deadline, and late registrants are not tested until after 1 March 2027. A boy too ill to sit needs a medical note by noon on the following Wednesday to get an alternative date. Kendrick School: late registrations are accepted only in exceptional circumstances (the headteacher decides); a supplementary test day is offered with medical or other evidence, but not for clashes with other schools' tests.

Who runs admissions

Each school is an academy and its own admission authority, setting and running its own test. Families apply through their home local authority by 31 October 2026, and offers come from the local authority on 1 March 2027.

Grammar schools in Reading

Each school sets its own admissions rules: check its admissions policy for places and priority areas.

School	Town	Takes
Kendrick School website	Reading	Girls
Reading School website	Reading	Boys

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.

Checked 2 November 2026.

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