Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham is a boys’ grammar school with a mixed sixth form and 180 Year 7 places, taking boys through the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test. A score of 121 qualifies and boys in its catchment come before those outside it; its catchment rules ask for an address lived at from 1 April 2026, earlier than most Buckinghamshire grammar schools.
At a glance
- Where
- Amersham, Buckinghamshire
- Takes
- Boys, mixed sixth form
- Year 7 places
- 180
- Applicants
- 669 for 2026 entry, about 3.7 for each place. This counts the times the school was named as a preference, not the number who sat the test.
Applicants figures aren’t counted the same way at every school, so they don’t compare from one school to another.
Admissions
The test
the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (GL Assessment), run by Buckinghamshire Council for The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS)
What qualifies
A Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS) of 121 or more, or being deemed qualified at a Selection Review. Qualified boys are not ranked by score, except that up to 12 places go to catchment boys on pupil premium (or looked after) scoring at least 115, with up to 6 of those open to scores of 110 to 114 if not filled.
Who gets priority
Looked-after and previously looked-after boys; catchment boys on pupil premium; catchment boys with a sibling in Years 7 to 12; up to 12 places for catchment boys on pupil premium or looked after scoring 115 or more (110 to 114 for up to 6 if not filled); sons of staff; boys in the catchment area by distance; siblings living outside the catchment; then all others by straight-line distance to the Chesham Road entrance. Exceptional medical or social need gives priority within each rule; in March 2026 every qualified catchment boy got a place and the last place by distance went to 10.011 miles.
Registering
Children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools were registered automatically (parents could withdraw them by 2 June); all others registered online with Buckinghamshire Council from 1 May (10am) to 2 June 2026 (3pm). The practice test was on 8 September and the Secondary Transfer Test on 10 September 2026, in school for Buckinghamshire and partner primary pupils and at a grammar school or other venue for everyone else; results came out on 9 October 2026. Families then named the school on their home council's secondary application by 31 October 2026.
Open events
The Year 7 Open Evening was on Thursday 17 September 2026; open mornings by booking (9.15am, headteacher's talk and student-led tour) are on Thursday 15 October 2026 (full), 28 January, 18 March and 1 July 2027, with booking opening at midday two weeks before each. The Sixth Form Open Evening is on Thursday 19 November 2026, 5pm to 8pm.
Good to know
Boys from Year 7; the sixth form is co-educational, with 45 Year 12 places for external boys and girls. The catchment rules need continuous residence from 1 April 2026 (earlier than most Buckinghamshire grammars) and the school's own Supplementary Information Form by 4pm on 30 November 2026, and a nearer address is not accepted while the family still owns a former main home within 20 miles lived in since 1 September 2023 (unless sold by 1 September 2026). The applicants figure is how many times the school was named as a preference for September 2026 entry (238 as first preference, 185 offers), from DfE school-level data.
Not confirmed yet
- The Year 7 catchment area is published only as a map; the policy does not describe its extent in words.
- The school's 'Frequently Asked Questions about Admissions 2027' PDF is image-only and could not be read.
Check these on the official page: challoners.com/docs/Key_Information/Admissions/Admissions_Policy_2027.pdf
The 11+ in Buckinghamshire
The papers, registration, test dates, results and how qualifying works for every school there.
With Exam Prep, Thena sets practice papers in your child’s test’s style and goes over every mistake with them on her board: £49 a month with the Solo plan.
More on the 11+
Sources
Every fact here comes from the official pages below. Admissions rules change each year, so check them there before you rely on them.
- challoners.com
- challoners.com/Year-7-Admission
- challoners.com/Open-Events
- challoners.com/Sixth-Form-Admissions
- challoners.com/docs/Key_Information/Admissions/Admissions_Policy_2027.pdf
- 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
- 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-entry-in-2025
- 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/would-you-like-your-child-to-take-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/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/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/marking-the-secondary-transfer-test
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-libraries-and-parks/school-admissions-and-appeals/guides-and-policies/school-place-allocation-statistics
- buckinghamshire.gov.uk/documents/40617/Allocation_Profile_2026_-_FINAL_V2.xlsx
- thebucksgrammarschools.org
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/test-data
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/_files/ugd/ab3fe9_1e146044d05840c4850da56587346cc8.pdf
- thebucksgrammarschools.org/_files/ugd/ab3fe9_220078a139ec44efad9e6521ed36c523.pdf
- explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/primary-and-secondary-school-applications-and-offers/2026-27/explore
- content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/0bf4f9cf-721d-44e3-8473-266c87e17e00/files/42d0d4e4-9604-413a-8275-00b829ffbdcb
Checked 2 November 2026.
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