Guide to grammar schools and the Secondary Transfer Test

If your child has special educational needs or a disability, you may want to think about whether a grammar school would be best for them.

It might help if you also talk to your child's primary school about this.

If your child's special educational needs or disability has ‘a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities', they are likely to have adjustments in place at school already to help them in the classroom. If your child's needs might make access to the test difficult, then your child's headteacher will need to apply for adjustments to testing by 7 June. Where it is not possible for your child’s headteacher to do this, contact us urgently.

View further information about requesting adjustments to the secondary transfer test [PDF, 239 KB].

When considering an application for adjustments, a panel of professionals with experience of supporting children with special educational needs will consider evidence from your child's current school. Schools are asked to share how they change the delivery of the normal day-to-day curriculum to meet your child’s particular needs. Where any professional evidence has been obtained, this should also be included with the application.

If the panel decides that your child’s needs will have a clear impact in relation to the format of the test, they will recommend appropriate and reasonable adjustments to make the test as accessible as possible for your child.

In many cases, if adjustments are agreed, this may mean that you child may need to sit the test separately or be tested on a different day so bear this mind when considering whether to apply for adjustments.