Guide to grammar schools and the Secondary Transfer Test

If your child goes to a state funded Buckinghamshire primary school they are automatically registered for the Secondary Transfer Test. The test is not compulsory, so do think carefully now about whether a grammar school place would be suitable for your child.

You will be sent a familiarisation booklet so you can see the types of question in the tests.

To withdraw your child from the Test you should contact your child's headteacher before the testing process starts.

If your child goes to a Partner school or a school outside of the county, including those in Milton Keynes, you need to register your child for testing.

Registration opens between 6 May and 3pm on 17 June. You will be able to register on this page from 6 May.

We will only register your child after this date if you can show you have very recently moved to the area.

There is no charge if you would like your child to take the test for Buckinghamshire grammar schools. The grammar schools pay for the tests. To avoid unnecessary cost, if you do not think a grammar school would suit your child, do not register them for testing. If you do register your child for testing and then change your mind, tell us straight away and we will withdraw them.

The GL Assessment Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test is for entry to Buckinghamshire grammar schools only so your child should not use it as 'practice’ for tests in other areas.

Statistics from other years show how many grammar school places were offered to children living outside of Buckinghamshire.

Grammar school entry depends on your child qualifying by scoring 121 or above in the test or qualifying through the Selection Review Process. Each grammar school sets its own admission rules to decide which qualified children should get places and all give priority to children who live in the catchment area. The admission rules for grammar schools are on each school's website in their admissions policy.

We can test your child later if they are ill on the date of the test. If your family has recently moved into Buckinghamshire we will also offer late testing. You will need to provide us with evidence of your house move, this can be completed online by using our contact us form.

We will also consider later testing for children who move into the area served by a Buckinghamshire grammar school after 24 June 2023 and by 21 June 2024.