The Bucks and Slough 11+: a step-by-step guide for parents

Dates and rules can change from year to year. Always check the official sources at the end of this guide before you act, and treat them as the final word.

The two tests at a glance

The Bucks test: what parents need to know

Who is entered. If your child attends a state-funded primary school in Buckinghamshire, they're entered automatically. If you'd rather your child didn't sit the test, you can withdraw them through Buckinghamshire Council. All other children, including those at independent schools or at primaries outside the county, must be registered by their parents during the registration window. Some schools host the test for their own pupils, but those children still need to be registered.

What the test covers. There are two papers. One covers verbal skills: comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning. The other covers maths and non-verbal or spatial reasoning. Every question is multiple-choice.

How the score works. Each child gets a Secondary Transfer Test Score made from three age-standardised section scores, weighted 50% verbal, 25% maths and 25% non-verbal. Age standardisation stops the youngest children in the year group being at a disadvantage. A score of 121 or more means a child has qualified for grammar school, and each school then offers places under its own admissions policy.

Familiarisation. The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools send familiarisation material to parents in the summer term of Year 5. It shows the style of questions and how answers are recorded, so it's the best place to start. The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools say they do not endorse tutoring.

Your address. For most Bucks grammar schools, the home address that counts is the one on 1 September of the test year. Some schools use an earlier date, so check each school's policy.

Bucks dates for September 2028 entry (children in Year 5 in 2026–27)

Buckinghamshire Council publishes the exact days nearer the time. For comparison, in the most recent cycle the registration window ran from 1 May to 2 June 2026 (3pm), the practice test was on 8 September, the test on 10 September and results came out on 9 October 2026.

The Slough test: what parents need to know

Who can sit it. Any family can register a child for the Slough Consortium test, wherever they live, including in Buckinghamshire. Nobody is entered automatically.

What's changing. The September 2026 test was set by GL Assessment. Quest Assessments sets the test from September 2027, which is the sitting for children starting secondary school in September 2028. According to the Consortium schools, there will be two papers covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and maths, with a structure and format similar to the current test. Quest marks and standardises the papers, and the scores aren't shared with schools outside the Consortium.

What hasn't been published yet. The timing of each paper, the number of questions, the answer format and the 2027 test and registration dates. Treat any confident claims about these as guesswork until the schools or Quest confirm them.

How the score works. A standardised score of 111 makes a child eligible for a place, which the schools describe as roughly the top 35%. Each school then offers places under its own admissions policy.

Slough dates

Step by step: Year 5 to offer day

1. Year 5, autumn and spring: decide which test or tests suit your child. Read each school's admissions policy, including any priority areas.
2. Year 5, summer term: register for the Slough test, and for the Bucks test if your child isn't entered automatically. Look out for the Bucks familiarisation material.
3. 1 September of Year 6: for most Bucks grammar schools, this is the date your home address is taken from.
4. Early to mid-September of Year 6: the tests take place. Bucks children usually have a short practice test a couple of days before the real one.
5. October of Year 6: results arrive before the application deadline, so you'll know where your child stands when you rank schools.
6. By 31 October of Year 6, the fixed national closing date: apply for secondary places through your home council. You can list grammar schools from Buckinghamshire and Slough alongside non-selective schools, in your order of preference.
7. 1 March of Year 6 (Wednesday 1 March 2028 for September 2028 entry): national offer day. Your home council tells you which school has offered your child a place. If 1 March ever falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers come on the next working day.

Applying: one form, through your home council

Whichever tests your child sits, you apply through the council where you live, not the council where the school is. Families in Buckinghamshire apply to Buckinghamshire Council; families from Slough apply to Slough Borough Council; families from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead apply to the Royal Borough. Questions about the 11+ itself go to whoever runs the test.

It's sensible to include at least one school your child is very likely to be offered, and to read every school's admissions policy, as the criteria differ from school to school.

Questions to ask yourself

• Does your child enjoy timed puzzles, or find them stressful?
• Would sitting two tests in one September feel like too much?
• Which schools would you be genuinely happy with, grammar or not?

Want more help?

Dr Khan Tuition at 36 High Street, Burnham prepares children for both the Bucks and Slough tests. We're independent of the Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools and the Slough Consortium. Call 01753 378222 to book a free 30-minute consultation.

Sources: Buckinghamshire Council: grammar schools and Secondary Transfer Testing (key dates); Buckinghamshire Council: Timeline for 2028 entry; Buckinghamshire Council: the Secondary Transfer Test; The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools: FAQs; The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools: the Secondary Transfer Test; Herschel Grammar School: Year 7 Admissions 2028; Langley Grammar School: Admission to Year 7, September 2027; Slough Consortium key dates, 2027 entry (PDF); Slough Consortium guide, 2027 entry (PDF); Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (Achieving for Children): moving up to secondary school; Department for Education: School Admissions Code 2021, paragraphs 15(e) and 2.12. Last checked: Oct 2026.