11 Plus Exam Dates and Registration Deadlines by Region

An 11 plus dates list only helps if you know which dates still apply to your child. For September 2027 entry, the main test registrations and sittings listed below have passed. School applications are still open, but deadlines and any later assessment route vary by area and school.

Start with your child's stage in the admissions cycle. A parent with a test result and a parent who missed registration need different next steps. The regional dates below link to the relevant council, consortium or school so you can check the current policy before acting.

Many state grammar-school tests are taken in Year 6 for entry the following September, but dates and year groups vary by route. For example, Gloucestershire has moved its planned 2028-entry test to Year 5. The 11 plus is separate from Year 11 GCSEs.

Live status of the 2026-27 cycle

As reviewed on 24 October 2026, for entry in September 2027:

• Main test registration has closed in the regions listed here. Ask the relevant test authority whether a late or separate school route exists; the answer varies by area.
• The main September tests have been sat. Some schools have more than one stage or a separate assessment. Check the test route for the schools you want to name.
• Many results are out. Kent's 2026 result sets a county grammar threshold of 345 in total and at least 111 in each paper; Medway's result sets a weighted minimum of 478. These are different tests, and qualifying does not guarantee a place.
• School applications are open. Use your home council's actual date and time. Kent closes on Monday 2 November 2026, while Warwickshire closes at 4pm on 31 October. Medway closes on 31 October. You apply through your home council even if a preferred school is elsewhere.
• Planning for September 2028 entry? Do not assume this year's dates will repeat. Some areas have already published their next cycle: Gloucestershire says registration will run from noon on 8 February to noon on 19 March 2027, with the schools planning to hold the test on 3 July 2027. Check your chosen school's page for updates and for other areas' dates.

If you take one thing away, take the fourth line. The school application is the action families can still take now. Check your home council's deadline, submit your genuine order of preference, and keep the confirmation email.

Which of these three parents are you?

Route A: your child sat the test

Your child has sat a test and received a result. The dates that matter now are your home council's school application deadline and National Offer Day on 1 March 2027. The application form and each school's admissions policy deserve your attention now.

Do this now: read your child's result letter, list schools in genuine preference order, and check each school's own admission rules. A qualifying test result permits consideration; it does not secure a place. Start with the current next steps for Kent, Medway, CSSE Essex or Bexley, or read the regional guides below for Birmingham, Warwickshire and Buckinghamshire.

Route B: you have just discovered the process and never registered

The on-time September test window has closed for the regions listed here, but late-testing rules are not the same everywhere. Medway says it cannot accept a late test registration; Warwickshire tells families to contact the relevant testing authority about a late registration. Ask the authority for your chosen school's test what is possible for your child. Do not assume an on-time test place or an automatic second sitting.

You can still complete your home council's school application by its deadline, including non-selective schools you would be happy with. Naming a grammar school without the required assessment does not make your child eligible for an offer in the normal round. Ask about any later test or appeal route before relying on one. If you have a younger child, use Route C to plan their cycle.

Route C: your child is in Year 5

Your child's test for September 2028 entry will take place on dates published by the test authority or school. Gloucestershire has already announced registration from noon on 8 February to noon on 19 March 2027 and a planned 3 July test in Year 5. Check each chosen school's official page now for its next-cycle dates, then keep checking for updates.

Start by finding out which test each chosen school uses, because both formats and dates vary. See grammar schools in the UK and their entrance tests for an overview, then read when to start 11 plus preparation for a year-by-year guide.

Registration deadlines and test dates

Test registration and the home-council school application are separate steps. Missing the main test-registration window can affect whether a child may sit the usual assessment, but later routes vary by school and area.

These examples show the calendar-day interval between registration closing and the first listed test date. Exact dates and arrangements depend on the route:

• Buckinghamshire: registration closed 2 June 2026 at 3pm; the test was 10 September. Gap: 100 calendar days.
• Birmingham (King Edward VI Foundation): registration closed 26 June 2026 at 4pm; the test was 12 September. Gap: 78 calendar days.
• Warwickshire: registration closed 30 June 2026; tests were on 12 and 13 September. The gaps were 74 and 75 calendar days.
• Kent: registration closed 1 July 2026; the test for Kent primary pupils was 10 September. Gap: 71 calendar days.
• Redbridge: registration closed 15 June 2026 at 5pm; the test was 18 September. Gap: 95 calendar days.

These are examples for the September 2027 entry cycle, not a national timetable. In this group, Buckinghamshire's 2 June deadline came before Redbridge's 15 June deadline. Check the authority or school for the route you intend to use.

In Buckinghamshire, children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools are entered automatically, but children at schools outside the county (including Milton Keynes) had to be registered inside the window, per Buckinghamshire Council. Registration arrangements are route-specific, so check whether a school or authority requires a separate form.

Access arrangements may need a separate request or an earlier deadline. Warwickshire's requests closed alongside registration on 30 June 2026; Redbridge's 2027-entry arrangements had a 15 June deadline; Birmingham's reasonable-adjustments deadline was 12 June at 4pm, before general registration closed. Check this step when you read the next cycle's registration instructions.

To see the dates for one area on their own, choose it below. Dates already behind us are marked as passed.

Kent, Essex and the south east

Kent Test (Kent County Council). Registration closed on 1 July 2026. The test was sat on 10 September by pupils at Kent primary schools, and on 12 or 13 September by pupils who do not attend a Kent primary school. Results were emailed on 15 October to parents who supplied an email address at registration. Kent's school application closes on 2 November 2026. Check the Kent Test result and next steps or the Kent Test format guide.

Medway Test. This is separate from the Kent Test. Registration closed at 5pm on 12 June 2026; Medway-school pupils sat the test on 15 or 16 September, and children at non-Medway schools were allocated 19 or 20 September. Results arrived on 14 October. Medway Council's 2027-entry timetable gives 31 October 2026 as the school-application deadline. See the Medway result and application guide for the current 478 qualifying minimum.

CSSE (Essex). The examination for 2027 entry was on Saturday 19 September 2026 and registration is closed. It is two papers, one English and one Mathematics, each 60 minutes, with an extra 10 minutes' reading time for English. The CSSE consortium covers ten schools, including King Edward VI Grammar School, Colchester Royal Grammar School, Colchester County High School for Girls, both Southend High Schools, both Westcliff High Schools, St Bernard's High School, St Thomas More High School and Shoeburyness High School. Read the 2026 CSSE result and application steps before naming a school. The school application goes through your home council, not the CSSE registration portal.

London boroughs

Sutton. The Selective Eligibility Test timetable for 2027 entry ran: registration opened 1 May 2026, the access-arrangements deadline was 12 June, registration closed 31 July, and the SET was sat on 15 September. Sutton Council lists six participating schools: Greenshaw High School, Sutton Grammar, Wilson's, Wallington County Grammar, Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls. Greenshaw uses the SET to determine eligibility for its ability places; children meeting a grammar school's SET standard were eligible for that school's second-stage test. Sutton residents must also submit the separate school application by 31 October 2026. If you live elsewhere, check your home council's deadline.

For the five grammar schools, the SET was stage one. The girls' joint second-stage exam was on Saturday 26 September; the boys' shared second-stage exam was on Saturday 3 October 2026. Wilson's School also held its separate music and sport aptitude tests on Saturday 10 October 2026. These dates are from the participating schools' current 2027-entry information; families also had to make the separate home-council application.

Redbridge. Registration opened 1 May 2026 and closed at 5pm on Monday 15 June 2026. The test was on Friday 18 September 2026. Redbridge Council’s current guidance says results are emailed in the middle of October. It does not confirm an exact date or time; contact the council if the expected result has not arrived. Note one Redbridge-specific rule: a completed 11 plus photo ID form had to be brought to the test for the child to sit it. The form was sent to parents at the start of September with the invitation letter.

Bexley. The borough-wide Bexley Selection Test is distinct from Sutton's SET. Families with a 2026 result can use our Bexley results and application guide to check the score, headteacher review route and separate school-application deadline. Other London selective schools use a mix of individual and shared tests. Our London consortium guide sets out who tests with whom.

Birmingham, Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire and the Midlands

Birmingham (King Edward VI Foundation). Registration for 2027 entry opened 5 May 2026, the reasonable adjustments deadline was 12 June 2026 at 4pm, and registration closed 26 June 2026 at 4pm. The entrance test was 12 September 2026 in morning and afternoon sessions, and results were issued 16 October 2026. Birmingham residents' school-application deadline is 31 October 2026; families elsewhere must check their home council's deadline. National Offer Day is 1 March 2027. Full test timetable at the King Edward VI Foundation, with more context in our Birmingham 11 plus guide.

Warwickshire. Registration opened 7 May 2026 and closed 30 June 2026. Invite letters went out in the week commencing 10 August 2026, tests were held 12 and 13 September 2026, and results were available 16 October 2026. For Warwickshire residents, the school-application deadline is 4pm on 31 October 2026; proof of address is due 31 December 2026, and National Offer Day is 1 March 2027. See the Warwickshire 11 plus guide and check a different home council's application deadline if you live outside Warwickshire.

Buckinghamshire. Registration ran 1 May to 2 June 2026 (3pm). The practice test was 8 September 2026 and the Secondary Transfer Test 10 September 2026, with results on 9 October 2026. Buckinghamshire requires a score of at least 121 to be considered qualified for a grammar school place, and uses 1 September 2026 as the home address cut-off for the main allocation round. See our Buckinghamshire Transfer Test guide.

Lincolnshire. The consortium’s 2026 key dates for 2027 entry list the first paper, Verbal Reasoning, on 11 or 12 September 2026, and the second, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Awareness, on 18 or 19 September. The assigned dates depend on the registered school and area. The King’s School, Grantham lists the two Saturday sittings for its candidates; those are a local example. The consortium lists results emailed to parents at noon on 9 October 2026. Check your registered school for its venue and instructions.

Torbay and the South West

Torbay grammar schools. Churston Ferrers, Torquay Boys' and Torquay Girls' use the shared Torbay selection-test results. The test was sat on 19 September 2026. Torbay Council's timetable schedules guidance from 13 October 2026 or as soon afterwards. Torbay residents' separate Common Application Form is due 31 October 2026, and school offers arrive on 1 March 2027. Families outside Torbay should check their home council's deadline. A Yes or No on the guidance is an eligibility indication, not a place offer. Read our Torbay results and application guide before choosing schools, especially if an older Churston policy still shows priority for 15 feeder primary schools: Churston says that priority was removed in October.

Results day and the school-application deadline

Results arrived on different dates: Buckinghamshire on 9 October, Medway on 14 October, Kent on 15 October, and Warwickshire and Birmingham on 16 October. For the areas listed here, home-council school applications generally close on 31 October, while Kent's closes on 2 November 2026. Warwickshire's 31 October deadline is 4pm, so check the time as well as the date. These are application deadlines for the child's home council, even when a chosen school sits elsewhere.

That leaves little time to read a result, check each school's admission rules and complete the preference form. The number of preferences varies by home council. Do not assume a school will offer a place because your child qualified for its test.

Draft a preference list before results where possible, then revisit it against the result and the policies. Put schools in the order you genuinely prefer them, including an option your child can attend if a grammar place is unavailable.

A qualifying score is not an offer of a place. It lets your child be considered under each school's current admissions criteria. You must still submit the home council's application on time, and naming a school only once in genuine preference order does not reduce its priority. GOV.UK gives 1 March 2027 as National Offer Day; the home council's instructions control how and when you receive your offer.

Grammar schools that run their own timetable

Some schools publish additional assessment dates alongside a shared or area-wide test. Check the school's own admissions information as well as the area timetable.

• Weald of Kent Grammar School offered an alternative 2027-entry assessment. Its school-run registration closed on 10 July 2026 at 4pm, later than Kent Test registration. The school says the Kent Test and Weald Grammar Assessment are equal alternative routes for its admissions; applicants still had to name the school on their home-council application. Our Weald Grammar Assessment guide separates the school registration from Kent Test registration.
• Sutton's stage 2 exams on 26 September and 3 October, and the Wilson's aptitude day on 10 October, sit entirely outside the borough-wide SET date.
• Lincolnshire's route uses two papers. The King's School, Grantham says candidates registered there attend its 12 and 19 September test sessions; ask the school where you registered about its venue and arrangements.

After you have found your county or borough date, check the admissions information for each school you intend to name. Any additional school-specific timetable may be published separately from the council's area timetable.

What to do if you missed the deadline

If registration has closed for you this cycle, submit your home council's school application by its published deadline, including non-selective schools you would genuinely want. Ask the relevant test authority whether a later assessment is possible for your child and how that affects school consideration. If you receive an offer on 1 March 2027, the offer letter will explain waiting lists and appeals. These routes do not replace an on-time school application.

For a child due to enter secondary school in September 2028, check the next registration and access-arrangements dates with the test authority. Gloucestershire has already published the 8 February to 19 March 2027 registration window and says its schools are planning a 3 July 2027 test. Other areas may publish different dates. Check the 2028-entry school-application deadline with your home council when it publishes the timetable.

Read about our exam plan feature if you are considering a structured preparation plan. Check registration and test dates with the relevant council, consortium or school; the feature page does not provide those official dates.

Quick answers

What date was the 11 plus exam in 2026? There was no single UK test date. Examples for September 2027 entry include Buckinghamshire on 10 September, Kent primary pupils on 10 September, Birmingham on 12 September, Warwickshire on 12 and 13 September, Sutton on 15 September, Redbridge on 18 September, CSSE Essex on 19 September and Medway non-Medway-school pupils on 19 or 20 September.

What month are 11 plus exams? There is no single month for every selective school. The examples in this 2027-entry guide include September 2026 tests; Gloucestershire's published test date for September 2028 entry is 3 July 2027, in Year 5. Check the current dates for each school you are considering.

Are 11 plus exams moving to July? Some routes have changed their schedule. For September 2028 entry, Gloucestershire says its schools are planning a 3 July 2027 test in Year 5 and have named FSCE as the provider. This does not establish a national move; check each school's current admissions page.

Do Year 11s leave in June or July? This is a different stage of school. Year 11 is usually the GCSE year; the 11 plus is an entrance assessment used by some schools for Year 7 admission. Check the relevant school's year-group and test arrangements.

Current-cycle review: 24 October 2026. Check the linked council, consortium and school pages before acting on a date. Most dates on this page are for the 2026 tests for September 2027 entry; the Gloucestershire section also notes its published 2028-entry registration and test plan.