Entry to Year 7 in September 2026
The online form for registration for 11+ testing for Entry 2026 opens at 09:00 on Friday 10 January 2025 and will close at midnight on Monday 31 March 2025. This deadline must have been met in order to be included in the tests which take place on Saturday 13 September and Saturday 20 September. Please note that students will need to attend both sessions.
Please see downloads (available after 10 January) for important information with regard to Entry 2026 at the foot of this page. The admission policy for entry in 2025/26 can be found here.
Please note that the registration is made through the School for students to be able to sit the tests here, whilst the application is made through your home Local Authority between September and October 2025. The two are quite separate but necessary procedures in order that a student be considered for a place in September 2026.
11+ Testing Procedure for Entry in 2026
There are two tests administered by the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools for students who are at the beginning of Year 6. Candidates are required to take a Verbal Reasoning Test and a Non-Verbal Reasoning & Spatial Awareness Test specifically produced by GL Assessment for Lincolnshire Grammar Schools, at The King's School if they have registered here, OR by arrangement with another Lincolnshire Consortium Grammar School. Candidates will be required to record their answers on an Optical Mark Reading (OMR) sheet, being required to mark a line in a box for the correct choice on the OMR sheet.
Please note that the same tests are used in all Lincolnshire Consortium Grammar Schools and therefore may be taken only once in the school year in preparation for application to any of the Schools in the Lincolnshire Consortium. Please click this link for the other schools in the Consortium.
The King’s School and KGGS are pleased to announce that we have partnered with Atom Learning to give free access to resources for those students who are Pupil Premium. All children who are eligible for Pupil Premium (not just those considering grammar school) will be given access to Atom Home (normally £575.90 a year). We think that Atom Learning may be of great benefit to your son in terms of their progress at Key Stage 2 and for preparing your son for the 11+ tests should you wish for him to sit these. Further information regarding this program can be found in the attached documents or at The King's School Grantham - Atom Learning 'Free 11+ Familiarisation'.
We intend to send out a set of familiarisation materials to primary schools in June 2025 to all schools who agree to administer these in school, where students are registered to take the tests and parents have given the necessary consent on the online registration form.
Where this is not possible, parents are advised to use the free practice material from GL Assessment.
Practice papers can also be purchased from GL Assessment and other retailers. The practice tests are to ensure that candidates are familiar with the style of questions. Each real test also has a short practice element; the Verbal Reasoning Test is preceded by a separate Preliminary Practice Test, and the Non-Verbal Reasoning & Spatial Awareness Test is divided into specific skill sections, each providing at least one practice question. Practice materials are similar in format to the actual 11+ tests, although they may contain more or fewer questions than the actual tests. If purchasing packs of tests, please ensure that you buy the Multiple Choice Format, NOT the Standard Format tests. The most recent materials released by the publisher (February 2019), are as follows:
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11+ Practice Papers Non-Verbal Reasoning |
ISBN 9780708727645 |
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11+ Practice Papers Non-Verbal Reasoning |
ISBN 9780708727652 |
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11+ Practice Papers Non-Verbal Reasoning |
ISBN 9780708727669 |
|
11+ Practice Papers Verbal Reasoning |
ISBN 9780708727614 |
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11+ Practice Papers Verbal Reasoning |
ISBN 9780708727621 |
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11+ Practice Papers Verbal Reasoning |
ISBN 9780708727638 |
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11+ Practice Papers Bundle of All Verbal 11+ |
ISBN 9780708727690 |
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11+ Practice Papers Bundle of All Non Verbal 11+ |
ISBN 9780708727706 |
The main tests are due to take place at The King's School on the following dates:
Verbal Reasoning paper - Saturday 13 September 2025
Non-Verbal and Spatial Awareness paper - Saturday 20 September 2025
Students need to attend both sessions.
Please note that our 11 + exams are conducted according to JCQ guidelines - see IFC document at foot of page. As part of these guidelines, we would like to draw your attention to the rule that students are not permitted take a watch into these examinations. Countdown or 'count up' clocks are NOT allowed either. A reliable clock (digital or analogue) will be visible to each candidate in the examination room.
When the formal tests have been completed in September at The King’s School, the OMR sheets are sent back to GL Assessment for marking. Scores are standardised, making adjustments for age difference and to produce a qualification standard identifying suitability for grammar school education in Lincolnshire for that particular cohort. These results are returned to the grammar schools for distribution to parents; to the primary schools that the candidates currently attend by consent, in order that the child’s education record can be maintained; and may be shared with Lincolnshire County Council if an application is made as they co-ordinate the admissions to this school.
The qualification is a total standardised score of at least 220, as a sum of the two tests, and represents the ability of the most able 25% of pupils in the age group in primary schools in the selective areas of Lincolnshire for this particular year. Please note that attainment of the minimum qualification standard does not of itself guarantee admission to any individual school.
Application to the grammar school of choice must be made through your home Local Authority, for Lincolnshire. The deadline for this is 31 October 2025. Please see the letter for parents from the Admission Team at Lincolnshire County Council at the foot of this page outlining this process.
If your home Local Authority is not Lincolnshire, you will need to follow instructions from them regarding the application procedure and their deadlines.
For further impartial advice on school admissions, please contact the School Admissions team at Lincolnshire County Council. Information can be obtained by calling 01522 782030 or by visiting their website:
School admissions – Lincolnshire County Council
Please note that our Open Evening for students considering entry in September 2026 takes place on Monday 23 June 2025.
