Key Facts
| School type | State grammar school (academy), co-educational, ages 11 to 18 |
|---|---|
| Location | Welling, London Borough of Bexley, Kent |
| Entry points | 11+ (Year 7, the main point of entry); Sixth Form (Year 12) also admits external applicants |
| Assessment | The Bexley Selection Test: two multiple-choice papers covering verbal reasoning and comprehension, non-verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning, sat in one September session |
| Test provider | Quest Assessments, on behalf of the London Borough of Bexley |
| Registration deadline | Registration for the Bexley Selection Test opens 1 March and closes 31 March; late registration is accepted only in exceptional circumstances |
| Assessment date | September (weekdays only); exact test-centre dates are confirmed to registered families in early September |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Getting into Bexley Grammar School at 11+ means a child's home local authority registering them for the Bexley Selection Test in the spring of Year 5, sitting that test in September of Year 6, and then, if deemed selective, being named on the common application form by the end of October so that Bexley Grammar School can be ranked as a preference.
The test is shared across the London Borough of Bexley's four grammar schools, so a child sits it once and it is used for entry to Bexley Grammar School, Beths Grammar School, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and Townley Grammar School alike. Meeting the qualifying standard does not guarantee a place at the school itself, since it then allocates its 210 Year 7 places using its own published oversubscription criteria once demand exceeds supply.
How entry works
The school is a co-educational state grammar school academy for ages 11 to 18, and its main point of entry is Year 7 at 11+. The school has an agreed admission number of 210 places for Year 7 entry, set out in its published admissions policy.
The school also admits external candidates into its Sixth Form at 16+ through a separate application process, alongside its own Year 11 leavers progressing internally; the 11+ selection test applies only at the point of Year 7 entry.
How the Bexley Selection Test works
The school uses the same test and the same qualifying standard as the other Bexley grammar schools, administered borough-wide by Quest Assessments. The school's own admissions policy describes the Bexley Selection Test as two papers, each divided into timed sections, covering verbal reasoning and comprehension, non-verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning, with most questions multiple-choice and answers recorded on a separate machine-readable sheet.
Both papers are sat in a single session on the same day, either at the child's own primary school or at a test centre, with the invitation to attend confirmed to parents in early September. A child's primary school headteacher can request a review of the selective decision through the Bexley Headteacher Review Panel, and home-schooling families can ask the school to arrange sponsorship for a similar review.
Registering and applying: the steps in order
Registration for the Bexley Selection Test is completed online with the local authority; this is the first step a family must complete before applying to the school if they want their child considered. Once registered, the child sits the test in September, and results are sent to parents by the local authority.
If the child is deemed selective, parents then complete the common application form provided by their home local authority, naming the school among their preferences. Places are announced on National Offers Day, and families accept or decline the offer from there; families who miss the registration window can only request a late test if there are specific, documented reasons for the delay.
- Register with the local authority for the Bexley Selection Test
- Sit the two test papers in one September session
- Receive the test outcome and, if selective, complete the common application form naming the school
- Receive the outcome on National Offers Day and respond to any offer
How the school decides who gets a place
Where more selective children apply than there are places, the school allocates its 210 Year 7 places using its published oversubscription criteria, applied strictly in order after children with an education, health and care plan naming it. Priority runs from looked-after and previously looked-after children, then up to 12 places reserved for Pupil Premium-eligible children ranked by distance.
Next come children awarded one of the 180 highest standardised scores across all children who sat the test for any grammar school in Bexley, who are guaranteed a place at their preferred grammar school; then siblings already at the school in Years 7 to 11, then children of staff employed at the school for two or more years, and finally distance, measured in a straight line from home to the school's official entrance. Where distance ties to within 0.001 of a mile, the higher test score decides.
Preparing for the Bexley Selection Test
Because the Bexley Selection Test covers verbal reasoning and comprehension, non-verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning across two timed, multiple-choice papers, useful preparation usually centres on building comfort with all three question types under time pressure, alongside the multiple-choice, machine-readable answer format itself. The school sends registered families a link to official familiarisation materials once registration is complete, which is a sensible starting point for understanding the test's layout and instructions.
Since the same test and standard apply across all four Bexley grammar schools, preparation does not need to be tailored to the school specifically; a broad, steady grounding in reasoning, vocabulary and number work tends to serve a child better than last-minute cramming.
Sixth Form entry
Entry to the Sixth Form runs through a separate process from the 11+, open both to the school's own Year 11 students and to external applicants. Where more external applicants meet the academic entry requirements than there are places, offers follow the Sixth Form's own oversubscription criteria in the order set by the governors.
Prospective Sixth Form families are invited to contact the school directly and to attend an open evening, with further application details published on the school's Sixth Form admissions pages nearer the time.
Waiting lists, in-year admissions and appeals
Where a place is not offered, the school maintains a waiting list, ranked according to the same oversubscription criteria, for a set period following admission; only children deemed selective can be included, and the list is re-ranked each time a child is added. Children directed to the school under the local Fair Access Protocol take precedence over the waiting list, and can be admitted above the published admission number.
Families not offered a place have a statutory right of appeal to an independent panel, made by contacting the school's admissions officer for an appeal form after National Offers Day and returning it, with supporting evidence, by the end of March. Children moving into the area during Year 6, or wanting to join later than Year 7, can in some circumstances sit a late or in-year selection test, though a child may not sit the test more than once in an academic year.
Related guides
Preparing for the Bexley Grammar School 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Preparation for the Bexley Grammar School 11+ tends to go best when it starts early and stays steady, and most families who work with us begin between twelve and eighteen months out. Our tutors, who have prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, plan the work backwards from the school's own assessment format and registration deadline.
The tutors we match to 11+ preparation are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.
Families in London and further afield work with us online, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.
Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Bexley Grammar School have a catchment area for 11+ entry?
- The school's published oversubscription criteria do not include a catchment or priority area. After looked-after children, Pupil Premium places, the borough-wide guaranteed top 180 scorers, siblings and staff children, remaining places go by straight-line distance from home to the school; proximity matters at the final stage, and no defined catchment boundary applies.
- What happens if my child passes the Bexley Selection Test but Bexley Grammar School is oversubscribed?
- Passing, or being deemed selective, means a child is eligible to be considered, not guaranteed a place. Unless the child is among the 180 highest scorers borough-wide, has a sibling at the school, is a staff child, or qualifies for one of the reserved Pupil Premium places, admission then depends on the remaining oversubscription criteria, including distance from home to school.
- Can we still name Bexley Grammar School on the application form if our child was not deemed selective?
- Yes, a family can still name the school as a preference, but according to the school's own guidance an application from a child who has not been deemed selective would need to be pursued through appeal after rejection, and families are advised to also name at least one non-selective school to secure a September place.
- Do we need to complete a supplementary form for Bexley Grammar School?
- A supplementary form is only needed if applying under the Pupil Premium oversubscription criterion, which reserves up to 12 places for Pupil Premium-eligible children who are deemed selective, ranked by distance. It must be returned to the school alongside the common application form naming the school; submitting the supplementary form alone does not count as an application.
- Is the Bexley Selection Test the same as the Kent Test or other grammar school tests?
- No. Bexley Grammar School's admissions policy states that it uses the same standard for selection as applied across all four Bexley grammar schools, and results from the Kent Test or any other local authority's selection test are not considered for entry to Bexley Grammar School.
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