Key Facts
| School type | State grammar (academy), Church of England, selective, boys 11 to 16 with a co-educational Sixth Form (16 to 18) |
|---|---|
| Location | Salisbury, Wiltshire |
| Entry points | 11+ (Year 7); limited post-11+ entry into Years 8 to 11 by the school's own exam; 16+ entry (Year 12) to the co-educational Sixth Form |
| Assessment | Two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers (English and verbal reasoning; mathematics and non-verbal reasoning), age-standardised, sat once with no re-sits; only the 480 applicants living nearest the school may sit the test if registrations exceed that number; no interview or primary school report required |
| Test provider | GL Assessment |
| Registration deadline | 1 September (school's own 11+ registration and Special Access Arrangements deadline, per the Admissions Policy); 31 October (Common Application Form/Secondary Application Form to the home local authority) to both ahead of the following September's Year 7 entry |
| Assessment date | Saturday 26 September 2026 (for September 2027 Year 7 entry) |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Getting into Bishop Wordsworth's School at 11+ means clearing two separate hurdles: registering directly with the school for its own entrance test, and separately naming the school on the home local authority's application form. A boy needs to reach the qualifying standard in a GL Assessment test sat in the autumn of Year 6, and even then a place is not automatic, since the school has only 160 places a year and applies its own oversubscription criteria whenever more boys qualify than there is room for.
The school does not fix a rigid catchment boundary, though a designated area does carry priority if places run short; boys from further afield, including from neighbouring counties, can still register and sit the test, though only the applicants living closest to the school are guaranteed a test place at all if registration numbers run high.
How the 11+ assessment works
The 11+ assessment at Bishop Wordsworth's School consists of two multiple-choice papers set by GL Assessment: one combining English and verbal reasoning, the other combining mathematics and non-verbal reasoning, each lasting around 50 to 55 minutes with a short break between them. Scores are standardised for age, so a boy born later in the school year is not disadvantaged against one born earlier, and the test is sat once only, with no re-sits permitted in the normal round.
There is no interview and no report is required from the child's current primary school; the qualifying standard is the sole measure. This standard is set each year by the admissions committee, in consultation with the Head Master, once all boys in that sitting have been tested, and can vary from year to year. The standard is set 10% lower for boys eligible for Pupil Premium or who are looked after.
How registration and the admissions process run
Registration runs as two separate steps, and missing either leaves an application incomplete. Parents first register their son directly with the school's own online 11+ application, which also gathers evidence for the oversubscription criteria; this and any request for special access arrangements close in late summer, well before the test. Parents then separately complete their home local authority's Common or Secondary Application Form, naming the school as a preference, by the national autumn deadline.
Boys sit the test at the school itself; GL Assessment does not permit it to be taken overseas. Results reach parents in October, ahead of the local authority deadline, and Wiltshire Council then coordinates offers across all preferred schools, issuing one offer per child on National Offer Day, with a set window to accept. An unsuccessful application can be appealed to an independent panel, which considers oversubscription appeals and selection appeals separately.
Who can sit the test, and how many places there are
Bishop Wordsworth's has 160 places in Year 7, its Published Admission Number. If more boys register for the test than the school can accommodate, priority to sit it goes to the 480 living closest, measured by straight-line distance to the school's Exeter Street gate; boys living further away may not be offered a test place at all in a high-registration year.
Reaching the qualifying standard makes a boy eligible for a place; it does not guarantee one. Where more boys meet the standard than there are places, the oversubscription criteria decide who is offered a place and who instead joins the waiting list, which runs until the end of April following the test.
Catchment and oversubscription criteria
Bishop Wordsworth's has a designated area, mapped on the school's website, whose residents are given priority under the oversubscription criteria; the area operates flexibly and is not a rigid catchment boundary. Where qualifying applicants outnumber places, priority runs in order: looked after and previously looked after children; boys eligible for Pupil Premium; boys whose permanent home is in the designated area; children of staff employed at the school for two years or more; boys with a parent serving, or having served within a specified period, in the armed forces; then all other qualifying applicants.
Ties within any one category are broken first by straight-line distance from home to the Exeter Street gate, and, if that is equal too, by an independently supervised casting of lots. A boy with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school is offered a place automatically once the standard is met, ahead of this order.
- Looked after and previously looked after children
- Pupil Premium-eligible boys
- Boys living in the designated area
- Children of staff employed at the school for two years or more
- Boys with a parent serving, or having served within a specified period, in the armed forces
- All other qualifying applicants
Support for lower-income families
As a state grammar school, Bishop Wordsworth's charges no fees, so support for lower-income families works through priority in admissions, with no fee discounts involved. Boys eligible for Pupil Premium, meaning they have been registered for free school meals at any point in the six years before the test, get both a higher place in the oversubscription order and a qualifying standard set 10% lower than for other applicants, with places specifically reserved for this group.
Beyond admissions, the school's own Hardship Fund and the linked BWS Foundation charity offer grants toward costs such as attending open days and sitting the 11+ exam for families who need help meeting them, alongside separate support with uniform, transport and extracurricular costs once a boy has a place.
How to prepare for the assessment
Preparation for Bishop Wordsworth's works best when it mirrors the actual paper types: English and verbal reasoning in one timed sitting, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning in the other, both in multiple-choice format and under the roughly 50 to 55 minute timing used on the day. Free familiarisation materials are available from GL Assessment, and the school directs families to these instead, stating plainly that it has no partnership with private tutors and that any claim of access to its papers or inside information is false.
Since the test is sat once only, with no re-sit in the normal round, building comfort with multiple-choice timing and question style in the run-up matters more than last-minute revision, and requesting any special access arrangements early, well ahead of the deadline, avoids needs being missed on the day.
Other ways to join: post-11+ entry and the Sixth Form
Boys who miss the 11+ round, or who are already at another secondary school, can apply through the post-11+ process at any time, subject to places being available; these are normally very limited across Years 7 to 11. Entry is decided by the school's own exam: English and mathematics for entry into Years 7 to 9, with a combined science paper added for Years 10 and 11, against a qualifying mean score of 72% across the papers; boys who meet the standard join a waiting list, without receiving an offer outright.
The Sixth Form is co-educational, open to both boys and girls, with entry based on GCSE results: applicants need at least 52 points from their best eight GCSEs, including a grade 5 or above in both English Language and mathematics.
Related guides
Preparing for the Bishop Wordsworth's School 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Preparation for the Bishop Wordsworth's 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 the South and South West 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 Bishop Wordsworth's School have a catchment area?
- Not a fixed catchment in the way some schools use the term. The school has a designated area, shown on a map on its website, whose residents get priority if places are oversubscribed, but boys living outside it can still register, sit the test and be considered under the remaining oversubscription criteria and, ultimately, by distance to the school.
- What does the 11+ test at Bishop Wordsworth's involve?
- Two GL Assessment papers, both multiple choice: one combining English and verbal reasoning, the other combining mathematics and non-verbal reasoning, each around 50 to 55 minutes with a short break between. Scores are age-standardised, and the test is sat once only, with no re-sits.
- How many places does the school offer at 11+, and who can sit the test?
- The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 160 places. If registrations for the test exceed capacity, priority to sit it goes to the 480 boys living closest, measured by straight-line distance to the school's gate, so families further away are not guaranteed a test place.
- What happens if my son passes the 11+ but isn't offered a place?
- Meeting the qualifying standard does not guarantee a place if the school is oversubscribed. Boys who qualify but are not offered a place join a waiting list, ranked according to the oversubscription criteria, which is kept open until the end of April following the test.
- Is there an interview as well as the written test?
- No. Entry through the standard 11+ round rests solely on the GL Assessment scores measured against the qualifying standard; the school does not hold an interview or ask for a report from the child's current primary school as part of this process.
- Is financial help available for lower-income families applying to Bishop Wordsworth's?
- Boys eligible for Pupil Premium receive a qualifying standard set 10% lower than other applicants and higher priority in the oversubscription order. The school's Hardship Fund and the linked BWS Foundation charity also offer grants toward costs such as attending open days and sitting the 11+ exam.
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