Key Facts
| School type | State grammar (academy), girls, 11 to 16, with a mixed sixth form 16 to 18 |
|---|---|
| Location | Boston, Lincolnshire |
| Entry points | 11+ (Year 7); mid-year entry into Years 8-11 by assessment; Sixth Form entry at 16+ (mixed intake) |
| Assessment | Two GL Assessment papers (verbal reasoning; non-verbal and spatial reasoning) set by the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools, with a qualifying score of 220 |
| Test provider | GL Assessment (via the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools) |
| Registration deadline | 31 March, ahead of the September testing round the following autumn |
| Assessment date | Early-to-mid September, at the start of Year 6 |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Getting into Boston High School for Girls at 11+ means registering for the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' 11+ test, sitting two GL Assessment papers at the start of Year 6, and reaching the standardised score the consortium sets to identify the most able quarter of the year group. Parents whose daughter reaches that score then name the school as a preference on Lincolnshire County Council's secondary school application form.
Boston High School for Girls sits on Spilsby Road in Boston, Lincolnshire, and takes girls from Year 7 to Year 11, with a mixed sixth form for post-16 study. The school shares its entrance test with the wider Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools, so the format and qualifying standard are set countywide, agreed jointly by all consortium schools.
How the 11+ assessment works
Girls sit two GL Assessment papers at the start of Year 6, at their own primary school or an arranged testing venue according to area. One paper tests verbal reasoning and the other tests non-verbal and spatial reasoning; there is no fixed syllabus, so the papers assess reasoning skills built up over time and independent of any set curriculum. The Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools sets a qualifying score of 220 on the combined result, calibrated to identify roughly the most able quarter of the age group across the selective areas of the county. Reaching that score does not by itself guarantee a place, since offers still depend on how oversubscription criteria apply once results are known.
- Verbal reasoning paper
- Non-verbal and spatial reasoning paper
What the test covers and who sets it
The Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools administers the test on behalf of the school and the county's other grammar schools, using papers written and marked by GL Assessment. A short unmarked practice section precedes each paper, and answers are recorded on machine-read answer sheets. Because the test is common to the consortium, a girl only needs to sit it once, and the same result can be used to apply to any Lincolnshire grammar school. Results are sent back to the school for forwarding to parents, primary schools and the county council.
Registration, testing and how offers work
Registration for the 11+ test closes in spring, in the year before secondary transfer, ahead of the papers being sat at the start of Year 6 in September. Results are emailed to parents in October. Parents whose daughter has reached the qualifying score then complete Lincolnshire County Council's secondary school application, naming the school among their preferences; the county council allocates places using the oversubscription criteria where demand exceeds supply.
- Register for the 11+ test, ahead of the spring deadline
- Sit both papers at the start of Year 6 in September
- Results emailed to parents in October
- Apply to Lincolnshire County Council, naming preferred schools
- County council allocates places, using oversubscription criteria where needed
Catchment, transport areas and applying from further afield
The school's Designated Transport Area covers a defined group of primary schools around Boston, and Lincolnshire County Council provides transport for girls who live in the area but beyond walking distance. A further group of primary schools outside that area is also served, where the school is the nearest grammar school to them; girls from those schools take the same test through their own school. Families whose daughter attends a primary school outside both groups, or an independent school, can still register by contacting the school's admissions team directly.
Oversubscription criteria and how places are allocated
When more girls reach the qualifying score than there are places, Lincolnshire County Council applies the school's published oversubscription criteria in order, then falls back on distance if needed. There are 108 places available in Year 7.
- Looked-after and previously looked-after children
- Children registered for pupil premium (free school meals within the past six years)
- Siblings already attending the school
- Straight-line distance from home to school, closest first
- Random allocation if distance cannot separate the final places
If your daughter isn't offered a place
Parents have the right to appeal a decision not to admit their daughter on 11+ grounds. Registering interest with the Clerk to Governors ahead of the admissions deadline lets the school send an appeal form once places are allocated. An independent panel of a chair and two members hears each appeal, usually with both parent and daughter attending, and a decision follows within days.
- School reports from Years 5 and 6
- Predicted results
- Letters from the headteacher or class teacher
- A small number of certificates or awards
Preparing for the Lincolnshire 11+ test
As the papers test verbal and non-verbal reasoning without a set syllabus, familiarity with the question types matters more than working through specific topics. Practising timed reasoning questions, working through unmarked practice sections in the same style as the real papers, and building comfort with machine-read answer sheets all help a child feel less thrown by the format on the day. Since the same test doubles as the entry route to every Lincolnshire grammar school, preparation aimed at the consortium's verbal and non-verbal reasoning format serves a daughter well whichever of the county's grammar schools she is hoping to join.
Related guides
Preparing for the Boston High School for Girls 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Families preparing for the Boston High School for Girls 11+ usually come to us a year or so before the assessment, though shorter runs work where the foundations are already sound. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors build each programme around the format the school actually uses, whether a written paper, an online pre-test, an interview or a combination of them.
More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, so the preparation is led by people who know how selective schools assess. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.
Families work with us online from anywhere in the UK or abroad, 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
- What test does Boston High School for Girls use for 11+ entry?
- Boston High School for Girls uses the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' 11+ test, written and marked by GL Assessment. Girls sit two papers, verbal reasoning and non-verbal and spatial reasoning, at the start of Year 6. The consortium sets a qualifying score of 220 on the combined result, designed to identify roughly the most able quarter of the age group across the county's selective areas.
- How many Year 7 places does Boston High School for Girls have?
- Boston High School for Girls has 108 places in Year 7, according to Lincolnshire County Council's published admissions information. Where more girls reach the qualifying score than there are places, the school's oversubscription criteria decide who is offered a place, starting with looked-after children and working through pupil premium status, siblings and home-to-school distance.
- Can a girl register for the 11+ if she lives outside Lincolnshire or attends an independent school?
- Yes. Girls at independent schools, or living outside the school's usual primary-school network, can still take the 11+ by contacting the school directly to arrange registration, instead of going through a primary school in the normal way. The same GL Assessment papers and qualifying score apply.
- What happens if my daughter doesn't reach the required score or isn't offered a place?
- Parents can appeal a decision not to admit their daughter, by registering interest with the Clerk to Governors ahead of the admissions deadline and later submitting an appeal form with supporting evidence such as school reports, predicted results and headteacher letters. An independent panel of a chair and two members hears each appeal and gives a decision within days.
- Does Boston High School for Girls charge fees?
- No. The school is a state-funded academy within its own single-academy trust, so there are no tuition fees for admission or day places at 11+; families apply through Lincolnshire County Council's normal secondary school admissions process, without any charge to register or attend.
- Is Boston High School for Girls mixed or girls-only?
- The school admits girls only from Year 7 to Year 11, following the same 11+ entry route as the rest of the school. Its sixth form takes a mixed intake of boys and girls from age 16, alongside girls who progress internally from Year 11.
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