Caistor Grammar School 11+ Admissions: Entry, Test and Catchment Guide

Getting into Caistor Grammar School at 11+ means registering directly with the school for its own Verbal Reasoning tests, reaching the qualifying score of 220, and separately naming the school on the home local authority's application form. As a state grammar school, passing the tests alone does not secure a place; the local authority still has to receive that preference form by its autumn deadline before an offer can follow on national offer day.

The school plans for 96 places in Year 7, allocated first to children with an Education, Health and Care Plan or in local-authority care, then to those living within its catchment area, then to children eligible for pupil premium support, and finally by Verbal Reasoning score among the remaining applicants. Families outside Lincolnshire can register and sit the tests in the same way, then apply through their own home council.

How 11+ entry works

The school admits 96 pupils into Year 7 each year through its own 11+ Verbal Reasoning tests, sat in the autumn term of Year 6. Places are not limited to families living locally: any parent can register and sit the tests, though catchment status affects priority once demand for places outstrips supply. Beyond Year 7, a small number of places can open in Years 8 to 10 for pupils who apply and test later, and Sixth Form entry runs as a separate process for both existing pupils and outside applicants.

How the 11+ assessment is structured

The assessment consists of two Verbal Reasoning papers only; there is no maths, English, non-verbal reasoning or spatial reasoning component, and no interview. One paper is standard written Verbal Reasoning and the other multiple choice, sat about a week apart in the autumn term of Year 6. Each test opens with a short practice section before the timed, scored paper begins. Scores are age-standardised, so a child's birth month within the year group does not put them at a disadvantage. A combined score of 220 or more across both papers reaches the qualifying standard, designed to identify the upper quarter of the ability range.

Registering and applying, step by step

Two separate applications run side by side, and missing either one can cost a place even if a child qualifies on test score alone. Missing either the school's own deadline or the local authority's autumn deadline rules a child out, whatever their test result.

• Register directly with the school through the online form on its website, opening in the spring term of Year 5, ahead of the registration deadline
• Sit the two Verbal Reasoning papers at the school in the autumn term of Year 6
• Receive the test results by email from the school
• Name the school as a preference on the home local authority's common application form, regardless of the test outcome
• Wait for the local authority's offer on national offer day
• Accept or decline the offer within the timescale the local authority sets

Catchment area and oversubscription criteria

In-catchment status covers children whose main home is within 6.5 miles of the school in a straight line, measured by the local authority from Post Office address points. When qualifying applicants outnumber the 96 places, priority runs in a fixed order.

Ties are resolved first by mean rank position across the two papers, then by the highest score on the written paper, then by the fewest mistakes on that paper, and only as a last resort by an independent lottery.

• Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school
• Looked-after and previously looked-after children
• In-catchment candidates who reach the qualifying score
• Up to 12 places reserved for pupils eligible for pupil premium support
• Remaining places awarded by Verbal Reasoning score, highest first

What happens if a child does not get an offer

A child who reaches the qualifying score but is not offered a place goes onto the school's waiting list, ordered by the oversubscription criteria; a higher-priority child can still move above an earlier applicant, whatever the order of application. Lincolnshire holds this list until the start of September, after which the school manages it directly, and it remains open until the end of Year 9. Parents can also appeal to an independent panel; a child who did not reach 220 can only be admitted this way if the panel judges them to be of grammar-school ability. Appeals run separately from the main admissions process, and any places awarded on appeal come in addition to the published number.

How to prepare for the assessment

Because the test covers Verbal Reasoning only, preparation should focus on the question types found in standard and multiple-choice Verbal Reasoning papers, since maths and comprehension work will not be tested. The school states that no particular preparation is required and publishes example questions on its website, though practice with the format tends to help a child work at the right pace under timed conditions. A short practice section at the start of each real paper lets pupils settle in before the scored questions begin, so familiarity with that structure in advance is more useful than last-minute cramming.

Entry into later years and the Sixth Form

A pupil who missed the main Year 7 round, or who moves into the area later, can still apply for Years 8, 9 or 10 if a place is available, sitting the same two Verbal Reasoning papers, except for Year 10, where a new Verbal Reasoning test sits alongside Mathematics and English papers set by the school. Once a child has sat the tests, the result stands and cannot be retaken until Year 9. Sixth Form entry follows a different route: pupils already in Year 11 at the school are guaranteed a place providing they meet minimum GCSE requirements, while outside applicants are ranked by average capped GCSE score for the limited external places.

Related guides

• Lincolnshire grammar schools guide
• Grammar schools in England: the full directory

Preparing for the Caistor Grammar School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Caistor Grammar School 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.