Key Facts
| School type | State grammar school (academy, Red Kite Schools Trust), co-educational day school, ages 11 to 18 |
|---|---|
| Location | Chesham, Buckinghamshire |
| Entry points | 11+ (Year 7); 16+ (Year 12, external applicants); occasional places in Years 8 to 10 via late transfer testing |
| Assessment | Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT): two same-day papers, about 60 minutes each, covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematical ability, age-standardised and combined; a score of 121 or more qualifies |
| Test provider | GL Assessment, administered by Buckinghamshire Council |
| Registration deadline | Secondary Transfer Test registration: May to June 2027 (exact dates published by Buckinghamshire Council); secondary school application to the home local authority due by 31 October 2027 |
| Assessment date | Practice test and Secondary Transfer Test: early September 2027; results issued to parents: mid-October 2027 (exact dates published on Buckinghamshire Council's website) |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Entry to Chesham Grammar School at 11+ depends on reaching a qualifying score of 121 in the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, then naming the school on the standard Year 7 application submitted to the family's home local authority by the national deadline. The school's planned admission number is 186 places for Year 7, allocated first to looked after children and a small group of catchment-area children on Pupil Premium, then worked through the school's published oversubscription criteria before any remaining places are offered by distance.
Because the school sits within Buckinghamshire's county-wide selective system, admission runs through Buckinghamshire Council: parents do not apply directly to the school for Year 7, and the same test result is shared with every Buckinghamshire grammar school a family lists as a preference.
How entry works at 11+ and sixth form
The school admits at 11+ into Year 7, with a planned admission number of 186 places, and separately at 16+ into Year 12, where at least 30 places are set aside for external applicants who meet the sixth form entry criteria. Occasional places arise in Years 8 to 10 through Buckinghamshire's late transfer testing procedure, though the school notes its Key Stage 3 year groups are typically full, so qualifying pupils are usually placed on a waiting list instead of being offered a place immediately.
- Year 7 (11+): 186 planned places
- Year 12 (16+): at least 30 places for external applicants, subject to entry criteria
- Years 8 to 10: late transfer testing, subject to availability
How the 11+ assessment works
The 11+ assessment for Chesham Grammar School is the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, a single test day set by Buckinghamshire Council and produced by GL Assessment; it is shared across all of the county's grammar schools and is not set individually by each school. Children sit two papers on the same day, each around 60 minutes including instructions and practice examples, covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematical ability. The three scores are age-standardised and added together; a total of 121 or more qualifies a child for a grammar school place, though qualifying does not guarantee an offer where a school is oversubscribed.
How to register and apply
Registration for the Secondary Transfer Test opens each spring and closes a few weeks later, with exact dates published on Buckinghamshire Council's website each cycle. Children attending a Buckinghamshire state primary school are entered automatically unless a parent withdraws them; children at independent or out-of-county schools must be registered by the parent within the published window. After the practice session and test day in the autumn of Year 6, results are issued in the following weeks, and parents then list their preferred grammar school on the standard secondary application to their home local authority, due by the national deadline in the autumn.
Catchment area and oversubscription criteria
The school holds a defined catchment area, shown on a map published alongside its admissions policy. Where qualifying applications for Year 7 exceed the 186 places available, the school works through its published criteria in order.
Where a criterion produces more eligible children than places, distance from the family's home to the school's main entrance on White Hill decides the outcome, with random allocation used only if two homes are precisely equidistant.
- Looked after and previously looked after children
- Up to 6 places for catchment-area children receiving Pupil Premium, scoring 110 to 120
- Catchment-area children receiving Pupil Premium
- Siblings already on the school roll
- Children of staff employed by the school for at least two years
- Remaining children living in the catchment area
- Children with significant medical or social needs
- All other qualifying children, in order of distance from the school
What happens if your child doesn't reach the qualifying score
A child who scores below 121 can still be considered through a Selection Review, where a panel of serving primary and secondary headteachers, advised where relevant by an educational psychologist, decides whether particular circumstances affected the result; a child deemed qualified this way is then treated as any other qualified applicant across the county's grammar schools. Separately, up to six catchment-area places each year are reserved for children entitled to Pupil Premium who score between 110 and 120. Parents whose child is refused a place after allocation retain a statutory right of appeal to an independent panel, managed on the school's behalf by Buckinghamshire Council.
How to prepare for the assessment
Because the Secondary Transfer Test covers verbal, non-verbal and mathematical reasoning across two timed papers sat back to back, children usually benefit from practising each question type separately before working under timed conditions, so the format becomes familiar as its own skill, distinct from the content itself. A short practice session, held just before the main test day, is designed to settle first-time nerves, and parents can support that aim by keeping test week ordinary and low-pressure. Since scores are age-standardised, steady, paced preparation over time generally serves a child better than a short burst immediately beforehand.
Sixth form entry requirements
Entry to Year 12 requires a minimum of 48 points from a student's best eight GCSEs, with at least six of those being GCSEs where a mixed set of qualifications is taken, alongside grade 5 or above in English language and mathematics. Most A-level subjects carry their own subject-specific requirement, typically grade 6 at GCSE and grade 7 for some subjects, with grade 8 required for Further Maths; students taking a fourth subject need 56 points, compared with 48 for three subjects. External applicants apply through the school's online portal, with the same entry requirements as internal candidates, and remaining places are allocated using the same oversubscription order as Year 7.
Related guides
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Frequently asked questions
- What score do you need to get into the school at 11+?
- A total Secondary Transfer Test Score of 121 or more qualifies a child for a place at any Buckinghamshire grammar school, including this one. The score combines age-standardised results from verbal, non-verbal and mathematical papers taken on the same test day. Reaching 121 confirms a child as academically suited to grammar education across the county; it does not guarantee a place at a particular oversubscribed school.
- How many Year 7 places does the school offer?
- The planned admission number is 186 places for Year 7 each September. Where qualifying applications exceed that number, places are allocated using the school's published oversubscription criteria, starting with looked after children and working through catchment, siblings, staff children and medical or social need before distance from the school decides any remaining places.
- Does the school have a catchment area?
- Yes. The catchment area is shown on a map published with the admissions policy, and priority within several of the oversubscription criteria depends on a child living there continuously for the qualifying period set out in the policy. Catchment status matters most for the Pupil Premium places reserved within it; children outside the catchment area can still qualify and be admitted once catchment-based criteria are exhausted.
- What happens if my child doesn't reach the qualifying score of 121?
- Parents can apply for a Selection Review, where a panel of serving headteachers, advised where needed by an educational psychologist, considers whether particular circumstances affected the test. A child deemed qualified this way is treated as any other qualified applicant. Separately, up to six catchment-area places each year go to children on Pupil Premium scoring between 110 and 120.
- How do you apply for a sixth form place?
- External applicants apply through the school's online Applicaa portal; phone, email and in-person applications are not accepted, and a closing date is published each year for September entry. Entry requires a minimum of 48 points from a student's best eight GCSEs, grade 5 or above in English language and mathematics, and a subject-specific GCSE grade for each A-level chosen.
- Is there support for Pupil Premium children who score just below 121?
- Yes. Up to six places in Year 7 are reserved for children living in the catchment area who receive Pupil Premium and score between 110 and 120, ranked by distance if that group is oversubscribed. This sits alongside, not instead of, the standard Selection Review process available to any child who narrowly misses the qualifying score.
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