Key Facts
| Results (September 2027 entry) | Emailed to parents by 4pm on Friday 16 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Qualifying standard | Each candidate is told whether they met the required standard (eligible) or not (ineligible); eligible children are then ranked by test score within each school's priority categories |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole application deadline (September 2027 entry) | 31 October 2026 for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole residents |
| Preferences (BCP residents) | Up to four schools |
| Late testing (September 2027 entry) | Register by 12 noon, 29 January 2027; late test on 23 February 2027 |
| Waiting lists (September 2027 entry) | Schools must hold them until 31 December 2027, and some keep them longer |
| Registration window (September 2028 entry) | Monday 12 April 2027 to 12 noon, Friday 3 September 2027 |
| Test date (September 2028 entry) | Saturday 25 September 2027 |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
Four grammar schools serve families in Bournemouth and Poole:Bournemouth SchoolandBournemouth School for Girlsin Bournemouth, andPoole Grammar SchoolandParkstone Grammar Schoolin Poole, each selecting on academic ability. Together the schools form the Dorset Consortium of Grammar Schools, an arrangement built so that a child considering more than one of the four sits a single set of entrance tests instead of sitting four separate exams.
The tests are currently set by GL Assessment and cover mathematics, English and verbal reasoning, with the same papers sat on the same day at consortium schools; from the next September sitting, for the entry round that follows the current one, the assessments move to a new provider, Quest Assessments. Registering for the test is a separate step from applying for a school place, which goes through the home local authority's Common Application Form, and each school then applies its own published oversubscription criteria once results are known.
The four grammar schools in Bournemouth and Poole
Two of the four sit in Bournemouth and two in Poole, and all four are academies with a Year 7 entry point reached through the 11+.
Bournemouth School, founded in 1901 and based in Charminster, takes boys into the main school and has admitted girls into a co-educational sixth form since September 2012. Bournemouth School for Girls, which opened in 1918, is a girls' grammar school academy. In Poole, Poole Grammar School is a boys' grammar school on Gravel Hill whose sixth form also takes applicants from other schools, while Parkstone Grammar School, on Sopers Lane, is a girls' grammar school that became girls-only in 1937 after having opened as a co-educational school in 1905.
- Bournemouth School: Bournemouth, boys (co-educational sixth form)
- Bournemouth School for Girls: Bournemouth, girls
- Poole Grammar School: Poole, boys
- Parkstone Grammar School: Poole, girls
The Dorset Consortium and the shared 11+ test
Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School and Poole Grammar School use one set of tests administered on the same day, so no school runs its own entrance exam; a family registers at whichever consortium school suits them, and the result is then considered by every school the family names on their application. Poole Grammar School's admissions policy notes that boys sitting the test may do so at either Bournemouth School or Poole Grammar School, whichever venue is more convenient for the family.
GL Assessment sets the current papers, standardising scores by age so that an August-born and a September-born candidate are compared fairly. From the next September sitting, for children starting Year 7 in the entry round after the current one, the papers change to a new provider, Quest Assessments; Bournemouth School's admissions pages note that from that point no content beyond the Year 5 National Curriculum will be tested.
11+ tutors
Hannah
Master TutorI am a UK-qualified teacher with 15+ years across private and state schools in the UK and abroad, and hold a BSc from LSE and a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, 11+ and Common Entrance preparation. My approach is personalised, confidence-building and rigorous.
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Sochima
Master TutorI'm a qualified teacher in a London classroom every day, with a BSc in Computer Science from Brunel and a PGCE with QTS. I teach Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science to A-Level, plus 11+ preparation, through project-based work that suits SEND learners well.
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Robert
Master TutorI am a qualified teacher with over twenty years' experience in the UK, Gulf and New Zealand, holding an MA in History and PGCE. I teach English, History, Geography and French from KS2 to A-Level and IB, preparing 11+/13+ candidates. My approach is student-led, focused and diagnostic.
Enquire about this tutorWhat the test covers
Under the current GL Assessment format, candidates sit three multiple-choice papers, entering answers on pre-printed sheets under strict timing, with no variation allowed unless a child holds a relevant Education, Health and Care Plan or Statement of Special Educational Need, in which case up to 25 per cent additional time may be granted.
The mathematics paper runs for 50 minutes and is based on Key Stage 2 work, covering most of the curriculum up to level 5 with some level 6 content included. In English, the paper runs for 45 minutes and tests comprehension, vocabulary and punctuation. The verbal reasoning paper also runs for 50 minutes and is designed to indicate a pupil's academic potential and areas of strength or weakness, with an integral practice element built in since it assumes no prior knowledge of the question types.
- Mathematics: 50 minutes, Key Stage 2 up to level 5, some level 6 content
- English: 45 minutes, comprehension, vocabulary and punctuation
- Verbal reasoning: 50 minutes, tests academic potential with a built-in practice section
Registering and the admissions timetable
Two separate applications are needed for a Bournemouth or Poole grammar school place, and missing either one causes problems: registering for the entrance test with a consortium school, and naming the school as a preference on the Common Application Form submitted to the home local authority. Registering for the test does not itself count as an application for a place.
In the most recent round, registration opened on 13 April and closed at 12 noon on 4 September, with the entrance test held on 26 September. Results are emailed to parents on 16 October, by 4pm according to Bournemouth School's admissions page. Families then have until the home council's closing date, normally 31 October and later when that date falls at a weekend to add the school as a choice on the local authority application form. Bournemouth School's admissions pages describe local authorities issuing offers on 1 March of Year 6, or the next working day if that date falls on a weekend. A late registration route exists for families who miss the September deadline, with Bournemouth School citing a late registration deadline of 12 noon on 29 January and a late test sitting in February; late applicants are considered only after on-time candidates, and the later the test is taken, the more likely the year group is already oversubscribed.
- Test registration: opens mid-April, closes 12 noon on the first Friday of September
- Entrance test: last Saturday of September
- Results: emailed to parents in mid-October
- Council application (Common Application Form): set by the home council, normally 31 October
- National offer day: 1 March, or the next working day
Catchment, priority areas and how places are allocated
Meeting the required standard in the entrance test makes a child eligible for a place, but it does not guarantee one, since all four schools are usually oversubscribed and each applies its own published admissions policy to decide who is offered a place once eligible applicants exceed the places available.
Poole Grammar School's policy sets out its order of priority in detail and illustrates the pattern used across the consortium. A boy with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school is admitted first if he meets the required standard. After that, places go in order to looked-after and previously looked-after children ranked by test score; Pupil Premium-eligible boys living within the historic Borough of Poole or postcodes BH12, BH13, BH14, BH15, BH16, BH17, BH18 and BH21 3, ranked by score; Pupil Premium-eligible boys living outside that area, ranked by score; sons of staff employed at the school for two years or more, ranked by score; remaining boys within the priority area, ranked by score; and finally remaining boys outside it, ranked by score. Where a tie occurs for the final place, Poole Grammar School offers it to the boy living closest to the school, measured through the local authority's Geographical Information System. Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls and Parkstone Grammar School each publish a comparable policy of their own, built around a priority area and similar categories of looked-after children, Pupil Premium eligibility and staff children ahead of general rank order by score.
After the 11+ results: eligibility, applying and appeals
The results email tells parents whether their child has met the required standard, which makes the child eligible for consideration. Meeting the standard does not secure a place, since each school then ranks eligible children by test score within its priority categories; Bournemouth School for Girls, for example, gives 100 of its places to the highest-scoring girls in rank order once looked-after children and Pupil Premium places are accounted for.
Sitting the test is not an application. A family wanting a grammar place lists the school on the home local authority's application, which closes on the home council's closing date, and BCP Council allows up to four preferences, with offers following on 1 March.
There is no appeal against the October result itself, though a family can still name the school and, if refused a place, appeal to an independent panel run by that school; Poole Grammar School's policy allows an appeal on the ground that the child did not meet the required standard as well as on oversubscription. Children who missed the September test can register for a late sitting in February, considered after the first round of allocations, and eligible children not offered a place join the school's waiting list, ranked by its oversubscription criteria.
Preparing for the 11+
GL Assessment publishes free familiarisation papers covering verbal reasoning, English and mathematics, available to download from its own website, alongside paid practice paper packs in the same multiple-choice format used in the real test. Consortium schools point Pupil Premium-eligible families toward free access to Atom Learning's Key Stage 2 resources and 11+ familiarisation materials as an additional route to preparation.
Because the papers are multiple-choice, answered on pre-printed sheets and run to strict timings of 45 to 50 minutes per paper, familiarity with that format and with working accurately at pace tends to matter as much as subject knowledge itself. Families of a child with an identified special educational need or an Education, Health and Care Plan can apply for access arrangements, which may allow up to 25 per cent additional time; in the most recent test round, Bournemouth School set a deadline of 12 noon on 7 September for its Access Arrangements form. Parents of younger children should also note the coming change of test provider: from the next September sitting, for the entry round after the current one, Quest Assessments takes over from GL Assessment, with Bournemouth School confirming that no content beyond the Year 5 National Curriculum will be tested from that point.
Preparing for the Bournemouth and Poole Grammar Schools 11+ with Taylor Tuition
The Bournemouth and Poole Grammar Schools 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.
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Read more about our11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- Do we need to register for the test and apply through the council separately?
- Yes. Registering with a consortium school for the entrance test and naming the school on the Common Application Form submitted to the home local authority are two separate steps, and both are required; registering for the test alone does not count as an application for a place.
- Does passing the 11+ secure a place at a Bournemouth or Poole grammar school?
- No. Meeting the required standard makes a child eligible for consideration, but all four schools are usually oversubscribed, so places are then allocated according to each school's own published oversubscription criteria, with the test score alone not deciding the outcome.
- Can our child sit the test at a school we don't ultimately want them to attend?
- Yes for boys, according to Poole Grammar School's admissions policy: the test can be sat at whichever consortium venue is more convenient, currently Bournemouth School or Poole Grammar School, and the result is shared with any consortium school named on the application.
- What happens if we miss the September registration deadline?
- A late registration route exists, with a late test sitting held the following February, though late applicants are considered only after all on-time applications have been processed, and the later the test is taken, the more likely the year group is already oversubscribed.
- Is extra time available for children with an EHCP or additional needs?
- Access arrangements, including up to 25 per cent additional time, can be requested for a child with a relevant Education, Health and Care Plan or Statement of Special Educational Need, via a form submitted by the school's published deadline ahead of the test.
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Free 11+ familiarisation pack
English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with mark schemes.
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