Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School 11+ Admissions: Test, Registration and Places

Getting into Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School at 11+ means a daughter must reach a standardised score of at least 220 in the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' 11+ test, then be named on the family's application to Lincolnshire County Council for a Year 7 place. The test, set by GL Assessment, covers Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning with Spatial Awareness across two papers sat on consecutive Saturdays in September of Year 6. Reaching 220 makes a child eligible; it does not by itself guarantee a place, since the school still applies its published oversubscription criteria if there are more qualified applicants than the 180 places available in Year 7.

Registration for the test happens separately from, and earlier than, the local authority application, and both steps have to be completed. The school does not use a catchment area, so families from any distance may apply, though distance from home to school becomes the tie-breaker if the school is oversubscribed after looked-after children, siblings, Pupil Premium pupils within 12 miles, and staff children have been prioritised.

How entry to Year 7 works

Entry to Year 7 is by selective 11+ test only; there is no non-selective route into the school. The published admission number for Year 7 is 180 places, set by the school as its own admissions authority (it is an academy trust). A child must first reach the qualifying standardised score in the Lincolnshire Consortium 11+ test and then be named on the family's Common Application Form to Lincolnshire County Council, since registering for the test and applying for the place are two separate procedures that both have to be completed.

• Entry point: Year 7 (age 11), plus occasional in-year places in Years 8 to 11 and 30 places for external sixth-form applicants
• Published admission number for Year 7: 180
• Admission authority: the academy trust, following the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' shared testing arrangements

How the 11+ assessment works

The KGGS 11+ is the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' entrance test, set by GL Assessment and shared across the county's consortium grammar schools. Candidates sit two multiple-choice papers on separate Saturdays in September of Year 6: a Verbal Reasoning paper, followed a week later by a Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Awareness paper. Answers are recorded on an Optical Mark Reading sheet and marked electronically; there is no written, maths or interview component to the KGGS selection process itself.

Each paper opens with a short, unmarked practice section so candidates can settle into the question style before the timed test begins. Raw scores are converted into an age-standardised score, which adjusts for the exact age of the child on the day of testing so that younger candidates in the year group are not disadvantaged. Only the combined standardised score is reported to parents; the consortium does not release raw scores or breakdowns by paper.

Registration and the admissions process, step by step

The process runs as two parallel tracks that both need completing on time. Registering for the test does not count as applying for a place, and applying for a place does not entitle a child to sit the test unless registration has also been completed.

• Register for the 11+ test directly with the school (or the family's local consortium school) online, during Year 5, specifying any special educational needs at this stage
• Sit the Verbal Reasoning paper, then the Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Awareness paper, on consecutive Saturdays in September of Year 6
• Receive the standardised score by email, sent to parents at midday and to primary schools later the same day
• Submit the Local Authority Common Application Form, naming up to three preferred secondary schools in order of preference, by the autumn deadline
• Receive the local authority's offer on National Offer Day, with a right of appeal to an independent panel if a place is refused

Catchment and oversubscription criteria

The school has no catchment area, so location alone does not affect eligibility to apply. Where there are more qualifying applicants (those who reached the standardised score of 220) than the 180 available places, the school applies its published oversubscription criteria in order until the places are filled.

• Looked-after children and previously looked-after children, including children who appear to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be so through adoption
• A sibling already attending the school at the time of application
• Pupil Premium-eligible children who reach the qualifying score and live within 12 miles of the school, prioritised by straight-line distance
• Children of staff, where the staff member has been employed at the school for two years or more, or was recruited to fill a post with a demonstrable skill shortage
• Straight-line distance from home to school, with a lottery as the final tie-breaker if distance cannot separate the last applicants

The qualifying standard and what it means

The qualifying standardised score across both papers is 220, a level set by the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools to identify roughly the top 25% of the ability range among children in the county's selective areas. Every candidate who reaches 220 or above is deemed to have qualified, regardless of how far above that mark their score falls; the tests are not a competitive ranking; a higher score does not carry any additional priority for a place once the oversubscription criteria are applied.

Children who do not reach 220 are not eligible for a grammar school place at KGGS through the normal admissions round, though the family may still name the school on the Common Application Form and can seek an independent appeal if refused. The consortium's tests are designed to assess potential without testing curriculum attainment, so the format deliberately does not depend on what has been taught at a particular primary school.

How to prepare for this school's 11+ format

As both papers are reasoning tests unconnected to curriculum content, the consortium's own guidance is that no special preparation is needed and that too much preparation can put children under pressure. Familiarisation materials, in the same multiple-choice format and style as the real papers, are distributed to Lincolnshire primary schools ahead of the test; families at schools outside the county, or wanting extra practice, can buy the equivalent GL Assessment multiple-choice packs from retailers.

The most useful preparation is making sure a child is comfortable with the mechanics of the test: working through multiple-choice reasoning questions at pace, marking answers on a separate OMR answer sheet, and using the short unmarked practice questions at the start of each section to settle in. Helping a child approach test day calmly, through familiarity without heavy drilling, matches the format the consortium has designed.

Sixth form entry

Entry to the sixth form for external applicants requires at least six GCSE passes at grades 5 to 9, including grade 4 or above in English Language and Mathematics, and acceptance onto a viable programme of four A-level subjects meeting individual subject entry requirements. The published admission number for external sixth-form applicants is 30, within a sixth form of around 330 students in total.

Where external applications exceed the 30 places, the school ranks candidates first on overall GCSE performance using their best eight grades, then by the same oversubscription order used at 11+ (looked-after children, staff children, then straight-line distance). Year 11 students already at KGGS have the right to transfer into Year 12 provided they meet the academic standard and the school can accommodate their preferred subject combination.

Related guides

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

Preparing for the Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Kesteven and Grantham Girls' 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 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.