Key Facts
| Registration window (September 2027 entry) | Opens 1 May 2026; closes 5pm on Monday 15 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Test sitting (September 2027 entry) | Friday 18 September 2026 |
| Results (September 2027 entry) | Emailed in the middle of October 2026 |
| Redbridge application deadline (September 2027 entry) | 31 October 2026 |
| National Offer Day (September 2027 entry) | On or about 1 March 2027 |
| Minimum threshold score | Total standardised score of 104; no child below it is ranked or placed on a waiting list |
| Year 7 places (September 2027 entry) | Ilford County High School 180; Woodford County High School 180 |
| Last in-catchment scores offered (September 2026 entry) | Ilford County High School 106.02; Woodford County High School 110.62 |
| Waiting lists (September 2027 entry) | Run until 31 December 2027 |
| Late testing | Only for children registered on time who could not sit on the day, with a doctor's certificate or similar proof |
| Grammar schools | Ilford County High School (boys), Woodford County High School (girls) |
| Selection test | Redbridge 11+, run by the London Borough of Redbridge with GL Assessment papers: English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning |
| Registration | Online through the council's portal, May to mid-June of Year 5, with proof of address and date of birth |
| Test sitting | September of Year 6 |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
Ilford County High School (boys) and Woodford County High School (girls) are Redbridge's two grammar schools, and both select through the Redbridge 11+, set by the London Borough of Redbridge. Families register while their child is in Year 5, the test follows in September of Year 6, and a total standardised score of at least 104 is needed to be ranked at all. Places are then offered by catchment priority and score order, as set out below.
The arrangement sits alongside the ordinary secondary transfer process that every Redbridge family goes through, so the 11+ registration is an addition to, not a replacement for, the standard application through the pan-London eAdmissions system. What follows sets out which schools are involved, how the test works, the shape of the yearly timetable, and how catchment, allocation and appeals are handled, drawn from the schools' own admissions pages and the council's published guidance.
The two grammar schools in Redbridge
Redbridge's selective provision consists ofIlford County High School, a boys' grammar school on Fremantle Road in Barkingside, Ilford, and Woodford County High School, a girls' grammar school in Woodford Green. Both are maintained schools, and both draw their intake from the same borough-run entrance test; neither runs its own independent assessment.
- Ilford County High School, Barkingside, Ilford: boys' grammar school
- Woodford County High School, Woodford Green: girls' grammar school
Who sets the test and what it covers
The examination itself, known as the Redbridge 11+, is administered by the London Borough of Redbridge using papers supplied by GL Assessment, the same test serving both Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School. It comprises two papers on the same sitting: one covering English and Verbal Reasoning, and the other covering Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The Redbridge 11+ is the borough's own test, not a consortium paper shared with neighbouring boroughs, and it is used in common by both of Redbridge's grammar schools.
11+ tutors
Mark
Master TutorI have thirty years in education, including Head of English at an independent school and GCSE and A-Level examiner. I teach English, Literature, Language, Creative Writing and Critical Thinking, ages four to eighteen. I start from what a student can already do and adapt my methods to them.
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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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Enquire about this tutorRegistration and the entry timetable
Registration for the Redbridge 11+ takes place online through the council's account portal while a child is still in Year 5, with the registration window opening in May and closing in mid-June of that year; families must also supply proof of the child's address and date of birth. The test itself is sat in September, shortly after the start of Year 6, with an invitation letter and photo identification form sent out to registered families at the start of that month.
Results follow by email in mid-October of Year 6. Because a grammar school place still has to be confirmed through the ordinary secondary transfer process, families separately apply through the pan-London eAdmissions portal, listing up to six school preferences by the home council's closing date, normally 31 October and later when that date falls at a weekend. National Offer Day, when secondary school places for the whole borough are confirmed, falls the following March.
Catchment and who gets priority
Both grammar schools apply a common catchment area defined by the council, and families can check whether their address falls within it using Redbridge's online postcode mapping tool. Within that catchment, priority runs first to looked-after and previously looked-after children, then to a set proportion of places reserved for pupil premium-eligible children living in the catchment area, before other catchment-area candidates are ranked by their test score. Places left after that are offered to out-of-catchment candidates, again ranked by score; Woodford County High School breaks any remaining ties by the shortest measured walking distance to the school.
How places are allocated
A candidate first has to clear a minimum standardised score threshold to be ranked at all; Ilford County High School's published admissions criteria set this at 104, and children scoring below it are not placed on a waiting list. Above that threshold, places are worked through in the oversubscription order set out under catchment and priority, so a qualifying score opens the possibility of a place without guaranteeing one on its own; ranking within each priority group still depends on where a candidate's score and address sit relative to other applicants that year.
Redbridge 11+ results: what the score means and what to do next
Results are emailed in October as a total standardised score, and before the application closing date the council also tells parents where their child stands in overall score order, as guidance for the application and without any promise of an offer. A score of at least 104 is needed to be ranked at all, and in recent rounds the last place offered within the common catchment area has gone to a higher score at both schools.
The grammar schools have to be named on the Common Application Form by the home council's closing date, since registering for the test does not count as an application. Children scoring 104 or more who are not offered a place stay on a waiting list ranked by the same priorities, and a child who registered on time but could not sit the test can be tested later with a doctor's certificate or similar proof.
There is no separate review of the score: a parent unhappy with the outcome is directed to the head of the child's primary school, and a refused place is challenged through the statutory appeal.
Appeals
Where a place is not offered, families can appeal through Redbridge's independent admission appeal panel, a process separate from the council's own admissions team. Appeals are submitted online, with supporting evidence sent by post or email to the council's admissions office, and a hearing is generally held within thirty school days of submission; the panel's decision is usually communicated within five school days of the hearing and is final. Panels can uphold an appeal where the admission arrangements were not properly followed, where the criteria did not comply with the School Admissions Code, or where a family's individual circumstances are judged strong enough to outweigh the case for refusal.
Preparing for the Redbridge 11+
Because the Redbridge 11+ covers English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning in a single sitting, preparation usually involves building familiarity with all four question types well before the September test date, alongside regular timed practice so a child is used to working at exam pace across two papers. Reading stamina and a secure grasp of Year 5 and Year 6 mathematics tend to matter as much as reasoning practice on its own. Woodford County High School's own guidance asks parents to weigh up a daughter's readiness with her class teacher before registering, noting that the standard of the papers is high and that a teacher's encouragement gives no assurance of a place.
For a child in Year 4 or Year 5, the guide towhen to start 11+ preparationworks back from the test date year by year.
Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School compared
Both schools have 180 Year 7 places and apply one priority order: looked-after and previously looked-after children first, then 45 places (25%) for children entitled to the pupil premium, then other children living in the common catchment area, then children living outside it, each group ranked by total standardised score. Where scores tie, the shortest safe walking distance from home to the school's main entrance decides the place.
- Ilford County High School: boys' school; admissions information at ichs.org.uk.
- Woodford County High School: girls' school; admissions information at woodford.redbridge.sch.uk.
- Last in-catchment offer: Woodford County High School's last offered score has been higher than Ilford County High School's in the most recent allocation, with both figures in the key facts.
Redbridge sits within a wider picture of selective entry, which the guide toLondon grammar schoolssets out borough by borough.
Because Paper 1 pairs English with Verbal Reasoning, the11+ verbal reasoning preparationguide is a useful companion to practice for that paper.
Key dates for the Redbridge 11+
Registration, the test and the secondary application run on separate tracks, and a missed registration deadline cannot be recovered, because no late registrations are accepted and no test is arranged for a child who registers late but still names a grammar school. Parents also receive advice on their child's overall position in score order before the 31 October application deadline, which carries no guarantee of an offer.
- Registration: opens on 1 May and closes at 5pm on 15 June, while the child is in Year 5.
- Invitation: letter and photo ID form emailed at the start of September.
- Test: a single Friday sitting in September of Year 6.
- Results: emailed in the middle of October.
- Application deadline: 31 October, on the Common Application Form for Redbridge residents.
- Offer day: on or about 1 March.
Preparing for the Redbridge Grammar Schools 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Families preparing for the Redbridge Grammar Schools 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 in London and further afield work with us online, 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. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact.
Read more about our11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- How many grammar schools are there in Redbridge?
- Two: Ilford County High School, a boys' grammar school in Barkingside, Ilford, and Woodford County High School, a girls' grammar school in Woodford Green. Both admit through the same borough-run Redbridge 11+ test.
- Do we need to live in a particular area to apply?
- Both schools apply a common catchment area set by Redbridge council, checkable by postcode through the council's mapping tool. Catchment residents are prioritised, but children living outside it can still be offered a place if spaces remain after catchment candidates are ranked.
- What does the Redbridge 11+ actually test?
- Two papers sat on the same day: one covering English and Verbal Reasoning, the other Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The council sets and administers the test using papers supplied by GL Assessment.
- What happens if my child doesn't reach the qualifying score?
- Both schools set a minimum standardised score threshold; children who score below it are not ranked or placed on a waiting list for that school.
- Can we appeal if a place isn't offered?
- Yes. Redbridge runs an independent admission appeal panel, separate from its admissions team, with hearings generally held within thirty school days of an appeal being submitted and a final decision usually given within five school days of the hearing.
- What is the pass mark for the Redbridge 11+?
- The qualifying threshold is a total standardised score of 104, and no child scoring below it is ranked or placed on a waiting list. Reaching 104 does not secure a place, since offers go in score order within each priority group, and the last in-catchment scores offered at both schools have been above 104.
- Can children outside Redbridge sit the Redbridge 11+?
- The council's 11+ page asks that a child lives in the common catchment area to register for the test. The admission arrangements rank children from outside the catchment after every catchment applicant, and advise that only children living in the catchment have been admitted to the grammar schools in the last 10 years.
- Does passing the Redbridge 11+ guarantee a place?
- No, because a qualifying score only places a child on the ranked list. Places are offered by priority group and then by total standardised score, so a child must also name a grammar school on the Common Application Form by the closing date; registering for the test does not count as an application.
- Is the Redbridge 11+ a GL Assessment test?
- Yes, GL Assessment provides the test, which has two papers: English with Verbal Reasoning, and Mathematics with Non-Verbal Reasoning. The council applies its own minimum threshold of 104 to the total standardised score, and GL practice materials may differ from the Redbridge papers in question number, type or difficulty.
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