Key Facts
| 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 |
| Results | Mid-October of Year 6, by email |
| Secondary applications close | 31 October of Year 6, through eAdmissions |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Redbridge maintains two state grammar schools, both selective and both filled through a single test that the council itself sets and runs; neither school devises its own separate entrance exam. Families whose children are working towards Year 7 entry therefore deal mainly with the London Borough of Redbridge's own admissions team, registering through the council's online portal while their child is still in Year 5.
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 of Ilford 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.
Registration 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 31 October of Year 6. 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.
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 exceptional 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.
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 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.
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.
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