Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School 11+ Admissions: A Parent's Guide

Entry to Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School at 11+ depends on reaching the qualifying score in the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, then being offered one of the 180 published places in Year 7 once the school's oversubscription criteria have been applied. The test is sat in the autumn of Year 6, set by GL Assessment, and measures verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills; a standardised score of 121 or more qualifies a child for a place at a Buckinghamshire grammar school, though qualifying does not itself guarantee an offer at this particular school if applications exceed the places available.

Because the school sits within Buckinghamshire's countywide testing system, getting in involves two separate steps handled by different bodies: registering for and sitting the test, administered by Buckinghamshire Council on behalf of all the county's grammar schools, and separately naming the school as a preference through the normal secondary school application to the family's home local authority.

How entry works at 11+

The school's main entry point is Year 7 at age 11, with a published admission number of 180 places, filled according to performance in the countywide Secondary Transfer Test; the school does not set its own exam. A second, smaller entry point exists at Year 12, where roughly 34 additional external places are available alongside continuing Year 11 students, based on GCSE results: a minimum standard across a student's best eight subjects, including at least a grade 5 in mathematics and English Language. The 11+ test does not apply at this stage.

For Year 7, meeting the qualifying score in the Secondary Transfer Test makes a child eligible for consideration, but does not automatically secure a place. Where eligible applications exceed the 180 places, the school's published oversubscription criteria decide which children are offered a place, so families should treat qualifying and being offered a place as two distinct hurdles.

How the 11+ assessment works

The Secondary Transfer Test used for entry to the school consists of two papers, each around 60 minutes including an introduction and practice examples, both sat on the same day in the autumn of Year 6. The test assesses verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills; a child's score in each of the three areas is age-standardised so that children are compared fairly regardless of when their birthday falls in the year.

The three standardised scores are added together to give the child's Secondary Transfer Test Score, and a total of 121 or more automatically qualifies a child for a grammar school place in the county. Children registered directly, without going through a Buckinghamshire state primary school, also sit a shorter practice test in the days before the main test, to help them become familiar with the format before it counts.

How to register and what happens next

Registration for testing is automatic for children at state-funded Buckinghamshire primary schools unless a parent withdraws their child. Children at independent schools, partner schools or any school outside Buckinghamshire, including Milton Keynes, must be registered directly with Buckinghamshire Council, which administers testing on behalf of all the county's grammar schools. Late registration is only normally accepted in particular circumstances, such as a house move.

• Register for testing, either automatically or, for non-Buckinghamshire-primary children, directly with the council
• Sit the practice test, then the main Secondary Transfer Test papers on the same day in autumn Year 6
• Receive the Secondary Transfer Test Score once results are released
• Submit the secondary school application to the family's home local authority, naming preferred schools including any qualifying grounds such as Free School Meals or Pupil Premium eligibility
• Receive the offer on National Offer Day, with any unsuccessful applicants able to join the waiting list or lodge an appeal

Catchment and oversubscription criteria

The school applies a published order of priority once qualifying applications exceed the 180 available places; catchment area residence sits among the later criteria. Distance from home to the school, measured in a straight line to the nearest of the school's three main entrances, is used only once every earlier criterion has been applied, and decides ties by random draw where two addresses are equally close.

• Looked-after and previously looked-after children, and those qualifying for Free School Meals
• Children qualifying for the Pupil Premium grant
• Siblings of children already on roll, or who will be, at the time of admission
• Children of Insignis Academy Trust staff meeting employment or shortage-post conditions
• Children resident in the school's catchment area
• All other qualifying children, in order of straight-line distance from home to school

Free School Meals and Pupil Premium places

Up to six places above the published admission number are reserved for children who qualify for Free School Meals or the Pupil Premium grant and whose Secondary Transfer Test score would not otherwise reach the standard qualifying threshold. These candidates need a score of at least 110, a lower threshold than the standard 121, and the council identifies eligible children scoring between 110 and 121 by distance to the school once eligibility for Free School Meals or Pupil Premium has been confirmed through the coordinated admissions process, supported by evidence such as proof of benefit receipt sent to the school.

If a child doesn't reach the qualifying score

Parents of a child who scores below 121 can apply for a Selection Review if they believe particular circumstances affected performance on the day and that the score understates the child's ability. A panel made up of serving secondary and primary headteachers, supported by a clerk, considers each written application and can seek advice from an educational psychologist before deciding, with the review completed before places are allocated.

After places have been allocated, parents also have a statutory right to appeal a refusal to an independent panel, arranged through Buckinghamshire Council on the school's behalf. This appeal does not normally re-examine whether a child was capable of qualifying in the test, since that question belongs to the Selection Review process instead.

How to prepare for the assessment

Because the Secondary Transfer Test covers three defined skill areas, verbal, non-verbal and mathematical, familiarising a child with each question type and with working accurately under a timed, multiple-choice format tends to matter more than covering unrelated content. There is no interview and no additional coursework requirement for Year 7 entry, so preparation can stay focused on the test itself, without needing to cover broader school-specific expectations.

Children registered directly for testing sit a short practice paper before the main test, which gives a useful, low-pressure sense of timing and format; the same benefit can be built at home by practising short, timed sections across all three skill areas instead of one long paper at a time, keeping the approach calm and paced in the run-up to the test.

Related guides

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

Preparing for the Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Sir Henry Floyd Grammar 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.