Wallington High School for Girls 11+ Admissions: The SET, NWSSEE and Places

Entry to Wallington High School for Girls at 11+ turns on a two-stage selective test: the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET), shared with five other Sutton grammar schools, followed by the school's own Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination (NWSSEE). The school sits within the London Borough of Sutton's Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme, so families register separately for the SET and also name Wallington on the home local authority's Common Application Form; passing the tests alone does not secure a place.

The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 210, and the school states that it typically receives over 2,000 applications for these places each admissions round. Girls who pass both stages of the entrance test are ranked by score and offered places according to the school's published order of priority, described in the sections below.

[heading] How entry to the school works at 11+

Wallington High School for Girls is a selective girls' grammar school, and its main entry point is Year 7. Mid-term places in Years 8 to 11 are considered only when a vacancy arises, and a minimum of twenty external places is usually offered into the Sixth Form each year. The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 210; every candidate must pass both stages of the entrance test to be eligible, and the school notes it typically receives over 2,000 applications for these places each admissions round.

Because Wallington is part of Sutton's Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme, a valid application has two separate parts: registering with the school (via the shared SET registration form) to sit the entrance test, and naming Wallington as a preference on the Common Application Form issued by the family's home local authority. Both steps are required; the entrance test alone does not create a place.

[heading] How the 11+ assessment works

The first stage, the Selective Eligibility Test (SET), is shared across six Sutton schools and sat once regardless of how many of them a family applies to. It comprises two multiple-choice papers, one in English and one in Maths, each taking between 40 and 50 minutes with a rest break between them; neither paper tests verbal or non-verbal reasoning, and both are broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Candidates record their answers on a separate sheet by filling in the lozenge for their chosen option.

Girls who meet or exceed the SET pass mark are invited to the second stage, the Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination (NWSSEE), run jointly with Nonsuch High School for Girls. This comprises an English paper and a Maths paper, neither multiple-choice. The English paper has no comprehension component and rewards responses to the task set instead of a memorised, pre-prepared composition; the Maths paper awards marks only for the final answer, with none for working. Candidates must pass both parts of the NWSSEE to remain eligible for a place.

The final score combines the standardised NWSSEE English and Maths marks with half of the candidate's aggregate SET score, with each part carrying equal weight, and age standardisation applied throughout. The school states plainly that it does not consider tutoring necessary to access the entrance test and does not allow 11+ tutoring companies onto its premises.

Registering for the Selective Eligibility Test and what happens next

Families register their daughter for the SET online using the supplementary registration form published on the school's website, normally while she is in Year 5; this single registration also covers the other participating Sutton grammar schools, so the test only needs to be sat once. The SET and, for those invited, the NWSSEE both normally take place in the early autumn term once she has moved into Year 6.

• Register online for the SET (one registration covers all participating Sutton schools)
• Sit the SET: multiple-choice English and Maths papers
• Candidates meeting the SET standard are invited to sit the NWSSEE: written English and Maths papers
• Name Wallington on the Common Application Form issued by the home local authority, by its published closing date
• Results and any offer follow the timetable published by the school and the London Borough of Sutton

Catchment, the qualifying standard and how places are allocated

Only candidates who pass both stages of the entrance test are treated as being of selective ability. When eligible applications exceed the 210 available places, the school applies its published order of priority; children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming Wallington are allocated a place first, before the criteria below are applied to those remaining.

• 100 places are offered in strict order of highest score in the entrance test, irrespective of home address
• Up to 35 places go to children eligible for Pupil Premium, including looked-after children, who meet the pass mark or score up to 20% below the standardised SET pass mark and the NWSSEE minimums
• Up to 110 places are linked to the school's catchment area, offered by highest score to those whose home address falls within a 6.7km radius of the school's main entrance, with distances verified by the London Borough of Sutton using a Geographical Information System; this number is reduced by any places already offered under the criteria above
• Where a final place is tied on score, priority goes to the candidate living closer to the school; candidates who are exactly equidistant are separated by an independently drawn lot

Preparing for the SET and the NWSSEE

Because both stages are broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum and neither includes verbal or non-verbal reasoning, preparation for Wallington's entrance tests tends to centre on consolidating core English and Maths skills instead of unfamiliar reasoning question types. The school states that it does not regard tutoring as necessary to access the test, so timed practice with multiple-choice English and Maths questions is a reasonable focus ahead of the SET.

For the NWSSEE, readiness looks different, since its English and Maths papers are not multiple-choice. The school's own guidance makes clear that English answers should respond to the specific task set instead of a memorised composition, and that the Maths paper is marked on the final answer alone, so practising clear, neatly shown working, with errors crossed out instead of erased, tends to help.

If a place isn't offered straightaway: waiting lists and appeals

Following the initial allocation of Year 7 places, ranked waiting lists are maintained under the school's main priority criteria until the end of the calendar year of entry, after which they are deleted; parents/carers are then asked whether they want their daughter added to an open, non-ranked waiting list for the rest of Year 7. Girls who have not yet sat the entrance test can also join the open waiting list from the start of the spring term of the entry year, via a mid-term application to the London Borough of Sutton, and will be asked to sit a test if a place becomes available.

Parents/carers have a statutory right of appeal against a decision not to offer a place, considered by an Independent Appeal Panel in line with the School Admission Appeals Code.

Related guides

• London grammar schools guide
• Tutors for families in London
• Grammar schools in England: the full directory

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