Key Facts
| School type | State grammar school (academy), Church of England character, boys, 11 to 18 |
|---|---|
| Location | Wallington, London Borough of Sutton |
| Entry points | 11+ (Year 7, 186 places); Year 12 (sixth form, a further normal point of admission); in-year admission into Years 7 to 11 when a vacancy arises |
| Assessment | Two-stage test: the multiple-choice Selective Eligibility Test (SET), followed for those who pass by Wilson's own written Second Stage Entrance Examination in English and Maths |
| Test provider | School's own papers, set and administered jointly with the Sutton grammar schools' Selective Eligibility Test (SET) consortium |
| Registration deadline | Registration for the Selective Eligibility Test opens 1 May and closes 31 July; the Common Application Form naming Wilson's School is due by 31 October |
| Assessment date | Selective Eligibility Test: 15 September; Second Stage Entrance Examination (boys, shared with Sutton Grammar School and Wallington County Grammar School): 3 October; Sport and Music Aptitude Tests: 10 October |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Entry to Wilson's School at eleven is by a two-stage selective test: the Selective Eligibility Test, shared with other Sutton grammar schools, followed for those who pass by Wilson's own Second Stage Entrance Examination in English and Maths. Boys are ranked by their combined, age-standardised score, and the school does not use a catchment area, so applicants can live anywhere, with distance from the school only breaking ties between equal scores.
A place is only confirmed once a family names Wilson's School on the Common Application Form issued by their home local authority, after the tests are complete and results have been sent out; passing the tests establishes eligibility but does not itself guarantee a place, since 186 boys are admitted each year against a published order of oversubscription criteria.
How entry to the school works
Entry at eleven runs through a two-stage selective test, with boys who pass ranked by their combined standardised score and places offered according to a published order of priority; there is no catchment area, so distance from the school only matters as a tie-break once scores are equal. The school admits 186 boys into Year 7, forming the great majority of new admissions to the school.
Wilson's is a boys' grammar school with a Church of England character, educating pupils from Year 7 through to Year 13, and it is maintained as an academy within the London Borough of Sutton. Year 12 is also a normal point of admission, open to boys already at the school and to new applicants joining for sixth form, and a small number of in-year places in Years 7 to 11 are considered only when a vacancy genuinely arises.
How the school's 11+ assessment works
The school's assessment has two stages. Boys first sit the Selective Eligibility Test (SET), a shared test used by several Sutton grammar schools, consisting of two multiple-choice papers, one in English and one in Maths, each around forty-five minutes long and based on the key stage 2 curriculum; there is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning paper.
Boys who reach the required standard in the SET are then invited to Wilson's own Second Stage Entrance Examination, which Wilson's shares with Sutton Grammar School and Wallington County Grammar School. This stage consists of written papers, not multiple-choice questions: an extended-writing English paper lasting an hour and a forty-five-minute Maths paper, both again based broadly on the key stage 2 curriculum. A boy must pass both papers and reach the overall pass mark to remain in contention.
Final ranking combines the SET and Second Stage results, with standardisation applied for age, so that no single stage decides the outcome alone. Boys can also sit separate Sport and Music Aptitude Tests. Reaching the required standard in one of these, alongside the academic tests, brings a boy into contention for one of a small number of aptitude places; it does not guarantee a place outright.
Registering and applying for a Year 7 place at the school
Getting a place at Wilson's follows a fixed sequence, run jointly with the other Sutton grammar schools for the first stage and then separately for the application itself.
Families can also visit the school before applying, through pre-booked open evening sessions that include a guided tour and a talk from the school's leadership; the school publishes visit dates on its own website ahead of each admissions round.
- Register online for the Selective Eligibility Test, including any request for access arrangements, before the registration deadline
- Sit the Selective Eligibility Test
- If invited, sit Wilson's Second Stage Entrance Examination, and the Sport or Music Aptitude Test if applicable
- Receive the test outcome by letter or email
- Name the school, in true order of preference, on the Common Application Form issued by the family's home local authority
- Wait for the local authority's offer and accept, or appeal, as needed
How places are allocated: oversubscription criteria at the school
The school does not use catchment areas or postcode zones, so a boy's home address plays almost no part in the decision. Once the tests are marked and any places for boys with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school are allocated first, the remaining places follow a fixed order of priority.
Where boys tie for the last available places under any of these criteria, priority goes first to those living in the London Borough of Sutton, ranked by straight-line distance from the school, then to boys living further afield on the same basis; a supervised random draw decides any tie that remains. Sibling attendance is not part of the criteria, since grammar schools are not permitted to give priority on that basis.
- Looked after and previously looked after children, ranked by standardised test score
- Up to 14 places for boys eligible for free school meals, ranked by standardised test score
- Up to 9 places for boys reaching the required standard in the Sport Aptitude Test
- Up to 9 places for boys reaching the required standard in the Music Aptitude Test
- All remaining places, including any of the above left unfilled, ranked by standardised test score
Preparing for the school's two-stage entrance test
Because the two stages differ in format, preparation works best when it mirrors each one separately. The Selective Eligibility Test is multiple-choice and time-pressured, so practice under timed conditions in English and Maths, without any verbal or non-verbal reasoning content, reflects the actual test more closely than general 11+ reasoning practice.
The Second Stage Entrance Examination asks for extended writing in English over a full hour, alongside a forty-five-minute Maths paper, so a boy benefits from practising how to plan and sustain a longer piece of writing as well as from answering short questions quickly. Since content in both stages is broadly based on the key stage 2 curriculum, consolidating that curriculum tends to matter more than chasing unfamiliar exam techniques.
Entry to the school at other points
Beyond the main Year 7 round, Wilson's treats Year 12 as a normal point of admission, open both to boys already at the school and to those applying from elsewhere for sixth form. In-year applications for Years 7 to 11 are accepted at any time through the local authority's in-year admission form, though the school describes vacancies outside the normal admission points as extremely rare.
Where an in-year vacancy does arise, waiting-list candidates sit an entrance examination to establish selective ability before places are ranked and, if needed, allocated using the same oversubscription criteria as the main round. Families receive a decision within 15 school days of applying, and there is a statutory right of appeal if a place is not offered.
Related guides
- London grammar schools guide
- Tutors for families in London
- Grammar schools in England: the full directory
Preparing for the Wilson's School 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Preparation for the Wilson's 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.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Wilson's School have a catchment area?
- No. Wilson's does not set a catchment area or use postcodes to decide who can apply, so boys from any area can register for the assessment. Distance from the school only comes into play as a tie-break, once test scores are otherwise equal, with boys living in the London Borough of Sutton prioritised over those living further away.
- What does the Selective Eligibility Test involve?
- The Selective Eligibility Test is the first stage, shared with other Sutton grammar schools. It consists of two multiple-choice papers, one in English and one in Maths, each lasting around forty-five minutes and based on the key stage 2 curriculum, with no verbal or non-verbal reasoning component.
- What happens after a boy passes the Selective Eligibility Test?
- Boys who reach the required standard are invited to Wilson's Second Stage Entrance Examination, shared with Sutton Grammar School and Wallington County Grammar School. This stage takes a written form, not multiple-choice, comprising an hour-long extended-writing English paper and a forty-five-minute Maths paper, and a boy must pass both to remain in contention for a place.
- Are there fees to attend Wilson's School?
- No. Wilson's is a state grammar school, maintained as an academy, so places are free of charge once offered through the admissions process described on the school's own website. Families are not asked to pay towards their son's core education, though voluntary contributions towards particular activities or resources are invited.
- Can a boy join Wilson's School outside the normal Year 7 round?
- Yes. Year 12 is a normal point of admission for sixth form, open to new applicants as well as boys already at the school. In-year places in Years 7 to 11 are considered through the local authority's in-year admission form, though the school describes vacancies outside the normal admission points as extremely rare.
- Do siblings get priority for a place?
- No. The statutory School Admissions Code does not allow grammar schools to prioritise siblings, so having a brother already at Wilson's does not affect a boy's chances. Priority instead follows the published order covering looked after children, free school meals, and the Sport and Music Aptitude places, before remaining places go by test score.
Enquire about 11+ preparation
Start your enquiryHow Taylor Tuition can help
Expert, one-to-one support from specialist tutors.
Editorial Notice
We use automated research tools to help collate and maintain information across our website. While each post is reviewed before publication, some details may be incomplete or inaccurate.
Free 11+ familiarisation pack
English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with mark schemes.
Taylor Tuition
Educational Consultancy
Contributing expert insights on education, exam preparation, and effective learning strategies to help students reach their full potential.