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Are you considering a grammar school in the London Borough of Bexley for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about admissions in 2025–2026. Keep reading to:
Find out more about grammar schools in Bexley
Learn about the Bexley Selection Test – the local 11 plus exam
Discover which subjects your child will be tested on
Plus, get exclusive resources to help your child prepare!
Which schools use the Bexley Selection Test?
Dates for your diary
Thursday 1st May 2025: registration opens for the Bexley Selection Test
Saturday 31st May 2025: registration closes for the Bexley Selection Test at midnight
Tuesday 9th September 2025: Bexley Test date for children who attend a Bexley primary school
Monday 8th – Thursday 11th September 2025: Bexley Test dates for children who do not attend a Bexley primary school
Mid-October 2025: parents receive results from the Bexley Selection Test
Friday 31st October 2025: national deadline to apply for secondary school places
Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day
Dates can vary, so always check with your target schools!
What is the Bexley Selection Test?
The Bexley Selection Test is an academic exam (formerly known in the area as the 11 plus) used by grammar schools in Bexley, London. All four grammar schools in the borough use the Bexley Selection Test. This means that your child only needs to take the test once, even if they’re applying to two or more grammar schools in the borough.
The Bexley Selection Test takes place in September in Year 6. If your child goes to a Bexley primary school, they will take the test at their own school on Tuesday 9th September 2025. If your child does not go to a Bexley primary school, they will take the exam at one of the four grammar schools on an assigned day between Monday 8th and Thursday 11th September 2025.
If your child is also applying for a grammar school in Bromley, Kent or Medway, they will need to take a separate exam in addition to the Bexley Selection Test. Find out more information about these exams:
What's on the Bexley Selection Test?
The Bexley Selection Test consists of two test papers which are provided by GL Assessment. Each paper contains approximately 50 minutes of questions, plus time for instructions and practice questions. All the questions in the Bexley Selection Test are multiple-choice.
Both papers are divided into smaller, individually-timed sections. Each paper includes a mixture of questions in:
English comprehension: how well your child can understand, interpret, and analyse written text
Maths: Key Stage 2 content taught up to the end of Year 5
Verbal reasoning: using logic to solve problems with written information, like letters, words, symbols and numbers
Non-verbal reasoning: using logic to solve problems with visual information, such as diagrams, shapes and pictures
Bexley Selection Test practice papers and online learning
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Everything you need for the Bexley Test
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How is the Bexley Selection Test marked?
After the test, your child’s papers will be sent to GL Assessment for marking.
First, each paper is marked to provide a 'raw' score. This is the sum of your child's marks for correct answers.
Next, each raw score is age-standardised based on your child's age in years and months at the time of taking the test. This is to ensure that younger children aren't disadvantaged.
Your child will be given an age-standardised score for each of the three main subject areas: verbal ability (verbal reasoning and comprehension), numerical ability (maths), and non-verbal ability (non-verbal reasoning).
They will also receive one total age-standardised score that will be used to decide whether they are selective or not. The total score is weighted by following this formula:
50% of the verbal ability score + 25% of the numerical ability score + 25% of the non-verbal ability score
Achieving a total weighted standardised score of 200 represents that the child is at an average academic level for their year group.
What's the pass mark for the Bexley Selection Test?
There is no specified pass mark for the Bexley Selection Test. Each of the four grammar schools has 180 places available in Year 7. The 180 children with the highest scores applying to each grammar school will be eligible for a place at that school.
The Bexley Selection Test is competitive. Around 30% of children who take the test achieve a mark high enough to be considered for a grammar school place in the borough.
How to apply to Bexley grammar schools
If you're considering a Bexley grammar school for your child, it's a good idea to speak to your child's teacher first. Grammar schools are academically-selective and select children working towards the top of their year group. Your child's teacher will be able to indicate whether they think your child will be able to keep up with the pace in a grammar school.
Registration for the Bexley Selection Test opens on the Bexley local authority website on Thursday 1st May 2025 and closes at midnight on Saturday 31st May 2025.
After you've registered your child, you'll receive a test invitation. This will tell you where and when your child is due to sit the test. This will either be at their primary school or at a testing centre. The test will take place from Monday 8th to Thursday 11th September 2025.
If you are considering grammar schools outside Bexley, remember to register for their exams too.
How can I help my child prepare for the Bexley Selection Test?
The Bexley Selection Test is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the exam in September 2025.
Bitesize learning
It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.
Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.
Read widely
11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.
Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.
Refine exam technique
When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.
Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.
With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.
Celebrate progress
Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.
Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.
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