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Bexley Grammar School 11+ guide

By Atom | Feb 13, 2024, 2:07 PM

Bexley Grammar School 11 plus entry guide

Thinking about applying to Bexley Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus.

Key information about Bexley Grammar School

Dates for your diary

  • 11+ registration opens: Wednesday 1st May 2024

  • 11+ registration closes: Friday 31st May 2024

  • 11+ exam date: Monday 9th to Thursday 12th September 2024

  • 11+ results released: mid-October 2024

  • Secondary school application deadline: 31st October 2024

  • School allocations: 3rd March 2025

About Bexley Grammar School

Bexley Grammar School is a mixed (girls and boys) school in the south-east London Borough of Bexley. It was founded in 1955 by local MP Edward Heath and converted into an Academy in January 2011.

The school has been rated Outstanding by Ofted for over 15 years. It’s one of the UK’s leading schools for teaching modern languages. All students study at least two modern languages at GCSE and sixth form students take the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

The school offers lots of opportunities for international trips and foreign exchanges. Students also take advantage of the learning activities on offer in London.

How to apply to Bexley Grammar School

Bexley Grammar School is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place.

The deadline to register for the 11 plus exam at Bexley Grammar School is Friday 31st May 2024. The exam will take place between Monday 9th and Thursday 12th September 2024 and you’ll receive your child’s results in mid-October 2024. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Bexley Grammar School.

To apply, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Bexley Grammar School below.

What subjects are on the entrance exam?

Children applying to Bexley Grammar School take the Bexley Selection Test. This consists of two one-hour papers which assess English comprehension, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. All of the questions are multiple-choice.

Guide to the Bexley Selection Test

Find out everything you need to know in our complete guide to the Bexley Selection Test. Plus, get access to free 11 plus resources to help your child feel confident for their exam!

Learn more
Verbal reasoning paper

How does place allocation work at Bexley Grammar School?

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.

If the number of children who have met the qualifying standard for entry to the school exceeds the number of places available, Bexley Grammar School applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:

  1. Looked-After or previously Looked-After Children.

  2. Children who have achieved the highest 180 scores in the Selection Test.

  3. Children who have a sibling at the school.

  4. Children who have a parent employed by the school for two or more years.

  5. Children who live closest to the school, regardless of their test score. The distance is measured from the child's home to the middle gate entrance of Bexley Grammar School in a straight line. Selection Test scores are used as a tie-breaker when the distance is identical.

There is no catchment area at Bexley Grammar School. However, places are prioritised for children who live closer to the school.

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the country. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

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.

A maths learning journey on Atom Home

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.

A reasoning question on a Bexley Selection Test mock test on Atom Home

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.

Tailored preparation for the Bexley Selection Test

Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the Bexley Selection Test? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.

You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.

  • Online and printable 11 plus practice papers

  • 90,000+ adaptive questions

  • 500+ hours of on-demand video lessons

  • Automatic marking and instant progress data

Navigate the Bexley Selection Test with confidence.

Start your free trial today. Our local admissions specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, Bexley Selection Test prep is sorted.

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