Applying to Chesham Grammar School for September 2028? This guide covers the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test in September 2027, the qualifying score, how the 186 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.
Number of places in Year 7: 186 (2027-entry figure — Chesham Grammar School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
Qualifying score: 121 on the Secondary Transfer Test, the Buckinghamshire qualifying score
11+ test: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (two multiple-choice papers, each about 45 minutes of questions)
Source: Chesham Grammar School Admissions Policy 2027-28 (determined 2 December 2025). Last checked October 2026.
Key dates for September 2028 entry
Buckinghamshire Council has published these windows for 2028 entry. Exact dates are confirmed in the spring before each cycle. For 2027 entry, registration ran from Friday 1 May 2026 to Tuesday 2 June 2026, the test took place on Thursday 10 September 2026 (practice test Tuesday 8 September) and results came out on Friday 9 October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the 2028-entry dates are published.
Key dates for Chesham Grammar School 11+ entry in September 2028, with expected windows where the school has not yet confirmed exact dates.
Date
What happens
May to June 2027
Test registration window
1 September 2027
For most Buckinghamshire grammar schools, home address on this date is used for catchment in the main allocation
Early September 2027
Practice test, then the Secondary Transfer Test
Mid-October 2027
Test results expected
Sunday 31 October 2027
Deadline to apply for secondary school places through your home local authority. This date falls on a Sunday.
Wednesday 1 March 2028
National offer day for secondary school places
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Chesham Grammar School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.
Children at Buckinghamshire state primary schools are registered for the Secondary Transfer Test automatically unless their parents withdraw them. For everyone else, including children at independent schools in Buckinghamshire, you apply to Buckinghamshire Council for testing during the May to June registration window.
Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Chesham Grammar School on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. For September 2028 entry the deadline is Sunday 31 October 2027. As it falls on a Sunday, you may find it easier to submit your form in the days before.
Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.
What will my child be tested on?
The Secondary Transfer Test is produced by GL Assessment and run by The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools. Your child sits two papers on the same day, with a break between them. A shorter practice test usually takes place two days before.
Each paper has about 45 minutes of questions, so it takes roughly an hour in the room once the introduction and practice examples are included. All questions are multiple choice.
The table below shows what each paper covers.
The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test papers for September 2028 entry: length and content of each paper.
Paper
Length
What it covers
Paper 1
About 45 minutes of questions (around an hour including introduction and practice examples)
Comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning
Paper 2
About 45 minutes of questions (around an hour including introduction and practice examples)
Non-verbal reasoning, spatial reasoning and maths
How are places allocated at Chesham Grammar School?
If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 186 Year 7 places, Chesham Grammar School offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027/28. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.
Chesham Grammar School oversubscription criteria in priority order, from the 2027/28 admissions policy.
Priority
Who it covers
1
Looked after and previously looked after children
2
Up to 6 places for children living in the catchment area who receive Pupil Premium and score 110 to 120 on the Secondary Transfer Test, and who have not been deemed qualified through selection review or applied for one
3
Children living in the catchment area who qualify for Pupil Premium
4
Brothers and sisters of children in Years 7 to 12 who will still be at the school when your child starts
5
Qualified children of staff on a permanent contract of at least two years, or recruited to a post with a skills shortage
6
Children living in the catchment area
7
Children with exceptional medical or social needs that can only be met at the school, backed by an independent professional
8
All other qualified children, in order of distance from the school
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Criterion 2 is limited to 6 places, with looked after children first within it. For criteria 2, 3 and 6, your child must have lived in the catchment area from 1 September before the year of entry and continuously since. If a criterion has more children than places, the later criteria in the list are used to decide between them.
Does Chesham Grammar School have a catchment area?
The catchment area is defined by a map on the school's website, which also has a tool to check whether an address is in catchment. Your child must live in the catchment area on 1 September 2027 and continuously from then on, and you may be asked for evidence of this.
Within each criterion, children living closest to the school's main entrance on White Hill, measured in a straight line from home, are offered places first. Where two children live exactly the same distance away, random allocation supervised by someone independent of the school decides.
If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?
A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest and after-school activities. It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.
How can I help my child prepare for the test?
The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.
Stay on track with a clear plan
One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.
A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.
Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.
That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.
Build smart exam technique
As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.
Atom's 11+ practice papers are built to match the format, timing and question styles of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.
We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.
Encourage regular reading
Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.
Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.
Over time, regular reading will broaden their vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts.
When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.
Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.
That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.
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Take control of your child’s 11+ preparation.
Not sure if your child is on track for the grammar school 11+? You don’t need to guess what to cover or whether they’re ready. Atom shows you exactly what to practise each week and how they’re performing, so you can stay ahead of the process without the stress.
