Devon grammar schools 11 plus guide

Thinking about a grammar school in Devon for your child? This guide walks you through how the system works, key dates for entry, and how to support your child through the 11+.

In this guide, you'll find:

• How the Devon grammar school system works
• Key 11+ dates and deadlines for 2027 entry
• Which schools use the 11+ in Devon
• What your child will be tested on
• How the exam is scored and how places are allocated
• Practical ways to support your child's 11+ preparation

Devon grammar schools

There are seven grammar schools in Devon, grouped by area. Each school, or group of schools, uses its own entrance exam.

East Devon

• Colyton Grammar School (boys and girls)

Plymouth

• Devonport High School for Boys (boys)
• Devonport High School for Girls (girls)
• Plymouth High School for Girls (girls)

Torquay

• Churston Ferrers Grammar School (boys and girls)
• Torquay Boys' Grammar School (boys)
• Torquay Girls' Grammar School (girls)

Key dates for 2027 entry

East Devon

• Wednesday 31st March 2026: Colyton Grammar School test registration opens
• Saturday 12th September 2026: Colyton Grammar School test day
• Mid-October 2026: parents receive test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

Plymouth

• Monday 27th April 2026: Devonport High School for Girls (DHSG) and Plymouth High School for Girls (PHSG) test registration opens
• Monday 31st August 2026: DHSG and PHSG test registration closes
• Saturday 12th September 2026: DHSG and PHSG 11+ test date 1 - Quest Assessment English
• Saturday 19th September 2026: DHSG and PHSG 11+ test date 2 - Quest Assessment Maths
• Thursday 15th October 2026: parents receive DHSG and PHSG test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

Please note: Key dates for 2027 entry for Devonport High School for Boys will be published in the summer term of 2026.

Torquay

• Sunday 1st March 2026: Torbay Grammar Schools 11+ test registration opens
• Wednesday 15th July 2026: Torbay Grammar Schools 11+ test registration closes
• Saturday 19th September 2026: Torbay Grammar Schools 11+ test day
• Mid-October 2026: parents receive test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

Dates may be subject to change. Always check with your target school for the latest information.

What is the 11+?

The 11+ is an academic entrance test used by grammar schools to assess children for Year 7 entry. Children who pass the test or meet a qualifying standard are eligible to apply for a place.

The test is taken in September of Year 6. Children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 will sit the 11+ in September 2026 for entry to Year 7 in September 2027.

There is no single shared 11+ exam in Devon. Each school, or group of schools, uses its own entrance exam with its own registration process and test format.

What's on the Devon 11+?

Colyton Grammar School

Colyton Grammar School uses Quest Assessments for its Year 7 entrance test.

The papers consist of Maths and English questions which rely solely on knowledge and understanding from the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum. The tests are designed to be child-friendly in format and instructions.

The test is approximately two and a half hours long, including breaks. You can find more information here.

Plymouth grammar schools

Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls use 11+ papers provided by Quest Assessments. Children take two papers, sat on two consecutive Saturdays in September:

• English: Quest Assessment English paper, sat on Saturday 12th September 2026
• Maths: Quest Assessment Maths paper, sat on Saturday 19th September 2026

Both papers are multiple-choice:

• The English paper tests reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar.  
• The Mathematics test consists of two papers and tests fluency and mathematical reasoning.

The Quest English Comprehension test is 40 minutes long and consists of 60 questions.  

The Mathematics element is split into two sections, with a total of 60 questions. The fluency paper is 10 minutes long, and the mathematical reasoning paper is 30 minutes long.

Please note: Devonport High School for Boys will also be using Quest Assessments for its 2027 admissions. More information about the entry process will be published in the summer term of 2026.

Torquay grammar schools

Churston Ferrers Grammar School, Torquay Boys' Grammar School and Torquay Girls' Grammar School use 11+ papers provided by GL Assessment. There are two one-hour papers, sat on the same day:

• English: multiple-choice questions assessing reading comprehension, spelling and grammar
• Maths: multiple-choice questions based on content your child will have learned in Year 5 maths

How is the Devon 11+ scored?

Answer sheets for both Quest Assessments (used by Colyton Grammar School and the Plymouth girls' grammar schools) and GL Assessment (used by the Torquay grammar schools) are marked electronically using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) technology.

Your child's raw scores are then age-standardised, which means younger children are not disadvantaged. The standardised age score (SAS) is the final score schools use to rank candidates.

What's the pass mark for the Devon 11+?

There’s no single fixed pass mark. Instead:

• All children’s age-standardised scores are ranked.
• Each school sets its own qualifying score.

Some priority groups (including Looked After Children and children eligible for Pupil Premium) may qualify with a lower score.

Each grammar school also applies its own admissions criteria when allocating places.

How to apply to grammar schools in Devon

1. Register for the 11+

Each school has its own registration process and deadline. Registration forms are available on each school's website. 

Key registration opening dates for 2027 entry:

• Colyton Grammar School: registration opens Wednesday 31st March 2026
• Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls: registration opens Monday 27th April 2026
• Torquay grammar schools: registration opens Sunday 1st March 2026

2. Apply for school places

Test results are sent in mid-October 2026.

If your child meets the qualifying standard for a school, you can list it on your secondary school common application form (CAF), which must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Before listing a school, check the admissions policy to make sure your child meets all criteria.

3. National school offers day

On Monday 1st March 2027, you’ll be informed which secondary school your child has been allocated.

If your preferred school isn’t offered, your child will receive another local school place, and you’ll be given information about how to appeal.

How can I help my child prepare for the 11+?

The 11+ can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be stressful.

Here are some practical ways to support your child in a calm, structured way.

Stay on track with a clear 11+ revision plan

One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation isn't motivation – it's knowing what to work on, when, and how to stay consistent without it taking over family life.

A clear plan helps your child build skills in the right order and avoid last-minute cramming.

With Atom's Exam Plan, you enter your child's exam date and target schools, and Atom builds a personalised weekly plan based on the key skills they'll be tested on. It adapts as they improve and shows them exactly what to focus on each week.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path to exam day.

Build 11+ exam technique with realistic practice papers

Once your child feels secure with the main topics, paper practice tests help them feel more confident with the exam format.

Atom's 11+ practice papers are designed to reflect real test conditions. Parents simply photograph their child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom for instant marking.

You'll get:

• a Standardised Age Score (SAS)
• clear insight into strengths and areas for improvement
• a comparison with other children applying to the same schools

The papers are unlimited, meaning your child can practise again and again with new questions each time.

Encourage regular reading for 11+ English success

Strong reading skills underpin almost every part of the 11+.

Encourage your child to read for 10–15 minutes a day, focusing on variety – fiction, non-fiction, different genres and authors.

This helps build:

• vocabulary
• comprehension and inference
• confidence with unfamiliar texts

If you're looking for ideas, Atom's recommended reading lists for Years 3–6 include a wide range of age-appropriate books.

Celebrate progress, not just 11+ scores

When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple view of how your child is doing across topics and how their performance is developing over time.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady and focus on consistent improvement – not just one-off test results.