Kingston upon Thames 11 plus (11+) guide

Are you considering a grammar school in Kingston upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames

• Learn about the Tiffin schools’ 11 plus exam

• Discover which subjects your child will be tested on

• Plus, get exclusive resources to help your child prepare!

Which grammar schools in Kingston use the 11 plus?

There are two grammar schools in Kingston upon Thames: Tiffin School (boys) and The Tiffin Girls’ School (girls). Both schools use the same 11 plus exam.

Dates for your diary

• Tuesday 3rd June 2025: The Tiffin Girls' School stage one registration opens
• Wednesday 4th June 2025: Tiffin School stage one registration opens
• Monday 7th July 2025: deadline to register for the sports and music aptitude assessments at Tiffin School
• Wednesday 9th July 2025: Tiffin School music aptitude assessment (part one)
• Friday 11th July 2025: Tiffin School music aptitude assessment (part two)
• Tuesday 15th – Wednesday 16th July 2026: Tiffin School sports aptitude assessments
• Monday 1st September 2025: The Tiffin Girls' School stage one registration closes
• Wednesday 3rd September 2025: registration closes for Tiffin School
• Thursday 2nd – Friday 3rd October 2025: stage one test for The Tiffin Girls' School
• Friday 3rd October 2025: stage one test for Tiffin School
• Wednesday 15th October 2025: outcome of stage one test sent to parents
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school common application deadline
• November 2025: stage two test for both schools (exact date TBC)
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day

What is the 11 plus?

The 11 plus is an exam used by grammar schools in England to select children of academic ability. It’s normally designed to identify children working in the top 25% of their year group.

Both Tiffin schools have a two-stage testing process. All children applying for a Tiffin school take the stage one test in early October in Year 6. Shortlisted children are then invited to continue their application to the school by taking the stage two test in November. The papers in both exam stages are created by the schools.

If you are interested in other grammar schools nearby – such as Sutton grammar schools – you will need to register for your child to take these schools’ 11 plus exams too.

What’s on the Kingston 11 plus?

Children applying to one of the Tiffin schools have a two-stage testing process.

Stage One

The stage one tests will take place in October 2025. Your child will be invited to take the test on one of these dates.

The stage one test papers are created internally by the Tiffin schools. Both papers last around one hour.

• English: this is a multiple-choice test
• Maths: this consists of multiple-choice questions, and some where your child will need to record a numerical answer

Children record their answers in a separate answer booklet which is marked by computer.

The stage one tests assess your child’s understanding of Key Stage 2 English and maths content. This will include Year 6 objectives which your child might not yet have learned at school. The grammar schools don’t expect children to have covered this content yet, but the 11 plus exam tests their ability to reason and apply their knowledge in unfamiliar formats.

Stage Two

Invitations for the stage two test will be sent in mid-October. Children who are invited to the stage two test are eligible for a place at the school.

The stage two tests also assess English and maths. These tests are designed to identify children who enjoy and are confident with reading, writing, thinking creatively, working with numbers, and problem-solving.

What is the pass mark for the Tiffin 11 plus?

Your child's raw marks from the stage one tests will be combined and age-standardised. This ensures children born later in the academic year aren’t disadvantaged. This final score is your child’s ‘stage one score’.

Children with the highest stage one scores are invited back to the stage two test. The number of children invited back is based on the school’s planned admission number (PAN). Both Tiffin schools have a PAN of 180. The number of shortlisted children will be at least sufficient to meet 180 after the admissions process has been completed.

The stage two exam papers are also age-standardised and then combined with the results from the stage one test. Each school weights the final result slightly differently:

• Tiffin School: the combined mark is made up of 50% English and 50% maths. The English mark comes from the stage two test. The maths mark comes from the stage one and the stage two tests in the ratio 2:3.
• The Tiffin Girls’ School: the combined mark is made up of 60% English and 40% maths. The English mark comes from the stage two test. The maths mark comes from the stage two test and stage one test in a ratio of 3:1.

Children are ranked in order of their total weighted scores, and within each category of the school’s selection criteria. Disadvantaged children have a 10% leeway applied to their marks. Each school then selects children from the top ranking scores.

Out of around 1,500 children who apply for the Tiffin schools, around 450 are invited back for the stage two test. Both schools have a catchment area and places are usually only offered to children who live within this area.

How to register your child for the Tiffin test

If you would like your child to be considered for a place at a Kingston grammar school, you will need to register them to take the stage one test. The application form is called a ‘supplementary information form’ (SIF) and you will find it on your target school’s website.

The application window for entry in 2026 opens in early June 2025 and closes in early September. You’ll be emailed information about the test day in mid-September.

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

The 11 plus is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the Tiffin tests 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.