Lancashire grammar schools 11 plus guide

Thinking about a grammar school in Lancashire 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 Lancashire grammar school system works
• Key 11+ dates and deadlines for 2027 entry
• Which schools use the 11+ in Lancashire
• 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

Lancashire grammar schools

There are four grammar schools in Lancashire:

• Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (boys and girls)
• Clitheroe Royal Grammar School (boys and girls)
• Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (girls)
• Lancaster Royal Grammar School (boys)

Each school runs its own entrance exam. Registration dates and processes vary by school, so it's important to check each school's admissions page carefully.

Key dates for 2027 entry

• Monday 13th April 2026: Lancaster Royal Grammar School test registration opens
• June 2026: Lancaster Girls' Grammar School test registration opens
• Monday 1st June 2026: Clitheroe Royal Grammar School test registration opens at 12 noon
• Monday 7th September 2026: Lancaster Royal Grammar School test registration closes
• Friday 4th September 2026: Clitheroe Royal Grammar School test registration closes at 12 noon
• Friday 11th September 2026: Lancaster Girls' Grammar School test registration closes
• Saturday 26th September 2026: 11+ exam day for Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
• Mid-October 2026: 11+ results released to parents
• Saturday 31st October 2026: secondary school common application deadline
• Monday 1st March 2027: national school offers day

Please note: Registration dates for Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School for 2027 entry have not yet been released. We'll update this page with their dates as soon as they are published in late April. In the meantime, check the school's website for the latest information.

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

What is the Lancashire 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.

The grammar schools in Lancashire use different 11+ exam providers. Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School and Lancaster Royal Grammar School use GL Assessment for their entrance exams. Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and Lancaster Girls' Grammar School use Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE) for their entrance exams. 

What's on the Lancashire 11+?

GL Assessment

Three of the four Lancashire grammar schools use GL Assessment papers. Children sit three papers covering:

• English: reading comprehension, spelling, grammar and vocabulary
• Maths: questions based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to Year 5
• Verbal reasoning: logic and reasoning with words, letters, numbers and symbols

All questions are multiple-choice. Your child will have separate pre-printed answer sheets to mark their answers on. Papers take approximately 45 minutes to one hour each, with a break in between.

Verbal reasoning is not taught on the national curriculum, so the question types may be unfamiliar to your child. It is worth practising these question types in the run-up to the exam.

FSCE

Lancaster Girls' Grammar School and Clitheroe Grammar School ues the FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) Entrance Test. The test consists of two standardised papers, both taken on the same day, covering English and maths only; there is no verbal reasoning paper.

The content is designed to reflect the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5. The test includes both multiple-choice and written response questions.

How is the Lancashire 11+ scored?

Answer sheets for all four 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.

Results are sent to parents in mid-October 2026.

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

There is no single fixed pass mark across Lancashire. Each school places all children's age-standardised scores in rank order and sets its own qualifying standard. Grammar schools in Lancashire are competitive and frequently oversubscribed with qualified candidates, so passing the test does not guarantee a place.

Some priority groups, including looked after children and children eligible for Pupil Premium, may qualify with a lower score. Each school applies its own admissions criteria when allocating places, so we always recommend reviewing your target school's admissions policy carefully before applying.

How to apply to Lancashire grammar schools

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:

• Lancaster Royal Grammar School: registration opens Monday 13th April 2026 and closes Monday 7th September 2026
• Lancaster Girls' Grammar School: registration opens June 2026 and closes Friday 11th September 2026
• Clitheroe Royal Grammar School: registration opens Monday 1st June 2026 and closes Friday 4th September 2026
• Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School: registration dates to be confirmed

2. Apply for school places

Results are sent to parents 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 home local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Before listing a school on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible.

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.