Leicester Grammar School 11+ entry guide

Are you thinking about applying to Leicester Grammar School for 11+ entry? Find out everything you need to know about the admissions process and how to prepare for the entrance exam.

Key information for Leicester Grammar School

• School type: co-educational independent day school
• Location: Great Glen, South Leicestershire
• Admissions contact: admissions@leicestergrammar.org.uk
• 11+ exam: Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select) reasoning assessment, plus English and maths papers
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• Scholarships: academic, art, drama, music and sport

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Monday 7th December 2026 (4pm): deadline for applications
• Monday 7th December 2026: deadline for scholarship and bursary applications
• Tuesday 5th January 2027: entrance assessments
• End of January 2027: parents informed of decisions

How to apply to Leicester Grammar School

Leicester Grammar School is selective. This means that your child will need to sit an entrance assessment to be eligible for a place.

You must apply for Year 7 entry via the school's online application portal. Applications for September 2027 entry close at 4pm on Monday 7th December 2026, and a non-refundable registration fee applies.

Candidates sit their entrance assessments in January, while in Year 6. Some candidates may then be invited back to the school for an interview the following week.

You will be informed of the outcome of your application by the end of January 2027. If your child is offered a place, you will have until early March to accept.

What will my child be tested on?

The Leicester Grammar School Year 7 entrance assessment is made up of three parts, alongside group assessment activities. The whole assessment takes place over one day in January.

Part 1: Cambridge Select Insight (CEM Select)

The first part is a computer-based reasoning assessment. This is delivered through a series of short online modules and assesses verbal, non-verbal and numerical ability.

Part 2: English

The second part is a 60-minute English paper. This is based mostly on comprehension, with a creative writing component.

Part 3: Mathematics

The third part is a 60-minute mathematics paper, assessing your child's numerical ability and problem-solving skills.

Alongside these papers, candidates also take part in group assessment activities, conducted in small and large groups with other candidates of the same age. No preparation is required or possible for these.

How are places decided?

Following the entrance assessments, some candidates may be invited back to the school for an interview during the following week.

Places are offered based on:

• performance across the English, maths and reasoning assessments
• performance in group assessment activities
• the interview, where one is offered

You will be informed of the outcome by the end of January 2027. If your child is offered a place, you will have until early March to accept.

Financial information

Leicester Grammar School is a fee-paying school. Take a look at the school website for a full breakdown of fees per year group.

Financial assistance

When exploring independent schools for your child, scholarships and bursaries are worth considering. They can ease the pressure of school fees and open doors to opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach.

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded for a child's talent or achievement. While many schools focus on academic excellence, some offer awards in music, sport, drama, art, or other specialist areas.

Scholarships often come with a small fee reduction and acknowledge your child's talents, motivating them and boosting their confidence. Some schools automatically consider all applicants, while others may request an additional application, assessment or audition.

Visit Leicester Grammar School's website to see the scholarships available and how to apply.

For more information, read: Your guide to independent school scholarships.

Bursaries

Bursaries are means-tested awards (based on a family's financial situation) designed to make independent education more accessible. Depending on your circumstances, a bursary could cover part or all of the school fees.

Families provide financial information to qualify, and awards are reassessed each year. For many families, bursaries make an excellent education possible that might otherwise seem out of reach.

Visit Leicester Grammar School's website to find out what bursaries are available and how to apply.

For more information, read: Bursaries: a parents' guide

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

Applying to senior school 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 exam 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 mock tests are exact replicas of real entrance exams. They're also unlimited — your child can take the same test repeatedly and see new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

Atom's mock tests are automatically marked. You'll see 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 preparation for entrance exams.

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
• build confidence in tackling unseen texts

And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's reading and writing starter kit has suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your child through exam 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.