Royal Latin School 11+ guide

Applying to Royal Latin School for September 2028? This guide covers the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test in September 2027, the qualifying score, how the 180 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.

Royal Latin School 11+ at a glance

• School type: co-educational grammar school
• Location: Buckingham, Buckinghamshire
• Number of places in Year 7: 180 (2027-entry figure — Royal Latin School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
• Qualifying score: 121 on the Secondary Transfer Test for 2027 entry, or deemed qualified through Selection Review
• 11+ test: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (two multiple-choice papers, each about 45 minutes of questions)

Source: Royal Latin School Admissions Policy September 2027 Entry (adopted 2 February 2026, amended 22 June 2026). 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.

How to apply to Royal Latin School

Royal Latin 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 registration window.

Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Royal Latin 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.

How are places allocated at Royal Latin School?

If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 180 Year 7 places, Royal Latin 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.

Children with an education, health and care plan naming the school are admitted before these criteria are applied. Criterion 3 is limited to 12 places. If a criterion has more children than places, the later criteria in the list are used to decide between them.

Does Royal Latin School have a catchment area?

The catchment area is shown on a map on the school's website and on Buckinghamshire Council's website, and you can check an address with the council's postcode checker. To count as living in catchment, your child needs to have lived at the address continuously from 1 September before entry. The school may ask some families for a Supplementary Information Form and evidence to confirm their home address; not every family has to complete one.

Places are offered by straight-line distance from your front door to the school's nearest entrance gate, closest first. Where two children live exactly the same distance away, random allocation, independently verified, decides. Twins and other children from the same address who qualify are all admitted, even if this takes the school over its admission number.

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.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

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.