Rugby High School 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with Rugby High School. You can read more about our partnership here.

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

Key information for Rugby High School

• School type: girls' grammar school with mixed sixth form
• Location: Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 120
• 11+ exam: West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test
• Catchment area: yes

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Thursday 7th May 2026: test registration opens
• Tuesday 30th June 2026: test registration closes
• Saturday 12th – Sunday 13th September 2026: entrance test (your child will be allocated one session across these two days)
• Friday 16th 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

How to apply to Rugby High School

Rugby High School is selective. This means that your child will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place.

In the West Midlands, the 11+ is known as the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test. 19 grammar schools use this test to select children for Year 7 places. If you would like your child to be considered for a place at more than one grammar school in the West Midlands, they will only need to take the test once.

You must register your child for the test. A link to register will be available on the participating schools’ websites during the registration window.

Registration opens on Thursday 7th May 2026 and closes on Tuesday 30th June 2026. You will be allocated a test venue and a session across Saturday 12th or Sunday 13th September 2026 — keep both days free until you receive your allocation.

Your child's results will be emailed to you on Friday 16th October 2026. If they meet the qualifying standard for Rugby High School, you can apply for a place by naming the school on your common application form. This must be submitted to your home local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Important note: passing the test doesn't guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed with children who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, schools use admissions criteria to allocate places. 

We've outlined the process for Rugby High School below.

What will my child be tested on?

Rugby High School uses the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test.

The test is provided by GL Assessment and consists of two papers, each approximately 50–60 minutes long, including time for instructions and example questions. 

All questions are multiple-choice, and your child will record their answers on a separate answer sheet.

The papers are divided into individually timed sections covering four areas:

• English comprehension: reading and understanding a passage of text
• Verbal reasoning: problem-solving using written information such as words, letters, numbers and symbols
• Maths: questions based on Key Stage 2 content
• Non-verbal and spatial reasoning: problem-solving using abstract visual information such as shapes and diagrams

Your child's marks are weighted across the sections: 50% for English and verbal reasoning, 25% for maths, and 25% for non-verbal and spatial reasoning. These weighted scores are then age-standardised to ensure that younger children aren't disadvantaged.

For more details, take a look at our guide to the West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance Test.

How are places allocated at Rugby High School?

On Friday 16th October 2026, you'll receive your child's test results. These will confirm whether they have met the required qualifying standard for admission.

If their results meet the required standard, you must name Rugby High School as a preferred school on your common application form to be considered. This must be submitted to your home local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Places are allocated in a particular order. This is known as 'oversubscription criteria' and is specific to each grammar school you apply to. Details are available in Rugby High School's admissions policy.

Does Rugby High School have a catchment area?

Yes. Rugby High School has a priority area based on a circle with a radius of 10.004 miles drawn from the Rugby Water Tower. This circle is split into two areas:

• Priority area 1 (east Warwickshire): the town of Rugby and its surrounding villages
• Priority area 2 (eastern priority circle): the rest of the circle

Children in priority area 1 are given priority over those in priority area 2, who in turn are given priority over those living outside the circle. Children outside the priority area are still eligible to apply if they meet the qualifying standard, but will only be considered after all in-area applicants.

Within each priority group, children with higher test scores are given priority. Where two children have equal scores, the child living closest to the school is prioritised.

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 West Midlands Grammar Schools Entrance 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 exact replicas 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.