South West Hertfordshire 11 plus guide

What are the South West Herts Schools Consortium tests?

There are three tests used by the South West Herts Schools Consortium – an academic ability test, a musical aptitude test, and a sports test (only used by Queens’ School).

Academic ability test

The academic ability test is used by Parmiter’s School, Queens’ School, Rickmansworth School, St Clement Danes School, Watford Grammar School for Boys and Watford Grammar School for Girls. If your child is applying under the academic criterion for entry to any of these schools, they will only have to take this test once. If they pass this test, they may be eligible for a priority place at your target school(s).

The academic criterion test consists of two papers. These papers are produced by GL Assessment – one of the UK’s leading providers of 11 plus exams. The two papers are:

• Maths: questions based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum for maths.

• Verbal reasoning: questions which test your child’s ability to use logic and solve problems with written information, such as words, letters, symbols and numbers.

Both papers are multiple-choice. Your child will be given a question booklet and an answer sheet for each paper. The answer sheet is marked using OMR (optical mark recognition), which scans the marks your child has made to indicate their chosen answer(s) for each question.

Musical aptitude test

The musical aptitude test is used by all seven schools in the South West Herts Schools Consortium. If your child is applying under the music criterion for entry to any of these schools, they will only have to take this test once. If they pass this test, they may be eligible for a priority place at your target school(s).

There are two stages in the musical aptitude test.

The first stage is a written test which takes around 45 minutes. There are 60 questions across four sections, which are played on a CD. These questions assess pitch, melody, texture and rhythm.

Children who score highly in the first stage are invited to the second stage. If your child is invited to this stage, they will need to perform a piece of music (no longer than 3 minutes).

More information about these two stages can be found on the South West Herts Schools Consortium website.

Sports test

The sports test (PE aptitude) is only used by Queens’ School. This test is very popular, so only children who have exceptional sporting aptitude and live within Queens’ School’s catchment area should consider applying.

The test is selected from the Council of European Physical Fitness (Eurofit) and covers core movement skills. More information about this test is available on the South West Herts Schools Consortium website.

What's the pass mark for the academic test?

There is no single pass mark for the South West Herts Schools Consortium academic ability test. Places are offered at each school depending on its admission arrangements. Achieving a high score doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your target school, as other criteria are taken into account to prioritise places.

You might find historical scores helpful. These can be used to get an idea of the academic standard of children who are offered places at South West Herts schools. Here are the lowest marks achieved by children taking the academic ability test in 2024 for entry in 2024:

• Parmiter’s School: 216 (from priority postcodes), 245 (other postcodes)

• Queens’ School: 186 (admission area only)

• Rickmansworth School: 191 (priority area only)

• St Clement Danes School: 214 (priority area only)

• Watford Grammar School for Boys: 203 (Area A – Watford), 216 (Area B – outer)

• Watford Grammar School for Girls: 204 (Area A – Watford), 217 (Area B – outer)

How to apply to South West Herts schools

If you’re thinking about registering your child under the academic criterion for a South West Herts Consortium school, it's a good idea to speak to your child's teacher first.

Many children take the academic ability test each year, and the test is designed to select children working towards the top of their year group. Your child's teacher will be able to indicate whether they think your child has a likely chance of being offered a place under that criterion.

1. Register with the South West Herts Schools Consortium

To begin your child’s application, create an account with the South West Herts Schools Consortium. Once you have created your account, you will need to complete an application for your child. You will need to confirm:

• Key information, such as parental responsibility and your child’s religion (if relevant)

• Whether your child has any SEND requirements (supporting information will be required)

• If your child has any medical conditions

• Your child’s current school

• The tests (sports/musical/aptitude) you would like your child to be registered for

Registration for the 2025 tests open in April 2025 and close in June 2025.

2. Apply for school places

You’ll receive a notification of your child’s scores in October 2025 (around midday). Once you have received your child’s final standardised score, you can decide which school(s) you would like to apply to.

To apply for school places, complete the secondary school common application form on the website for your home local authority. Note that this is the local authority for your child’s current address – not necessarily the local authority for your target school. Before listing a school on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2025.

3. National school offer day

In March 2026, you will find out which school your child has been allocated a place at. They will be allocated a place at your highest-preferred school for which they meet the entry criteria and which has places available.

If no places are available at your preferred schools, they will be offered a place at another school in your area. You can appeal via an independent panel. Information about how to appeal will be sent to you by your local authority along with your school offer on National Offers Day.