Applying to Spalding Grammar School for September 2028? This guide covers the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools 11+, the qualifying score, how the 150 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.
Number of places in Year 7: 150 (2027-entry figure — Spalding Grammar School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
Qualifying score: an aggregate standardised score of 220 across the two tests (out of a maximum of 282), for 2027 entry. The school raises this score if more qualifying boys from its transport area apply than there are places
Catchment or priority area: yes — Spalding and its feeder parishes (see below)
Source: Spalding Grammar School Admissions Policy 2027 entry. Last checked October 2026.
Key dates for September 2028 entry
Spalding Grammar School confirms its exact dates each cycle. For 2027 entry, registration closed on Tuesday 31 March 2026. Boys from Lincolnshire sat the tests on Saturday 12 and Saturday 19 September 2026 (boys from outside Lincolnshire on the Fridays before), and the school emails results during October; the consortium results day was Friday 9 October 2026. The school didn't publish the date registration opened, so we haven't estimated it. We'll update this page as soon as the 2028-entry dates are published.
Key dates for Spalding Grammar School 11+ entry in September 2028, with expected windows where the school has not yet confirmed exact dates.
Date
What happens
To be confirmed
Test registration opening — Spalding Grammar School hasn't published this for 2028 entry
End of March 2027
Test registration expected to close
Mid-September 2027
Verbal reasoning test, then non-verbal and spatial reasoning test a week later
October 2027
Results expected by email
Sunday 31 October 2027
Deadline to apply for secondary school places through your home local authority. This date falls on a Sunday.
Wednesday 1 March 2028
National offer day for secondary school places
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Spalding Grammar School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.
You register your child with Spalding Grammar School using the online form linked from its 11+ registration page. A late registration form is available after the deadline.
Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Spalding Grammar 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?
Lincolnshire's grammar schools share one 11+, run by the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools. The tests are produced and marked by GL Assessment. Every consortium school uses the same tests, so your child sits them once and the result counts for any of the schools.
There are two tests, sat a week apart in September of Year 6: verbal reasoning first, then non-verbal and spatial reasoning. All questions are multiple choice, and your child marks answers in pencil on a separate answer sheet. The non-verbal test is taken one section at a time, following the invigilator's instructions.
Each test has a maximum standardised score of 141, so the highest possible combined score is 282.
Spalding Grammar School holds the tests at the school. For 2027 entry, boys from Lincolnshire primary schools sat them on Saturday 12 and Saturday 19 September 2026, and boys from outside Lincolnshire on Friday 11 and Friday 18 September 2026. Answers are recorded on an OMR sheet.
How are places allocated at Spalding Grammar School?
If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 150 Year 7 places, Spalding Grammar School offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027 entry. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.
Spalding Grammar School oversubscription criteria in priority order, from the 2027 entry admissions policy.
Priority
Who it covers
First
Qualified boys with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) naming the school
1
Qualified looked after and previously looked after boys
2
Qualified boys living in the school's designated transport area (Spalding and its feeder parishes)
3
Qualified boys living outside the transport area, in score order, highest first, if places remain
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If more than 150 qualifying boys live in the transport area, the qualifying score of 220 is raised to bring numbers down to the 150 places.
Does Spalding Grammar School have a catchment area?
Spalding Grammar School's priority area is Lincolnshire County Council's designated transport area for the school: Spalding and the feeder parishes of Algarkirk, Cowbit, Crowland, Deeping St Nicholas, Fleet, Fosdyke, Gedney, Gedney Hill, Gosberton, Holbeach, Little Sutton, Long Sutton, Lutton, Moulton, Pinchbeck, Quadring, Spalding, Surfleet, Sutterton, Sutton Bridge, Sutton St Edmund, Sutton St James, Tydd St Mary, Weston, Whaplode and Wigtoft. Boys from outside this area are only considered if places remain.
Where two or more boys have the same aggregate score, the boy living nearest the school in a straight line is offered the place. If boys are still tied for the last place, a lottery is drawn by an independent person not employed by the school.
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 Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools 11 plus 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
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 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.
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Take control of your child’s 11+ preparation.
Not sure if your child is on track for the grammar school 11+? You don’t need to guess what to cover or whether they’re ready. Atom shows you exactly what to practise each week and how they’re performing, so you can stay ahead of the process without the stress.
