St Olave's Grammar School 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with St Olave's Grammar School. You can read more about our partnership here.

Are you thinking about applying to St Olave's Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam. 

Key information for St Olave's Grammar School

• School type: boys’ grammar school
• Location: Orpington, Bromley
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 124
• 11+ exam: school’s own two-stage entrance exam
• Catchment area: no

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Monday 8th June 2026: test registration opens
• Monday 29th June 2026: test registration closes
• Friday 18th September 2026: Selective Entrance Test (SET) - stage 1
• Mid-October 2026: parents receive test results for stage 1
• Friday 13th November 2026: Stage 2 Entrance test (for those invited back)
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

How to apply to St Olave's Grammar School

St Olave's Grammar School is selective. This means that your child will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place.

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

The St Olave's Grammar School Entrance Tests will take place on Friday 18th September 2026 and Friday 13th November 2026. You’ll be emailed details about the test location, time, and what your child needs to bring before the exam. 

Your child’s results will be emailed to you in mid-October. If they meet the qualifying standard for St Olave's Grammar School, you can apply for a place by naming the school on your common application form. This must be submitted to your 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 St Olave's Grammar School below.

What will my child be tested on?

The entry process for St Olave’s Grammar School consists of two stages:

St Olave’s Grammar School SET (Stage 1)

All boys who have completed the St Olave’s SIF by the deadline take the school’s Selective Eligibility Test (SET). 

The SET has a time limit of one hour. It consists of approximately 60 questions split across four sections. Your child will be told when to start and finish each section.

• Section A: English comprehension
• Section B: Maths
• Section C: Verbal reasoning
• Section D: Non-verbal reasoning

Your child will have a question booklet and separate answer sheets. All the questions in the test are multiple-choice, so your child needs to mark the answer options they think are correct on the answer sheets.

St Olave’s Grammar School Stage 2

The 450 boys with the highest scores from the SET are invited back to the school for the second stage tests. These will take place on 13th November 2026.

Stage 2 consists of two one-hour papers. These are taken on the same day, with a 15 minute break in between.

One paper is an English test which assesses reading and writing. This is split into two sections:

• Section One: your child will read a passage of fiction or non-fiction text and will answer multiple-choice questions to show their understanding of it.
• Section Two: this section has two parts. In Part (a), your child will need to explain and justify inferences with evidence from a text, such as a poem. Part (b) is a creative writing task. Your child will be assessed on syntax, paragraphing, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting, layout and presentation.

The other paper is a maths test which assesses your child’s understanding of Key Stage 2 concepts including Level 4 standard. This includes number, algebra, shape, space and measure, and handling data. However, the questions might be more challenging than your child is used to and test how they solve problems with unfamiliar situations. This paper is not multiple-choice.

How are places allocated at St Olave’s Grammar School?

In mid-October, you’ll receive your child’s test results. These will confirm whether your child has met the required standard for admission and whether your son is invited to sit the stage 2 test.

If your child’s results meet the required standard after both assessments, you must name St Olave’s Grammar School as a preferred school on your common application form to be considered. This must be submitted to your home local authority by the 31st October.

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 your target school’s admissions policy.

Does St Olave’s Grammar School have a catchment area?

St Olave’s Grammar School doesn’t have a catchment area. If your child meets the qualifying standard, they are eligible to apply for a place regardless of where they live.

If a tie-break is needed (e.g. there is one place left and two children have the same score), the child living closest to the school will be prioritised for a place.

If you don’t live close to the school, it’s important to think 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 St Olave’s Grammar School 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
• 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.