Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium 11 plus guide

Applying to a Trafford grammar school for September 2028? This guide covers the entrance test, who sets it, the key dates, and what the consortium has and hasn't announced.

The test has changed. The five Trafford consortium grammar schools now use the FSCE entrance test, set by Future Stories Community Enterprise. It replaces the GL Assessment test. Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning are gone. In their place are two papers drawing on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum taught up to the end of Year 5 — one on English and maths, and one on other subjects.

Trafford 11+ at a glance

• Schools: five, sharing one test
• Provider: FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise)
• Assessed: the Key Stage 2 national curriculum to the end of Year 5 — potentially any subject
• Reasoning: none — verbal and non-verbal reasoning have been removed
• Test date: September 2027, in Year 6 — the exact day isn't published
• Papers: two — one on English and maths, one on other Key Stage 2 subjects
• Paper lengths, registration and qualifying score: not yet published

Which schools use the Trafford Consortium test?

Five grammar schools in the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium share one entrance test. Your child sits it once, even if you apply to more than one of them.

• Altrincham Grammar School for Boys (boys)
• Altrincham Grammar School for Girls (girls)
• Sale Grammar School (mixed)
• Stretford Grammar School (mixed)
• Urmston Grammar School (mixed)

Two further grammar schools in Greater Manchester have their own admissions arrangements and are not members of the consortium. They are not moving to FSCE, and you apply to them separately:

• Saint Ambrose College (boys)
• Loreto Grammar School (girls)

Key dates for September 2028 entry

The consortium has announced the change of provider and the broad shape of the test, but not the detail. We've shown the months it has confirmed and left the rest open rather than estimating from the old GL timetable, because the test itself has changed and the previous pattern may not hold. Registration runs through the participating schools' websites; check there nearer the time.

What is the Trafford Consortium entrance test?

It is the shared 11+ entrance test for the five schools above, set by Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE) — a not-for-profit organisation linked to Reading School, following a procurement exercise run by the consortium.

The test is sat in September of Year 6. Children born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017 sit it in September 2027 for entry to Year 7 in September 2028.

It moves earlier the following year. From 2029 entry, the test is sat in the latter part of the summer term of Year 5. If your child is currently in Year 4, that is the timetable that will apply to them.

Atom Learning is not an official or authorised source of information about FSCE assessments. This guide is based on announcements published by the consortium schools. For definitive information, always use the materials published by the school you are applying to.

What's in the test?

There are two papers. Each year, one full paper draws on the English and mathematics curriculums. The second draws on other subjects within the Key Stage 2 national curriculum, and the consortium has said the test may assess knowledge and skills from any national curriculum subject — naming the arts, computing and science alongside English and maths.

Everything is drawn from the programmes of study your child has been taught up to the end of Year 5. The consortium has also said the subjects, question types, content and format may vary from year to year, so there is no fixed syllabus to work through.

It is not a memorisation test. The consortium's own guidance says children are not expected to undertake additional subject-specific learning or memorisation. What it rewards is confident understanding of what your child has already been taught, applied to questions they have not seen before.

There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. This is the biggest practical change. Under GL Assessment the test was built around verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning, and most Trafford preparation material was built to match. Reasoning question types will not appear.

What hasn't been published yet

• the test date in September 2027, and the registration window
• how long each paper lasts, and how they are answered
• whether the test is sat on paper or online
• the qualifying score for 2028 entry

We will update this guide as each is confirmed. For how FSCE assessments are built and marked across the schools that use them, see our guide to the FSCE 11 plus — but note that FSCE sets the test separately for each school or consortium, so the Gloucestershire arrangements described there do not apply in Trafford.

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How is the test scored?

The consortium has not published how the FSCE papers will be marked or reported for 2028 entry. FSCE assessments are generally read electronically and then age-standardised, so younger children in the year group aren't disadvantaged, but Trafford's own arrangements are still to be confirmed.

What's the pass mark?

No qualifying score has been published for 2028 entry.

The old Trafford score does not carry across. The consortium's qualifying mark under GL Assessment was historically at least 324, with a lower threshold for Looked After Children and children eligible for Pupil Premium. That figure refers to a GL standardised scale that no longer applies. It is not a target for the new test, and until the consortium publishes a new standard, no number tells you what your child needs.

Meeting a qualifying score has never guaranteed a place in any case. The Trafford schools are competitive and frequently oversubscribed, and each applies its own oversubscription criteria — catchment among them. Check each school's admissions policy carefully.

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How to apply to Trafford grammar schools

If you're considering a grammar school, it's worth speaking to your child's teacher first. Grammar schools select children working towards the top of their year group, and their teacher can tell you whether they think your child would keep up with the pace.

1. Register for the test

To be considered at any of the five consortium schools, you must register your child for the entrance test through the participating schools' websites. Registration dates for 2028 entry have not been announced.

2. Apply for school places

Results will tell you whether your child met the qualifying standard at your target schools. Use them to decide which schools to name on your secondary school common application form, checking each school's admissions policy before you list it.

The form goes to your home local authority by Sunday 31 October 2027. That date falls on a Sunday, so it's worth submitting before the weekend.

3. National offer day

On Wednesday 1 March 2028 you'll find out which school your child has been allocated. They'll get a place at your highest preference for which they meet the criteria and where places are available.

If none of your preferred schools has a place, your child will be offered one elsewhere in your area. You can appeal to an independent panel; your local authority sends information about appealing alongside the offer.

How do Trafford’s grammar schools compare?

Reaching the qualifying score is one thing; deciding which schools to name on your application is another. Our grammar school rankings order all 163 state grammar schools in England by Attainment 8 — the average GCSE score pupils achieve across eight subjects — using the DfE’s 2025-26 figures. Filter by Greater Manchester to see how the schools near you compare, and how they sit against the rest of the country.

How can I help my child prepare?

There are no FSCE past papers, and the consortium has said the subjects, question types and format may vary from year to year — so there is no format to drill. What the test rewards is a secure grasp of the Key Stage 2 curriculum your child has already been taught, applied to unfamiliar questions.

Stop drilling reasoning

If your child has been working through verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers for the Trafford test, that time is better spent elsewhere. Those question types will not appear.

Make the curriculum foundations secure

Because the test draws on what your child has already been taught up to the end of Year 5, across the curriculum and not just in English and maths, the strongest preparation is making sure those foundations are solid. A 'little and often' approach works best; experts recommend study sessions of 20 to 30 minutes for 10-year-olds.

With Atom Home, your child gets a personalised weekly plan tied to their target schools, adaptive questions pitched at the right level, and full coverage of the KS2 English and maths curriculum.

Encourage regular reading

Reading underpins comprehension, vocabulary and written accuracy. Aim for 10 to 15 minutes a day, with variety: fiction and non-fiction, different genres and authors.

Explore Atom's free reading and writing starter kit for age-appropriate suggestions.

Practise working to time

Atom's practice papers build the habit of working accurately under timed conditions. Photograph the completed sheets and upload them for instant marking, a Standardised Age Score, and a clear view of which topics to work on next.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

Atom's progress tracking shows how your child is doing across topics and which way each one is heading, so you can keep encouragement specific and motivation steady.

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