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Are you considering Wilson's School in Sutton for your child? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7, including key dates, how to register and what's on the 11 plus exam.
About Wilson's School
Established in 1615, Wilson's School is an all-boys grammar renowned for some of the country's best A level and GCSE results. It was named London State Secondary School of the Decade by the Sunday Times in 2020, and came 4th in the Telegraph’s 2019 school league.
Address: Mollison Drive, Wallington, SM6 9JW
Local authority: Sutton Council
School type: boys' grammar
Headteacher: Nathan Cole
Number of pupils: 1,301
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 3
A level results: 97.9% A*–B
GCSE results: 95.4% 9/8/7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 186
11 plus registration opens: 1st May 2023
11 plus registration closes: 4th August 2023
Exam type: Sutton SET followed by school's own second-stage exam
Selective Eligibility Test: 12th September 2023
Second-stage exam: 30th September 2023
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Wilson's School term dates
The 2023–2024 term dates at Wilson's School are:
Autumn term: 6th September – 21st December 2023
Half term: 23rd October – 3rd November 2023
Spring term: 8th January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 12th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Wilson's School
Wilson's School shares an entrance test and registration process with the five other grammar schools in Sutton. The entrance test is called the Selective Eligibility Test (SET).
1. Register for the SET
Before you register you should speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus is right for them.
Register your child to take the SET by completing the online application form which is available from 1st May onwards, on any of the Sutton grammar schools' websites. You only need to register for the test once to apply for any of the grammar schools in Sutton. Registration closes on 4th August.
If you're applying for grammar schools outside Sutton, remember to register for their 11 plus exams too.
2. Second stage test
Children who achieve the qualifying mark in the SET are invited to take the Wilson's School second stage test on 30th September (a couple of weeks after the SET).
The boys' grammar schools in Sutton share a second-stage test. Because the admissions criteria differ between schools, children may be considered for the second-stage test at certain schools but not others.
3. Optional sports and music tests
Every child who is invited to take the second stage test is also offered the opportunity to take the Wilson's School Sporting Aptitude Test and/or Music Aptitude Test, if they wish. These tests take place in the autumn term.
The sports test involves demonstrating football ability and potential to an independent assessor. The music test involves demonstrating ability in any instrument or voice through a variety of tasks.
School places are offered to the nine highest-scoring children in both the sports and music tests.
4. Apply for school places
You will get your child's second stage test results in October, and you can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority application form.
Before listing Wilson's School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. How close you live to a school is very important as schools have priority areas which change based on the demand for places.
The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.
What's on the Sutton 11 plus exam?
Stage 1: SET
The first stage 11 plus exam for Wilson's School takes place on 12th September 2023. It consists of two papers:
English
Maths
Each paper takes between 40–50 minutes and there is a break between them. Children record their answers in a separate answer book which is marked first electronically and then by hand.
The content is based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum objectives for Year 5 and 6. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are not tested.
Stage 2
The second stage test on 30th September consists of two elements: English and maths. Again, the content is based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum.
Unlike the SET, these tests are not multiple-choice. The second-stage English paper is a writing task, usually based on a prompt.
Get more details and free preparation resources in our full guide to the Sutton SET and second stage test:
What is the pass mark for Wilson's School?
Wilson's School does not state a specific pass mark in advance of the exam. Instead, they set a pass mark each year after the exams are marked based on the performance of the group. In general, UK grammar schools tend to consider the top 25% highest-scoring children for a place.
Achieving a particular score in the test does not guarantee a place at the school, as the school is likely to be oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criterion and their catchment area.
How is the Wilson's School exam scored?
After the SET papers are marked, the scores are standardised to even out any age disadvantage for children born later in the year. Your child's SET score is then added to their standardised score in each of the second stage test papers in the ratio 1:2:2, to give them an overall score. The overall scores are used to create ranked lists, and offers are made to the highest-scoring children with admissions criteria applied.
Wilson's School admissions criteria
The planned admission number (PAN) for the school is 186. Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names Wilson's School and who achieve the pass mark are offered places first. Places are then allocated to children in this order:
Current or previously Looked After Children are offered places, in rank order of their total standardised scores.
14 places are offered to boys who receive free school meals, in rank order of their total standardised scores.
9 places are offered to boys who have demonstrated aptitude in sport, by rank order of performance in the sporting aptitude test.
9 places are offered to boys who have demonstrated aptitude in music, by rank order of performance in the music aptitude test.
Any remaining places are offered to boys by rank order of their total standardised scores in the entrance tests.
Where scores are equal, boys are prioritised depending on how close they live to the school in a straight line. Boys who live in Sutton are considered ahead of boys who live outside the borough.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Sutton SET 11 plus.
Cover all the content
The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and beyond.
We recommend that your child starts revising content at least one year before the test. Setting aside study periods using a 'little and often' approach will give them time to build the skills and knowledge they need. When preparing, avoid falling into the trap of over-focusing on either the topics your child enjoys or the topics they find hardest.
Atom Nucleus is an 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey to cover all elements of the SET at the right pace for them.
No surprises
Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of questions in the 11 plus exam. Building exam technique with 11 plus test papers will help your child to feel fully confident with the styles of questions they'll encounter in the exam, reducing the potential for stress on the day.
Celebrate their progress
Setting regular goals and celebrating achievements will help keep motivation high. Atom Nucleus offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress towards mastering the 11 plus curriculum, making it easy to see where they need to focus next.
Personalised 11 plus prep for your child
Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!
Atom Nucleus is the award-winning online 11 plus practice platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for grammar school exams.
Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in English, maths and reasoning. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.
Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.
Sutton SET practice papers
Atom Nucleus gives children access to unlimited online practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Sutton Selective Eligibility Test, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.
And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.
Try Atom Nucleus free for 5 days
Begin your child's journey to Wilson's School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
Personalised support for you
We understand how important this next step is for them, and for you. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have about the 11 plus or Sutton grammar schools.
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