Wycombe High School 11+ guide

Are you thinking about applying to Wycombe High School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam.

Key information for Wycombe High School

• School type: girls’ grammar school
• Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 192
• 11+ exam: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
• Catchment area: yes

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Friday 1st May 2026: test registration opens
• Tuesday 2nd June 2026: test registration closes
• Friday 16th June 2026: Open event and school tour
• Thursday 10th September 2026: test day
• Mid-October 2026: parents receive test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

How to apply to Wycombe High School

Wycombe High School is selective. This means that your daughter will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place.

In Buckinghamshire, the 11+ is known as the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test. All grammar schools in Buckinghamshire use this test to select children for Year 7 places. If you would like your daughter to be considered for a place at more than one grammar school in Buckinghamshire, she will only need to take the test once.

If your daughter attends a state-funded primary school in Buckinghamshire, she will be entered for the test automatically — you do not need to register her separately. If your daughter attends a primary school outside Buckinghamshire, you must register her for the test. Registration opens on Friday 1st May 2026 and closes on Tuesday 2nd June 2026. A link to register will be available on the participating schools' websites during the registration window.

The practice test will take place on Tuesday 8th September 2026 and the main test on Thursday 10th September 2026. Girls at Buckinghamshire state primary schools will sit both at their own school. Girls at other schools will sit both at a grammar school test centre.

Your daughter's results will be emailed to you on Thursday 9th October 2026. If she meets the qualifying standard for Wycombe High 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 daughter will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed with girls who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, schools use admissions criteria to allocate places.

We've outlined the process for Wycombe High School below.

What will my child be tested on?

The test consists of two one-hour papers. Both papers are multiple-choice. There will be a break between the two papers.

One paper tests verbal skills. This includes comprehension, technical English, and verbal reasoning. The other paper tests non-verbal skills. This covers non-verbal reasoning and maths.

For more details, take a look at our guide to the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.

How are places allocated at Wycombe High School?

On Thursday 9th October, you’ll receive your child’s test results. These will confirm whether your child has met the required standard for admission.

If your child’s results meet the required standard, you must name Wycombe High 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 Wycombe High School have a catchment area?

Wycombe High School does have a catchment area. This is separated into Catchment Area A (consisting of areas including High Wycombe, Marlow and Stokenchurch) and Catchment Area B (consisting of areas including Maidenhead and some of the surrounding area). A map is available in the school admissions policy.

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 Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer 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.