Regional Variations in 11+ Exams
In England, there are now 164 grammar schools that parents and children can choose from when they are looking at their further and future education. These schools are spread around the entire width and breadth of England and you are likely to find one that is at least relatively close to where you currently live.
Whilst the concept and overall content of the 11+ exams are the same no matter where you are in England, there are some differences in the many regions around England.
When you are considering 11 plus practice papers, Let’s look at some examples of these regions and the things that you may need to know about them.
Buckinghamshire
The Buckingham Grammar Schools consortium has thirteen schools, all of which have the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test that needs to be set. All of the schools in this area are academies, which means that they have their admission policies, however, they do work together and create a coordinated selection system and use a common test that allows for children to be considered for their chosen grammar school in the area, fairly.
Birmingham and Walsall
Eight schools are considered to be a part of the Birmingham Grammar School Consortium. These schools all require any potential students to sit the 11+ exam. The places for these schools will then be offered out to the admission policy for the individual school, part of the consideration for the school will be the individual scores on the 11+ test.
Kent
Kent has the most grammar schools for any other region. There are 35 wholly selective grammar schools and four that are partially selective. The schools that are based in Dover have their test (which is known as the Dover Test) and the Folkestone School also has their test (called the Shepway Test).
That said, these schools will also accept children who sit and pass the overall Kent test, these children do not need to pass both tests.
Lincolnshire
If you are considering your child attending one of the 14 grammar schools in this particular region then it is important to know that 12 out of the 14 belong to a consortium and have the same testing arrangements. There is one additional school that uses the same tests as the others but has modified some of their selection criteria and there is one school that does not follow the same tests as the others.
Warwickshire
Five grammar schools are in Warwickshire. These schools are a part of the same consortium as is found in Birmingham and therefore the tests that the children will take in both of these regions will be the same.
If you are interested in both regions (and you are living in a commutable distance, or making changes to where you live) then you will only need to register for the exam once, no matter which school your child wants to attend.
These are just some of the regions that are a part of England and that offer different 11+ processes than others. If you have a particular school, or region in mind for your child, then you are going to need to make sure that you find out more about what will be expected of that school and ensure that you follow their policies and rules to ensure that your child can sit (and hopefully pass) their 11+ exam.
Introduction to 11+ Practice Papers
Subjects Covered in 11+ Practice Papers
Regional Variations in 11+ Exams
