How to Apply for a Year 7 place

Step 1   Register for the Entrance Test             

To register your son/daughter for the Entrance Test download the Registration Form above, complete and send to the Admissions Officer at King Edwards. 

Step 2  Visit us   

Sounds obvious but you need to check if this is the right school for your child.  Either come to our Open Evening and/or arrange an individual tour so you can see us during the working day.  

Step 3 Sit the Entrance Test

In September of Year 6 children sit the Grammar School Entrance Test either in their Primary School, or here in the Sports Hall at King Edward's.  There are two weekends of testing with additional mid-week sessions for those who have been unable to sit the test on the day.  All dates are on the attachment above. 

Step 4 Results

Results of the test are sent to you in mid October. 

Step 5 Decisions 

We encourage all parents to contact the school again in October to discuss any outstanding issues or concerns with the Headmaster.  For the undecided we also encourage a personal tour of the school during the working day so that you can see us in action and decide if King Edward's is right for your son/daughter. 

Step 6 The Common Application Form/Parental Preference 

Finally you must complete the Common Application Form, or on-line Application, available from your Local Authority in September. You should place King Edward's as your number 1 preference to maximise your chances of gaining a place.  

Step 7 Local Authority decisions 

The LEA then sort the outcome of the tests and parental choices to determine who gains a place at the school.                                

The School is not involved in offering places, or determining who does or does not get a place. Passing the test is not a guarantee of a place at the school. 

ApplyingAdmissions Policy for September 2021

What do parents need to know about the Entrance Test? 

To be eligible for a place in Year 7 at one of Lincolnshire's grammar schools, children must demonstrate that they have reached the required standard for entry as determined by 11 plus testing. The tests are normally taken early in the last year of primary school (Year 6). 

The Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools was created to coordinate Testing arrangements across the county. Currently, 13 out of the 14 grammar schools, together with King Edward VI Humanities College in Spilsby, which is a bilateral school, belong to the Consortium and follow the same Testing arrangements. 

Caistor Grammar School does not belong to the Consortium and administers its own tests. Parents who would like their children to take the 11 Plus will need to register for testing from January/February when their child is in Year 5. 

The Test 

Candidates are asked to take a Verbal Reasoning Test and a Non-Verbal Reasoning Test, either in their own Primary Schools or in the Grammar School where they have registered, according to the area.  

Both tests are now multiple choice papers. These tests are prepared annually for the Consortium by GL Assessment and are preceded at an earlier date by two practice tests. 

The practice tests are provided by GLA to ensure that candidates are familiar with the style of questions. Each real Test also has a short practice element; the Verbal Reasoning Test is preceded by a ten minute Preliminary Practice Test, and the Non-Verbal Reasoning Test is divided into sections each provided with a few practice questions. The answers to these practice questions are neither marked nor taken into consideration. 

When the tests have been completed the mark sheets are sent to GLA, whose statisticians mark and then standardise them, making adjustments for age difference, to produce a qualification standard identifying suitability for Grammar School education in Lincolnshire. 

The qualification is a total standardised score of at least 220 on the two tests, and represents the ability of the most able 25% of pupils in the age group in primary schools in the selective areas of Lincolnshire. 

Attainment of the minimum qualification standard does not of itself guarantee admission to any individual school.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the purpose of the tests?

The tests are designed to identify potential. They are not tests of attainment and do not reflect the amount of work done nor the teaching styles of different primary schools. Nor are they predictive tests of GCSE performance. 

What is the 'pass mark'?

The qualifying level is a total standardised score of at least 220 on both papers.

What is a standardised score?

It is the result of a statistical procedure which converts the number of correct answers (the 'raw score') into a readily understandable scale. Standardisation enables the scores of different tests to be combined in a meaningful manner. It includes an age allowance and compares a pupil's performance to the average performance and only to pupils of the same age. 

Why is an age allowance made?

Almost invariably older pupils achieve slightly higher raw scores than younger pupils, and the age allowance ensures that those born, for example, in July or August are not at a disadvantage to those born in the previous September or October. 

How is the age allowance calculated?

The statistics are complex, but the allowance is based on the actual extent to which older pupils score more highly in a given test. It is not fixed in advance.