Bexley Test timeline

Some free childcare may be available. Find out more at gov.uk/find-free-early-education.

Read to your child every day and use puzzles, counting, and simple games to build early numeracy and literacy foundations.

Apply for a primary school place in Bexley (deadline: January the year before your child starts, for a September start).

Your child should begin reading independently. Keep in touch with their teacher about progress in numeracy, literacy, and science.

No applications at this stage.

Continue building core skills through daily reading. Check Ofsted reports of local secondary schools to begin forming a view: reports.ofsted.gov.uk

No applications at this stage.

Start researching Bexley’s four grammar schools and their admissions policies. Note that each school has its own oversubscription criteria (distance, siblings, etc.):

Beths Grammar (boys)

Bexley Grammar (mixed)

Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar (mixed)

Townley Grammar (girls)

Attend open days at local secondary schools to get a feel for each school before the process intensifies.

CGP and Bond GL Assessment books (age 8–9) are appropriate at this stage to begin building verbal reasoning and English skills.

A general primary tutor can support KS2 curriculum work.

Consider beginning specialist 11+ tuition, starting lightly (e.g. one session per fortnight). The Bexley test covers English comprehension, verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning — all via GL Assessment.

Use CGP and Bond GL books (age 9–10). Atom Learning is a good online supplement.

Register for the Bexley Selection Test. Registration opens and closes within a window typically in spring of Year 5 — for the 2026 test cycle, the window ran 1–31 March 2026. Check bexley.gov.uk/selection-tests for the next cycle’s dates.

Note: all parents must register online themselves — children at Bexley primary schools are not automatically registered. Late registrations are not accepted and there is no appeals process.

If your child requires special arrangements (e.g. extra time), requests must be submitted by end of the spring term alongside registration.

Attend open days at grammar schools — these are typically aimed at Year 5 families. Secondary schools generally hold open events in September–October.

Increase tuition to weekly. Focus on exam technique and timed practice. Consider a mock test in the Summer Term. Keep reading every day.

The Bexley Selection Test takes place in the first or second week of September. Children at Bexley primary schools sit between 2–10 September at their own school; all others sit at one of the four grammar school test centres between 7–10 September.

Test details (location, date, time) can be viewed online from early August using your SA reference number. Ensure your child brings two sharp HB pencils, an eraser, and a sharpener. No smart watches or phones in the exam room.

The test consists of two multiple-choice papers (~50 minutes each), taken in one session with a short break between papers.

Results are published in early October via the Bexley Selection Test webpage (you need your SA reference number). Results show your child’s total age-standardised score and whether they have met the selective standard. Approximately 30% of test-takers achieve the standard.

If your child is not deemed selective but you believe there are grounds for review, discuss this with their headteacher, who can submit a Headteacher Review request. Still include a grammar school preference on your application in the meantime.

Secondary school Common Application Form (CAF) deadline: 31 October. Submit via your home Local Authority’s eAdmissions portal by 5pm. You must name each preferred Bexley grammar school on this form — passing the test alone is not enough to be considered. It is strongly recommended to include at least one non-selective school.

One test result covers all four Bexley grammar schools — you do not need to sit the test separately for each.

National Offer Day — 1 March. You will be informed which school your child has been allocated a place at. If your child was not offered a preferred school, you have the right to appeal.

Grammar places are typically allocated first by selective score, then by the school’s oversubscription criteria (looked-after children, EHCP, siblings, then distance from home to school).