Grammar Schools in England

There are 164 Grammar Schools remaining in England, all of which are fully selective and use various types of 11+ testing to determine their intake. You can find lists of the schools and links to their websites here.

In addition to the 164 Grammar Schools, there are a number of schools that select a proportion of their pupils by ability. There are two types of these – Bilateral Schools and Partially Selective schools.

Bilateral Schools

These schools are located in areas where the Grammar School system still exists. They operate two streams within the school – a Grammar Stream and a Comprehensive Stream. To be admitted to the Grammar Stream applicants must achieve the qualifying standard in an 11+ exam, usually, the same test that applicants for local Grammar Schools take. In practice, some of these schools do not fill their allocation of selective places due to competition from the neighbouring grammar schools. Unlike grammar schools, they are required to fill any remaining places with non-selective applicants. Generally, these schools are not heavily over-subscribed because of the existence of grammar schools in the immediate area.

These are the eight bilateral schools.

  • Bexley – Erith School (Mixed)
  • Lincolnshire – King Edward VI Humanities College (Mixed)
  • Medway – The Howard School (Boys)
  • Reading – Reading Girls’ School (Girls)
  • Southend-on-Sea – St Bernard’s High School for Girls (Girls)
  • Southend-on-Sea – St Thomas More High School for Boys (Boys)
  • Torbay – Westlands School (Mixed)
  • Warwickshire – Ashlawn School (Mixed)

Partially Selective Schools

There are a number of schools around the country that have retained the right to select a proportion of their pupils by ability or aptitude. These are the remaining partially selective schools in England. All of them are over-subscribed. All except Old Swinford Hospital, Archbishop Tenison’s School and the London Nautical School select the highest scoring applicants under each criterion.

You can find further information about these schools here.