11+ Information
Admission to Boston Grammar School is decided by an 11+ test procedure. This section provides an overview of the process and the support available for prospective students.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I enter my son for the test?
The short answer to this one is… yes. As in all maintained schools, education at Boston Grammar school is free and delivered by fully-qualified professionals, so applying to this school is no different to applying anywhere else. Our school is not 'elitist' in any way - it simply takes in pupils from all walks of life who can demonstrate that they have a high level of ability and would benefit from an academic education. There is nothing to be lost by taking the tests, as, for most pupils, they are taken with his classmates at his primary school, where he will feel at ease.
How will I know if he is likely to pass?
There is no guarantee that any applicant will 'pass' the 11+ test. The test is norm-referenced, so it aims to take the top 25% of each cohort. That means that there isn't a set level of ability needed… he simply needs to do better than other pupils in his year group! As an indication, if he is currently getting Level 4s and 5s at primary school, then he is likely to do well in the tests, though there is not a direct correlation between the tests and Key Stage 2 scores.
What sorts of things are tested?
There are two papers: a Verbal Reasoning paper and a Non-Verbal Reasoning paper. We send practice papers to your son's primary school, so he should have had a go at one already. We also run 11+ Familiarisation Sessions for those pupils and parents wanting to look at the kinds of questions that come up year-on-year. The papers require pupils to think laterally, look for codes and patterns, and apply their knowledge of symmetry, rotation, word construction and vocabulary. Neither paper will test 'memory' of primary school curriculum learning, so there is nothing that a candidate can 'revise' before the test… these are cognitive skills application papers.
Do I need to have registered him for the tests?
Yes, you do. You will appreciate that it is quite a complex exercise to organise testing for all of the children in the primary schools in the catchment areas of the two grammar schools in the town, so we do need people to register for the tests to give us accurate numbers. So, if you haven't registered yet, simply return your postal form, register online or collect a registration form at the Open Evening, fill it in and get it back to us.
What support is there available for pupil premium eligible families?
We work in partnership with Atom Learning to provide students who are eligible for Pupil Premium with free online learning and 11+ exam preparation. This programme is to help children get familiar with the type of questions they may see on the 11+, and build exam technique and confidence. For more information and to access the free 11+ familiarisation resources, follow the link below:
Will he have to come to Boston Grammar School to take the tests?
We prefer to test boys in their own primary school classrooms on two Fridays in September, when they are surrounded by their friends and feel most at ease with being under exam conditions. Most candidates take the tests this way. However, for a small number of pupils from out of the local area, we also run testing sessions the following Saturday mornings at Boston Grammar School.
When do we get the results of the test?
We will be posting out the outcomes of the 11+ procedure in early October, so you do not have to wait long to know if your son has achieved the required standard. In that letter, we will clarify the options open to you when completing your preference forms for return to the Local Authority (by 31st October).
If he hasn't 'passed', is there anything I can do about it?
Yes there is. All parents have the right of appeal against the decision not to admit pupils based on the 11+ test outcomes. Indeed, if you and your son's primary school teacher(s) feel that your son is of an appropriate ability level to succeed at Boston Grammar School, then you should appeal. That discussion with your son's primary school should be held when the outcomes are posted to you in October, as you will be nominating Boston Grammar School as your school of choice on your preference form in order to be able to make the appeal later. This does mean that, if unsuccessful at appeal, you will be allocated a school by the Local Authority.
In past years, many pupils have entered Boston Grammar School on appeal and have gone on to achieve excellent GCSE and A-level results and subsequently gone to university. No test can accurately predict the ability levels of all candidates sitting it, and it would be wrong not to take into account what you and your son's primary school already know about him if he should simply 'have a bad day' for the tests, so should he not 'pass', then please do exercise your right to appeal. As we have two single-sex grammar schools serving the town, we have not traditionally had the over-subscription problems facing some other grammar schools in the country, so there have been places available for those deemed suitable.
Is appealing for a place a difficult and stressful process?
No. It's actually quite straightforward. You cannot make an appeal until after the Local Authority has allocated you a place in early March (i.e. a place in another school). At that point, you can contact the Clerk to Governors, c/o Boston Grammar School, South End, Boston, Lincs, PE21 6JY and request appeal papers. For speed, it is quicker to contact the clerk at BGSClerk@bostongrammarschool.co.uk. The appeal papers can also be submitted online for speed and convenience.
Appeal papers ask for some basic information about you and your child, and offer you the chance to make a statement supporting your son's suitability for grammar school. Most parents then attach copies of primary school reports or supporting evidence of current primary school achievement. Once that is received, the Clerk arranges an appointment with you for a brief meeting with the independent Appeals Panel (usually in May/June), who will ask any questions they have about your son's circumstances and then make their decision on whether or not he should be admitted.
If it sounds stressful, it really isn't. Further information about appealing for a school place can be found at the links below:
When will we get an offer of a place?
If your son has 'passed' the 11+, you will be formally allocated a place by the Local Authority on 2nd March, and you will then receive our formal offer of the place, posted on 3rd March. You should have accepted the LA's allocation by 16th March to take up the place.
If you want to turn down the LA's allocated place or re-apply, you should contact the Admissions Team at the Authority, which usually looks at re-applications in early May. If your son did not pass the test, but you appeal to us for a place and are successful, then the Local Authority will amend the admissions database to show that you are now coming to Boston Grammar School and not the school you were offered on 2nd March.
Doesn't failing the 11+ stigmatise a child for life?
No. As with all things, achievement is relative. Children will do more or less well than others in Key Stage tests, on the sports field, in their GCSEs… some will go on to fail their driving tests first time, while others pass. This is just one measure along the road of life, and there are many. Children mature at different rates, and the 11+ outcome should never be seen as some kind of measure of inherent genius or weakness. It's simply an aid to establishing what kind of education might best suit a child for the next five years… before we look at it all again at 16.
Free 11+ Familiarisation
The Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools is proud to be open to pupils from all backgrounds.
We work in partnership with Atom Learning, the leading online Key Stage 2 learning and 11+ preparation platform, to provide students who are eligible for Pupil Premium with free online learning and 11+ exam preparation.
This programme is to help children get familiar with the type of questions they may see on the 11+, and build exam technique and confidence. They'll be able to access KS2 and 11+ practice questions, learning resources, and practice papers through their Atom Home account.
If your child is eligible for pupil premium, you can access your free Atom Home account by clicking the button below and filling in a short form.
For non-pupil premium families, there is a five-day free trial available via the Atom website.
The following books are also available to use as practice material for the 11+ test.
| Title | ISBN |
|---|---|
| 11+ Practice Papers Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 1 (Multiple Choice) | 9780708727645 |
| 11+ Practice Papers Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 2 (Multiple Choice) | 9780708727652 |
| 11+ Practice Papers Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 3 (Multiple Choice) | 9780708727669 |
| 11+ Practice Papers Verbal Reasoning Pack 1 (Multiple Choice) | 9780708727614 |
| 11+ Practice Papers Verbal Reasoning Pack 2 (Multiple Choice) | 9780708727621 |
| 11+ Practice Papers Verbal Reasoning Pack 3 (Multiple Choice) | 9780708727638 |
| 11+ Practice Papers Bundle of All Verbal 11+ Practice Packs (3 Packs) | 9780708727690 |
| 11+ Practice Papers Bundle of All Non Verbal 11+ Practice Packs (3 Packs) | 9780708727706 |
Entry Requirements for Year 7
The admission number of the school for each Year 7 intake cohort is 120.
The Governing Body of Boston Grammar School is the Admissions Authority. It will admit those pupils that meet the entry requirements as laid out in our policy without reference to colour, race, religion or disability. From 11-16, boys will be taught at Boston Grammar School and girls are welcomed into the co-educational Sixth Form.
Admission to Boston Grammar School is decided by an 11+ test procedure. Practice tests are available, and these are normally undertaken at the primary school prior to the real tests.
The actual selection tests will be taken either at the primary school, or at BGS, subject to arrangements negotiated with primary heads, for pupils in their final year at primary school and of the appropriate age group. The results of these tests will be rank ordered to select the top 25% of the local cohort, in keeping with the percentage intake targets across Lincolnshire's grammar schools.
Parents will be informed of the outcomes of this process prior to submitting their preferences to School Admissions. The candidates selected through the above process will then be eligible to join Boston Grammar School.
Those pupils who satisfy the entry requirements and apply will be offered a place, subject to availability. Sitting the test does not constitute an application for a place at the school. There is a legal requirement for admissions authorities to comply with the agreed coordinated admissions scheme for entry into Year 7, which is administered by Lincolnshire County Council, as the local authority. Under the coordinated arrangements, all applications must be submitted by parents or carers either by applying online or on their home local authority's common application form.
If more pupils reach the standard than the school can accommodate, after admitting qualified children with Education Health Care Plans (Children and Families Act 2014) naming the school, priority will be determined in the following order:
- Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children, including those children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
- Siblings of pupils already attending the school at the time of admittance.
- Straight line distance as calculated electronically to three figures after the decimal point (e.g. 1.543 miles) by Lincolnshire County Council school admissions team from the Post Office Address Point of the home to the Post Office Address Point of the school.
If any of the above criteria are not sufficient to distinguish between applicants, the tie-break will be decided by a lottery drawn by an independent person, not employed by the school or working in the Children's Services Directorate at the local authority.
To date the school has been able to accommodate all children who have reached the required standard in the entry tests.
If the school is oversubscribed, the Governing Body will keep a waiting list up until the end of the Autumn term. Where a child stands in relation to the over-subscription criteria rather than length of time on the waiting list will be the determining factor if a place becomes available.
Parents have the right to appeal against the decision not to offer a place to an independent appeals panel. Details of the process can be obtained from the Clerk to Governors. BGSClerk@bostongrammarschool.co.uk
Appealing the 11+
Didn't pass the 11+? All applicants have the right to appeal. This page is to provide guidance to those parents and carers who think their son has the appropriate ability level to succeed at Boston Grammar School.
If you would like a paper copy of this form please contact us via 01205 366444 or BGSClerk@bostongrammarschool.co.uk.
Key Dates
- National Offer Day: 2nd March 2026
- Appeals Deadline: 24th April 2026
- Appeals Hearings Begin: 18th May 2026
- Appeals Hearings End: 21st July 2026
Decision letters will be sent within 5 school days of the hearing, wherever possible.
Non-Qualification Appeals
You will need to present enough evidence to the appeals panel to show that your child has the ability to benefit from a grammar school education, despite the fact that they did not reach the qualifying score in the test. The evidence should consistently demonstrate high academic ability. It may also include evidence about mitigating circumstances, that explain why your child did not perform to the best of their ability in the tests.
Academic Evidence
The most ready source of information about your child's ability is likely to be his current primary school. You will need to ask whether the school will feel able to support your appeal and what evidence they will be able to produce to substantiate this support. You may wish to ask the head teacher or class teacher to comment on: ability in the core subjects, English, Mathematics and Science including the predicted KS2 SATS level and current Teacher Assessment Level; qualities of perseverance, application and ability to work independently; attendance, health, etc. which may have adversely affected the child's overall performance in the tests; whether they are aware of anything on the day of either test which would have adversely affected the child's performance in the test; whether they think that the child's score in the 11+ tests accurately reflects his ability and if not what score they would have expected the child to achieve and why. Some of the Foundation Grammar Schools may send a form for the primary school to complete covering the above areas. Otherwise it will be entirely up to you to seek the appropriate information from your child's primary school head teacher to submit to the Appeals Panel. The more evidence you have of very high ability, the better.
Academic evidence could include:
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Good scores in curriculum tests, high teacher assessments in core subjects and good predicted scores for KS2 SATS tests. The more specific the teacher can be, the better, for instance if John is working at Level 5a in his Maths, this will be stronger than simply saying he is at Level 5.
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Good previous school reports, especially if they detail National Curriculum attainment levels or talk of high ability.
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A high Reading Age if the school carries out Reading Age testing.
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High standardised scores in NfER tests or high CATS test scores, if the school carries out any of these tests.
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Good day-to-day academic work in your child's school books, especially if the teacher has written favourable comments which reflect on your child's ability.
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Strongly expressed opinion from the headteacher that your child is suitable for a grammar school education.
Academic evidence would not include:
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Letters about how good your child is at extra-curricular activities or hobbies, unless they have a clearly academic focus. For example, it might be useful to include the fact that your child is the Junior Eastern Counties Chess Champion or has reached a high grade in music examinations, but not that they play hockey for the County Team.
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Letters about community spirit, fund raising activities, leadership qualities or excellent behaviour.
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The fact that your child was not tutored for the tests.
Evidence of Mitigating Circumstances
You will need to think about whether any extenuating circumstances are sufficient to explain the shortfall in marks. It is important, if possible, to include documentary evidence from an appropriate person outside the family who can substantiate the way in which your child is/was affected, for instance you may say "John was worried about my health when he took the 11+"; if John's teacher can write something like "John was clearly anxious and distracted when his mother was undergoing tests at the hospital and his schoolwork suffered. I am sure that his performance in the 11+ tests was affected", then your evidence will be corroborated and strengthened.
Frequently Asked Questions about Non-Qualification Appeals
Frequently Asked Questions about Non-Qualification and Oversubscription Appeals
Frequently Asked Questions about Oversubscription Appeals
Useful Resources
Eleven Plus Exams is a website with a wealth of information about 11+ exams. The Appeals Q&A section is useful and there is an active Forum. Please note that some of the information is specific to particular regions.