The 11+ · Redbridge · Essex CSSE · Independents
The 11+ in Barkingside, explained plainly.
Most providers keep you guessing on dates, formats and catchment. We don’t. Here is exactly what your child faces, the deadline that really matters, and the routes open to your family — whether or not you live inside catchment.
Applying is free and takes no payment. Taught in small groups — never more than eight, most just six — at Fullwell Cross Library.
The one thing parents get wrong
The effective deadline is the end of Year 5.
The test is sat in the first days of Year 6 — so whatever a child can do at the end of Year 5 is, in practice, what they bring to the exam hall. Families who start in Year 6 have already missed it.
Why timing decides everything
The Redbridge test is sat in early September of Year 6 — on Friday 18 September 2026 for Year 7 entry in September 2027. Children walk in during the first week of term, so there is no autumn to prepare in. The work has to be finished before it starts.
The local grammars
What the Redbridge GL test actually is
Our two super-selective grammars are Ilford County High (boys) and Woodford County High (girls). Both use the GL Assessment format — and the detail matters.
Two timed papers
The whole test is two papers covering four strands. There is no interview and no portfolio — it lives or dies on the day.
Entirely multiple-choice
Every question is answered on a separate sheet. Accurate, fast answer-transfer is a skill in itself — and one we drill.
Age-standardised
Raw marks are adjusted for each child’s exact age, so younger-in-year children are not penalised. Scores are reported on a standardised scale.
English + Verbal Reasoning
Comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and grammar, and verbal-reasoning puzzles — entirely multiple-choice, marked on a separate answer sheet.
Maths + Non-Verbal / Spatial
Arithmetic and problem-solving under time pressure, plus non-verbal and spatial reasoning. Also entirely multiple-choice.
What we test → what we teach
The four strands, mapped to our teaching
Every GL question falls into one of four strands. We assess each at diagnostic, teach against it explicitly, and track it separately on the live progress dashboard parents can actually see.
English
EngReading age and comprehension technique, inference, a working vocabulary, and the spelling and grammar that GL rewards.
Verbal Reasoning
VREvery GL verbal-reasoning question type, drilled to instinct — codes, sequences, letter and number logic, word relationships.
Maths
MathsCurriculum mastery to a year ahead, mental-maths fluency, and timed problem-solving so accuracy holds under pressure.
Non-Verbal / Spatial
NVRPattern, rotation, reflection and spatial logic — the strand most children meet for the first time at the 11+.
The bar, and the address
Two truths the glossy brochures skip
Qualifying is only the floor, and a strong score outside catchment usually will not win a place. We benchmark every child against both lines — and say so plainly.
The pass mark is only the floor
The qualifying standardised mark is 104. But reaching 104 only makes a child eligible — it does not win a place. These schools are super-selective: offers go top-down to the highest scorers who meet catchment. A realistic in-catchment offer typically sits in the 115–125 range.
Strict catchment
Redbridge grammar places are tightly tied to home address. A strong score outside catchment will usually not result in an offer — which is why honest catchment guidance, not false hope, is part of how we work. The mock and diagnostic exist precisely to tell you, plainly, whether the grammars are realistic from where you live.
Three routes, one plan
In catchment, near Essex, or independent
We would rather redirect a family than set them up for disappointment. Whichever route fits, we teach to that exam — not a generic 11+.
In catchment
Redbridge grammars
Inside catchment for Ilford County or Woodford County, the GL grammar route is the prize — and our Intensive 11+ track (small, capped at six) is built squarely for it.
- —Full GL coverage, all four strands
- —Aiming for the 115–125 offer zone
- —Timed mocks in the real format
Near the Essex border
Essex CSSE grammars
For families close to Essex, the CSSE grammars (Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend) are a strong alternative — but a different exam: written, with a creative-writing element GL prep does not cover.
- —Extended written Maths and English
- —Dedicated creative-writing coaching
- —Runs as a focused add-on
No catchment at all
Independents & scholarship
Chigwell, Forest and Bancroft’s admit on their own assessments, with scholarship routes for the strongest candidates. Our premium track (capped at four) prepares each school’s papers and interview.
- —School-specific paper preparation
- —Scholarship and interview practice
- —No catchment restriction
We sat these exams ourselves not long ago — a Haberdashers’ Girls’ School alumna, a Dr Challoner’s Grammar School alumnus and a 90% Chigwell scholarship-winner — so we remember exactly what moved the needle and what wasted time.
The 11+ calendar
Key dates, out in the open.
During Year 5
Registration window
Parents register with Redbridge from 1 May – 15 June (during Year 5). Miss it and there is no late entry — the first hard deadline.
Summer, Year 5 → start of Year 6
Preparation must be done
The test sits within days of Year 6 starting, so the real preparation window closes at the end of Year 5. There is no meaningful Year-6 catch-up.
Early September, Year 6
The test — Friday 18 September 2026
Two timed, all-multiple-choice papers, sat for Year 7 entry in September 2027.
1 March, Year 6
National Offer Day
Results feed your secondary application. Offers are confirmed on 1 March — roughly six months after the test.
Dates follow the Redbridge admissions calendar and vary each year — always confirm the exact registration window and test date with each school for your child’s entry year. The shape never changes: register in Year 5, test at the start of Year 6, offers on 1 March.
Find out where your child really stands.
Apply for a place — it’s free and takes no payment, and we review every application personally. Prefer to see a benchmark first? Book a mock and diagnostic for an honest read on catchment and the plan for the time that’s left.
Questions first? Read the FAQ or email hello@bloomacademy.work.