Aylesbury Grammar School 11+ guide

Thinking about applying to Aylesbury Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.

Key information for Aylesbury Grammar School

• Address: Aylesbury Grammar School, Walton Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 7RP
• Number of pupils: 1300+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 186
• 11+ exam: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
• Catchment area: Yes

Dates for your diary

• Friday 2nd May 2025: registration opens for the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
• Friday 13th June 2025: registration closes for the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
• Tuesday 9th September 2025: Buckinghamshire Practice Test
• Thursday 11th September 2025: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
• Friday 10th October 2025: parents receive results from the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school common application deadline
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day

About Aylesbury Grammar School

Aylesbury Grammar School, often called AGS, is a distinguished boys' grammar school in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Founded in 1598 by Sir Henry Lee, it has a rich history of providing exceptional education.

The school's motto, "Nurturing Character since 1598," reflects its commitment to developing well-rounded individuals. AGS offers a broad curriculum, encouraging students to excel academically while also engaging in a variety of extracurricular activities.

A unique aspect of AGS is its house system, comprising six houses: Denson, Hampden, Lee, Paterson, Phillips, and Ridley. This system fosters a strong sense of community and healthy competition among students

The school boasts modern facilities, including a performing arts building with a theatre, music practice rooms, and a recording studio. Additionally, there are extensive sports fields and courts supporting various athletic pursuits.

AGS has a reputation for academic excellence, consistently achieving outstanding results. Beyond academics, the school offers numerous clubs and societies, providing students with opportunities to explore diverse interests and develop essential life skills.

In summary, Aylesbury Grammar School stands out for its long-standing tradition of nurturing character and intellect, offering a supportive environment where boys can thrive and prepare for future success.

How to apply to Aylesbury Grammar School

Aylesbury Grammar School is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place. In Buckinghamshire, the 11 plus is known as the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.

All children who go to a primary school in Buckinghamshire are entered to take the test. This means that you will not need to register your child separately.

If your child goes to a primary school outside of Buckinghamshire, you’ll need to register them to take the test. Registration for the 2025 exam opens on Friday 2nd May 2025 and closes on Friday 13th June 2025.

A practice test will take place on Tuesday 9th September 2025, and the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test will be held on Thursday 11th September. If your child attends a Buckinghamshire primary school, they will take both the practice test and the exam at their school. If your child attends any other school, they will take the practice test and the exam at a grammar school test centre.

You'll find out if your child has met the eligible score in the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test on Friday 10th October 2025. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Aylesbury Grammar School.

To apply, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October 2025.

Remember – passing the entrance exam doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Aylesbury Grammar School below.

What's on the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test?

The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test consists of two one-hour papers. These papers are supplied by GL Assessment. Your child takes both papers on the same day with a short break in between.

Your child will have a question booklet and separate answer sheets. All the questions in the test are multiple-choice, so your child needs to mark the answer options they think are correct on the answer sheets.

Both papers start with an introduction and practice examples. About 15 minutes is allocated for these, followed by 45 minutes of test questions.

Verbal paper

In this paper, your child is tested on verbal skills. This includes:

• English comprehension: how well your child can understand and analyse written text
• Technical English: grammar, punctuation and spelling – all based on national curriculum content
• Verbal reasoning: using logic and reasoning to solve problems with written information, like letters, words and numbers

Mathematical and non-verbal paper

In this paper, your child will be tested on maths and non-verbal skills. This includes:

• Non-verbal reasoning: using logic and reasoning to solve problems with visual information, like shapes, diagrams and pictures
• Spatial reasoning: tests how well your child can manipulate shapes and spaces in their head
• Maths: covers key topics taught on the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum

How does place allocation work at Aylesbury Grammar School?

Your child’s total score in the entrance exam will be age-standardised and weighted. Find out how this mark is worked out in our guide to the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.

The qualifying mark for entry to Buckinghamshire grammar schools is 121. Children are not ranked beyond this point – places are then based on your target school’s admissions criteria.

If more than 1300+ children applying to Aylesbury Grammar School achieve a score of 121 or higher, the school applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:

1. Looked after and previously looked after boys
2. Up to 6 places are allocated to boys who are eligible for free school meals and whose standardised score in the test is between 115 and 120, and who have not been deemed to have qualified according to a selection review
3. Boys eligible for free school meals
4. Siblings of boys at Aylesbury Grammar School
5. Siblings of girls at Aylesbury High School
6. Siblings of former pupils at Aylesbury Grammar School
7. Children of staff at Aylesbury Grammar School (who have been employed for at least two years)
8. Boys who have exceptional medical or social needs which can only be met at Aylesbury Grammar School
9. Boys living within the catchment area
10. All other boys who have met the qualifying score

Aylesbury Grammar School operates a catchment area to prioritise eligible boys living close to the school. The catchment area includes Aylesbury, Princes Risborough, Long Crendon, Ludgershall, Stewkley and Edlesborough. A map is available on the school website.

How can I help my child prepare for the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test?

The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test is designed to be difficult. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the exam in September 2025.

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the test. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

The Secondary Transfer Test assesses your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Buckinghamshire practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.