Bromley grammar schools 11 plus guide

Are you considering a grammar school in the London Borough of Bromley for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about admissions in 2025–2026. Keep reading to:

• Find out more about grammar schools in Bromley

• Learn the key dates for your target school

• Discover which subjects your child will be tested on

• Plus, get exclusive resources to help your child prepare!

Which schools in Bromley use the 11 plus?

There are two grammar schools in the London Borough of Bromley. Children applying for either school need to take the 11 plus to be eligible for a place. The format and content of the 11 plus is unique to each school.

Girls applying to Newstead Wood School take an 11 plus exam referred to as the selection test.

Boys applying to St Olave’s Grammar School have a two-stage process. The first stage consists of a Selective Eligibility Test (SET), which is followed by a second stage exam.

Dates for your diary

• Thursday 1st May 2025: Newstead Wood School 11+ registration opens
• Monday 9th June 2025: St Olave’s Grammar School 11+ registration opens
• Monday 30th June 2025: Newstead Wood School 11+ registration closes
• Monday 30th June 2025: St Olave’s Grammar School 11+ registration closes
• Friday 19th September 2025: St Olave’s Grammar School stage 1 entrance test
• Friday 26th–Saturday 27th September 2025: Newstead Wood School 11+ exam
• Friday 17th–Thursday 23rd October 2025: parents receive Newstead Wood School 11+ results and St Olave's Grammar School stage 1 entrance test results
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school common application deadline
• Friday 14th November 2025: St Olave's Grammar School stage 2 entrance test
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day

Dates can vary, so always check with your target schools!

What is the 11 plus?

The 11 plus is an academic entrance exam used by grammar schools in England to select pupils for Year 7. The exam takes place in September when your child is in Year 6. The 11 plus is known by other names in some areas, such as an entrance test or a selective eligibility test.

There are other grammar schools nearby in Bexley and Kent, but these schools have different exams and admissions processes. Find out more information about:

• The Bexley Selection Test
• The Kent Test

What's on the 11 plus for entry to Bromley grammar schools?

The 11 plus exam is different for each of the two grammar schools in Bromley.

Newstead Wood School

Girls applying for a place at Newstead Wood School take the school’s selection test in September 2025. The exam takes place on the school site.

The Newstead Wood School selection test consists of two test papers. These papers are supplied by GL Assessment. Your child takes both papers on the same day with a short break in between.

Each paper lasts approximately 50 minutes to one hour. 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.

The papers assess verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. These subjects are not taught on the national curriculum, so your daughter may not have seen these types of questions before.

• Verbal reasoning: using logic and reasoning to solve problems with written information, such as letters, words, symbols and numbers
• Non-verbal reasoning: using logic and reasoning to solve problems with visual information, such as shapes, diagrams and pictures

St Olave’s Grammar School

The entry process for St Olave’s Grammar School consists of two stages:

St Olave’s Grammar School SET (Stage 1)

All boys who have completed the St Olave’s SIF by the deadline take the school’s Selective Eligibility Test (SET). This will be held on the school site in September 2025 for 2026 entry.

The SET has a time limit of one hour. It consists of approximately 60 questions split across four sections. Your child will be told when to start and finish each section.

• Section A: English comprehension
• Section B: Maths
• Section C: Verbal reasoning
• Section D: Non-verbal reasoning

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.

St Olave’s Grammar School Stage 2

Boys who pass the St Olave’s Grammar School SET are invited back to the school for the second stage tests. These will take place in November 2025 for 2026 entry.

Stage 2 consists of two one-hour papers. These are taken on the same day, with a 15 minute break in between.

One paper is an English test which assesses reading and writing. This is split into two sections:

• Section One: your child will read a passage of fiction or non-fiction text and will answer multiple-choice questions to show their understanding of it.
• Section Two: this section has two parts. In Part (a), your child will need to explain and justify inferences with evidence from a text, such as a poem. Part (b) is a creative writing task. Your child will be assessed on syntax, paragraphing, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting, layout and presentation.

The other paper is a maths test which assesses your child’s understanding of Key Stage 2 concepts including Level 4 standard. This includes number, algebra, shape, space and measure, and handling data. However, the questions might be more challenging than your child is used to and test how they solve problems with unfamiliar situations. This paper is not multiple-choice.

How are the Bromley 11 plus exams scored?

Newstead Wood School

Children applying to Newstead Wood School have their papers marked by GL Assessment. The answer sheets are marked using technology called Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). This technology picks up the marks your child has made to indicate which answers they think are correct. Your child receives a mark for every correct answer.

These marks are then age-standardised for each paper. Age-standardisation is a common practice in 11 plus scoring and ensures younger children aren’t disadvantaged. The two age-standardised scores are added together to give your child one overall score and placed in rank order with other candidates.

St Olave’s Grammar School

Both the SET and Stage 2 exams at St Olave’s Grammar School are marked by the school.

First, the SET test papers are marked and put into a rank order. The 450 children with the highest scores are invited back to take the Stage 2 exam.

The English and maths scores in the Stage 2 exam are then age-standardised and aggregated with the SET marks to create a new ranking order. Offers of places will be based on this final ranking order.

What's the 11+ pass mark for Bromley grammar schools?

Newstead Wood School

Girls applying to Newstead Wood School need to achieve a required standard of 210 marks. This is the final mark after the scores from both papers have been added together and age-standardised.

St Olave’s Grammar School

There is no set pass mark or required standard for entry to St Olave’s Grammar School. Children are considered eligible for the school based on their rank order following the two tests:

• St Olave’s Grammar School SET (Stage 1): the 450 children with the highest scores are invited back for Stage 2.
• Stage 2: the 124 children with the highest Stage 2 scores are eligible for a place.

How to apply to Bromley grammar schools

If you're considering a Bromley grammar school for your child, it's a good idea to speak to your child's teacher first. Grammar schools are academically-selective and select children working towards the top of their year group. Your child's teacher will be able to indicate whether they think your child is likely to do well in the 11 plus and whether they will be able to keep up with the pace in a grammar school.

1. Complete your target school’s SIF

If you would like your child to be considered for a place at a Bromley grammar school, you’ll need to register your child for the school’s entrance exams.

For entry to Newstead Wood School, complete the Supplementary Information Form on the school website. This will be available from Thursday 1st May 2025 and must be submitted by Monday 30th June 2025.

For entry to St Olave’s Grammar School, complete the Supplementary Information Form on the school website. This will be available from Monday 9th June 2025 and must be submitted by Monday 30th June 2025.

2. Apply for school places

If your daughter has taken the selection test for entry to Newstead Wood School, you’ll receive her results in October 2025. If she has met the required standard, she’ll be eligible for a place at the school and you can list it on your secondary school common application form.

If your son has taken the St Olave’s Grammar School SET, you’ll find out whether he has ranked within the top 450 candidates – and been invited to take the Stage 2 exam – before the end of October. You can then choose whether to name St Olave’s on your secondary school common application form and to continue with Stage 2.

The secondary school common application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2025.

3. National school offer day

On Monday 2nd March 2026, you will find out which school your child has been allocated a place at. They will be allocated a place at your highest-preferred school for which they meet the entry criteria and which has places available.

How can I help my child prepare for the selection tests in Bromley?

The selection tests for entry to Bromley grammar schools are designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the 11 plus exams in September 2025.

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. 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

11 plus exams test 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.

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.