How hard is it to get into grammar school?

Every year, hundreds of thousands of children sit the 11+ for a chance at a grammar school place. If you're starting to think about grammar schools for your child, the most useful question isn't how hard it is to get in - it's what actually determines who does.

Grammar schools are free to attend and open to any child who applies. Places are offered based on how children perform in the 11+, an entrance exam which is designed to assess your child’s academic ability. Getting to grips with what that exam involves for each grammar school, and how your child can prepare for it, is the most useful place to start.

This guide breaks down what competition looks like across England, and what the evidence tells us about who secures a place.

Key takeaways

• Nationally, around 1 in 5 children who sit the 11+ secures a grammar school place.
• In some areas, thousands of children compete for fewer than 200 places at a single grammar school.
• Atom students are nearly 4x more likely to earn a grammar school place than the national average
• Grammar schools are free to attend and select pupils based on academic ability; entry is assessed via the 11+ exam.

What is a grammar school?

Grammar schools are state-funded secondary schools that select their pupils based on academic ability. The schools use entrance exams commonly known as the 11+ to identify children who are likely to thrive in an academically selective environment.

There are 163 grammar schools in England today, spread across the country, with high concentrations in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, parts of London, and the West Midlands.

Take a look at our guide to finding your local grammar school to see which grammar schools are near you. 

Grammar schools consistently produce strong academic results, and many families see them as a route to a high-quality, free secondary education. That demand, combined with a fixed number of places, is what makes the admissions process so competitive.

What does the 11+ actually test?

The 11+ is not a single exam. The subjects tested, the number of papers, and the format all depend on which schools your child is applying to and which exam board they use.

Most 11+ exams test some combination of the following subjects:

• English — usually reading comprehension, and sometimes creative writing
• Maths — covering the Key Stage 2 curriculum, often with more challenging problem-solving elements
• Verbal reasoning — tests a child's ability to understand and work with language
• Non-verbal reasoning — tests spatial awareness and pattern recognition

Subjects tested may vary between schools and consortia, so it's important to check what the school is testing when thinking about prep.

Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are not part of the national curriculum, so most children will encounter them for the first time during 11+ preparation. Introducing them early in your prep will give your child plenty of time to get comfortable with both subjects. 

The exam is designed to identify children working at the top of their year group; typically the top 25%. That's why preparation matters. The more familiar your child is with the format and subjects they'll face, the better placed they'll be on the day.

You can find out more in our complete guide to the 11+.

How competitive is the 11+? The numbers by region

Around 1 in 5 children who sit the 11+ secures a grammar school place.

In some parts of the country, a single school receives thousands of applications for fewer than 200 places.

Here's what the numbers look like across every region in England with grammar schools.

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These numbers reflect just how significant demand for grammar school places is across England and how consistently it outstrips supply in almost every region. 

The important next question is: what actually determines whether a child gets in? The evidence is clear: preparation is the single biggest factor.

The difference effective preparation makes in securing a grammar school place

Nationally, around 20% of children who sit the 11+ secure a grammar school place. 

In 2026, 75% of Atom students were accepted at a grammar school, meaning that children who use Atom are four times more likely to earn a grammar school place. 

Atom Home is an online learning platform used by over 110,000+ families to prepare for the 11+. It identifies where your child is across every 11+ subject, builds a learning plan around their target school, and tracks their progress so you always know where they stand.

Built to fit around family life, short daily sessions on Atom give your child consistent, targeted practice, building the skills and confidence they need to walk into exam day feeling prepared.

"The adaptive learning approach adjusted the difficulty based on performance, helping our child focus on areas that needed improvement while still reinforcing strengths." — Parent, Highworth Grammar School

"Building a strong foundation through daily work, combined with unlimited mock tests for extensive practice, was key to securing such a great offer." — Parent, South Hampstead High School

These are the results of consistent, targeted preparation, and they're available to any family who starts on Atom. 

Supporting every child's preparation

Across the country, a growing number of grammar schools are partnering with Atom Learning to support our Pupil Premium programme that provides eligible Pupil Premium students with access to Atom Home. 

Among the families who responded to our 2026 survey and prepared through one of these partnerships, 88% of those applying to grammar schools received an offer. 

The results point to a consistent conclusion: when children have access to structured, targeted preparation, the approach delivers.

"I wasn't able to afford a tutor. Atom Learning meant that my child was able to revise the subjects needed for the Kent test, just like any other child with the funds able to do so." — Parent, The Norton Knatchbull School

"He passed his 11+ without any tuition and used Atom Learning as his sole support to practise and learn. It was immeasurably valuable." — Parent, The King's School, Grantham

If your child is eligible for Pupil Premium, it is worth checking whether they can access Atom Home through one of these school partnerships. Find out if your child is eligible.

Your next steps

Preparing for the 11+ is a journey, and done well, it builds far more than exam results. The logical thinking, careful reading, and ability to problem-solve under pressure are skills that stay with your child long after exam day.

The families who succeed aren't the ones who worked hardest. They're the ones who started, stayed consistent, and prepared in a way targeted exactly to where their child was.

Wonder what that could look like for your child? Start your free trial today and see how Atom builds from where your child is right now.

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