Poole Grammar School 11+ guide

Applying to Poole Grammar School for September 2028? This guide covers the Dorset consortium 11+ assessment in September 2027, the qualifying score, how Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.

Poole Grammar School 11+ at a glance

• School type: boys' grammar school
• Location: Poole, Dorset
• Admissions contact: pgsoffice@poolegrammar.com
• Qualifying score: not yet published for 2028 entry (see below)
• 11+ test: Dorset consortium 11+ assessment (three 40-minute multiple-choice papers in maths, English and verbal reasoning, provided by Quest Assessments from 2028 entry)

Source: Dorset Consortium information published by Bournemouth School and Parkstone Grammar School (Poole Grammar School's own site could not be read); test provider and format: Quest Assessments parent guidance page for the Dorset consortium 11+ assessment. Last checked October 2026.

Key dates for September 2028 entry

The Quest Assessments parent guidance page for the Dorset consortium, which names Poole Grammar School, gives these windows for 2028 entry. Exact dates are confirmed in the spring before each cycle. For 2027 entry, registration ran from Monday 13 April 2026 to 12 midday on Friday 4 September 2026, the test took place on Saturday 26 September 2026 and results came out on Friday 16 October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the 2028-entry dates are published.

How to apply to Poole Grammar School

Poole Grammar School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.

You register your child for the consortium tests by completing a registration form with a consortium school; one set of tests counts for all four schools. Registration for 2028 entry hasn't opened yet.

Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Poole Grammar School on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. For September 2028 entry the deadline is Sunday 31 October 2027. As it falls on a Sunday, you may find it easier to submit your form in the days before.

Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.

What will my child be tested on?

The test is changing for 2028 entry

From the September 2027 test, the one that decides September 2028 entry, the Dorset consortium's test is provided by Quest Assessments.

Qualifying score: not yet published for 2028 entry. Poole Grammar School's test is provided by Quest Assessments from the September 2027 test onwards. Scores from previous years were set against the previous test and don't carry across to the new one. The school will publish a qualifying standard for the new test in its own time.

Poole Grammar School is one of the grammar schools in the Dorset Consortium of Grammar Schools, which share one set of entrance tests, so your child only sits them once to be considered by more than one of the schools.

The assessment is three papers in maths, English and verbal reasoning, each lasting 40 minutes plus time for instructions. They're sat in one session with a short supervised break.

It's a paper test and every question is multiple choice, usually with five options (A to E). Your child doesn't write answers out: they draw a horizontal line through the box next to their chosen answer on an OMR (optical mark recognition) answer sheet, with a separate answer sheet for each subject.

Quest Assessments doesn't answer enquiries from parents. Questions about registration, results, venues and access arrangements go to the school your child is applying to.

Poole Grammar School is named on the Quest Assessments parent guidance page for the Dorset consortium 11+ assessment, which sets out the test format and links to the official familiarisation materials. Read our guide to the Quest Admissions exam for what the test looks like and how it's marked.

The table below shows what each paper covers.

How are places allocated at Poole Grammar School?

If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are Year 7 places, Poole Grammar School offers places using the oversubscription criteria in its admission arrangements. The full order is set out in the school's admission arrangements, published on its Year 7 admissions page (poolegrammar.com/join-our-school/admissions/admissions-to-year-7). We'll add the list here once we've confirmed it against the school's current arrangements.

Does Poole Grammar School have a catchment area?

Poole Grammar School's admission arrangements set out whether a catchment or priority area applies and how home-to-school distance is measured; we'll add the detail here once we've confirmed it against the 2028-entry arrangements.

The arrangements also set out how ties are settled between children with an equal claim to a place; we'll add the detail here once we've confirmed it against the 2028-entry arrangements.

If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?

A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest and after-school activities. It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.

How can I help my child prepare for the Dorset consortium 11+ assessment?

The Dorset consortium publishes official familiarisation materials for the test, and that is where families should start. Atom is not an authorised source for this test and has no access to its content. The guidance below is about building the skills the test draws on.

The curriculum doesn't change

The test draws on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, which is the same material every 11+ test is built from. Atom Home covers that curriculum with over 100,000 teacher-written practice questions across English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, so the work a child does is useful whichever test they end up sitting.

Find the gaps early

Atom's progress insights show which topics and question types a child finds hardest, so revision goes where it's actually needed rather than across everything equally.

Practise the conditions, not the questions

Atom's mock tests are built to give children practice working to time, reading an answer sheet and holding their nerve for a full paper. Each one returns a Standardised Age Score and a breakdown of where accuracy dropped under timed conditions.