Royal Grammar School 11+ guide

Are you thinking about applying to Royal Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to help your son prepare for the 11+ exam.

Key information for Royal Grammar School

• School type: boys' grammar school with a mixed sixth form
• Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 192 (182 day places and 10 boarding places)
• 11+ exam: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
• Catchment area: yes

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Friday 1st May 2026: test registration opens
• Tuesday 2nd June 2026: test registration closes
• Tuesday 8th September 2026: practice test day
• Thursday 10th September 2026: test day
• Thursday 9th October 2026: parents receive test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

How to apply to Royal Grammar School

Royal Grammar School is selective. This means that your son will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place.

In Buckinghamshire, the 11+ is known as the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test. All grammar schools in Buckinghamshire use this test to select children for Year 7 places. If you would like your son to be considered for a place at more than one grammar school in Buckinghamshire, he will only need to take the test once.

If your son attends a state-funded primary school in Buckinghamshire, he will be entered for the test automatically — you do not need to register him separately. If your son attends a primary school outside Buckinghamshire, you must register him for the test. Registration opens on Friday 1st May 2026 and closes on Tuesday 2nd June 2026.

The practice test will take place on Tuesday 8th September 2026 and the main test on Thursday 10th September 2026. Children at Buckinghamshire state primary schools will sit both at their own school. Children at other schools will sit both at a grammar school test centre.

Your son's results will be emailed to you on Thursday 9th October 2026. If he meets the qualifying standard for Royal Grammar School, you can apply for a place by naming the school on your common application form. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Important note: passing the test doesn't guarantee that your son will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed with children who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, schools use admissions criteria to allocate places.

We've outlined the process for Royal Grammar School below.

What will my son be tested on?

The test consists of two one-hour papers. Both papers are multiple-choice. There will be a break between the two papers.

One paper tests verbal skills. This includes comprehension, technical English, and verbal reasoning. The other paper tests mathematical and non-verbal skills. This covers non-verbal reasoning, spatial reasoning, and maths.

For more details, take a look at our guide to the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.

How are places allocated at Royal Grammar School?

In mid-October, you'll receive your son's test results. These will confirm whether he has met the required standard for admission.

Children who achieve a standardised score of 121 or higher are considered to have qualified for a Buckinghamshire grammar school place. If your son's results meet the required standard, you must name Royal Grammar School as a preferred school on your common application form to be considered. This must be submitted to your home local authority by 31st October.

Places are allocated in a particular order. This is known as oversubscription criteria and is specific to each grammar school you apply to. Details are available in Royal Grammar School's admissions policy.

Does Royal Grammar School have a catchment area?

Royal Grammar School does have a catchment area to prioritise eligible boys living close to the school. The catchment area covers High Wycombe, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, Stokenchurch, and the majority of Princes Risborough. There are two priority areas within the catchment — Priority Area A and Priority Area B. A catchment area map is available on the Buckinghamshire Council website.

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

A longer or more complex journey can affect your son's daily routine, including how much time he has 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 son prepare for the test?

The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your son prepare for test day.

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your son feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures he builds skills in the right order, covers everything he needs, and avoids last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your son's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics he'll be tested on. It shows him what to work on and when, adapts as he improves, and helps him build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for him, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

As your son's knowledge grows, practice tests can help him feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your son will get new questions each time. This helps him practise without repeating the same content.

We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your son's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your son's standardised age score (SAS), where he's doing well, and what he should focus on next. You'll also learn how he compares to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.

Encourage your son to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps him become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will broaden his vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your son through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing he's moving in the right direction — not just how he scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your son is doing in each topic and the direction he's moving in. You can see where he's on track, where he might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.