Bournemouth and Poole 11+: one shared test, and a new provider for 2028 entry

The switch affects the papers, not the basic system. Children still register with one school, sit the papers once, and receive an "eligible" or "ineligible" outcome that every consortium school uses. What changes is who writes the papers, how long each one lasts and which part of the curriculum they draw on.

What this means for children now in Year 5:

• Content: the Quest papers stop at Year 5 work, so the test does not depend on what your child is taught in the autumn of Year 6.
• The day itself: Each paper 40 minutes plus time for instructions; a reading booklet may be provided; total time in the centre typically two to three hoursSource for Dorset Consortium 11+ (Quest Assessments, from the September 2027 test): Reading timeDorset Consortium 11+ (Quest Assessments, from the September 2027 test): Reading timeCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: Each paper lasts 40 minutes, plus time for instructions. [...] and may also receive a reading booklet. [...] The total time in the test centre, including settling in, instructions, papers, and the break, is typically around two to three hours.View the official source
• Answer sheets: Question booklet plus a separate OMR answer sheet for each subject; answers marked with a horizontal line through a boxSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Format spec2028 answer sheetsBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Format spec2028 answer sheetsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: Your child will receive a question booklet and a separate answer sheet for each subject, and may also receive a reading booklet. ... The papers use an OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) answer sheet. Rather than writing out answers, your child draws a clear horizontal line through a box next to their chosen answer.View the official source. The free familiarisation booklets include a practice sheet, which is a gentle way to get used to it.
• Weighting: neither provider has published a weighting for the papers; the schools add the scores together.

The consortium schools administer the shared tests at their own sites (papers by GL Assessment for 2027 entry; Quest Assessments from the September 2027 test)Source for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Test administratorBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Test administratorCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School for Girls.The source says: girls are eligible to be considered for admission to Bournemouth School for Girls in Year 7 if they meet the required standard in the tests used and administered by the local selective schools.View the official source.

• One sitting: Tests may be taken only onceSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): One sitting ruleBournemouth and Poole (BCP): One sitting ruleCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School.The source says: The tests may only be taken once by any student at any one consortium school.View the official source.
• Who sees the scores: All four consortium schoolsSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Scores shared withBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Scores shared withCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School for Girls.The source says: The scores will be shared with other members of the Consortium.View the official source.
• Where boys sit it (2027 entry): Bournemouth School and Poole Grammar SchoolSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Boys test venues2027Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Boys test venues2027CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Poole Grammar School.The source says: There are two testing venues for boys: Bournemouth School and Poole Grammar School.View the official source, at whichever school the parent registered with.
• Where girls sit it (2027 entry): BSG and Parkstone test on the same day and share results; a girl sits once, at the school where she registersSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Girls shared testing2027Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Girls shared testing2027CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School for Girls.The source says: Testing for BSG and Parkstone Grammar School will be on the same day and we will share results. If you wish your daughter to be considered for both schools, she will sit the test only once. ONLY REGISTER at the school where she will sitView the official source.
• Where children sit it (2028 entry): One of the four Dorset grammar schoolsSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2028 entry: Test venueBournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2028 entry: Test venueCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: Your child will sit the Dorset 11+ Assessment at one of the four Dorset grammar schools.View the official source.
• Access arrangements: if your child has extra time or other support in class, you can ask for similar help in the test. One panel of SENDCos and specialist teachers from all four schools decides access arrangementsSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Access arrangements panelBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Access arrangements panelCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Poole Grammar School.The source says: A panel comprising of SENDCos and Specialist Teachers from all four schools will sit to consider all applications for access arrangements received by the deadline.View the official source.

Places are decided in stages: first eligibility, then ranking.

• Eligibility. Eligibility for all four schools is determined from the one shared set of entrance tests; each candidate is told whether they are 'eligible' (met the required standard) or 'ineligible'.Source for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Qualifying ruleBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Qualifying ruleCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School.The source says: The eligibility for admission to consortium schools will be determined on the basis of the entrance test results. ... The school will advise parents whether, on the basis of the tests taken, their child is eligible or ineligible for a place at a Bournemouth and/or Poole Grammar School.View the official source The required score is not published in advance; the results email states it.
• Ranking. Each school is its own admission authority, with its own order of priority (for example looked-after children, then pupil premium, then home area). Within each group, children are ranked by score. Score used: Total (aggregate) of the three age-standardised test scoresSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Score used for rankingBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Score used for rankingCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School for Girls.The source says: 100 places will be assigned to girls who scored most highly in the entrance tests, in rank order of the total of their entrance test scoresView the official source.

Because the second stage differs from school to school, an eligible child may be offered a place at one consortium school and not at another. Each school page sets out its own rules.

Nobody is entered automatically: entry is opt-inSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): In area entryBournemouth and Poole (BCP): In area entryCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School.The source says: All applicants to a consortium school must complete a registration form to be able to sit the entrance tests.View the official source.

• Register with one school only, the one where your child will sit the test. Boys register with Bournemouth School or Poole Grammar School; girls with Bournemouth School for Girls or Parkstone Grammar School. Because scores are shared, one registration lets every consortium school see the result.
• Registering is not applying. You still need to name the schools on your home council's application by the deadline.
• For 2028 entry, registration opens in April 2027Source for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2028 entry: Registration opensBournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2028 entry: Registration opensCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: Registration opens: April 2027View the official source. The schools say they will publish the exact test date on their admissions pages.
• Questions: No central consortium office: queries go to the individual grammar schools (BS admissions@bournemouth-school.org; PGS pgsoffice@poolegrammar.com; Parkstone admissions@parkstone.poole.sch.uk; BSG admissions@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk)Source for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Office contactBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Office contactCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: All queries about the Dorset 11+ Assessment, including questions about registration, results, venues, and special arrangements, should be directed to the individual grammar schools.View the official source

• If your child is ill or bereaved on test day: Children unable to sit through illness, bereavement or circumstances beyond parents' control are tested as soon as practicable (evidence required) and considered alongside the main cohort; late registrants/applicants sit the February test and are considered after the first roundSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2027 entry: Alternative test ruleBournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2027 entry: Alternative test ruleCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School.The source says: Where a child is unable to sit the entrance tests through illness, bereavement or other circumstance beyond the control of the parent(s), the consortium will make arrangements for testing to take place as soon as practicable. Evidence will be required in these circumstances. Children sitting these tests will be considered alongside those who sat the tests on the original date.View the official source.
• The late test for 2027 entry: Tuesday 23 February 2027 (late test for late registrations or applications)Source for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2027 entry: OtherBournemouth and Poole (BCP) 2027 entry: OtherCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School.The source says: Please be advised that no access arrangements can be offered to any child for the late entrance test on Tuesday, 23 February 2027 unless this form and the supporting evidence are received by the deadline given.View the official source.
• Late registration closing date: the consortium schools' documents give different dates for this, so we are checking which applies and will add it here. If you think your child needs the late test, contact the school you would register with as soon as you can.
• Late council applications: BCP Council says families who apply late will hear the outcome on Thursday 25 March 2027Source for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Bcp late application outcome2027Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Bcp late application outcome2027CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against BCP Council.The source says: on 25 March 2027 if you apply late (between 1 November 2026 and 22 January 2027)View the official source.

Children eligible for the pupil premium (usually because they have had free school meals recently, or come from a service family) get early priority at the schools whose rules we could read.

• Proof of eligibility: RequiredSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Proof requiredBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Proof requiredCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against BCP Council.The source says: The following schools consider pupil premium and/or service premium and require proof to be considered under their premium criteria: Bournemouth School Bournemouth School for Girls Parkstone Grammar School Poole Grammar SchoolView the official source. BCP Council lists every consortium school among those that need proof before they apply pupil premium or service premium priority. Check each school's policy for what evidence to send and by when; we have not found a single consortium deadline.
• Bournemouth School: pupil-premium boys come second, straight after looked-after children, ranked by total score wherever they live (as the school presented its rules at its open evening).
• Bournemouth School for Girls: pupil-premium girls come second in its order, straight after looked-after girls; see its school page.
• Poole Grammar School: pupil-premium boys who live in the Poole area come second, and those living elsewhere come third, each group ranked by score.
• Parkstone Grammar School: it is on the council's list of schools that need proof, but we could not read where these girls rank.
• Free online support: Free online KS2 learning and 11+ familiarisation for all pupil-premium-eligible children in Years 3-6, provided by the consortium through a partner platformSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): Support programmeBournemouth and Poole (BCP): Support programmeCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bournemouth School.The source says: The Dorset Consortium provides all Pupil Premium-eligible children in Years 3 - 6 with free access to Atom Learning’s KS2 learning resources for the Quest entrance tests and 11+ assessment familiarisation.View the official source.

This section is general information, not legal advice. Check each school's own guidance, because deadlines are strict.

• Questions about a result, or a review: Requests for a review go to the grammar school the child is applying toSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): RouteBournemouth and Poole (BCP): RouteCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: For questions about admissions, results, or to request a review, contact the grammar school your child is applying to directly.View the official source.
• Appeals against a refused place: Each school (own admission authority) runs its own appeals; BCP Council's appeals service covers only its community/VC schoolsSource for Bournemouth and Poole (BCP): RouteBournemouth and Poole (BCP): RouteCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against BCP Council.The source says: If you have been refused a place at a school not listed above, please contact the school directly to discuss lodging an appeal.View the official source.
• Timetable: none of the schools has published its 2027-entry appeal timetable yet. For 2026 entry, the on-time deadline fell in April, a few weeks after National Offer Day; we will add the 2027 dates when they appear.

Most appeals for full grammar schools do not succeed, so it helps to keep a realistic choice on your application as well.