South West Herts 11+: the consortium tests

The consortium has not yet published its dates for 2028 entry. For this year's group, registration opened on Wednesday 1 April 2026Source for South West Herts 2027 entry: Registration opensSouth West Herts 2027 entry: Registration opensCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Registration for Secondary Transfer for September 2027 is open from 01 April 2026 and closes on 05 June 2026.View the official source and closed on Friday 5 June 2026Source for South West Herts 2027 entry: Registration closesSouth West Herts 2027 entry: Registration closesCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Registration for Secondary Transfer for September 2027 is open from 01 April 2026 and closes on 05 June 2026.View the official source, during Year 5, and late registrations were not acceptedSource for South West Herts: Late registrationSouth West Herts: Late registrationCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: No late registrations will be accepted.View the official source. So it is worth watching the consortium website from the spring term. We will add the 2028-entry dates here when they are published.

A grammar school chooses all its pupils by ability. These schools do not: the consortium describes its members as partially selective schools, and none of them is a fully selective grammar school.

Each school decides how many places go on the academic test, the music test or, at Queens' School, the sports test. The rest of its places go under its other admission rules, which the school's own policy sets out. The tests only count for the places given on test results, so they matter more to some families than others.

The schools are listed A to Z. The shares below are each school's figures for 2026 entry, as a percentage of its Year 7 places (its published admission number, or PAN).

Two of the schools have "Grammar" in their names, but they are partially selective like the others. Shares can change from year to year, so check each school's policy for the year your child applies.

Does one registration cover every school? Yes: one registration covers all seven schoolsSource for South West Herts: Single registrationSouth West Herts: Single registrationCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: You only need to register once for the test through any of the seven consortium school websites.View the official source. Registration is online, through the consortium's registration website and parent portalSource for South West Herts: Registration routeSouth West Herts: Registration routeCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Welcome to the Registration Website for the South West Herts Consortium Schools TestsView the official source.

Who sits them: for 2027 entry, children born from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016Source for South West Herts 2027 entry: Birth date rangeSouth West Herts 2027 entry: Birth date rangeCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Your child must have a date of birth between 1st September 2015 and 31st August 2016 to be eligible for the test.View the official source.

The academic test. Provider: GL Assessment (academic test)Source for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Test providerSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Test providerCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Our test provider for both maths and verbal reasoning is GL Assessment.View the official source.

• Subjects: Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning (no English or non-verbal reasoning)Source for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): SubjectsSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): SubjectsCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Children applying under the Academic Criterion will take Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning tests, provided by GL Assessment.View the official source. The consortium says its test is not a full 11+: it has Maths and Verbal Reasoning onlySource for South West Herts: Not an eleven plusSouth West Herts: Not an eleven plusCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: the South West Herts Schools Consortium test is not an 11+ test, as it only includes maths and verbal reasoningView the official source.
• Papers: 2 (Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning)Source for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Paper countSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Paper countCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: There are two tests:View the official source, written for the consortium.
• What the maths covers: Mathematics papers based on the Key Stage 2 curriculumSource for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Curriculum basisSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Curriculum basisCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Papers are prepared specifically for the Consortium and are based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum.View the official source.
• Answers: separate pre-printed answer sheet, machine-marked (OMR)Source for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Answer formatSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Answer formatCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: The answer sheets are marked by a computer. They are machine-marked (scanned) and the computer detects the shading made on the answer sheets using OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) technology.View the official source.
• Scoring: Maths and Verbal Reasoning raw scores are age-standardised by age in completed months; music scores are not standardisedSource for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): StandardisationSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): StandardisationCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Raw scores in Verbal Reasoning and Maths are converted into age-standardised scores, taking the child’s age (in completed months) into account.View the official source.
• Practice: Free GL Assessment familiarisation papers (Maths and Verbal Reasoning) on the consortium website; generic, not past papersSource for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Familiarisation materialsSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Familiarisation materialsCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: The link provided will allow you to download a zip file containing the Parent’s Guide, Test Booklets, and Answer Sheets for Maths and Verbal Reasoning.View the official source.

The music aptitude test. Stage 1: 60-question listening test (pitch, melody, rhythm, texture), about 45 minutes. Stage 2 (invited applicants): one self-chosen piece of up to 3 minutes, marked out of 45Source for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Music testSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Music testCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Children applying under the Music Criterion will first complete a 60-question written test, divided into four sections. This test, lasting about 45 minutes,View the official source.

The sports test. Queens' School only: core movement skills from the Eurofit standards, one test daySource for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Sports testSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Sports testCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: The tests will cover core movement skills from the Eurofit standards, with instructions and conditions kept consistent for all participants.View the official source. The consortium's timetable says that only children who live in Queens' School's sports catchment area have a realistic chance of a place this way. The area is: WD3-WD7, WD17-WD19, WD23-WD25, AL2 (south of the M25), HA6, HA5 3, HA5 4, HA3 6, HA7 3, HA7 4Source for South West Herts: Sports catchmentSouth West Herts: Sports catchmentCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Only those with strong sports skills in the specified areas (WD3-WD7, WD17-WD19, WD23-WD25, AL2 (South of M25), HA6, HA5 3**, HA5 4**, HA3 6**, HA7 3**, HA7 4**) have a realistic chance of gaining a place.View the official source.

Where: one of the consortium schools, generally by the location of the child's primary schoolSource for South West Herts 2027 entry: Test centre allocationSouth West Herts 2027 entry: Test centre allocationCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: The test centre is generally assigned based on the geographical location of your child’s primary school, though you may not be allocated the nearest Consortium school.View the official source. Families were told their test centre on Friday 26 June 2026, around noonSource for South West Herts 2027 entry: Test centre notificationSouth West Herts 2027 entry: Test centre notificationCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: Date of Test Venue Notification | Friday 26th June (around noon)View the official source.

Access arrangements: Upload written evidence from the primary head or SENDCo during registration, by 5 June 2026; after that, a reserve test day may be offeredSource for South West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Access arrangementsSouth West Herts Consortium tests (GL Assessment academic test; consortium music aptitude test): Access arrangementsCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: If your child requires extra time or special support, upload written evidence from the Primary School Head or SENDCo to the portal during the application.View the official source.

In short: No pass mark; each school ranks applicants under its own rulesSource for South West Herts: Qualifying ruleSouth West Herts: Qualifying ruleCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: There is no pass mark for the academic test; places are offered based on each school’s admission arrangements.View the official source. Each school sorts the children who applied under its test criteria by its own rules, often with priority areas, and offers places until its share is filled.

The consortium publishes the lowest marks that gained a place at each school in the last round. It is clear that these are not pass marks, and they change every year with the children who apply. Our South West Herts pass marks page sets them out school by school, with what each figure does and does not tell you.

The consortium runs the tests; it does not give places. How to apply: Common Application Form to the home local authority by 31 October, plus any school's own Supplementary Information FormSource for South West Herts: Application routeSouth West Herts: Application routeCloseChecked 13 Oct 2026 against South West Herts Schools Consortium.The source says: You must complete the Common Application Form (CAF) for the Local Authority in which you live.View the official source. Test results come out before the deadline so that you can decide which schools to name.

Name schools in your real order of preference. Your council looks at every preference at the same time, so putting a consortium school first does not cost you a place at a school you list lower. If you are refused a place, you can ask to stay on the school's waiting list and you can appeal; our 11+ appeals guide explains how appeals work. Appeal deadlines are set by each school and council, so check them after National Offer Day.