Sutton SET 11+: the Selective Eligibility Test

The SET is run jointly: The six participating schools jointly (SET administrator mailbox set2027entry@suttongrammar.school)Source for Sutton SET: Test run bySutton SET: Test run byCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Greenshaw Learning Trust.The source says: These are the key dates for the Year 7 September 2027 entry process for the six schools listed above who work together to conduct a joint Selective Eligibility Test.View the official source. One registration covers every participating school: One online Registration Form (Applicaa, https://suttonset.applicaa.com/) reached via the website of any participating school; one registration covers all SET schools; it is also the supplementary form.Source for Sutton SET 2027 entry: Registration routeSutton SET 2027 entry: Registration routeCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against London Borough of Sutton.The source says: To register, go to the website of any of the schools. You only need to register your child once.View the official source

• Papers: SET English (multiple choice) (45 minutes); SET Maths (multiple choice) (45 minutes)Source for Sutton SET 2027 entry: PapersSutton SET 2027 entry: PapersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Greenshaw Learning Trust.The source says: There will be a 45 minute English Paper, a short 15 minute break, followed by a 45-minute Maths Paper.View the official source.
• Answer style: multiple-choiceSource for Sutton SET 2027 entry: FormatSutton SET 2027 entry: FormatCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wilson's School.The source says: The Selective Eligibility Test is made up of two papers; a multiple-choice Maths paper and a multiple-choice English paper. The tests do not include verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning.View the official source.
• Age-standardised scores: yesSource for Sutton SET: Set age standardisationSutton SET: Set age standardisationCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Greenshaw Learning Trust.The source says: A standardisation for age mechanism is applied to the outcome of the Selective Eligibility Test. Age standardisation is normal in tests for entrance to selective schools. There is no fixed amount for the age adjustment.View the official source, so younger children in the year group are not at a disadvantage.
• No second chances on the day: None: no review or re-marking after the SET; no special consideration; answer sheets marked twice (machine then hand).Source for Sutton SET 2027 entry: Review processSutton SET 2027 entry: Review processCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wilson's School.The source says: Please note: following the Selective Eligibility Test, no review or re-marking of papers will be available.View the official source

What a pass means. Each school sets its own SET pass mark after marking; not published in advance. Passing the SET makes a child eligible for the relevant Second Stage (or Greenshaw ability places).Source for Sutton SET 2027 entry: Qualifying ruleSutton SET 2027 entry: Qualifying ruleCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Greenshaw Learning Trust.The source says: It is not possible to state a pass mark in advance of the test. The pass mark will be decided by the participating schools after the test has been marked. Each School may determine its own pass mark.View the official source So a child can pass for one school and not another. A pass opens the next step, not a place.

The second stages. These are written papers, not multiple choice, and they are set separately for girls and boys:

• Girls who pass sit the Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination (NWSSEE): NWSSEE English; NWSSEE MathsSource for Nonsuch High School for Girls 2027 entry: Stage2 papersNonsuch High School for Girls 2027 entry: Stage2 papersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Nonsuch High School for Girls.The source says: Each paper will last between 40 and 50 minutes. The tests will not include verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning. There is no comprehension paper for English in the NWSSEE.View the official source. One sitting counts for both girls' schools.
• Boys who pass sit one shared second stage for the three boys' schools: Second Stage English; Second Stage MathsSource for Wilson’s School 2027 entry: Stage2 papersWilson’s School 2027 entry: Stage2 papersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wilson's School.The source says: The Second Stage test will consist of two papers; an English paper and a Maths paper. Each paper will be approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour in length.View the official source. Each school then applies its own pass rules and its own way of combining the scores.

More detail is on our Sutton second stage guide and the Sutton SET exam board page.

The schools do not publish their pass marks in advance, and none of them publishes past cut-off scores. Here is what families are told instead: children who pass are told only that they reached the standard; children who do not pass for any school receive their age-standardised paper scores and totalSource for Sutton SET: Set score disclosureSutton SET: Set score disclosureCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wilson's School.The source says: If your child does not meet the required standard for any of the participating schools, you will be given his/her standardised scores in both papers, which will include any appropriate age adjustment and their total score.View the official source

The boys' schools rank applicants by test score, so the council's table of furthest distances offered simply shows "not applicable" for them. Wilson's entry for 2026, for example, reads: LB Sutton furthest distance offered on National Offer Day (metres): N/ASource for Wilson’s School 2026 entry: OtherWilson’s School 2026 entry: OtherCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against London Borough of Sutton.The source says: | Wilson’s School | N/A | N/A | N/A |View the official source. The girls' schools are different: as well as places by score, they keep some places for girls living within a set distance of the school, explained on each school's page.

How the final score is built differs by school, and each school page explains its own formula:

Each school sets aside some places, or makes allowances, for disadvantaged children, but the rules differ:

• The girls' schools: Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls: PP-registered candidates may score up to 20% below the standardised SET pass mark (and NWSSEE pass marks); primary school must return the GLT PP form before the SET.Source for Sutton SET: Girls schools pp concession2027Sutton SET: Girls schools pp concession2027CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wilson's School.The source says: For Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls, candidates who are registered as Pupil Premium at their Primary School are eligible to achieve up to 20% lower than the standardised pass mark for the SETView the official source Each girls' school also reserves places: at Nonsuch, Criterion 3: up to 35 places by rank order irrespective of address; LAC/previously LAC get the same 20% concession under criterion 1; unused PP places go first to the catchment criterion. Late PP registration after the test may join a ranked PP waiting list.Source for Nonsuch High School for Girls: Pp priority (2027)Nonsuch High School for Girls: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Nonsuch High School for Girls.The source says: Up to 35 places will be available for Children eligible for Pupil Premium who achieve the pass mark or above in the entrance test or whose score is up to 20% lower than the standardised pass mark for the SETView the official source
• Wallington County Grammar: Priority 4: up to 25 places for boys meeting the combined qualifying standard who are Pupil Premium eligible, allocated in rank order; unfilled places on National Offer Day and after go to priority 3. No pass-mark concession stated.Source for Wallington County Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)Wallington County Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Greenshaw Learning Trust.The source says: Up to 25 places are available for students who meet the combined qualifying standard from the SET and the WCGS Second Stage Test and who are eligible for Pupil Premium through their current schoolView the official source
• Wilson's: Criterion 2: 14 places for qualifying boys eligible for FSM, by rank order; unallocated places pass to criterion 5. FAQ: 'up to 14 places'; FSM evidence from primary school required after the Second Stage.Source for Wilson’s School: Pp priority (2027)Wilson’s School: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wilson's School.The source says: Children eligible to receive Free School Meals (FSM) are those who are eligible for income related FSM at the time of registration for the Selective Eligibility Test (SET).View the official source
• Sutton Grammar: the joint SET documents say pupil premium (free school meals) eligibility forms part of Sutton Grammar School’s admission rules and that eligible boys who pass the second stage will be contacted; the number of places and any score allowance are set out in the school’s own admissions policySource for Sutton Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)Sutton Grammar School: Pp priority (2027)CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Wilson's School.The source says: If you are applying for a Free School Meals/Pupil Premium place at Sutton Grammar School and Wallington County Grammar School and your child passes the Second Stage Entrance Examination, you will be contacted by the school(s) and there is nothing further for you to do at this stage.View the official source

Evidence usually comes from your child's primary school, and deadlines are tight: check each school page.

This section is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines are strict, so follow the school's own instructions.

There is no review of the SET result itself. If you are refused a place on National Offer Day, you can appeal to an independent panel; each school (or its trust) runs its own appeals, and the school pages explain how. Sutton expects appeal hearings for 2027 entry to take place May to July 2027Source for Sutton SET: Appeal hearings2027Sutton SET: Appeal hearings2027CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against London Borough of Sutton.The source says: | May to July 2027 | Admission appeals. |View the official source.

Most appeals for oversubscribed selective schools do not succeed, and these schools allocate places by test ranking, so it helps to keep a realistic second choice on your council form. Our Sutton appeals guide has more detail.