The 11+ in Year 4: a calm, realistic plan

What is Year 4 actually for?

For most families, the 11+ test is still well over a year away in Year 4. That gives you time, and the most useful thing to do with time is to make good decisions calmly. Think of Year 4 as having three jobs:

1. Find out what applies to your child: schools, test, dates and costs.
2. Firm up foundations that every 11+ format relies on.
3. Add light familiarity, so the idea of the test is not strange later on.

What Year 4 is not for is timed papers, long weekend sessions or comparing scores with friends. None of these is needed this early, and they can make a child tired of the whole thing before the year that matters.

Job 1: what do you need to find out this year?

This is the part only a parent can do, and it shapes everything else. Work through these questions over the year, perhaps one a month.

On the last point, two published examples show why it is worth asking early. In Gloucestershire, there is a Shaping Futures programme (with a partner online platform) at all seven grammar schools for able Pupil Premium pupils in Years 4 and 5; free partner-platform familiarisation for PP-eligible children.Source for Gloucestershire: Support programmeGloucestershire: Support programmeCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Sir Thomas Rich's School.The source says: The Shaping Futures Programme is run at all seven Gloucestershire grammar schools to enable us to offer this opportunity to all Pupil Premium students in our community.View the official source In Bournemouth and Poole, the consortium's offer is described as: 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.

Our guide on how to choose a grammar school can help you think about which schools to look at more closely.

Is your child in Year 4 in an area that tests in Year 5?

This matters more than anything else on this page. If your child is in Year 4 during the 2026 to 2027 school year, they will start secondary school in September 2029. In some areas, that cohort sits the test in the summer of Year 5, not the autumn of Year 6.

• Trafford: Test moves from September of Year 6 to the latter part of the summer term of Year 5 from 2029 entry; FSCE remains provider.Source for Trafford 2029 entry: Provider changeTrafford 2029 entry: Provider changeCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Altrincham Grammar School for Girls (Trafford).The source says: As part of the new arrangements, for entry to Year 7 from 2029 onwards, the Trafford Grammar School Consortium have also taken the decision to move the test date from September of Year 6 to the latter part of the summer term of Year 5.View the official source
• Gloucestershire: the test moves from September of Year 6 to the latter part of the summer term of Year 5, from summer 2027 for September 2028 entrySource for Gloucestershire: Test move to year5Gloucestershire: Test move to year5CloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Pate's Grammar School (Gloucestershire).The source says: As part of the new arrangements, the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools have also taken the decision to move the test date from September of Year 6 to the latter part of the summer term of Year 5. This will reduce pressure on pupils beginning Year 6, and provide families with earlier results.View the official source.

For these families, Year 4 is not "two years early". It is roughly the year before the test year, and next year's plan will be shorter. Our guide to what age children sit the 11+ sets out the timing in more detail, and the 11+ dates page shows what each area has published.

Job 2: which foundations are worth checking in Year 4?

Every 11+ format, whether it includes reasoning or not, rests on reading well and handling numbers confidently. Year 4 is a good time to notice any wobbles, because there is plenty of time to fix them without pressure.

Times tables. In England, Year 4 pupils take a statutory multiplication tables check in the summer term, and the national curriculum expects tables up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4. If your child is still counting up on their fingers for 7s or 8s, short, playful practice now helps across all of maths.

Reading for meaning. Can your child explain why a character did something, or what a word means from the sentence around it? Ask these questions casually while reading together. Being able to give a reason is a skill many tests reward.

Vocabulary. Children who meet lots of words in books, conversation and games usually find comprehension and word-based questions easier later. Some test providers support this directly. Quest's Devon materials, for example, are listed as: Free familiarisation booklets with sample OMR answer sheet, children's guide, reading lists, vocabulary list, parents' guide; free online programme for pupil premium candidatesSource for Devon 11+ test (2028 entry): Familiarisation materialsDevon 11+ test (2028 entry): Familiarisation materialsCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments (test provider).The source says: These booklets provide sample questions so your child can become familiar with the question format and filling in an OMR answer sheet.View the official source.

Written maths and setting out. Some tests include written answers, so neat working and clear setting out are worth encouraging in homework now.

Concentration. Notice whether your child can settle to a piece of homework and see it through. If that is hard, build it up slowly with longer projects they choose, without anyone calling it practice.

If something looks shaky, a quiet word with the class teacher is often the most useful first step. They see your child's work every day.

Job 3: what does "gentle familiarity" look like?

Light familiarity means your child has seen the kinds of questions they may meet, without being drilled on them. In Year 4 that might be:

• a puzzle book with codes, sequences or shape patterns, done for fun;
• word games such as finding synonyms or making new words from a long one;
• late in the year, looking together at one or two questions from your test's official familiarisation material, talking about how to approach them, with no timer.

Keep it short and optional. If your child enjoys it, that is a bonus. If not, leave it and come back in Year 5.

Should we buy Year 4 practice papers?

For most children, not yet. Here is the honest reasoning.

The content may not have been taught. Some tests draw on everything taught up to the end of Year 5. FSCE, for example, describes its scope as the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5Source for FSCE: what the tests coverFSCE: what the tests coverCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise).The source says: Content from the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum taught in primary schools up toView the official source. A Year 4 child doing a full paper will meet topics their class has not reached, which can feel discouraging for no good reason.

The format may not match. GL Assessment itself says 11+ tests vary from area to area, so a local test’s timings, topics and number of questions may differ from GL’s own materialsSource for GL Assessment: tests vary by areaGL Assessment: tests vary by areaCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.The source says: 11+ tests vary from area to area so please be aware that the exact timings, the combination of topics covered (for example, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, Maths and English) and the number of questions in your local 11+ test may differ from those in our familiarisation and practice materials.View the official source. Quest says each school’s Quest test is uniqueSource for Quest: Bespoke per schoolQuest: Bespoke per schoolCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Quest Assessments.The source says: Your child’s assessment is unique to the school they’re applying to,View the official source. FSCE says there are no past papers; the content changes every yearSource for FSCE: past papersFSCE: past papersCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise).The source says: FSCE does not issue past papers and our test content changes every year;View the official source. Generic papers bought now may teach habits your child's test does not need.

Scores this early say little. A Year 4 mark on a paper written for older children is not a forecast. It is easy to over-read it, in either direction.

Motivation is limited. Children have only so much enthusiasm for test-style work. It is usually better spent closer to the test.

When might a few papers be reasonable in Year 4? If your area tests at the end of Year 5, if your child is curious and asks to try, or if you want to see question types for yourself. In that case use free official material first: for GL areas, GL offers free familiarisation papers to print; practice papers cost moneySource for GL Assessment: free practice materialGL Assessment: free practice materialCloseChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.The source says: While familiarisation papers are freely available for download, practice papers are only accessible for purchase.View the official source. Do it untimed, talk about it, and stop after one.

What about 11+ books for Year 4?

The most useful books in Year 4 are usually not 11+ books at all. A steady supply of fiction and non-fiction, plus puzzle or riddle books, will do more for most children than workbooks.

If you do want a skills book, look for one that matches the subjects in your child's actual test, choose one aimed at their current year rather than the test year, and treat it as a page here and there, not a course. Your library may have options, and our guide to the 11+ on a budget has more low-cost ideas.

What should be decided by the end of Year 4?

By the summer holiday at the end of Year 4, aim to have:

• A yes, no or maybe about whether the 11+ is right for your child and family. "Maybe" is fine.
• A shortlist of schools to visit at open events in the autumn of Year 5.
• Your area's key dates in your diary, especially registration.
• A view on outside help. Many families prepare at home; our guide on preparing without a tutor explains how.

If at any point your child seems worried or unhappy about the 11+, slow down. Nothing in Year 4 needs to be rushed, and stopping is always an option. Our page on keeping perspective has ideas for keeping things in proportion.

Related pages

• The 11+ in Year 3: foundations without pressure
• The 11+ in Year 5: a month-by-month plan
• When to start 11+ preparation
• The 11+ formats compared

Sources

Facts on this page come from archived official sources checked on 13 October 2026: the Department for Education (School Admissions Code), Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (GL Assessment guidance), Quest Assessments, FSCE, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls (Trafford), Pate's Grammar School and Sir Thomas Rich's School (Gloucestershire) and Bournemouth School (Bournemouth and Poole).

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