- Grammar school for girls
- Essex and Southend (CSSE) 11+
Westcliff High School for Girls: 11+ entry
Kenilworth Gardens, Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex, SS0 0BS
Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial TeamSchool website
Some details are being re-checked
We check every fact against the official source on a schedule, and some details on this page are due their next check (last verified 19 October 2026). We'll update the page if anything has changed. How we check facts
Can we apply, and what did it take?
For September 2027 entry
Opens a short explanationqualifying scoreThe score a child must reach to be considered for a grammar school place in that area. Reaching it is not an offer of a place: places then follow each school’s admission rules.
303or more
CSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics), 2027 entry
Checked, source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checkedYear 7 places
192
2027 entry, Published Admission Number ()Opens a short explanationPANPublished Admission NumberThe number of places a school offers in its first year group, for example Year 7. The admission authority sets it each year in the school’s admission policy.
Checked, source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checkedLowest score offered
303
2026 entry, inside priority area, national offer day
Checked, source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checked
Your next deadlines
Next: School place applications close: Common Application Form ()Opens a short explanationCAFCommon Application FormThe form you use to apply for a secondary school place. You send it to your own council, even for schools in another area, and you list the schools you want in order of preference. In England it closes on 31 October.
in 11 days
Coming up: Appeal deadline
in 25 weeks
Can we get in?
How far offers reached
Each bar shows how far from Westcliff High School for Girls the last child offered a place lived, under the last admission rule the offers reached. Up to five years, on one scale.
Qualifying is not the same as being offered a place.
A score of 303 or more in the CSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics) means your child can be considered. If more children qualify than there are places, the school gives places using its admission rules, in order. The figures below show how far those rules reached in past years. They are history, not a prediction: they change every year with who applies.
Lowest score offered a place
Scores are on the aggregate score scale.
In priority area
- 2025 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 306.71.
- 2024 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 303.34.
- 2023 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 303.6.
- 2022 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 303.13.
- 2021 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 303.02.
Inside priority area
- 2026 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 303.
Out of priority area
- 2025 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 345.87.
- 2024 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 346.92.
- 2023 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 342.
- 2022 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 327.06.
- 2021 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 344.04.
Outside priority area
- 2026 entryOffer day
On National Offer Day, the lowest score offered a place was 332.
Source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checked
Other published figures
- 2026 entry: Last admission rule that offers reached: pupils living outside the priority admissions area (ranking based only on academic achievement)
Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
Applications and offers, September 2026 entry (Department for Education)
How many families applied to Westcliff High School for Girls and how many places it offered. Applicants per place is all applications divided by offers. Families apply to several schools and not every applicant qualifies, so it is not the chance of a place.
| Figure | Department for Education |
|---|---|
| First-preference applications | 239First-preference applications, 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000006,East of England,882,E06000033,Southend-on-Sea,Secondary,8825423,z,5,Westcliff High School for Girls,185,185,160,21,3,856,239,296,182,1.49375,1.2918918918918918,613,100,Academy converter,No religious character,8.5,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001502,Southend West and Leigh,136490,7View the official source |
| All applications (any preference) | 856All applications (any preference), 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000006,East of England,882,E06000033,Southend-on-Sea,Secondary,8825423,z,5,Westcliff High School for Girls,185,185,160,21,3,856,239,296,182,1.49375,1.2918918918918918,613,100,Academy converter,No religious character,8.5,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001502,Southend West and Leigh,136490,7View the official source |
| Places offered on National Offer Day | 185Places offered on National Offer Day, 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000006,East of England,882,E06000033,Southend-on-Sea,Secondary,8825423,z,5,Westcliff High School for Girls,185,185,160,21,3,856,239,296,182,1.49375,1.2918918918918918,613,100,Academy converter,No religious character,8.5,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001502,Southend West and Leigh,136490,7View the official source |
| Applicants per place | 4.6Applicants per place, 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000006,East of England,882,E06000033,Southend-on-Sea,Secondary,8825423,z,5,Westcliff High School for Girls,185,185,160,21,3,856,239,296,182,1.49375,1.2918918918918918,613,100,Academy converter,No religious character,8.5,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001502,Southend West and Leigh,136490,7View the official source |
Source: Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics), checked
About these figures
WHSG's Year 7 page shows the lowest total that gained a place on National Offer Day, to several decimal places, split by the priority area. CSSE's own sheet rounds to whole numbers, so small differences between the two are expected.
One part of the school's table is held back while we check it. For girls outside the priority area, the school prints a second figure in brackets each year, and its page explains that figure in two different ways. Until we know which reading is right, we leave it out.
Inside the priority area, the last place has gone to a girl only just above the qualifying score in every year shown; outside it, the gap has been wide and has moved around from year to year. Past results are a guide, not a promise. CSSE's sheet with 2026 entry scores is due on Monday 12 October 2026Essex and Southend (CSSE): Historical guidance sheet2027 entry publicationChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: The Historical Guidance Sheet will be published under the Freedom of Information tab on 12th October.
View the official source; meanwhile, Southend Council's booklet says the final 2026 offers reached pupils living outside the priority admissions area (ranking based only on academic achievement)westcliff-high-school-for-girls-2026-lastRuleOffered: ValueChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says: Allocation Data for Westcliff High School for Girls 2022-2026 DFE 882-5423 ... For admission into Year 7 in September 2026 the last place offered was under the admissions criteria 'pupils living outside the priority admissions area' (ranking based only on academic achievement)
View the official source.
Figures are from Southend Council's admissions booklet; a dash means it did not give one. The school's Year 7 page describes its 2026 intake of 192Westcliff High School for Girls: Year7 intake2026Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Westcliff High School for Girls.The source says: In September 2026, Westcliff High School for Girls will admit 192 students into Year 7, which is a variation from the published admission number for this year group.
View the official source as a variation from its published admission number, and the CSSE guide now lists that figure for 2027.
At a glance
Westcliff High School for Girls in brief
tap a value for its source
- Pupils
- girlsPupilsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says:
Westcliff High School for Girls – Girls Grammar
View the official source - Who the school admits.
- School type
- academySchool typeChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Westcliff High School for Girls.The source says:
We are a successful academy grammar school with high aspirations for all our students
View the official source - How the school is run and funded.
- Year 7 places
- 192Year 7 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says:
Website: www.whsg.info Published Admission Number for 2027 ... School Number: 882 5423 ... 192
View the official source2027 entry - The (PAN): how many children the school plans to admit.
- Entrance test
- CSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics)
- The test children sit to be considered. Written by the CSSE's own 11+ examination.
- Opens a short explanationcatchmentAn area, set by a school or a council, where children get higher priority for a place. Living inside it is not an offer of a place. Not every school has a catchment.
- A mapped area (see the admission rules)
- Where children get priority. Living inside it does not by itself mean a place.
- Supplementary Information Form (SIF)
- Yes, for this school
- An extra form some schools ask for. It goes to the school, not the council.
Key dates
Dates for September 2027 entry
For children in Year 6 in 2026/27.
Southend-on-Sea City Council
4 earlier steps, all doneShow
Done: School place applications open (CAF)
Done: Test registration opens
Source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checkedDone: Test registration closes
Source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checkedDone: Test day
Next: School place applications close (CAF)
in 11 days
Coming up: Results
Expected
Coming up: Home address date: the address used for school places
Coming up: National Offer Day
Coming up: Appeal deadline
in 25 weeks
Year 5 now? Dates for September 2028 entryNone of these dates are published yet.
Not published yet: Test registration opens
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Test registration closes
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Test day
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Results
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: School place applications close: Common Application Form (CAF)
Not yet published
Not published yet: National Offer Day
Not yet published
Notes on these dates
Results arrive before the application deadline, so there is time to compare your daughter's total with the cut-off history below before you rank your preferences. The council recommends naming both Southend girls' grammar schools; see also Southend High School for Girls.
How places are given
5 admission rules, in order, for 2027 entry
If more children qualify than there are places, Westcliff High School for Girls gives places using these rules (its Opens a short explanationoversubscription criteriaThe rules a school uses, in order, to decide who gets a place when more children apply than there are places. For example: children in care first, then brothers and sisters of pupils, then distance from home.), in this order (2027 entry).
- 1
Looked after and previously looked after children who pass
The policy's own words
i) Looked after children and previously looked after children who have passed the selection tests.
- 2
SS0-SS9 residents entitled to preferential consideration
The policy's own words
ii) Children whose normal/habitual place of residence lies within the catchment area postcode areas SS0-9 and are entitled to preferential consideration.
- 3
Other SS0-SS9 residents
The policy's own words
iii) Children whose normal/habitual place of residence lies within the catchment area postcode areas SS0-9
- 4
Residents outside SS0-SS9 entitled to preferential consideration
The policy's own words
iv) Children whose normal/habitual place of residence lies outside the postcode areas SS0-9 and are entitled to preferential consideration.
- 5
Other residents outside SS0-SS9
The policy's own words
v) Children whose normal/habitual place of residence lies outside the postcode areas SS0-9
Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
- Who qualifies
- Must pass the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex ()Opens a short explanationCSSEConsortium of Selective Schools in EssexThe group of Essex and Southend schools that share one 11+ test: an English paper and a maths paper, each worth half of the marks. Results are given as a total standardised score. selection tests; passing does not guarantee a place.Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
- Catchment
- Priority area = all addresses with postcodes SS0 to SS9 inclusive (map in the Southend booklet).Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
- Brothers and sisters
- No priority for brothers and sisters.Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
- Pupil premium
- Preferential consideration applicants have their own criteria (ii in-area, iv out-of-area) ahead of other applicants in each area; number of places not stated in the documents we could read.Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
- Supplementary form
- All applicants for selective places: the CSSE 11+ test registration counts as the supplementary form (closed 19 June 2026). Families claiming pupil premium priority also send the CSSE Pupil Premium Form by 31 October 2026.Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
- Waiting list
- Southend Council maintains waiting lists for all Southend schools from 1 March to 21 August 2027; from 22 August 2027 they pass to the school and continue to be ranked by the school's oversubscription criteria.Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
- Address used
- The address you live at on Friday 20 November 2026 is the one that counts.Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council, checked
The admission rules for September 2028 entry are not published yet. We check the school's website and add them when they appear.
More detail from our guide
WHSG's own admission arrangements are published as files that our checking tools are not allowed to open, so we could not read them directly. The points below come from Southend Council's booklet and the CSSE guide; the full text is on the school's policies page.
- Order of priority: (1) Looked after and previously looked after children who pass. (2) SS0-SS9 residents entitled to preferential consideration. (3) Other SS0-SS9 residents. (4) Residents outside SS0-SS9 entitled to preferential consideration. (5) Other residents outside SS0-SS9.Westcliff High School for Girls: Oversubscription criteria (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
If there are not enough places for all those who have expressed a wish to have their child admitted to the school; places will be allocated using the admission criteria as below.
View the official source - How the council defines the area: Priority area = all addresses with postcodes SS0 to SS9 inclusive (map in the Southend booklet).Westcliff High School for Girls: Catchment description (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
the four Southend Grammar schools give preference to those pupils living within a defined geographical area that includes all addresses with a postcode SS0 to SS9 inclusive.
View the official source - Who can claim preferential consideration: Current income-based FSM; FSM in last six years; Service Pupil Premium; in or previously in public careEssex and Southend (CSSE): EligibilityChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says:
A child is eligible for Pupil Premium if at least one of the following applies: They are currently in receipt of free school meals by virtue of their household income.
View the official source - How it is claimed: Preferential consideration at grammar schools for children who pass and are FSM/Pupil Premium recipients at test registration, indicated on the CSSE Supplementary Information Form when registering.Essex and Southend (CSSE): Form requiredChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
Preferential consideration: Grammar school admission criteria are available to children who pass the selection tests, are in any of the following categories and indicated this on the CSSE Supplementary Information Form when registering for the tests: Children in receipt of Free School Meals or identified as recipients of the Pupil Premium Grant (note D), at the time of test registration.
View the official source - Sister at the school: NoWestcliff High School for Girls: Sibling priority (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
If there are not enough places for all those who have expressed a wish to have their child admitted to the school; places will be allocated using the admission criteria as below.
View the official source - Waiting list for 2027 entry: Southend Council maintains waiting lists for all Southend schools from 1 March to 21 August 2027; from 22 August 2027 they pass to the school and continue to be ranked by the school's oversubscription criteria.Westcliff High School for Girls: Waiting list (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
1 March to Waiting lists are maintained by Southend Council for all schools in the City. 21 August 2027
View the official source
Girls entitled to preferential consideration get their own step ahead of other applicants, once inside the priority area and once outside it. The documents we could read do not say how many places this step covers, how ties are broken or how distance is measured, so we have left those out rather than guess. Whether a separate CSSE pupil premium form is also needed for Southend grammar schools is something CSSE's documents disagree on; we are checking, and the CSSE form deadline is Saturday 31 October 2026Essex and Southend (CSSE): Form deadlineChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says: The deadline for the schools to receive completed forms is 31st October 2026.
View the official source. The school also offers eligible families free online familiarisation through a partner platform.
2028 entry: arrangements are Westcliff High School for Girls: Document status (2028)Not yet published by Westcliff High School for Girls; last checked 9 Oct 2026.The source says: Determined Admissions Arrangements 2026-2027 ... Determined Admissions Arrangements 2027-2028
View the official source.
The test
CSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics)
- Test
- CSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics)
- Written by
- the CSSE's own 11+ examination
- Test date, 2027 entry
- Saturday 19 September 2026
- How the parts count
- English and Mathematics weighted equally (1:1)
There is no separate WHSG paper. Girls sit the CSSE's English and maths papers in September of Year 6, and the school works only from the total standardised score that CSSE sends out. Knowing how that total is built helps when you read the result.
- What the questions cover: Key Stage 2 National CurriculumCSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics): Curriculum basisChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says:
The Mathematics and English tests will ... be based on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum.
View the official source - How raw marks become a total: Raw scores standardised and analysed by date of birth to decide whether a statistical age adjustment is applied; formula published on the CSSE website after resultsCSSE 11+ examination (English and Mathematics): StandardisationChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says:
The formula for calculating the standardised score will be published on the CSSE website shortly after the results are despatched.
View the official source - What families receive: the raw score for each subject and the overall standardised scoreEssex and Southend (CSSE): Results contentChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
11 Plus test results will be sent by first class post to all candidates by the CSSE with a guidance sheet detailing the likely 11 plus score your child will need to attain to gain a place at the individual CSSE Schools.
View the official source - Who else sees the score: Local Authorities administering admissions and the consortium schools; primary school only if the parent consentsEssex and Southend (CSSE): Scores shared withChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE).The source says:
Your data and your child’s data relating to the 11+ examination will be shared with the Local Authorities that administer the admissions process on behalf of the consortium schools and with the schools in the consortium.
View the official source - WHSG's own wording: Must pass the CSSE selection tests; passing does not guarantee a place.Westcliff High School for Girls: Qualifying rule (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
The offer of a place is dependent upon passing the selection tests. However, passing the selection tests is not a guarantee of being offered a place.
View the official source
A total at or above the qualifying score means your daughter can be considered, not that she will be offered a place. Our guide to standardised scores explains the age adjustment in plain terms, and the CSSE hub covers the papers themselves.
Open days
Next: Year 5 Open Evening (2028 entry), Tue 29 Jun 2027
Done: Year 7 Open Evening (2027 entry, CSSE summer-term open evenings) (passed)
17:00-20:00; Headteacher's talks 17:15, 18:15, 19:15
Coming up: Year 5 Open Evening (2028 entry)
17:00-20:00
Source: Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), checked
If you are refused a place
Reviews, appeals and the waiting list
General information, not legal advice.
General information, not legal advice.
- Last year's process (September 2026 entry, past information only): September 2026 entry: appeal information by written request to the school; completed documentation by Monday 13 April 2026 at 3.30pm; hearings no later than Tuesday 16 June 2026.Westcliff High School for Girls: Appeals2026 timelineChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Westcliff High School for Girls.The source says:
Admission appeals information is available by written request from the school. ... The deadline for receipt of completed admission appeal documentation is Monday 13th April at 3.30pm. Appeal Hearings will be heard no later than Tuesday 16th June 2026.
View the official source - Evidence a panel can see: For grammar/selective places parents may use school reports as evidence of academic ability; no primary-school letter needed.Essex and Southend (CSSE): Selective evidenceChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
If you are appealing for a grammar or selective place you can use school reports for evidence of academic ability.
View the official source - How quickly appeals are heard: Main-round appeals heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals.Essex and Southend (CSSE): TimescaleChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says:
main round appeals (to start R, yr 3 and yr7): 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals
View the official source
For 2027 entry, Southend Council lists Tuesday 13 April 2027Essex and Southend (CSSE) 2027 entry: Appeal deadlineChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says: 13 April 2027 Closing date for 'on time' admission appeals to be submitted to schools.
View the official source as the closing date for on-time appeals and Wednesday 16 June 2027Essex and Southend (CSSE): On time appeals completed by 2027Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Southend-on-Sea City Council.The source says: 16 June 2027 | All on-time appeals completed for all Secondary schools in the City.
View the official source as the date by which on-time appeals should be finished. WHSG had not posted its own 2027 appeal details in the pages we could read, so write to the school after National Offer Day if your daughter is refused. No appeal was upheld in any year in the table above, so keep a second choice you would be happy with. See CSSE appeals.
Official documents and sources
12 sources, each kept as an archived copy
- Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE)
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE)
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE)
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 13 Oct 2026
- Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics)
Spreadsheet · copy archived by ExamKind on 16 Oct 2026
- Southend-on-Sea City Council
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Southend-on-Sea City Council
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Westcliff High School for Girls
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Westcliff High School for Girls
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Westcliff High School for Girls
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Westcliff High School for Girls
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Westcliff High School for Girls
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Westcliff High School for Girls
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
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