11+ Tuition for Bexley Grammar Schools — Complete Guide 2026

The London Borough of Bexley has four grammar schools — Beths Grammar School, Bexley Grammar School, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, and Townley Grammar School — all of which use the same shared selection process: the Bexley Selection Test, with papers provided by Quest Assessments. For 2027 entry, the test was sat in September 2026 by children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016. This guide explains how the Quest Assessment works for Bexley, what it covers, how places are allocated, and what preparation looks like for children aiming for Year 7 entry in 2027.

All four Bexley grammar schools use a single test: families register once with the London Borough of Bexley council, children sit the same two papers in the same September window, and a child who is deemed selective can be considered for the grammar schools listed as preferences on the application form. Understanding the shared structure of the Bexley consortium — and the specific mechanics of the Quest Assessment paper format — is essential for effective 11+ preparation.

Which Schools Use the Bexley 11+ Selection Test?

The London Borough of Bexley has 16 secondary schools, four of them grammar schools. All four grammar schools in the borough share the same selection mechanism.

Beths Grammar School is a boys’ grammar school in Bexley with a mixed sixth form and 192 places for entry in September 2027. Bexley Grammar School is a mixed grammar school in Welling with 210 places for entry in September 2027 and specialisms in languages, science and mathematics. Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School is a mixed grammar school in Sidcup with 192 places for entry in September 2027. Townley Grammar School is a girls’ grammar school in Bexleyheath with 224 places for entry in September 2027 and specialisms in performing and visual arts and in mathematics and computing.

The council’s own Bexley Selection Test page names these four grammar schools, and no others, and states that “a single test is used for admission to all four grammar schools”. That page gives a total of 800 places across them in September 2027, while the four figures in the council’s 2027/28 booklet add up to 818, the aggregate stated on Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School’s admissions page. The council asks families to check each individual school’s admission arrangements for 2027/28.

A common source of confusion: St Olave’s Grammar School is not one of the four Bexley grammar schools. The council states that the Bexley Selection Test is only valid for the four listed Bexley grammar schools. Families targeting St Olave’s should check that school’s own admissions arrangements.

How Does the Bexley 11+ Selection Process Work in 2026?

The delivery of the Bexley Selection Test is organised by the London Borough of Bexley council. Families do not register directly with individual schools — they register once via the council, and that single registration covers all four grammar schools simultaneously.

For the 2026 test cycle (September 2027 entry), Quest Assessments provides the Bexley Selection Test papers, and its website carries free familiarisation booklets with sample questions and a sample OMR answer sheet.

Registration is managed through the Bexley Selection Test registration page on the London Borough of Bexley council website. Both families who live within the borough and those who live outside it can register. Late registration requests are not accepted — the March deadline is strict with no exceptions and no appeals process for families who miss it.

Test results were emailed from 4pm on Friday 2 October 2026, and families use them to decide which schools to list on their secondary school Common Application Form. The CAF is submitted to the child’s home local authority by 11:59pm on Saturday 31 October 2026. Families can include both Bexley grammar schools and schools in other boroughs or authorities on the same form. If a child is deemed selective, places are allocated by each school's oversubscription criteria, and families who applied online receive an email with the school offered during the evening of Monday 1 March 2027.

Families also considering Kent or Medway should note that Kent County Council has its own Kent Test and Medway Council has its own Medway Test, and that achieving a selective standard in the Kent Test or any other selection test will not be considered for the Bexley Selection Test. The Bexley registration covers only the Bexley Selection Test schools. Our Bromley 11+ guide covers the Bromley grammar school selection process in full.

What Does the Bexley Quest Assessment Cover?

The Bexley Selection Test is a paper-based exam consisting of two papers taken in a single supervised session. Each paper runs for approximately 50 minutes, with a short break between papers. Each test session lasts from two and a half to three hours, including instructions, both test papers and a short break between the papers. All questions are multiple-choice; children are given a question booklet and a separate OMR answer sheet for each subject, and all working out must be done in the test booklet because rough paper is not provided.

The two papers divide the four assessed areas as follows:

• Paper 1 — Verbal ability and English comprehension (approximately 50 minutes)
• Paper 2 — Numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning (approximately 50 minutes)

The overall score is an age-standardised score (SAS) constructed from a weighted combination of the three assessed skill categories: verbal ability contributes 50% of the total standardised score; numerical ability contributes 25%; and non-verbal ability contributes 25%. You will be informed of the total age-standardised score, which determines whether your child meets the selective standard.

The average standardised score is 200, and approximately two-thirds of candidates score between 170 and 230. A score around 200 is the average; the council, in conjunction with the four grammar schools, determines the selective score.

Quest Assessments: what each part involves. Quest Assessments provides the Bexley Selection Test papers, and the test consists of two separate booklets. The skills are assessed as follows:

• Verbal reasoning: this is part of verbal ability, which covers vocabulary, comprehension, and verbal reasoning skills and contributes 50% of the total score.
• Non-verbal reasoning: assesses the ability to recognise patterns, understand relationships between objects, and make logical deductions, and contributes 25% of the total score.
• Maths and English: Numerical reasoning measures the ability to solve mathematical problems, with content not exceeding what children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5. Numerical reasoning contributes 25% of the total score, and English comprehension is assessed in Paper One alongside verbal ability.

Answer sheet technique. Because children mark answers on a separate OMR answer sheet, practising the physical mechanics of answer sheets is an important element of Bexley preparation. Quest’s guidance is to draw a clear, solid horizontal line through the chosen box, mark one answer per question unless the question says otherwise, check that question numbers match the answer sheet, and rub out fully with a clean eraser when changing an answer. Begin practising with an OMR answer sheet from the start of preparation; the free Quest familiarisation booklets include a sample one.

Non-adaptive format. Quest describes the Bexley Selection Test as two non-adaptive paper assessments. Each test is divided into sections, with a set time allocated for each section, and the invigilator tells children when to move to the next section. Time management therefore means pacing each section, and Quest’s guidance to children is that it is fine to move on if they are stuck.

How Many Children Apply for Bexley Grammar School Places?

The council describes the Bexley Selection Test as highly competitive. Approximately 30% of children who sit the Bexley Selection Test achieve a standardised score high enough to be considered for a grammar school place. Meeting the selective standard does not itself guarantee a place: more children qualify than there are available grammar school places. Schools then apply their oversubscription criteria to rank qualifying applicants and allocate places.

Each grammar school applies its own oversubscription criteria, with home-to-school distance a key deciding factor in most cases. Townley Grammar School, for example, has 224 places for entry in September 2027. Bexley Grammar School has 210 places for entry in September 2027.

Because the council, in conjunction with the four grammar schools, determines the selective score, families should focus on achieving the highest possible SAS. The top 180 children with the highest total age-standardised scores are placed in one of the highest priority groups for their preferred grammar school; other selective pupils are not guaranteed a place, as offers depend on the school's admissions criteria, such as distance and sibling priority. In 2025, 5,866 children sat the test and 2,070 achieved the selective standard, with 800 grammar school places available.

Families living further from their target school should be aware that most places are offered based on the distance between home and school. Bexley residents can express up to six preferences on the CAF, and a child must list one or more Bexley grammar schools to be considered for a place at one. Families should list schools in genuine order of preference on the CAF: all preferences are considered equally, and each child is offered only one school, the highest of the preferences for which they qualify.

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When Should My Child Start Preparing for the Bexley 11+?

Effective preparation for the Bexley Selection Test requires building four distinct skill sets — English comprehension, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and mathematics — and developing the stamina and accuracy to deploy them across two timed papers of approximately 50 minutes each. The optimal start point is September of Year 5, giving 12 months of structured preparation before the September Year 6 tests. Families beginning in January of Year 5 still have a viable timeline if preparation is consistent and well-structured. Starting in June or July of Year 5 leaves around three months or fewer, which is insufficient for children who need to develop new skills in NVR or VR from scratch.

Maths. Numerical reasoning content does not exceed what children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5, so cover the primary maths curriculum through Year 5 securely, prioritising multi-step word problems, fraction and percentage calculations, and mental arithmetic speed. Children who can compute accurately but struggle to select the correct method under time pressure tend to underperform in this section.

English comprehension. Practise multiple-choice comprehension questions specifically — the Bexley format does not require extended writing. Focus on inference and deduction questions (drawing conclusions from what the text implies, not just what it states). Regular reading of varied fiction and non-fiction is the most effective long-term preparation for comprehension fluency.

Verbal reasoning. Verbal ability assesses vocabulary, comprehension, and verbal reasoning skills, so practise all three. Aim for speed through pattern recognition — children who can identify the rule governing a sequence quickly will have more time remaining to check uncertain answers.

Non-verbal reasoning. It assesses the ability to recognise patterns, understand relationships between objects, and make logical deductions. Regular practice from Year 5, including Quest’s free familiarisation booklets, builds familiarity with the question format. Quest’s guidance for parents says the best preparation is steady, meaningful learning over time, not last-minute cramming.

For detailed guidance on the Quest Assessment format, see our Quest Assessment guide for Bexley grammar schools.

How Can Leading Tuition Help with Bexley Grammar 11+ Preparation?

Leading Tuition provides specialist 11+ tuition for children preparing for the Bexley Selection Test. Our tutors are experienced in the Quest Assessments paper-based format and cover all four assessed areas: English comprehension and SPAG, verbal ability, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning pattern work. Our preparation programmes incorporate paper-based timed mock tests and OMR answer-sheet practice, replicating the actual exam experience so children are prepared for two papers of approximately 50 minutes each and for marking answers on an OMR answer sheet.

We work with families across south-east London and nationally via online sessions. Our specialist tutors build structured preparation plans tailored to each child’s current level, prioritising the areas where improvement will have the greatest impact on their overall standardised score. Given the 50% weighting of verbal ability in the Bexley SAS, improving performance in verbal reasoning and English comprehension can make a large difference to the total score for children whose NVR and maths foundations are already solid.

We have achieved a 95%+ grammar school offer rate for students who complete a full structured preparation programme. For families starting in Year 5 or the summer before Year 6 with a child who is broadly working at age-related expectations in maths and English, we are typically able to build the VR and NVR skills needed for a competitive Bexley SAS through a consistent weekly tuition programme.

Book a free consultation to discuss your child’s current position, target schools, and preparation timeline. We can advise whether weekly sessions, intensive blocks, or a combination approach is most appropriate given your child’s starting point and the months remaining before the September test.

Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, and 91% of our students achieve their desired grades.

What Happens After the Bexley Results?

Results were emailed from 4pm on Friday 2 October 2026 to the email address used at registration, so check the junk folder. If a result has still not arrived, email the council’s School Admissions Team on Monday 5 October 2026.

If a child is not deemed selective and there were exceptional circumstances that may have affected their test performance, the decision can be reviewed, but only the child’s head teacher can submit a review request. The stages are:

• Requests: head teachers send review requests to the Bexley School Admissions Team between Monday 5 October 2026 and Friday 16 October 2026; later requests will not be considered.
• Panel: the Head Teachers Review Panel considers requests in early November 2026, after the secondary application deadline of Saturday 31 October 2026.
• Outcome: School Admissions emails the head teacher with the outcome of the review by Tuesday 24 November 2026.

Where a review may be requested, include at least one Bexley grammar school preference on the secondary application, so that it can be considered if the panel decides the child should be deemed selective. The application deadline is 11:59pm on 31 October 2026, and Quest’s Bexley page says it cannot be extended and that families should not wait for a review outcome before submitting.

Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against the London Borough of Bexley's selection test, review process and 2027/28 secondary admissions pages, Quest Assessments' Bexley Selection Test page and the Chislehurst and Sidcup and Townley grammar schools' admissions pages.

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