Good-rated (Ofsted, 2022) co-educational grammar in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Own two-paper verbal reasoning test (19 & 26 September 2026), 220 qualifying score, 96 places, registration closed 14 August 2026 for September 2027 entry. Expert one-to-one preparation from Leading Tuition.
Book a Free ConsultationChecked September 2026
Caistor Grammar School's two verbal-reasoning papers for September 2027 entry were sat on 19 and 26 September 2026, and registration closed on 14 August 2026. Results are due by 13 October 2026, ahead of Lincolnshire County Council's national offer day on 1 March 2027. Ofsted's most recent report, published 13 July 2022, rates the school Good.
Caistor Grammar School is a co-educational selective grammar school for ages 11–18, located on Church Street in the market town of Caistor, within the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a selective option for families across a wide rural catchment spanning North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, drawing children from Market Rasen, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and dozens of Wolds villages who travel considerable distances each day to attend.
The school has a long history of selective education in the area. It became a Grant Maintained school in September 1991, converted to Foundation School status in 1999, and became an Academy in December 2010 — a path followed by many of England's established grammar schools as they moved into the academy sector while retaining their selective admissions and academic character.
Caistor Grammar School is rated Good by Ofsted, following its most recent inspection on 24 May 2022 (report published 13 July 2022). Its relatively compact size helps sustain a school community where individual pupils are known and supported, rather than lost within a much larger cohort.
Caistor's co-educational status is a distinctive feature within the Lincolnshire selective landscape. Several of the county's other grammar schools are single-sex. Caistor sits alongside a smaller number of mixed-gender selective schools in the county, making it a natural first choice for families who want co-educational grammar schooling in North Lincolnshire without a long daily commute to a consortium school further south.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| School name | Caistor Grammar School |
| Type | Co-educational selective grammar academy, Year 7–13 |
| Location | Church Street, Caistor, Lincolnshire LN7 6QJ |
| Entrance test | Caistor's own entrance examination (separate from other Lincolnshire grammar schools' consortium test) |
| Test papers | Two verbal reasoning papers only – Standard VR and Multiple Choice VR |
| Test dates (Sept 2027 entry) | 19 September 2026 (Paper 1) and 26 September 2026 (Paper 2) |
| Qualifying score | 220 combined across both papers |
| Planned Admissions Number | 96 places for Year 7 |
| Catchment | Within 6.5 miles "as the crow flies" of the school |
| Ofsted rating | Good |
Source: Caistor Grammar School's admissions process page and 2027-entry admissions policy; Ofsted inspection report search, retrieved 27 September 2026.
The single most important fact for families planning their application is that Caistor Grammar School is not a member of the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools, a group of Lincolnshire grammar schools that uses GL Assessment to provide a common test on shared dates, administered through the Lincolnshire 11+ consortium process. Caistor administers its own entirely separate examination.
This has direct practical consequences. If your child is registered for the consortium test, that registration does not cover Caistor, and vice versa: you must register with Caistor Grammar School independently and directly through the school's own admissions portal, in addition to any consortium registration if you are also applying to one of the consortium schools. Missing this distinction is an easy mistake for Lincolnshire families to make, particularly those newer to the selective schools system who assume that one registration covers every grammar school in the county.
The test content also differs meaningfully. Caistor's test is verbal reasoning only, across two separate papers. There is no non-verbal reasoning, no spatial reasoning, and no separate English or maths paper at Caistor. A child applying only to Caistor can therefore focus preparation exclusively on verbal reasoning technique, vocabulary and timed accuracy — though families also considering one or more other Lincolnshire grammar schools may prefer a broader preparation programme covering VR, NVR and maths as well.
Caistor Grammar School's 11+ consists of two separate verbal reasoning papers, both sat at the school itself. Paper 1 is described by the school as "Standard Verbal Reasoning" and takes place on 19 September 2026. Paper 2 is described as "Multiple Choice Verbal Reasoning" and takes place a week later, on 26 September 2026. Before the timed assessment begins, applicants complete a short 15-minute practice test so they understand the paper's layout and instructions — a useful design feature that reduces the risk of children losing marks simply through unfamiliarity with the format rather than lack of ability.
Verbal reasoning papers of this style typically draw on a recognised set of question families: vocabulary-based questions (synonyms, antonyms, analogies, odd-one-out), word-construction questions (hidden words, letter transfers, compound words, missing letters), codes and sequences (letter codes, number sequences, pattern logic), and logical deduction (statement logic, ordering and comparison problems). A thorough preparation programme works systematically through every category rather than concentrating only on the types a child finds most comfortable, because it is often mastery of the harder categories — compound codes, multi-step deduction, longer sequence extensions — that separates borderline scorers from children who comfortably clear 220.
Timing discipline matters as much as raw ability. Verbal reasoning papers of this kind are constructed so that genuine time pressure exists throughout; children who read and think carefully but too slowly will not complete every question even if they know how to answer each one correctly. Preparation should therefore always include realistic, fully timed practice under exam conditions well before the September test dates, not just untimed question-type drilling.
Preparing for Caistor Grammar School's 11+?
Our specialist tutors know the Caistor verbal reasoning test inside out — both papers, every verbal reasoning question type, and the exam-day pacing that separates a borderline result from a comfortable pass above 220. We build structured, personalised programmes timed around Caistor's autumn verbal reasoning test dates, and we can prepare your child for Caistor alongside any other Lincolnshire grammar schools you are also considering.
We have supported families across North and North East Lincolnshire preparing for Caistor Grammar and other Lincolnshire grammar schools.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppOur specialist tutors help children prepare for Caistor Grammar School's verbal reasoning 11+ with personalised, one-to-one tuition.
Book a Free ConsultationCaistor Grammar School requires a combined score of 220 or more across the two verbal reasoning papers for a child to be eligible for a place. The 220 threshold is designed, according to the school's own published information, to identify children performing within approximately the top quarter of the ability range, in line with Lincolnshire's county-wide standard for grammar school entry.
It is important to understand what "qualifying" actually means in practice. Reaching 220 makes a child eligible for a place; it does not guarantee an offer. With only 96 places available under the school's Planned Admissions Number, and a wide catchment drawing far more eligible applicants than places in most years, the school's oversubscription criteria then determine who is actually offered a place once demand exceeds supply. Families should therefore treat 220 as a floor to clear comfortably, not a target to scrape past, since a stronger score materially improves a child's position when the school ranks eligible candidates within each priority category.
One further point worth flagging for families weighing up multiple schools: a score on Caistor's own test is not directly comparable to a score on another Lincolnshire grammar school's test, because the papers, question mix and standardisation tables can differ between schools. A child sitting both tests will receive two entirely separate results, and each must independently clear its own qualifying threshold.
Caistor Grammar School's published admissions policy sets out oversubscription criteria in a clear order of priority, applied only once a child has reached the 220 qualifying score. First priority goes to children with an Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school. Second priority goes to looked-after children and previously looked-after children (including those adopted or subject to a child arrangements order) who meet the qualifying score. Third priority goes to in-catchment qualifying children, ranked by verbal reasoning score if further tie-breaking is needed. The policy then reserves up to 12 places for out-of-catchment children eligible for Pupil Premium (Ever 6) funding. Remaining places go to out-of-catchment qualifying children, ranked by verbal reasoning score.
The catchment boundary itself is defined precisely: a child is in-catchment if their home address sits within 6.5 miles, measured "as the crow flies" from the school's Post Office address point, as at 1 September in the relevant admissions year. This straight-line distance measurement (rather than travel distance by road) can produce results that surprise some families, particularly those living near natural barriers such as the Humber estuary or awkward rural road networks. Families should use the Lincolnshire County Council school distance checker to confirm their own catchment status precisely, or contact Caistor Grammar's admissions office directly if any doubt remains.
Families in Grimsby and Cleethorpes should also note an administrative detail that catches some parents out: North East Lincolnshire is a separate local authority from Lincolnshire County Council, so the Common Application Form process for these families routes through the North East Lincolnshire Council admissions portal rather than the Lincolnshire portal, even though the 6.5-mile catchment for Caistor itself may still bring parts of North East Lincolnshire within range. Caistor accepts applications from any home address; in-catchment priority is purely a function of the 6.5-mile distance rule, independent of which local authority processes your CAF.
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Families applying for September 2027 entry — meaning children currently in Year 6, who sat the test in the autumn term of this school year — should note the following timetable, which is specific to Caistor and runs on a different schedule to other Lincolnshire grammar schools.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| March 2026 | Registration opens via the school's online application form |
| 14 August 2026 | Registration deadline (midnight) – no late applications accepted |
| By 11 September 2026 | Email with test day details and timings sent to parents |
| 19 September 2026 | Paper 1: Standard Verbal Reasoning |
| 26 September 2026 | Paper 2: Multiple Choice Verbal Reasoning |
| 13 October 2026 | Results emailed to parents |
| 31 October 2026 | CAF submission deadline (via home local authority) |
| 1 March 2027 | National Offer Day |
Source: Caistor Grammar School's key dates for September 2027 entry, retrieved 27 September 2026.
Note: registration for September 2027 entry closed on 14 August 2026 and the school does not accept late registrations. Families now wait for results, due by 13 October 2026, ahead of the Common Application Form deadline of 31 October 2026 and Lincolnshire County Council's national offer day on 1 March 2027.
Caistor's sixth form offers A-Level courses across a broad subject range, with specific GCSE grade requirements published in the school's Sixth Form Entry Booklet for each subject. The sixth form welcomes external applicants from other schools as well as the school's own Year 11 leavers, so a child who does not secure a Year 7 place at Caistor can still apply for sixth form entry at 16, provided their GCSE results meet the published subject thresholds. The subject-by-subject grade requirements referred to here are published in full in our Caistor Grammar School sixth form guide, along with how many external Year 12 places the school actually offers and why the September route needs no test while in-year entry does.
Leading Tuition's specialist 11+ tuition programme supports families across Caistor, Market Rasen, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and the wider Lincolnshire Wolds catchment in preparing for Caistor Grammar School's verbal reasoning entrance test. Because Caistor's test is VR-only, we are able to design a genuinely focused preparation programme rather than spreading study thinly across subjects the child will never actually be tested on — though where a family is also considering one or more of the county's other grammar schools, we build a broader programme that layers in non-verbal reasoning and maths alongside the VR work Caistor requires.
We begin with a full diagnostic assessment across the verbal reasoning question families that Caistor's papers draw on: vocabulary, word construction, codes and sequences, and logical deduction. This establishes precisely where your child currently sits relative to the 220 qualifying threshold and identifies which specific question types need the most attention, rather than assuming every child needs identical coverage. From there, sessions combine targeted skill-building on weaker question types with vocabulary development through structured reading, since a wide vocabulary underpins strong performance across almost every VR category.
As the September test dates approach, our tutors shift the balance of each programme towards full, strictly timed mock papers under realistic conditions — quiet room, printed answer sheet, no interruptions — followed by detailed error review to identify recurring patterns in mistakes rather than treating each wrong answer as an isolated slip. This mirrors exactly Caistor's format: two separate timed sittings a week apart, each demanding sustained concentration and pacing discipline. We also advise families directly on the registration process itself, the 14 August deadline, the 6.5-mile catchment check, and how the Caistor application interacts with any parallel consortium school applications, so that no administrative step is missed in the run-up to results day.
Progress is tracked after every session, with short diagnostic checks at the start of each lesson used to catch any drift in a previously mastered skill before it becomes a habit. Parents receive regular, specific updates on where their child stands relative to the 220 threshold, so there are no surprises as results day in October approaches. For families who want the fullest possible picture of Caistor's history, ethos and admissions process before committing to a preparation plan, our longer Caistor Grammar School 11+ guide covers additional background alongside this page's more focused preparation offer.
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Reviewed September 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Caistor Grammar School's own admissions process page and 2027-entry admissions policy, Ofsted's inspection report search, Lincolnshire County Council's find-nearest-school tool, and the school's 11+ test guidance.
No. Caistor Grammar School is not a member of the Lincolnshire grammar schools' consortium. It administers its own separate entrance examination, on its own dates, with its own registration deadline. Families applying to Caistor as well as one or more consortium schools must register for each process independently, as a consortium registration does not cover Caistor and vice versa.
Caistor Grammar School's 11+ consists of two verbal reasoning papers only, both administered at the school itself: a Standard Verbal Reasoning paper on 19 September 2026, and a Multiple Choice Verbal Reasoning paper on 26 September 2026 (for September 2027 entry). There is no non-verbal reasoning, spatial reasoning, English or maths paper. Applicants also sit a short 15-minute practice test at the start of the session so they understand the format before the timed paper begins.
Children must achieve a combined score of 220 or more across both verbal reasoning papers to be eligible for a place. This threshold is designed to identify children performing within roughly the top quarter of the ability range. Reaching 220 makes a child eligible for consideration; the school's published oversubscription criteria then determine who is actually offered a place if demand exceeds the 96 available places.
Registration for September 2027 entry closed at midnight on Friday 14 August 2026. The school does not accept late registrations under any circumstances. Both test papers have now been sat, on 19 September 2026 (Paper 1) and 26 September 2026 (Paper 2). Results will be emailed to parents by 13 October 2026, ahead of the national Common Application Form deadline of 31 October 2026 and Lincolnshire County Council's national offer day for secondary places on 1 March 2027.
In-catchment status applies to children living within 6.5 miles, measured as the crow flies from the school's Post Office address point, as at 1 September 2026. This is checked using the applicant's home address on record. Families can verify their status using the Lincolnshire County Council school distance checker or by contacting the school's admissions office directly. In-catchment qualifying candidates are prioritised ahead of out-of-catchment candidates in the oversubscription criteria.
Caistor Grammar School has a Planned Admissions Number of 96 pupils for Year 7 entry. Where more children qualify than there are places, priority is given in this order: children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school; looked-after and previously looked-after children who meet the qualifying score; in-catchment qualifying children (ranked by verbal reasoning score where needed); up to 12 places reserved for out-of-catchment Pupil Premium (Ever 6) children; then remaining out-of-catchment qualifying children ranked by verbal reasoning score.
Caistor Grammar School is rated Good by Ofsted, following its most recent inspection on 24 May 2022 (report published 13 July 2022). It is a co-educational selective school for ages 11-18, located on Church Street in the market town of Caistor in the Lincolnshire Wolds. The school became Grant Maintained in 1991, a Foundation School in 1999 and converted to Academy status in December 2010.
Our specialist tutors focus one-to-one preparation on Caistor's own verbal reasoning format: the Standard Verbal Reasoning and Multiple Choice Verbal Reasoning papers, working through vocabulary, word construction, codes and sequences, and logical deduction until your child is comfortably clearing the 220 qualifying score under timed conditions. Sessions begin with a diagnostic assessment to identify which question types need the most attention, then move to structured teaching and fully timed practice papers as test day approaches. We also guide families through the registration process, the catchment check and how a Caistor application fits alongside any other Lincolnshire grammar school applications you are considering.
For full official details on the Caistor Grammar School admissions process, registration form and published policy, see the school's own 11+ admissions process page, or check your address against the Lincolnshire County Council catchment tool.