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Book a Free ConsultationKing Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford (KEGS) is a selective state grammar school for boys aged 11 to 18 in Chelmsford, Essex. For September 2027 entry, KEGS is admitting 150 boys to Year 7, with 120 of those places reserved for boys who have lived within 12.5 miles of the school since 10 October in Year 6. Entry is decided by the CSSE 11+ test, which KEGS shares with nine other Essex grammar schools.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppUpdated for September 2027 entry - places, priority area and the latest Ofsted rating
King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford's published admission number for September 2027 entry is 150: 120 of those places are reserved for boys who have lived within 12.5 miles of the school since 10 October in Year 6, and the remaining 30 go to the highest-scoring boys regardless of address. Two standardised-score minimums, 330 and 350, apply only to reserved Pupil Premium and looked-after places.
These figures come from the school's own admissions policy, approved by the Trustees in December 2025, and from the CSSE's 2027-entry guide, which also confirms the main test date (19 September 2026) and National Offer Day (1 March 2027).
King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford is one of the highest-performing state schools in Essex. Ofsted's most recent inspection, dated 10 February 2026, rated the school's Achievement 'Exceptional' and its Attendance and behaviour, Curriculum and teaching, Inclusion, and Leadership and governance 'Strong standard', with safeguarding confirmed as met.
The results back up that judgement. KEGS's 2024/25 A-level average point score was 49.04, against a national average of 34.99. Of the school's 2023 Year 11 leavers, 99% remained in education or employment for at least two terms after GCSEs, also above the national average - both figures from the same Ofsted report.
KEGS is a free, non-fee-paying state grammar school led by headteacher Natalie Wilson. That combination of academic strength and no independent-school fees is a large part of why demand for the school's 150 Year 7 places so consistently outstrips supply.
King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford uses the CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) examination. This is a two-paper exam sat in September of Year 6, and it is designed specifically to identify children with strong academic potential across English and mathematics.
Paper 1 — English: This paper lasts approximately 60 minutes and includes a reading comprehension section alongside a creative or extended writing task. Children are assessed on their ability to interpret texts with precision, use vocabulary with range and accuracy, and write with structure and flair. The writing component in particular rewards children who have read widely and can deploy language purposefully — not just correctly.
Paper 2 — Mathematics: Also approximately 60 minutes, this paper covers a broad range of topics from the primary curriculum and beyond, including number, fractions, algebra, geometry, data handling, and problem-solving. Questions progress in difficulty, and the final section is designed to challenge even well-prepared candidates. Speed and accuracy both matter here.
One specific preparation point worth noting: the CSSE maths paper regularly includes multi-step problems where the method is not immediately obvious. Children who have only practised routine calculations often stall on these questions. Preparing your child to break down unfamiliar problems — to identify what is being asked before reaching for a method — is one of the most valuable things you can do for their CSSE performance.
The CSSE also publishes free familiarisation papers and sells official practice packs through its own website, so families do not need to rely solely on commercial 11+ publishers to see the test's real style. Children who are ill or unable to attend the main sitting for a religious reason can, if arrangements are agreed with the CSSE office in advance, sit the tests on the published reserve date instead - this is not a chance to retake the test for a disappointing score, since only one sitting counts per child. Full detail of the CSSE's own registration and test process is published on its website, and our complete guide to the CSSE exam covers the format across all ten member schools.
The dates below are published by the CSSE for children starting Year 7 in September 2027, covering registration through to National Offer Day.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| CSSE registration opens | 12 May 2026 |
| CSSE registration closes (absolute deadline) | 19 June 2026 |
| Main CSSE test date | 19 September 2026 |
| Reserve test date (illness or religious reasons only) | 29 September 2026 |
| Results emailed to candidates | 12 October 2026 |
| Local Authority application deadline | 31 October 2026 |
| National Offer Day | 1 March 2027 |
Source: CSSE, retrieved 24 September 2026.
These are the dates published for the cohort applying to start Year 7 in September 2027; the CSSE has not yet published a timetable for the following entry cycle. Families earlier in the process should expect a similar pattern - registration in May, the test in September, results the following month - rather than assume these exact dates will repeat.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppKEGS's admission arrangements for 2027 entry (boys starting Year 7 in September 2027), approved by the school's Trustees in December 2025, set the published admission number (PAN) at 150 boys. Places are offered first to any applicant for whom KEGS is named on an Education, Health and Care Plan; after that, the remaining places are split by where a family lives.
120 of the 150 places are reserved for boys who have lived continuously within the school's 12.5-mile priority area since 10 October in Year 6. Up to 8 of those priority-area places go to boys who are eligible for Pupil Premium, or who are looked after or previously looked after, and who reach a standardised score of at least 330; the rest of the priority-area places are filled in descending order of marks. That leaves 30 places (150 minus the 120 reserved for the priority area) open regardless of address: up to 2 of those go to Pupil Premium or looked-after boys reaching a standardised score of at least 350, and the rest go to the highest-scoring boys nationally, ranked by marks.
| Place category | Places | Basis for offer |
|---|---|---|
| EHCP-named applicants | offered first | Named on the child's Education, Health and Care Plan |
| Priority area (within 12.5 miles) - reserved | up to 8 of 120 | Pupil Premium / looked-after, standardised score 330+ |
| Priority area (within 12.5 miles) - remaining | rest of 120 | Highest standardised scores, ranked |
| Outside priority area - reserved | up to 2 of 30 | Pupil Premium / looked-after, standardised score 350+ |
| Outside priority area - remaining | rest of 30 | Highest standardised scores nationally, ranked |
Source: King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford admissions policy, retrieved 24 September 2026.
There is no single published pass mark for the ranked-by-marks places: the CSSE does not publish a fixed cut-off, and the score needed varies by cohort each year. The only published thresholds are the two standardised-score minimums above, which apply solely to the small number of Pupil Premium and looked-after reserved places. After each National Offer Day, the CSSE publishes a guidance sheet showing the previous cycle's last-place scores at each school - useful context, but explicitly no guarantee, since there is no guarantee of a place based on the historical information supplied.
Where boys are tied on marks for the last available place, KEGS gives preference first to looked-after or previously looked-after children, then to those receiving Pupil Premium, and then to whichever applicant lives closest to the school in a straight line; if distances are identical, the place is decided by an independent draw. Having a sibling already at KEGS is not a factor in this Year 7 process - it is only weighed for in-year applications to Years 8 to 11, which follow a separate policy.
A waiting list is held for one year after entry, so a place can still open up after September. Families who receive an offer have 21 days to accept or decline it in writing. For boys who narrowly miss the KEGS threshold, a strong CSSE score can still secure a place at one of the other nine CSSE schools, including Chelmsford County High School for Girls and the other Essex grammar schools in the consortium, depending on preferences listed and distance criteria.
The figures above are drawn directly from KEGS's own admissions policy for September 2027 entry and its priority area page, both published by the school.
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Serious preparation for the CSSE typically begins in Year 5, with the most intensive work taking place in the twelve months before the September sitting. Starting earlier than this is rarely harmful, but starting later than January of Year 6 leaves very little room to address gaps properly.
In Year 5, the focus should be on consolidating core maths skills — particularly fractions, decimals, percentages, and mental arithmetic — and building reading habits that go beyond school requirements. Children who read widely and across genres develop the vocabulary and comprehension instincts that the English paper rewards.
From September of Year 5 through to the spring of Year 6, structured practice on CSSE-style questions should be introduced gradually. This is the stage to identify weaknesses and address them methodically, rather than simply completing practice papers and hoping for improvement.
From Easter of Year 6 onwards, timed full-paper practice becomes essential. Children need to develop the stamina and pacing to perform under exam conditions — knowing when to move on from a difficult question is a skill that must be practised, not assumed.
The CSSE itself points families toward preparation rooted in the primary curriculum rather than a separate 11+ syllabus, and it publishes free familiarisation papers on its own website so a child can see the real question style before relying on any commercial practice book. Because the test is sat once, with a reserve date offered only for illness or a religious objection agreed with the CSSE office in advance, there is no second attempt to fall back on if preparation starts too late.
Ready to start preparing for the KEGS Chelmsford 11+?
Our expert 11+ tutors in Chelmsford and across Essex build a programme around a child's own gaps in the CSSE's English and maths papers, with regular reviews so preparation stays on track through to the September test.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppLeading Tuition provides specialist 1-to-1 tutoring for children preparing for the CSSE and entry to King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford. Our tutors work with each child individually, identifying the specific areas where they need to develop — whether that is extended writing technique, problem-solving in maths, or reading comprehension under timed conditions.
We do not use a one-size-fits-all programme. A child who is strong in maths but less confident in written expression needs a different preparation plan to one who writes fluently but struggles with multi-step problems. Our approach is built around the individual child and the specific demands of the CSSE, with regular progress reviews to ensure preparation is on track as the September exam approaches.
For official entry requirements and registration details, see the King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford admissions.
Our 11+ specialists build preparation around the CSSE's own two papers - English and mathematics - rather than the verbal- and non-verbal-reasoning tests other consortiums use, and our students have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry.
Because 120 of KEGS's 150 places depend on living within the 12.5-mile priority area and the rest are decided on marks alone, we also help families set a realistic target before results day, rather than treating every application the same way.
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.
Reviewed September 2026: admission numbers, priority-area rules, standardised-score thresholds, test format and key dates for September 2027 entry checked against King Edward VI Grammar School's own admissions policy, its priority-area page, the CSSE's 2027-entry guide, and Ofsted's most recent inspection report.
Most families who are serious about KEGS begin structured preparation in Year 5, typically from September or January at the latest. This allows enough time to build skills properly rather than cramming in the final months. Starting in Year 4 is not unusual for children who need more time to develop confidence in maths or writing, but quality of preparation matters more than sheer quantity of time.
For most of KEGS's 150 places there is no fixed pass mark: places are awarded by ranking marks from highest to lowest, and the score needed shifts with each year's cohort. The only published thresholds are standardised scores of 330 and 350, which apply solely to a small number of reserved places for Pupil Premium and looked-after children. After National Offer Day each year, the CSSE publishes a guidance sheet of the previous cycle's last-place scores at every CSSE school, but this is historical information only, with no guarantee it will hold for the next cohort.
No. The CSSE is sat once, on the published test date in September of Year 6. A reserve date exists, but only for a child who is ill or has a religious objection agreed with the CSSE office in advance - it is not a second attempt for a disappointing score. If a child narrowly misses the qualifying threshold, the only route into KEGS at that stage is the school's in-year admissions process for Years 8 to 11, which follows separate criteria and depends on a place becoming available.
KEGS keeps a waiting list of boys who sat the CSSE for one year after entry, so a place can still open up after September. A strong CSSE score that falls just short of the KEGS threshold may also qualify a child for one of the other nine CSSE schools, depending on the preferences listed and, for schools with a priority area, on distance. Families should list their full range of preferences carefully before National Offer Day, since some children who narrowly miss grammar school entry go on to thrive at strong non-selective schools.
KEGS's published admission number for September 2027 entry is 150. Places for boys named on an Education, Health and Care Plan are offered first; then 120 places go to boys who have lived within 12.5 miles of the school since 10 October in Year 6, allocated mostly by CSSE score with a small number of places reserved for Pupil Premium and looked-after children; the remaining 30 places go to the highest-scoring boys regardless of address. Ties for the last place are settled by looked-after status, then Pupil Premium, then distance, then an independent draw.
No. King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford is a state grammar school with academy status, and it charges no fees for Year 7 to 11 or the sixth form. It is free to attend for any boy offered a place through the CSSE selection process described above. It should not be confused with fee-charging independent schools that also use the word 'grammar' in general conversation.
Our expert 11+ tutors build a programme around the CSSE's own two-paper format - English and mathematics - rather than a generic verbal-reasoning course, working from a child's current level toward the September test date. Because 120 of KEGS's 150 places depend on living within the 12.5-mile priority area and the rest are decided on marks alone, we also help families set a realistic target before results day. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the KEGS Chelmsford 11+.
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