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Book a Free ConsultationWallington High School for Girls is a selective girls' grammar school in Wallington, London Borough of Sutton, with a Published Admission Number of 210 for Year 7 entry. Entry runs on a two-stage test - the Selective Eligibility Test (SET), then the school-specific Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination (NWSSEE) - and Ofsted's most recent inspection, on 18 March 2025, judged every area Outstanding. This guide covers the two-stage test, how places are allocated, and how to prepare.
Preparing for the Wallington High School for Girls entrance test?
Our specialist 11+ tutors help students across Sutton and South London prepare for both stages of entry - the SET and the Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination - building the timed exam technique and extended-answer skills this two-stage process demands.
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Updated for 2027 entry - the two-stage test and the oversubscription criteria
Entry now runs to the 2027 admissions cycle: the Selective Eligibility Test was sat on 15 September 2026 and the school-specific Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination follows on 26 September 2026, with the Common Application Form closing on 31 October 2026 and Sutton's national offer day falling on 1 March 2027.
The school's determined 2027 admissions policy sets out exactly how its 210 places are allocated: 100 by score alone regardless of address, up to 35 for Pupil Premium-eligible girls, and up to 110 within a 6.7km catchment radius verified by the London Borough of Sutton.
Ofsted's most recent inspection, on 18 March 2025, judged every inspected area Outstanding under the framework introduced in September 2024.
Wallington High School for Girls has built a reputation that extends well beyond its immediate catchment area. Ofsted's most recent inspection, on 18 March 2025, judged every inspected area - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision - Outstanding; the framework introduced from September 2024 no longer gives a single overall effectiveness grade, so each area stands on its own published judgement. The school also offers a broad co-curricular programme, meaning students are developed as well-rounded individuals, not just exam performers.
For South London families, Wallington represents something specific: a genuinely selective, high-achieving environment that is still accessible by public transport from much of the borough. It is popular precisely because it combines academic rigour with a strong pastoral identity. Parents who visit consistently describe a school that feels purposeful and warm — not pressured in an unhealthy way, but serious about learning.
Entry to Wallington High School for Girls runs through a two-stage Entrance Test, not a single exam. The first stage is the Selective Eligibility Test (the SET), a multiple-choice assessment comprising a Mathematics test and an English test. Girls who meet or exceed the SET pass mark are then invited to sit the second stage, the Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination (the NWSSEE), which Wallington High School for Girls runs jointly with Nonsuch High School for Girls under the Girls' Learning Trust.
The NWSSEE comprises two further papers, one in Mathematics and one in English, and neither is multiple-choice. A candidate must pass both parts of the NWSSEE to be eligible for a place. For September 2027 entry, the SET was sat on Tuesday 15 September 2026 and the NWSSEE (the school's "second round") follows on Saturday 26 September 2026 - eleven days later.
The two stages are not weighted the way many families assume. The school's determined 2027 admissions policy states: “The marks in the NWSSEE will then be added to half of the aggregate mark achieved in the SET, with each part carrying equal weight, to create a total score in the Entrance Test.” In practice, a strong SET score alone does not secure a place - it is halved before being added to the NWSSEE mark, so the NWSSEE result carries at least as much weight as the SET in the final ranking.
The SET is a shared assessment: for September 2027 entry, registration closed on 31 July 2026 and the test was sat on 15 September 2026 by candidates for six schools in the borough - Greenshaw High School, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls, Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wilson's School. Families register once, via the website of any of the six schools, and the same registration covers all of them. Passing the SET means different things at different schools: at Greenshaw it qualifies a child for an ability place outright, while at the other five - including Wallington High School for Girls - it only qualifies a child to sit that school's own second-stage test.
Ready to start preparing for both stages?
Our specialist 11+ tutors build a programme for the SET and the NWSSEE together, so your daughter is not caught out by the NWSSEE's different, non-multiple-choice format.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppWallington High School for Girls admits 210 girls a year (its Published Admission Number for 2027 entry). When eligible applications exceed that number, the school's own determined admissions policy sets out exactly how places are allocated, in this priority order:
| Priority | Route into Year 7 | Places | Is address a factor? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Education, Health and Care Plan, then Looked After Children | No fixed number - taken from the 210 ahead of the other tiers | No |
| 2 | Highest score, open list | 100 | No |
| 3 | Pupil Premium, by score | Up to 35 | No |
| 4 | Catchment area (6.7km radius), by score | Up to 110, reduced by places used under rows 1 and 3 | Yes |
Source: Wallington High School for Girls, Admissions Policy for the 2027 Admission Year (Girls' Learning Trust), retrieved 25 September 2026.
The 100 open-list places and the up to 35 Pupil Premium places (100 + 35 = 135 of the 210 total) carry no address requirement at all - a family living anywhere in Greater London competes on the same ranked list as a family a short walk from the school gate for those 135 places. Only the fourth tier, up to 110 places, is address-linked: it goes by score to applicants whose home address on 31 October 2026 (the Common Application Form deadline) sits within 6.7km of the school's main entrance, measured by the London Borough of Sutton's own GIS system rather than any published map or postcode list. That catchment allowance shrinks by the places already given under the Looked After Children/EHCP and Pupil Premium tiers - not by the 100 score-only places.
Alongside registering for the Entrance Test, families must name Wallington High School for Girls on their Common Application Form by 31 October 2026 - the same date the council uses to check a family's address against the 6.7km catchment radius. The London Borough of Sutton confirms this deadline was not moved for the 2027 cycle: its own admissions calendar lists "31 October 2026" as the closing date for secondary transfer applications, with the online application system opening on 1 September 2026 and national offer day for secondary applicants falling on 1 March 2027. Ranked waiting lists for the score-only, Pupil Premium and catchment tiers stay open until 31 December in the year of entry.
Want a plan built around both stages?
Our expert 11+ tutors work with Sutton and South London families on a preparation plan that covers the SET's multiple-choice speed and the NWSSEE's non-multiple-choice reasoning and writing, weighted the way Wallington High School for Girls actually scores them.
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Preparation for the SET should begin no later than the start of Year 5, and ideally earlier if there are any gaps in core skills. A realistic timeline looks something like this:
Preparation should be consistent rather than intensive in short bursts. Children who prepare steadily over an extended period tend to outperform those who cram in the final term. Equally important is ensuring your daughter understands the material deeply enough to apply it in unfamiliar contexts — the Entrance Test is designed to reward genuine ability, not rote learning.
Because the Entrance Test now has two distinct stages, a realistic timeline should build towards both: multiple-choice speed and accuracy for the SET in mid-September, then the different, non-multiple-choice reasoning and extended-answer format the NWSSEE requires in its own sitting on 26 September 2026. Treating the two stages as one exam risks under-preparing for the NWSSEE specifically, since neither of its papers is multiple choice.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 1-to-1 tutoring for children preparing for the SET, the NWSSEE and entry to Wallington High School for Girls. Our tutors are experienced with both stages and understand what the papers require — not just in terms of content, but in terms of the thinking skills and exam technique that make the difference at this level of selectivity.
Every child who works with us receives a personalised programme built around their current strengths and the areas that need the most development. We do not use a one-size-fits-all approach, because no two children arrive at the same point or learn at the same pace. Sessions are structured to build genuine understanding, develop timed exam technique, and ensure your daughter is confident and well-prepared when she sits the SET and the NWSSEE in September of Year 6.
We work with families across Sutton, Wallington, and the wider South London area, and we are familiar with the pressures and timelines that come with this particular admissions process.
For official entry requirements and registration details, see the Wallington High School for Girls admissions.
Because Wallington High School for Girls ranks candidates on a formula that halves the SET score before adding the NWSSEE mark, our preparation covers both stages in that same proportion, not just the multiple-choice SET. Our students have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry, and the same evidence-based approach applies to the NWSSEE's non-multiple-choice papers as to the SET itself.
Wallington High School for Girls also takes external candidates directly into the Sixth Form, separately from the Year 7 entrance process. The school's 2027 admissions policy commits to offering a minimum of twenty places annually to external applicants, on top of the internal students who progress once they meet the entry criteria.
Entry requires an average point score of 6.00 or above across a candidate's best eight GCSE subjects, and a Grade 6 or above at GCSE in both English (Language or Literature) and Mathematics. Subject-specific entry requirements are published separately in the school's own Sixth Form Prospectus, and decisions on individual subject places are final.
Questions about Year 7 or Sixth Form entry?
Whether your daughter is preparing for the SET and NWSSEE or building towards Sixth Form entry requirements, our specialist tutors can help. Book a free consultation to talk through a plan for Wallington High School for Girls.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppReviewed September 2026: the SET/NWSSEE structure, oversubscription criteria and 2027-cycle dates checked against Wallington High School for Girls' own determined admissions policy, the London Borough of Sutton's admissions pages and Ofsted.
Yes. Wallington High School for Girls is a selective girls' grammar school in the London Borough of Sutton, admitting girls who pass its two-stage Entrance Test rather than by catchment alone. The school's own Year 7 admissions page puts it directly: “As a Grammar School, our entrance processes will be slightly different and start earlier in your child’s education.” Candidates sit the Selective Eligibility Test (the SET) first, and only those who pass go on to the school-specific Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination (the NWSSEE), which, combined with half the SET aggregate mark, produces the ranking used for offers.
The SET (Selective Eligibility Test) is the shared first stage, sat by applicants to six Sutton schools; it comprises two multiple-choice papers, one in Mathematics and one in English. Girls who meet or exceed the SET pass mark then sit the NWSSEE (the Nonsuch and Wallington Second Stage Entrance Examination), the school-specific second stage run jointly by Wallington High School for Girls and Nonsuch High School for Girls. The NWSSEE also has a Mathematics paper and an English paper, but neither is multiple-choice. The final ranking adds the NWSSEE mark to half the SET aggregate mark, so both stages matter.
No. Both the SET and the NWSSEE are sat once within the same admissions cycle - the SET on 15 September 2026 and the NWSSEE on 26 September 2026 for September 2027 entry. There is no resit opportunity that admissions year for either stage. A child who is not deemed of selective ability, or who does not receive an offer under any of the four oversubscription criteria, can go on the school's waiting list or reapply in a later year, and a family that misses out also retains a statutory right of appeal.
The school does not publish a current pass mark for either stage. Offers are made on ranked performance in the combined Entrance Test - half the aggregate SET mark added to the NWSSEE mark - with places going to the highest-scoring eligible applicants within each of the four oversubscription criteria. Because the standard is relative to that year's cohort of applicants, the effective mark needed varies from year to year. This makes it important to aim for the strongest possible performance across both stages rather than a fixed number.
No. Under the school's 2027 admissions policy, 100 of the 210 places go by score alone, irrespective of home address, and up to a further 35 go to Pupil Premium-eligible girls, also irrespective of address - together well over half the intake. Only the remaining catchment tier, up to 110 places, is address-linked: it uses a 6.7km radius from the school's main entrance, verified by the London Borough of Sutton, and it shrinks by however many places the other protected criteria have already used. See our guide to the school's catchment area for the full breakdown.
If your daughter is not made an offer under any of the four oversubscription criteria, she is automatically placed on the relevant ranked waiting list, which stays open until 31 December in the year of entry; after that she can join the school's open, non-ranked waiting list. Parents and carers also have a statutory right of appeal against a decision not to offer a place, heard by an Independent Appeal Panel. It is also worth reviewing the wider range of strong secondary schools in Sutton and the surrounding boroughs, several of which are non-selective or partially selective.
No, they are two separate schools. Wallington High School for Girls is a girls' school under the Girls' Learning Trust, while Wallington County Grammar School is a separate, boys' grammar school in the same town, recorded by Ofsted's own school record as a boys' school with pupils aged 11 to 18. Both share the same first-stage Selective Eligibility Test alongside four other Sutton schools, but each then runs its own second-stage entrance examination and applies its own published admission arrangements, so a place, a pass mark or a deadline at one school never applies automatically at the other.
Our specialist 11+ tutors build a programme around both stages of the Entrance Test - the multiple-choice SET and the non-multiple-choice NWSSEE - rather than treating the process as a single exam. Sessions develop genuine subject understanding in Maths and English, timed exam technique for the SET, and the extended reasoning and writing skills the NWSSEE specifically requires, tailored to where a student is starting from. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the Wallington High School for Girls entrance test.
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