Grammar Schools West London: A Complete Guide for 2027 Entry
Why Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond have no grammars of their own, and where West London families actually find selective state places
Book a Free ConsultationWhy Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond have no grammars of their own, and where West London families actually find selective state places
Book a Free ConsultationHere is the honest starting point: none of these three West London boroughs runs a state grammar school. Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames are fully comprehensive local authorities, and every child living in them who wants a fully selective, exam-tested state secondary place has to look outside the borough boundary. This guide sets out exactly where those places actually exist for 2027 entry — the Slough grammar school consortium and the Buckinghamshire grammars for Ealing and Hounslow families, the Kingston-area grammars, which include Tiffin Girls' for Richmond families and for some Ealing and Hounslow postcodes — along with the qualifying scores, the test dates and the selective independent schools in Ealing and Richmond upon Thames as a genuine alternative.
Checked October 2026
Buckinghamshire Council released Secondary Transfer Test results on 9 October 2026 (qualifying score 121), and applications to your home local authority are due by 31 October 2026. The Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools posts results online in mid-October 2026, and the London 11+ Consortium closes registration on Friday 6 November 2026.
No. The London Borough of Ealing operates no state grammar schools — see our Ealing 11+ guide for the local picture. The London Borough of Hounslow is the same: its grammar-school options sit outside the borough, in Slough and Buckinghamshire and, for girls, at The Tiffin Girls' School in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, whose Designated Area for September 2027 entry includes the postal districts TW1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and W3, 4, 5, 7, 13. Richmond upon Thames is also fully comprehensive within its own boundary, though it sits directly next to the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
For a West London family, that means the real 11+ decision is not "which Ealing grammar school" but "which out-of-borough consortium is realistically reachable" — and the answer differs sharply depending on which side of the borough you live.
The Slough consortium is one of the out-of-borough options for Ealing and Hounslow families. Slough has its own local authority and lies west of both boroughs. Four schools share a single entrance test, the Consortium 11+ entrance examination (called the Slough SET in this guide), provided by GL Assessment: Herschel Grammar School, Langley Grammar School, Upton Court Grammar School and St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School. Leading Tuition covers this consortium in full depth on our dedicated Slough Grammar Schools guide; the summary below focuses on what matters specifically for a West London family weighing up the journey and the odds.
| School | Area | Gender | Test provider & qualifying score | Approx. Year 7 places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herschel Grammar School | Slough, Berkshire | Co-educational | Slough SET (GL Assessment); 111 standardised | See the school's admissions arrangements |
| Langley Grammar School | Langley, Slough | Co-educational | Slough SET (GL Assessment); 111 standardised | See the school's admissions arrangements |
| Upton Court Grammar School | Slough, Berkshire | Co-educational | Slough SET (GL Assessment); 111 standardised | See the school's admissions arrangements |
| St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School | Slough, Berkshire | Co-educational (Catholic faith criteria apply) | Slough SET (GL Assessment); 111 standardised | See the school's admissions arrangements |
Source: Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools, Guide to the 11+ test - 2027 entry, retrieved 11 October 2026.
Two details matter more to a West London family than to a Slough resident. First, each school's own admissions arrangements set its oversubscription criteria, which may include priority admission areas, and the Consortium says it is here primarily to serve children already living in Slough and the immediate surrounding area. Second, the two tests set different scores: the Slough Consortium's guide refers to an eligibility score of 111, while Buckinghamshire Council sets a qualifying score of at least 121, and the two tests are separate.
Buckinghamshire Council lists 13 grammar schools across the county, which work together as The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) to manage transfer testing for all of them. For 2027 entry, the practice test was held on 8 September 2026 and the Secondary Transfer Test on 10 September 2026; results were released on 9 October 2026, by email after 4pm for most parents. Registration for children not already at a Buckinghamshire state primary school closed at 3pm on 2 June 2026; children at Buckinghamshire state primaries are entered automatically. A standardised score of 121 or above is required to be considered "qualified," although reaching 121 secures a place only after each school's own admissions criteria have been applied.
Not every one of the 13 Buckinghamshire grammars is realistic for a West London commute. The schools clustered around Beaconsfield, Amersham, Marlow and High Wycombe are the ones within a plausible drive via the A40 and M40, and generally too far for Hounslow or Richmond families to consider as a daily journey. Leading Tuition's Buckinghamshire grammar schools guide and our county-wide Buckinghamshire roundup cover the full picture; the table below focuses on the six schools that are genuinely within reach of North Ealing and the western edge of the borough.
| School | Area | Gender | Test provider & qualifying score | Approx. Year 7 places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaconsfield High School | Beaconsfield | Girls | Bucks Transfer Test; 121 standardised | 186 |
| John Hampden Grammar School | High Wycombe | Boys | Bucks Transfer Test; 121 standardised | 180 (PAN) |
| Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe | High Wycombe | Boys (girls, Sixth Form only) | Bucks Transfer Test; 121 standardised | 182 day + 10 boarding |
| Dr Challoner's Grammar School | Amersham | Boys | Bucks Transfer Test; 121 standardised | 180 (PAN) |
| Dr Challoner's High School | Little Chalfont | Girls | Bucks Transfer Test; 121 standardised | 180 (PAN) |
| Sir William Borlase's Grammar School | Marlow | Co-educational | Bucks Transfer Test; 121 standardised | 150 (PAN) |
Source: Buckinghamshire Council and the schools' own admissions pages, retrieved 11 October 2026.
Dr Challoner's Grammar School is boys-only at 11+ and co-educational in the Sixth Form, Dr Challoner's High School is a grammar school for girls, and Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow is co-educational. For a deeper dive into two of these schools specifically, see our individual guides to John Hampden Grammar School and Dr Challoner's Grammar School.
Preparing a West London Child for the Slough or Bucks Transfer Test?
Slough and Buckinghamshire run separate tests with separate registration windows, test dates and qualifying scores, and each school applies its own oversubscription rules. Our specialist tutors build a preparation plan around the exact consortium and school shortlist your child is sitting, not generic 11+ practice.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppRichmond upon Thames sits on the opposite side of West London geography from Ealing and Hounslow, and the practical answer for Richmond families is completely different. Rather than Slough or Buckinghamshire, Richmond borders the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames directly, and Tiffin School and The Tiffin Girls' School are the selective state options on the Kingston side, a short journey from Richmond. Leading Tuition covers this side of the West London catchment in full in our dedicated Kingston and Richmond grammar schools guide, which is the right starting point for a Richmond family rather than the Slough and Bucks consortiums detailed above.
This east-west split inside "West London" is the single most common source of confusion in this search. A family in East Sheen genuinely has a different realistic shortlist than a family in Northolt or Southall — even though both postcodes fall under a generic "West London" label. Working out which side of the catchment you actually sit in, before committing months of 11+ preparation to a single consortium, is one of the first things our tutors help West London families establish.
Because none of the three boroughs has a state grammar school, the closest thing to a "local" fully selective school for many West London families is an independent school with a selective entrance process. In Ealing, Notting Hill and Ealing High School is a selective girls' school and a member of the London 11+ Consortium, whose bespoke online assessment is its 11+ entrance test for September 2027 applicants, and St Benedict's School is a co-educational Catholic independent school. Both sit within the borough itself, cutting out the Slough or Buckinghamshire commute entirely, though — unlike a state grammar place — both charge fees.
In Richmond upon Thames, Lady Eleanor Holles School is an independent girls' school with entry at 11+, and Hampton School is an independent day school for boys aged 11-18; each sets out its own admissions process on its own website. For families weighing the independent route against a grammar school application, the practical trade-off is straightforward: independent schools charge fees but sit inside the borough with shorter journeys and school-specific preparation, while grammar schools are free but mean a longer commute and competing against applicants from a much wider catchment.
Both tests were sat in September 2026 by children in Year 6, ahead of September 2027 entry, and both are marked by GL Assessment and reported as standardised scores. The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test is managed by The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) for all 13 grammar schools in the county: the practice test was held on 8 September 2026 and the test on 10 September 2026, results were released on 9 October 2026, and the deadline to submit a secondary school application to your home local authority is Saturday 31 October 2026. Children who attend a state-funded Buckinghamshire primary school are entered automatically; children from outside the county, including every West London family, had to register by 3pm on 2 June 2026.
The Slough Consortium runs its own timetable: registration closed at 10am on Friday 5 June 2026, the examination was held on Saturday 19 September 2026, results are viewable online in mid-October 2026, the Common Application Form to your home local authority is due by Saturday 31 October 2026, and places are allocated by your home local authority on Monday 1 March 2027. Both the Slough and Buckinghamshire tests assess verbal, numerical or mathematical, and non-verbal ability, and the Slough Consortium offers a single alternative test date only for applicants who cannot attend on the main date for religious or medical reasons. Our tutors recommend West London families begin structured practice well before the September of Year 6, rather than treating the summer holiday before Year 6 as sufficient preparation time.
One further practical point specific to West London families: Slough and Buckinghamshire run separate registrations, test dates and results dates, so a family aiming at both needs to track each one. For 2027 entry, Buckinghamshire registration closed on 2 June 2026 and Slough registration on Friday 5 June 2026. The Slough Consortium says late applications will not be accepted unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Distance drives almost every decision in this guide, so it is worth checking the real journey from your own address rather than treating "West London" as a single catchment. Slough lies west of both boroughs, and the route from Hounslow passes Heathrow. The Buckinghamshire schools around Beaconsfield sit further out, while Amersham, Marlow and High Wycombe are a harder daily commute for a young child, particularly on days with after-school clubs or sports fixtures. Richmond is next to Kingston, which is the core reason Richmond families are directed to the Kingston schools rather than Slough or Bucks in this guide.
Rail options exist alongside driving for some of these routes: Chiltern Railways connects London Marylebone to Beaconsfield, High Wycombe and Amersham, which some West London families use if their nearest connecting station is on the Central or Metropolitan line, though this typically adds a change and is slower door-to-door than driving for most Ealing addresses. Families should factor in that grammar schools generally do not run dedicated school transport for pupils living outside their home local authority, so whichever school a child is offered a place at, the daily journey becomes the family's own responsibility for the following seven years.
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These dates come from each council's, school's or consortium's own published admissions information.
Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Buckinghamshire Council's grammar schools and Secondary Transfer Test results pages, the Slough Consortium's 2027 guide, the London 11+ Consortium, and the Tiffin schools' admissions pages.
No. Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames are comprehensive boroughs — none of the three operates a local authority grammar school. Families who want a fully selective, exam-tested state place have to look outside the borough boundary: west towards the Slough grammar consortium and the Buckinghamshire grammar schools around Beaconsfield, Amersham, Marlow and High Wycombe, or south towards the Tiffin Schools.
The Slough grammar school consortium is an out-of-borough option for Ealing and Hounslow postcodes, reached by road from both boroughs. The consortium comprises four schools — Herschel Grammar School, Langley Grammar School, Upton Court Grammar School and St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School — sharing a single entrance test (the Slough SET in this guide) provided by GL Assessment. Families further north in Ealing, near Hanger Lane or Perivale, are also within reach of the Buckinghamshire grammars around Beaconsfield via the A40 and M40. For girls, The Tiffin Girls' School in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames ranks girls living in its Designated Area ahead of those outside it, and that area for September 2027 entry includes the postal districts TW1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and W3, 4, 5, 7, 13.
Kingston, decisively. Richmond upon Thames borders the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames directly, and Tiffin School and The Tiffin Girls' School are the selective state options on that side of West London. The Slough and Buckinghamshire grammars, by contrast, sit west of Richmond on the far side of Heathrow, which makes them a much longer daily journey for a young child. Richmond families researching selective state schools should start with our dedicated guide to grammar schools in Kingston and Richmond rather than the Slough or Bucks consortiums covered in detail on this page, which are genuinely the Ealing and Hounslow side of the West London catchment.
For the 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools tested through The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) transfer test, a standardised score of 121 or above qualifies a child for consideration, though reaching 121 does not guarantee a place at any specific school once oversubscription criteria are applied. The Slough Consortium's 11+ examination, used by all four Consortium schools, has an eligibility score of 111 on its standardised scale. Both tests report a standardised score rather than a raw mark: Buckinghamshire standardises each child's score to account for their age when the test was taken, and the Slough Consortium says raw scores are not available to parents and that the top and bottom of its standardised range vary from year to year.
Generally no, and this is the single most important practical point for Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond families to understand early. Both the Slough Consortium examination and the Buckinghamshire transfer test are open to out-of-area applicants, but each school's own admissions criteria then apply, and the Slough Consortium says it is here primarily to serve children already living in Slough and the immediate surrounding area. Beaconsfield High School and Dr Challoner's Grammar School, for example, work through catchment-resident and Pupil Premium priority bands before falling back to distance for remaining places. Where a school gives catchment applicants priority, as Beaconsfield High School does, girls living outside the catchment are ranked after them by distance — so registering on time and building a realistic shortlist of several schools matter more than for a family who already lives in the catchment.
In Ealing and Richmond upon Thames, independent schools function, in practice, as the local alternative to a grammar school place. In Ealing, Notting Hill and Ealing High School is a selective girls' school and a member of the London 11+ Consortium, so its 11+ entrance test is the Consortium's bespoke online assessment, and St Benedict's School is a co-educational Catholic independent school. In Richmond upon Thames, Lady Eleanor Holles School is an independent girls' school with entry at 11+, and Hampton School is an independent day school for boys aged 11-18; each sets out its own admissions process on its own website. These schools charge fees, unlike a state grammar place, but for families who want a fully selective academic environment without a long daily journey, they are a genuine and often-overlooked option within the West London boroughs themselves.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 11+ preparation for West London families targeting the Slough SET, the Buckinghamshire transfer test, the Kingston-area grammar school papers, or the independent-school entrance exams at schools such as Notting Hill and Ealing High School, St Benedict's, Lady Eleanor Holles and Hampton School. Because these tests differ — a GL Assessment-provided examination for the Slough Consortium, a Secondary Transfer Test marked by GL Assessment for Buckinghamshire, the London 11+ Consortium's bespoke assessment for member schools such as Notting Hill and Ealing High School, and school-specific papers elsewhere — our tutors build a preparation plan around the exact test format your child will actually sit, rather than generic 11+ practice. We also help families plan a realistic shortlist across multiple consortiums and schools. Book a free consultation or message us on WhatsApp to discuss your child's West London 11+ strategy.
Leading Tuition's specialist tutors prepare West London families for the Slough SET, the Buckinghamshire transfer test, the Kingston-area grammar papers and independent entrance exams.
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