For parents and guardians: Please verify all school data — cut-off scores, applicant numbers and competition ratios — against official sources (school websites, local authority admissions data) before making any decisions. The figures on this page are researched but not guaranteed and change each admissions cycle.
Complete 2025/26 11+ Guide to Grammar Schools in Bexley (South East London)
Bexley (South East London) is home to 4 fully selective grammar schools and 0 partially selective schools, served by the Bexley Grammar Schools Consortium (Beths, Bexley Grammar, Chislehurst & Sidcup, Townley). This guide covers every school — admissions criteria, competition data, cut-off scores, GCSE results, and specific prep advice — so you can make an informed decision.
How the Bexley (South East London) 11+ works
Two multiple-choice papers, each approximately 50 minutes, taken on the same morning or afternoon with a short break between papers. Questions cover Verbal Ability & English Comprehension, Numerical Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. All answers are recorded on Optical Mark Reading (OMR) sheets and marked by GL Assessment. Raw scores are age-standardised to produce a weighted total score.
The Bexley Selection Test is sat once and results are shared across all four consortium grammar schools. There is no fixed pass mark: Bexley LA sets the selective threshold each year after standardisation, based on available places across the four schools. Children identified as achieving one of the top 180 standardised scores borough-wide receive a guaranteed grammar school place at any consortium school they list. The selective score is published to parents alongside results in early October.
Key dates
Who can apply?
Open to all children regardless of where they live — no residence requirement to sit the test.
Children must register online via the Bexley LA website within the published registration window (1–31 March for 2026/27 entry; historically May for 2025/26). Late registrations are not accepted and there is no appeal process.
Children normally sit the test in Year 6 (born 1 Sept 2014–31 Aug 2015 for Sept 2026 entry; born 1 Sept 2015–31 Aug 2016 for Sept 2027 entry).
A child who misses the Year 6 registration window may sit the test in Years 7–9 at a Bexley secondary school, subject to LA agreement.
Only children deemed selective by Bexley LA are eligible to be considered for a place at a consortium grammar school.
Achieving selective status does not guarantee a grammar school place; each school applies its own oversubscription criteria to allocate its available places.
The top 180 scorers across all registered candidates receive priority at any consortium school they list.
Each school accepts Pupil Premium/Free School Meals applications via a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) — separate from the CAF — submitted by 31 October in the year of application.
Admissions process
Parents register their child online via bexley.gov.uk within the published window (1–31 March for 2027 entry). No automatic registration for Bexley primary school pupils — all families must register independently.
Children sit two multiple-choice papers in September of Year 6. Bexley primary school pupils typically sit at their own school; all other candidates attend an assigned grammar school test centre. The same test is used for all four consortium schools.
GL Assessment marks papers and calculates age-standardised scores. Bexley LA, in consultation with consortium headteachers, sets the selective score based on available places. Results (selective / non-selective) are sent directly to parents in early October.
Parents list preferred schools on the CAF via their home LA by 31 October. To be considered by any consortium grammar school, the school must be listed as a preference on the CAF. Some schools require a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) for Pupil Premium applicants.
Each school applies its own criteria in rank order: (1) Looked-After/Previously Looked-After children; (2) Pupil Premium applicants (where reserved places exist); (3) Children achieving one of the top 180 standardised scores; (4) Siblings; (5) Staff children; (6) Distance (straight-line). Places are allocated on National Offers Day in early March.
School Directory
Disclaimer: Data from official school and LA sources: Bexley LA (bexley.gov.uk), Beths Grammar School (beths.bexley.sch.uk), Bexley Grammar School (bexleygs.co.uk), Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School (csgrammar.com), Townley Grammar School (townleygrammar.org.uk), Ofsted (reports.ofsted.gov.uk), DfE Compare School Performance (compare.education.gov.uk). Progress 8 figures are from 2023 (last calculable year — DfE did not produce P8 for 2024 or 2025 due to Covid-19 disruption to KS2 baseline). Attainment 8 figures are from 2024. Verify all dates and places at school/LA websites before acting. Last updated April 2026. Always verify figures on the school or local authority website before making decisions — data changes each admissions cycle. Last updated: 2026-04-19. We aim to refresh this guide every year after new DfE data is published (typically June/July).