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 Dorset (Poole Grammar School)
Dorset (Poole Grammar School) is home to 1 fully selective grammar school and 0 partially selective schools, served by the BCP Consortium (Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School, Poole Grammar School). 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 Dorset (Poole Grammar School) 11+ works
Three multiple-choice papers: Mathematics (50 min), English (45 min), Verbal Reasoning (50 min). All papers sat on the same day. Scores are age-standardised. No NVR paper.
Poole Grammar School is one of four schools in the BCP Consortium (Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School and Poole Grammar School). Candidates register with one consortium school and sit the test there; the score is valid for all four schools. Each paper is marked out of 141 and the aggregate of the three standardised scores determines eligibility ("Group A" — meets required standard). Meeting the standard does not guarantee a place; oversubscription criteria are then applied.
Key dates
Who can apply?
Open to all boys who register and sit the consortium entrance test. There are no geographical restrictions on eligibility to take the test, but Poole-area postcodes are prioritised in oversubscription criteria.
Boys must register with one consortium school (Poole Grammar School or Bournemouth School for the boys' schools). The test may only be taken once within any 12-month period; the result is valid for 18 months from the test date.
In addition to registering for the test, parents must also submit a Common Application Form (CAF) to their home Local Authority (BCP Council for Poole residents, or the relevant LA for out-of-area applicants) by 31 October each year.
Boys who are unable to sit on the main test day due to illness or significant acceptable reasons may sit a catch-up test in early October (evidence required).
Late applicants (after 31 October deadline) may sit the test in the following February and will be considered only after the main round of allocations on 2 March.
Admissions process
Register online via the Poole Grammar School website (or any BCP Consortium school's website) before the September deadline. Registration is free. Boys must sit the test at the school where they registered.
Three GL Assessment multiple-choice papers sat on the same Saturday in late September: Mathematics (50 min, KS2 curriculum including level 6 questions), English (45 min, comprehension/vocabulary/punctuation), Verbal Reasoning (50 min, academic potential and reasoning). All papers are sat on the same day with breaks between papers.
Results are posted to parents in mid-October. Boys are placed in Group A (meets required standard — eligible) or Group B (does not meet required standard — ineligible). The pass mark varies each year and is disclosed to individual applicants with their result letter; it is not published publicly. Being in Group A does not guarantee a place.
Parents of eligible boys must name Poole Grammar School on their LA Common Application Form by 31 October. Families not resident in BCP must apply via their home LA. Both the test registration and the CAF are required — submitting only one will result in no offer.
If more eligible boys apply than places are available, the following priority order applies: (a) Looked-after and previously looked-after children in rank order of test score; (b) Eligible boys in Poole postcodes (BH12–BH18, BH21 3–) receiving Pupil Premium, in rank order of test score; (c) Eligible boys outside Poole postcodes receiving Pupil Premium, in rank order of test score; (d) Sons of qualifying staff members, in rank order of test score; (e) Eligible boys in Poole postcodes not receiving Pupil Premium, in rank order of test score; (f) Eligible boys outside Poole postcodes not receiving Pupil Premium, in rank order of test score. Tie-break: distance to school (shortest straight line).
Place offers are issued on National Offer Day (1 March or next working day). For 2026 entry this is 2 March 2026. Unsuccessful applicants have a right of appeal to an independent panel.
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Create free accountDisclaimer: Data from official school and BCP Council sources, April 2026. Key sources: Poole Grammar School Admissions Policy 2026 Entry (poolegrammar.com); Poole Grammar School Admissions Policy 2025 Entry; Poole Grammar School admissions FAQ (poolegrammar.com/the-school/admissions-and-appeals/faq-sheet-admissions/); Poole Grammar School admission tests page (poolegrammar.com/the-school/admissions-and-appeals/admission-tests/); Parkstone Grammar School Admissions Policy 2026 Entry (confirming consortium dates); Bournemouth School admissions page (confirming consortium dates for 2027 cycle); Ofsted inspection report 13–14 May 2025 (reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/136850); DfE performance data via crystalroof.co.uk and compare.education.gov.uk (URN 136850). Verify all dates and figures at www.poolegrammar.com and www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk before acting. 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).