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 Essex (Chelmsford & Colchester)
Essex (Chelmsford & Colchester) is home to 8 fully selective grammar schools and 0 partially selective schools, served by the CSSE — Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (csse.org.uk). 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 Essex (Chelmsford & Colchester) 11+ works
CSSE schools: Two written papers — English (60 min + 10 min reading time) and Mathematics (60 min), each marked out of 60, equal weighting, age-standardised. Bespoke exam set by the Consortium itself — NOT GL Assessment or CEM. No VR, NVR or multiple-choice. From September 2024 (2025 entry onwards) the Applied Reasoning component was removed from the English paper. CCHS Chelmsford only: FSCE exam — English, Mathematics, and Creative Writing; completely separate from CSSE; register directly with CCHS.
CRITICAL: Chelmsford County High School for Girls (CCHS) does NOT use the CSSE exam. It uses the FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) test, set in early September of Year 6, with a separate registration via the CCHS website (April–June of Year 5). All other schools in this guide use the CSSE exam; one registration covers all CSSE schools. The CSSE qualifying pass mark is set annually — historically 303 standardised score — but passing the qualifying mark does not guarantee a place: each school then has its own cut-off based on competition. CRGS (Colchester) is open nationally with no formal priority area. KEGS (Chelmsford), CCHS (Chelmsford), and CCHSG (Colchester) all apply a 12.5-mile priority area. Southend schools (WHSB, WHSG, SHSB, SHSG) prioritise SS postcode applicants.
Key dates
Who can apply?
Children must be aged 11 and under 12 on 31 August of the year of entry (Year 6 students).
CSSE schools: Any child may register and sit the test regardless of where they live — the exam is open nationally.
CCHS Chelmsford (FSCE): Girls in Essex and from outside the county aged at least 11 and under 12 on 31 August of the year of entry.
CRGS is explicitly open equally to pupils in Essex and those living outside the county.
Southend schools (WHSB, WHSG, SHSB, SHSG) give priority to SS postcode (SS0–SS9) residents, but out-of-area applicants may also apply.
KEGS reserves 80% of places (120 of 150) for pupils living within 12.5 miles of the school; the remaining 30 places are open to all qualifying applicants.
CCHSG (Colchester) has a 25-mile priority area; 38 of 192 places are reserved for out-of-catchment applicants.
Over-age and under-age applicants must contact CSSE/individual schools — panel review applies.
Pupil Premium applicants to most CSSE schools may access preferential consideration — declare on CSSE SIF at registration.
Admissions process
Complete the online Supplementary Information Form (SIF) on csse.org.uk during the registration window (opens May, closes June). This is the only registration needed for all CSSE schools. For Southend schools, also declare any Pupil Premium status on the SIF to access preferential consideration.
Register directly with CCHS via the school's website (cchs.co.uk) during April–early June of Year 5 (one year before entry). CCHS uses its own FSCE exam and is entirely separate from CSSE.
CSSE exam: Taken at a CSSE test centre on the designated Saturday in September of Year 6 (all CSSE schools covered by one sitting). CCHS (FSCE) exam: Taken at CCHS in early September of Year 6 — if also applying to CSSE schools, both exams must be taken separately.
CSSE: Results posted to parents in mid-October. Results show the standardised score and indicate the qualifying standard for each school applied for. CCHS: Results also released in mid-October — an eligible score does not guarantee a place.
List preferred schools on the CAF via your home Local Authority (Essex County Council, Southend City Council, or out-of-area LA) by 31 October. Name each CSSE school and/or CCHS as a preference. Passing the qualifying score only makes a child eligible — the LA then allocates places according to each school's oversubscription criteria.
School places offered on 2 March (Southend schools may differ by one day — check annually). Parents have 21 days to accept. Waiting lists are maintained by Essex and Southend Local Authorities.
School Directory
Disclaimer: Data from official school websites (kegs.org.uk, cchs.co.uk, crgs.co.uk, cchsg.com, whsb.essex.sch.uk, whsg.info, shsb.org.uk, shsg.org), Essex and Southend LA admissions publications, CSSE official website (csse.org.uk) including Historical Guidance Sheets and FOI data, Ofsted (reports.ofsted.gov.uk), and DfE performance tables (compare.education.gov.uk). CSSE Historical Guidance Sheet 2026 entry published October 2025. Attainment 8 data 2023/24. Progress 8 data 2023/24 (last published year — not available for 2024/25 or 2025/26 due to COVID KS2 data gap). Verify all dates and cut-offs at individual school and CSSE websites before acting. Data compiled April 2026. Always verify figures on the school or local authority website before making decisions — data changes each admissions cycle. Last updated: 2026-04-04. We aim to refresh this guide every year after new DfE data is published (typically June/July).