There are two types of secondary school in Buckinghamshire – upper schools (also known as all-ability schools) and grammar schools. All children living in this area take a Transfer Test (formerly known as the 11+) in order to determine whether they are of grammar school ability.
There are 13 grammar schools in the area, and they are all academies. This means that each school sets its own admission policies, but all children throughout the county take the same test.

Each child completes two multiple-choice ability tests, of about the same level of difficulty. Both tests assess the child’s ability in:

• Verbal reasoning: about 50 per cent of the marks, including reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar
• Numerical reasoning: about 30 per cent of the marks, covering Key Stage 2 mental maths and multi-step problem-solving
• Non-verbal reasoning: about 20 per cent of the marks, focusing on logic, deduction and concepts like symmetry and rotation

Each test lasts 45 to 50 minutes and is divided into separately timed sections covering the three elements. 

For this academic year the Secondary Transfer test took place on Thursday 14th September. There was also a practice test on Tuesday 12th September.

​No school in the County is allowed to teach to the test, coach children or recommend tutors. You have the option of whether your child sits the Secondary Transfer Test or not.