Buckinghamshire 11 Plus

Buckinghamshire School Allocation Profiles Page 2

Buckinghamshire 12+ and 13+ Tests Page 3

Buckinghamshire (Bucks) is one of the last remaining Counties where education is fully selective. There are 13 grammar schools and 21 upper schools in the County. Admission into Year 7 at all schools is managed centrally by Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC). There is also a new Free School that is expected to open in Winslow in September 2013, the Sir Thomas Fremantle Secondary School, initially offering places to pupils in Years 7, 8 & 9. The school is expected to participate fully in the Bucks CC admission process after September 2013.

Buckinghamshire operates an “opt out” system for the 11+, whereby children at Bucks state primary schools are automatically entered for the test unless their parents actively withdraw them from taking it. Children at private schools and those attending schools outside Buckinghamshire must actively apply to take the test.

Many private schools in the county and some large schools outside the county administer the Bucks 11 plus on behalf of Bucks CC. These are known as “Partner Schools”. The children receive the application form for the test and the CAF (school application form) via their school, the tests take place in the school and the results are provided via the school in exactly the same way as for children attending Bucks state schools.

Approximately 30 percent of children qualify for a grammar school place each year, and around a further 5% are deemed qualified after a successful appeal against non-qualification. School places are allocated by distance from school gates with defined catchment areas that receive priority.

Application forms for entry to the tests are available from July each year and have to be submitted at the start of September each year (see table below for the current year’s dates).

To assess your chances of gaining a place at your preferred school you can view our summary of past Allocation Profiles (Distances).

Buckinghamshire is unusual in that it has retained the 12+ and 13+ tests for grammar school entry. There is no guarantee that a successful candidate in these tests will be allocated a school place, but for some children it offers a second bite of the cherry if they have been unsuccessful in the 11+.

Important Changes to Admissions 2014

There are two fundamental changes to the Bucks 11 plus for Secondary School Admissions from September 2014:

a) The test date will be brought forward to early September in order to comply with the requirement in the 2012 Admissions Code that parents should be advised of the outcome of the test prior to the deadline for submitting the CAF (Common Application Form) on 31st October.

b) The test provider will no longer be GL Assessment, but will change to the Durham CEM test (set by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University), which encompasses verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

The following is a summary of the content of the new test:

There will be two 45 minute tests; each test will consist of a mixture of questions of the different topics in multiple choice format.
Both tests will consist of Verbal, Numerical and Non-verbal reasoning.
The standard of the test will be according to the national curriculum in year 5 and will not be at a higher level as is the case with CEM tests in other regions.

Although not all CEM tests are the same, there are some similarities. Please see other areas already administering the CEM test for examples of the style of the test: Birmingham and Warwickshire

See details and example questions here
Questions and answers about the new test can be found here

Please also see this thread from our forum

CEM Style Practice Sessions in Harrow suitable for Bucks 11 Plus

Bucks 11 Plus Admissions Information for September 2014 entry

Appropriate Practice Materials

NEW CEM PRACTICE MATERIAL BY CGP NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR ONLINE SHOP

Verbal Reasoning Practice Materials see here
Non Verbal Reasoning Practice Materials see here
Maths Reasoning Practice Materials see here
English Reasoning Practice Materials see here

More information and advice can also be found in the Buckinghamshire section of the 11+ Forum

Bucks 11 Plus School Information

Open evening information for all Bucks schools, including grammar schools, is published on the Buckinghamshire County Council website each year. Dates for grammar school open days and evenings for 2012 are shown below.

N.B. Chesham Grammar School was known as Chesham High School until September 2010.

Upper Schools in Buckinghamshire

All Buckinghamshire Upper Schools are co-educational.

• The Amersham School, Amersham
• The Aylesbury Vale Academy, Aylesbury, (formerly Quarrendon Upper School)
• The Beaconsfield School, Beaconsfield
• Buckingham School, Buckingham
• Burnham E-ACT Academy, Burnham
• The Chalfonts Community College, Chalfont St. Peter
• Chiltern Hills Academy, Chesham
• Cottesloe School, Wing
• Cressex Community School, High Wycombe
• The Grange School, Aylesbury
• Great Marlow School, Marlow
• The Highcrest Academy, High Wycombe
• Holmer Green Senior School, Holmer Green
• John Colet School, Wendover
• The Mandeville School, Aylesbury
• The Misbourne School, Great Missenden
• Princes Risborough School, Princes Risborough
• Sir William Ramsay School, Hazlemere
• St Michael’s Catholic School
• Waddesdon CofE School, Waddesdon
• The Wye Valley School, Bourne End

N.B. The Aylesbury Vale Academy was previously known as the Quarrendon School. Chiltern Hills Academy was previously called Chesham Park Community College. The Highcrest Academy was previously known as Highcrest Community School. Burnham E-ACT Academy was previously known as Burnham Upper School.

Buckinghamshire School Allocation Profiles Page 2

Buckinghamshire 12+ and 13+ Tests Page 3

_{Page updated on 24th April 2013.}

_{Information on this page was believed to be correct at the time of writing, but we would not necessarily be aware of subsequent changes unless someone brings them to our attention.
Before acting on any information given here, please verify that it is up to date}