11 Plus registration guide

Preparing your child for secondary school: Step-by-step guide

Consider the best schools for your child to attend

You can order prospectuses from schools at any time in the year, so it is best to start planning well ahead. It is important that your child is involved in this process to encourage them with their 11+ preparation and get them excited for the next step on their academic journey. 

Make informed school choices

Conduct thorough research on schools – including school performance, pastoral care, facilities provided for students, catchment rules of schools, commute between your home and school and consider after-school clubs and social events arranged by the school.

Look at the Ofsted report or Independent Schools Inspectorate report – this can help you research the best schools for your child..

Check for local catchment areas

Many grammar schools do not have catchment areas, but several do, so it is worth checking the school websites. Some schools may also have a preferred catchment area but will accept students from outside the area. 

If you are registering with a school outside of your local area, contact the school as soon as possible to discuss any alterations to the application process – some schools will test on a different day for out of area students.

Attend an open day

Attending an open day is one of the best ways to find out all the information the registration process for the school you would like your child to attend. It also helps to get a feel for the school environment.

Register for the 11 Plus

Now for the all-important 11 Plus registration process. To register, the school’s 11+ Application Form and the Local Authority Common form (CAF) must both be completed. There are two stages in the 11 Plus application process for 2023;

• Parents have to apply directly to the grammar schools of their choice, by June-October 2023.

• Once the 11 Plus exam has been taken and results are known, they then have to fill out the Common Application Form (CAF) by 31st October 2023 where they put down their choices for both grammar and other state secondary schools (more details on CAF below).

The local authority then makes its decisions as to which secondary school your child will be allocated. This is made known to the parents on “National Offer Day” on 1st March 2024.

The deadline for 11 Plus registration varies greatly depending on where you are in the country. As a rough guide: registration can open as early as April/May, but open days can be as late as October. Registration periods are usually open for a couple of months from the start date – so the deadlines can be from June to October.  

If you are applying for more than one grammar school, then you normally have to register separately for every exam your child will be taking, unless a set of schools are part of a joint consortium – which is the case for schools in Birmingham. 

All local authorities send out details of the secondary school application process in their area (including the 11 plus exams) to every year 5 child via the child’s primary school, well in advance of the actual test day. The application forms are usually available directly from the grammar schools or consortiums at the start of the summer term when your child is in year 5. 

Common Application Form (CAF)

CAF is the form that you fill out for a secondary school place in the UK. This form is to be filled out and submitted to your local authority by 31st October 2023 in order to secure your child a place in a secondary comprehensive or grammar school in September 2024. 

You don’t need to add independent school choices to the CAF. Independent or private schools (fee-paying schools) require different forms to be submitted and you will find the details on individual school websites.

The golden rule is to fill out the form in order of preferred schools, as the local authority will work down the form. If the offer is not the first choice, your child will still be placed on a waiting list for that school. 

Ensure to put at least one local comprehensive on the list in case your child doesn’t get a place at their chosen grammar school.

Fill in a Supplementary Information Form (SIF)

Check to see whether there are any additional forms for you to fill in along with your application. Contact the school for details. Faith schools sometimes need a SIF to prove your commitment to that faith (for example, some Catholic schools require a written declaration from a priest that the child has been confirmed and/or attends church regularly).

11 Plus Application Form (CAF)

When are the results of the 11+ published?

11 Plus results are now released in early to mid-October, soon after the actual 11+ exams have taken place. You will only have a matter of weeks to get your Common Application Form submitted to your local education authority, with a closing date of 31st October.

The name of the secondary school your child has been offered a place at will be sent out via post or email on 1st March, or as near to that date as possible if it falls on a weekend. Some letters arrive sooner than others depending on the post. Your local education authority will be able to give you more details about how this procedure is carried out in your local area.

How do your child’s 11+ exam results affect your secondary school choices?

If your child hasn’t passed the 11+

You can now select your school preferences from your local, non-selective secondary schools.

If your child has passed the 11+

This still doesn’t necessarily guarantee them a place at your first-choice grammar school. If your first-choice grammar school is oversubscribed, additional criteria will be used to allocate places, including the distance between the school and your child’s home address. 

If you don’t know your child’s results before making your selection

Most 11+ tests are set in September or very early in October, allowing time for results to be returned ahead of completing Common Application Forms. However, where the results are not known when you are making your selection things are more tricky. In this situation, your school choices need to cover both pass or fail eventualities.