The Selective Eligibility Test was on 15 September. If your child sat it, the first thing to do is nothing at all. Take them for a treat and let them talk about it if they want to. Most children come out saying it was fine, or awful, and neither tells you very much. The paper is designed to stretch everyone.
Then, when you have a quiet evening, here is what the next six months look like.
The short version
- Girls’ second stage: 26 September. Boys’ second stage: 3 October. Wilson’s aptitude day: 10 October.
- Results reach families in mid October.
- Your council application must be in by 31 October. Name every school you want, grammar or not, in your true order of preference.
- Offers arrive on 1 March 2027.
Late September and early October: the second stage
Children who reached the threshold are invited to the schools’ second stage. For girls applying to Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls it is on 26 September. For boys applying to Sutton Grammar and Wallington County it is on 3 October. Wilson’s holds its own aptitude day on 10 October for the boys it has shortlisted. Greenshaw does not have a second stage.
The second stage is written. There is a longer piece of English writing and a Maths paper where working is shown. In the days before, keep things light. A timed piece of writing or two is useful. A weekend of past papers is not. Sleep, breakfast and a calm drive to the school will do more for your child than one more paper.
Want to see how your child does on the day?Our mocks come in both formats, multiple choice and written, and every paper is marked by a teacher and returned with feedback.
Mid October: results
Results come to families in mid October. You will know whether your child has qualified for each school before you have to submit your council form.
If the result is good, celebrate properly. If it is not what you hoped, please give yourself a day before you do anything else. I have sat with many parents at this point, and I always say the same thing: this is one test on one morning, and it is not a verdict on your child.
Results matter. Your child matters more. Keep those two things in that order and the next few weeks become much easier.
Manju Pillai
By 31 October: the council form
This is the step people miss. Registering for the SET is not an application for a school place. You still have to apply through the Common Application Form, and you apply through your own home council, even if the schools are in Sutton and you live in Croydon, Merton or Surrey.
Applications opened on 1 September and close on 31 October. In London you can name up to six schools.
Put the schools in your real order
Councils use an equal preference system. Every school looks at your application without knowing where you ranked it. Then, if more than one school can offer your child a place, you are offered the one you ranked highest.
So there is no advantage in “tactical” ordering. Putting a grammar school first does not cost you your local school, and putting your local school first does not help you get it. List them in the order you would actually choose them.
Include a school you would be happy with
Use at least one of your six preferences on a school your child is very likely to be offered, usually a local school where you meet the admission rules. If every school on your list is oversubscribed, your council will offer a place wherever there is room, which may be further away than you would like.
Independent school offers
If you have also applied to independent schools, their tests usually fall between November and January, and many send offers in early February. Some ask for a deposit before 1 March. Talk to the schools about their deadlines so that you are not asked to commit before you know your state school outcome.
1 March: National Offer Day
Offers arrive from your council on 1 March 2027. If you are not offered the grammar school your child qualified for, you can ask to go on its waiting list and you have the right to appeal. Waiting lists do move, often in the spring and even over the summer.
What your child should be doing now
Being ten, mostly. Whatever the result, Year 6 still has SATs in May and a lot of good learning ahead. Keep up the reading. Keep writing going, because it is the skill that makes the biggest difference at secondary school. And if your child worked hard for this, make sure they hear that you are proud of the effort, whatever the letter says.
Can I change my preferences after 31 October?
Only in limited circumstances, such as moving house, and each council has its own rules. Get your form right the first time.
My child qualified for more than one grammar. How do I choose?
Visit again if you can, ask about the things that matter to your family (travel, subjects, pastoral care, sixth form) and rank them in your true order. The equal preference system will do the rest.
We missed the second stage because of illness. What now?
Contact the school immediately. Schools usually have a procedure, but they need to hear from you straight away, with evidence.
