Grammar Schools in Reading
Reading's two grammar schools are a mile apart and share nothing at all. Different providers, different test formats, registrations closing seven weeks apart, and main sittings two months apart. Applying to both is two entirely separate processes.
Where the official practice material is
GL Assessment
1 of the 2 schools hereFree familiarisation booklets that show the question types, the timings and how the answer sheet works. GL do not release past papers, so anything sold as a GL past paper was written by somebody else.
Future Stories Community Enterprise
1 of the 2 schools hereFree familiarisation guides, one for children and one for parents, with sample questions. They are on the admissions page of each school rather than on the FSCE site. FSCE deliberately does not issue past papers, to reduce how much the test rewards tutoring.
What families in Reading need to know
- Kendrick holds its own contract with GL Assessment and states plainly that it shares no 11+ scores with any other school. A result at one school carries no weight at the other.
- Reading School's main test is in July, not the autumn - unusual nationally. Only its out-of-catchment day applicants sit in September.
- FSCE, the provider Reading School uses, is a trading company of Reading School itself, registered at the school's address.
- Kendrick sets two papers of about an hour covering English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, with no creative writing. Up to 75% of its 128 places - 96 of them - are reserved for two postcode-defined priority areas.
- Reading School sets four papers named Adventure, Beacon, Compass and Discovery. Content runs to the end of Year 5 but the subjects may include art and design, computing, music, PE, geography or history, not only maths and English. No past or practice papers are authorised, and the format changes year to year.
- Kendrick lowers the qualifying score by 5 points for Pupil Premium, Service Premium and looked-after children. Reading School holds 12 weekly boarding places and up to 15 places for sporting aptitude, assessed at a separate July trial.
The 2 grammar schools in Reading
Admissions details change year to year. Always confirm dates and criteria on the school's own admissions page before applying.
| School | Town | Admits | 11+ exam board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendrick School | Reading | Girls | GL Assessment |
| Reading School | Reading | Boys | FSCE |
Each name links to that school's own admissions page.
Preparing for the 11+ in Reading?
GG Maths coaches the maths and reasoning side of 11+ entry online, for families anywhere in the UK. Sessions are built around the format your child will actually sit, not generic practice papers.
Book a free trial lesson See what 11+ tuition covers