How to prepare for the Bradford Grammar School 11+

The exam at a glance

For Year 7 entry, Bradford Grammar School uses its own entrance assessment. For 2028 entry, the school’s published admissions process confirms that children applying for Senior School entry sit an entrance exam, and successful applicants are then invited to a Taster Day.

For this guide, the verified subjects are English and Maths. The school’s public admissions page confirms the assessment is school-run, but the exact paper format and delivery method are not clearly set out on the official pages we found, so it is best to treat the school website as the final authority and check it again when you register.

In practical terms, families should expect the admissions process to have two stages:

Registration with the school, including the registration fee.
Entrance assessment in January for Year 7 entry, followed by a Taster Day for successful candidates.

Because the school sets its own assessment, preparation should focus on secure core skills rather than trying to second-guess a particular national 11+ provider style. For most children, that means careful work on reading comprehension, writing accuracy and structure, arithmetic fluency, problem solving and clear mathematical method.

Registration and key dates

Bradford Grammar School handles its own admissions process through the school rather than through a local authority grammar-school testing system. The official admissions process page says applications for September 2027 and 2028 entry are open, and parents register directly with the school.

The school’s own page states these key dates for the current admissions cycle relevant to families preparing ahead:

Registration opens: 1 September 2026
Registration deadline for Year 7: 8 January 2027
Year 7 entrance exams: in the week commencing 18 January 2027
Exact assessment date: advised after the closing date
Results letters: posted at the start of February

If you are aiming for September 2028 entry, these dates are the nearest official pattern currently published. Unless the school announces something different next year, families should expect registration to usually open in early September, close in early January, with the assessment typically held in January and results issued at the start of February.

The same admissions page also states that there is a £75 registration fee.

For families considering financial help, the school also publishes separate Assisted Places deadlines and assessment dates. For the cycle currently shown on the admissions page, the Year 7 Assisted Places Assessment is on 25 November 2026, with a closing date of 16 November 2026.

Before submitting the form, prepare the basics you are likely to need: the child’s personal details, current school details and payment for the registration fee. If you are applying for financial support, read the funding information on the school website carefully and allow extra time for any supporting documents the school asks for.

It is sensible to sign up for reminders so you do not miss the school’s publication of the next cycle. You can also use Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Bradford Grammar School is an independent co-educational school with entry points into the Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form. For this guide, the relevant route is Year 7 entry into the Senior School.

There is no catchment policy stated on the admissions information provided by the school. That is typical for many independent schools: families apply directly, regardless of home address, and places are offered through the school’s own admissions process.

The school’s admissions page says that for Year 7 entry, applicants sit the entrance examination and that successful candidates are invited to a Taster Day. In other words, the assessment is not necessarily the only step in the decision-making process.

Bradford Grammar School was rated Outstanding in its most recent published Ofsted inspection available on the official Ofsted page we checked. For some families, that will be part of the appeal alongside the school’s all-through age range and established Senior School entry route.

We did not find an official published figure on the pages reviewed for the number of Year 7 places, nor a published score threshold or pass mark. The school does not appear to publish those details on the admissions page we checked, so parents should not rely on forum claims or guessed cut-offs. If you want the latest position on places or how offers are decided, contact the admissions team through the school website.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because the assessment is school-set, a calm, skills-first approach works best. For a Year 5 child aiming for a January test in Year 6, there is no need to begin with heavy exam drilling very early on. Build steadily instead.

January to March in Year 5

Keep preparation light: around 1 to 2 hours a week split across short sessions. Focus on reading every day, secure number fluency and accurate written work. If your child is not yet comfortable with times tables, basic fractions, punctuation and paragraphing, start there first.

Read a wide mix of fiction and non-fiction.
Practise short comprehension discussions aloud.
Review arithmetic facts until recall is quick and confident.
Encourage neat, complete written answers.

April to June in Year 5

Increase slightly to around 2 to 3 hours a week. Begin more deliberate English and Maths practice. This is the right stage to identify weaker topics rather than race ahead.

In English, work on comprehension, vocabulary in context and planning a short piece of writing.
In Maths, cover the full Key Stage 2 range with emphasis on method as well as answers.
Use short timed tasks, but not full papers yet.

July to August before Year 6

Summer is useful if handled gently. Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week, with plenty of breaks and some weeks lighter than others. This is a good time to begin using school-specific practice material in moderation.

Try one section at a time rather than whole papers every week.
Keep a notebook of errors and new vocabulary.
Mix study with reading, mental maths and normal holiday time.

September in Year 6

Once the school’s registration window opens, move to a more structured routine of about 3 to 4 hours a week. Revisit any gaps from Year 5 and start working under clearer time limits.

Do one timed English task each week.
Do one timed Maths task each week.
Keep one untimed session for teaching and correction.

October to November in Year 6

This is often the most productive phase. Work at roughly 4 hours a week, depending on your child’s stamina and school workload. Start joining sections together into longer pieces of work.

Use timed practice more regularly.
Mark carefully and correct thoroughly.
Teach exam habits: reading instructions, checking answers, moving on when stuck.

December in Year 6

Do not overload the Christmas period. Around 3 hours a week is usually enough. By now, full-length practice should be occasional rather than constant.

Complete a small number of realistic timed papers.
Review recurring errors.
Keep confidence high by mixing in work your child can do well.

January of the exam

In the final fortnight, reduce volume and focus on steadiness. Prioritise sleep, routine and calm repetition of familiar methods. Avoid cramming new material. A child who feels settled often performs better than one who has done one more paper the night before.

Subject by subject: what to practise

The verified subjects for Bradford Grammar School Year 7 entry are English and Maths. Because the school sets its own assessment and we did not find an official public breakdown of question types, preparation should stay rooted in the strongest likely fundamentals for each subject.

English

Build English preparation around three main areas: reading comprehension, vocabulary and clear written expression.

Practise reading short fiction and non-fiction passages, then answering in full sentences.
Ask your child to explain how they know an answer from the text.
Strengthen vocabulary by discussing unfamiliar words in context rather than memorising long lists.
Work on spelling of common high-frequency words and accurate punctuation.
Practise planning and writing short responses with a clear beginning, middle and end.

Good English preparation is not just about getting the right answer. It also means expressing ideas clearly, using evidence from a passage and writing neatly enough for a marker to follow with ease.

Maths

In Maths, aim for both fluency and reasoning. Children should be comfortable with standard Key Stage 2 content and should be used to showing method where needed.

Secure mental arithmetic and written calculation.
Revise fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio and basic algebraic thinking where taught.
Practise multi-step word problems.
Review measures, shape, perimeter, area and data handling.
Teach careful checking, especially with signs, units and copied numbers.

A useful rule is this: if your child gets an answer wrong, do not simply tell them the answer. Work out whether the issue was knowledge, reading the question too quickly, weak arithmetic or losing track of the method. That diagnosis matters far more than the score on one worksheet.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most helpful when used to improve technique, not just to generate scores. For a school-set exam like Bradford Grammar School’s, choose materials that strengthen the tested core subjects and teach children to work calmly under time pressure.

Start with untimed work so your child learns the method properly. Once accuracy is improving, introduce timed sections. Save full papers for later in the process, ideally from the autumn of Year 6 onwards.

Mark papers carefully and review every error.
Keep an error log: topic gap, rushed mistake, misunderstood wording or weak checking.
Redo difficult questions a few days later to make sure the learning sticks.
Do not sit too many full mocks too early; stamina can be built gradually.

You can use ElevenReady’s free school-specific resources here:

If you use mock exams elsewhere, treat them as practice in routine and resilience, not as a promise of the real outcome. Independent-school assessments can vary from one school to another, and one mock result should never define a child.

On the day

Keep the morning simple. Lay out clothes, stationery and travel plans the night before if the school has asked children to bring anything specific. Leave in good time so the day begins without a rush.

Offer a normal breakfast your child is used to.
Avoid last-minute teaching or correcting.
Use calm, matter-of-fact language.
Remind your child to listen carefully to instructions and to ask if they do not understand what they must do.

Useful test-room habits include reading every question fully, underlining key information if allowed, showing method in Maths and leaving time to check work. If your child gets stuck, the best approach is usually to move on and return later if there is time.

Emotionally, it helps to frame the assessment as one opportunity, not a judgement on your child. Children tend to do better when they feel trusted and steady rather than over-coached.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

The school’s admissions page says that for Year 7 entrance exams in the current cycle, results letters are posted at the start of February. For successful applicants, the next step is a Taster Day.

As an independent school, Bradford Grammar School’s process is separate from the state secondary National Offer Day system used by local authorities. Offers, acceptances, deposits and any waiting-list arrangements are handled directly by the school.

We did not find a publicly stated appeals process for Year 7 entrance decisions on the pages reviewed. Independent schools do not run the same statutory school-admission appeal process as state schools. If you need clarification after an outcome, contact the admissions team directly and ask about the school’s review or feedback arrangements.

If your child is offered a place, respond promptly and read all deadlines carefully. If they are not, it is still worth asking politely whether a waiting list is held and whether there is any further stage to the process.

What has changed recently

The official admissions page currently states that applications for September 2027 and 2028 entry are now open, and it publishes a current cycle of Year 7 deadlines and January testing. We did not find any separate official announcement on the pages reviewed of a recent change to the exam board, catchment policy, number of places or tested subjects within the last two years.

If the school publishes an updated admissions booklet or revised assessment arrangements for 2028 entry, parents should treat that as the definitive source and check the admissions page again before registering.

Frequently asked questions

Does Bradford Grammar School use GL or CEM for Year 7 entry?

No official source we found states that it uses GL or CEM. The verified position for this guide is that Bradford Grammar School sets its own assessment.

What subjects should my child prepare for?

The verified tested subjects are English and Maths. Focus on strong reading, comprehension, writing accuracy, arithmetic fluency and problem solving.

Is there a catchment area for Bradford Grammar School?

No catchment policy is stated on the admissions information reviewed for this guide. Families apply directly to the school.

When is the Bradford Grammar School entrance exam usually held?

The school’s current published cycle says Year 7 entrance exams are in the week commencing 18 January 2027. For 2028 entry, January is the best current guide unless the school publishes new dates.

How much is the registration fee?

The school’s admissions process page states a £75 registration fee.

When do Bradford Grammar School results come out?

The admissions page says results letters for the current Year 7 cycle are posted at the start of February.

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Sources

Bradford Grammar School Admissions Process: School runs its own admissions process; applications for September 2027 and 2028 entry are open; Year 7 applicants sit entrance exams; successful candidates are invited to a Taster Day; registration opens 1 September 2026; Year 7 registration deadline 8 January 2027; Year 7 entrance exams in the wee
Bradford Grammar School homepage: School is an independent co-educational school with Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form.

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Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 20 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.