How to prepare for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School 11+

The exam at a glance

For Year 7 entry to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in September 2028, the school says children must be assessed as suitable for a grammar school place through Kent County Council's 11+ assessment procedure, known as the Kent Test.

For this guide, the key point is that Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School uses the Kent Test route rather than a separate school-run entrance exam. However, the precise paper format for 2028 entry is not confirmed on the official pages reviewed for this article. Parents should therefore avoid relying on forum descriptions of the test style and instead keep checking the school's admissions page and Kent County Council's Kent Test pages for the final details for your child's cohort.

What we can say from official sources is that the test is part of the Kent grammar-school assessment process and that registration and administration are handled through Kent County Council rather than directly by the school. On the day, children normally attend a test session arranged as part of that county process, and families later receive an eligibility decision through the local authority timetable.

In practice, that means your preparation should focus on three things:

building strong core English and maths skills through Year 5;
getting your child used to working carefully under time pressure;
watching official Kent and school updates closely once 2028 entry information is published.

If you want a quick overview page to bookmark, see The Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Registration and key dates

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School states that Year 7 applicants must go through Kent County Council's assessment procedure, so registration is through the local authority's Kent Test process rather than a separate school form for the test itself.

For 2028 entry, the school pages reviewed did not publish a Kent Test registration opening date, a registration deadline or the test date. Because of that, parents should treat any unofficial dates with caution and wait for Kent County Council to publish the 2028 timetable.

What the school has published on its admissions page for families looking ahead are open events in October 2026: open mornings on 8 October 2026 and 13 October 2026, and an open evening on 15 October 2026. These are useful if you want to see the school before your child reaches the application year.

For planning purposes only, Kent Test registration and testing usually take place in the months leading up to secondary-school applications, but because no 2028-entry dates were confirmed on the official pages reviewed, it is best to say simply: check Kent County Council's Kent Test page and the school's admissions page regularly from Year 5.

When registration opens, expect to complete the local authority process and to read the instructions carefully about any supporting information required. If your child attends a state primary in Kent, some parts of the process may be coordinated through the school; if not, Kent County Council normally explains the route for other applicants on its admissions pages.

To avoid missing updates, you can also sign up here: Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School is a coeducational grammar school in Faversham. The school confirms that children applying for Year 7 must be assessed as suitable for a grammar school place through the Kent Test process.

The school publishes 180 places for Year 7. It also states that the school is full and oversubscribed, with waiting lists for entry from Year 7 through to Year 11. That tells parents two important things: first, meeting the grammar-school assessment standard is only one part of the picture; and second, admissions criteria matter because there are more applicants than places.

The catchment and oversubscription detail for the 2028 cohort was not stated on the pages reviewed for this article. The school says places are ranked according to the oversubscription criteria in its admissions policy, so families should read the current policy carefully when the relevant entry-year version is published.

In practical terms, that means you should check:

whether there is any named catchment or priority area in the admissions policy for your child's year;
how looked-after and previously looked-after children are prioritised;
whether distance, siblings or other criteria apply after eligibility is established;
which local authority handles the application timetable if you live outside Kent.

If you are moving house, do not assume that a future address will be treated in a particular way without reading the policy and local authority notes in full. Schools and authorities are very specific about how and when addresses are accepted for admissions purposes.

Because the school is oversubscribed, it is sensible to include a balanced set of secondary-school preferences on your application form rather than relying on one outcome.

A month-by-month preparation plan

The most effective preparation for a Kent grammar-school assessment route is steady, low-drama work across Year 5 rather than an intense last-minute push. The outline below assumes an autumn test in Year 6, but because 2028 dates are not yet published, use it as a flexible framework.

January to March of Year 5

Keep it light and skills-based: around 1 to 2 hours a week split across short sessions is enough for most children at this stage. Focus on secure arithmetic, reading fluency, vocabulary growth and careful written reasoning. Read widely at home and revisit any maths topics that feel shaky.

April to June of Year 5

Increase to around 2 to 3 hours a week. Start introducing short, varied practice tasks rather than full papers. The aim is to build familiarity with working independently, following instructions exactly and checking answers. If your child becomes anxious, shorten sessions rather than pushing through.

July to August before Year 6

This is the point to become a little more structured, usually around 3 hours a week. Use a mixture of topic practice and short timed sections. Summer is also a good moment to identify patterns: are mistakes mainly due to weak knowledge, rushing, misreading or stamina?

September of Year 6

Once the official details for your cohort are published, align your preparation to them. At this stage many families move to 3 to 4 hours a week, still broken into manageable chunks. Timed work becomes more important now, but only after the underlying skills are reasonably secure.

The final few weeks before the test

Use a small number of realistic timed papers, then review them properly. Do not let your child sit paper after paper without feedback. The real gains come from analysing why marks were lost and adjusting technique. In the final week, reduce volume, keep routines calm and protect sleep.

A good rule of thumb is this: start timed papers only when your child can already complete untimed practice with decent accuracy. Timing is a finishing skill, not the starting point.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Because the exact tested subjects for 2028 entry were not confirmed on the official pages reviewed, parents should be careful not to over-commit to any unofficial breakdown. For Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, the safe approach is to prepare the core skills that typically support success in selective assessment and then refine your plan when Kent publishes the cohort details.

English

Build reading stamina first. Your child should be comfortable understanding short passages, spotting the main point, interpreting vocabulary from context and answering precisely rather than loosely. Useful practice includes reading a range of fiction and non-fiction, discussing meanings of unfamiliar words and writing short answers that go straight to the point.

Also work on spelling patterns, punctuation awareness and sentence control. Even where a test is not heavily writing-based, strong literacy helps children process instructions quickly and avoid careless errors.

Mathematics

Concentrate on fluency with number facts, the four operations, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio language, measures and simple problem solving. Children often lose marks not because the maths is beyond them, but because they rush arithmetic or skip a step.

Good practice includes mixed-topic questions, mental arithmetic, short word problems and regular correction of mistakes. Encourage your child to show enough working to stay organised, even in speeded practice.

Reasoning and broader thinking skills

Until the 2028 format is confirmed, think of this area as general problem-solving rather than a guaranteed tested paper. Helpful habits include spotting patterns, comparing information, following multi-step instructions and staying accurate when a task feels unfamiliar.

You can build these skills through puzzles, structured problem-solving activities and brief timed exercises that reward careful reading. The aim is not to memorise tricks but to stay calm and methodical when a question looks new.

Once Kent County Council publishes the official familiarisation information for your child's year, use that material to narrow your practice to the exact question types and timing expectations.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are useful only when they are used thoughtfully. One well-reviewed paper teaches more than three rushed ones. Try this approach:

start with untimed or lightly timed work to secure understanding;
move to timed sections once accuracy is improving;
review every mistake by type: knowledge gap, misread instruction, timing issue or careless slip;
keep an error log so your child can revisit weak areas;
use occasional full papers to build stamina, not every weekend for months.

If your child finds mocks stressful, keep them limited. A small number of realistic runs can help with confidence and pacing, but too many can drain energy and make scores swing wildly.

For school-specific support from ElevenReady, use:

When the official familiarisation materials for the relevant Kent Test cycle are published, prioritise those over any third-party materials. They are the best guide to the level of instruction-following, timing and layout your child may meet.

On the day

The best preparation on the morning of the test is practical rather than academic. Aim for a calm start, a normal breakfast and plenty of time to travel. Avoid any last-minute cramming beyond perhaps a quick glance at simple notes or a confidence-boosting warm-up.

What helps most:

pack everything needed the night before;
make sure your child knows the plan for the morning;
dress comfortably within any instructions given;
arrive in good time rather than right on the edge;
remind your child that one tricky question is normal and not a sign that the whole paper is going badly.

Useful test-room habits include reading instructions carefully, marking answers clearly, moving on if stuck and returning later if time allows. Encourage your child to keep their focus on the question in front of them rather than wondering how everyone else is doing.

After the test, keep the rest of the day gentle if you can. Most children do not want an immediate forensic review, and it is rarely helpful to reconstruct every question in the car home.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

After the Kent Test process, families receive the local authority outcome and then continue through the normal secondary admissions timetable. Being assessed as suitable for grammar-school education does not itself guarantee a place at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, because the school is oversubscribed and places are allocated using its admissions rules.

You will still need to submit your secondary-school application through your home local authority and list preferences carefully. If Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School can offer a place under its published arrangements, that offer comes through the co-ordinated admissions process rather than directly from the school in isolation.

If your child is not offered a place, there may be a waiting list and there is usually also a right of appeal under the normal admissions framework. The exact process, deadlines and paperwork should always be taken from the offer information and the admissions authority's published guidance for that year.

Because no 2028-specific results dates or later-stage deadlines were confirmed on the official pages reviewed, parents should rely on Kent County Council and the school's admissions information once the relevant cycle opens.

What has changed recently

From the official pages reviewed, the clear recent point for parents is that Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School continues to require suitability through Kent County Council's 11+ assessment procedure for Year 7 entry. The school also states that it is full and oversubscribed, with waiting lists from Year 7 to Year 11.

No officially announced recent change to the exam board, paper format, catchment arrangements or Year 7 admissions process for the 2028 cohort was published on the pages reviewed for this article.

The school's admissions page does, however, list 2026 open events for prospective families: open mornings on 8 October 2026 and 13 October 2026, and an open evening on 15 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School use the Kent Test?

Yes. The school says applicants for Year 7 must be assessed as suitable for a grammar school place through Kent County Council's 11+ assessment procedure, the Kent Test.

How many Year 7 places are there at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School?

The school publishes 180 places for Year 7.

Is Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School hard to get into?

It is oversubscribed. The school says it is full and has waiting lists for entry from Year 7 to Year 11, so meeting the grammar standard does not guarantee an offer.

Where do I register for the test?

Registration is through Kent County Council's Kent Test process, because the school uses the county assessment route rather than a separate school-run test registration.

Are the 2028 test dates published yet?

Not on the official pages reviewed for this guide. Check the school's admissions page and Kent County Council's Kent Test pages regularly for the confirmed timetable.

Does the school publish a catchment area?

The pages reviewed did not state the Year 7 catchment or full oversubscription detail for 2028 entry. The school says places are ranked using the oversubscription criteria in its admissions policy, so read the policy for your child's year carefully.

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Sources

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School - Admissions: The school says applicants for Year 7 must be assessed as suitable for a grammar school place through Kent County Council's 11+ assessment procedure (Kent Test); Year 7 places are 180; the school is full and oversubscribed with waiting lists for Year 7 to Year 11; the admissions page lists open morn

Preparing for other schools in Kent

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.