Reading Grammar School Directory

Reading Grammar Schools
Complete 11 Plus Guide.

Complete list of all grammar and selective schools in Reading, Berkshire. School details, 11 Plus test information, addresses, entry requirements, and preparation advice for each school's independent entrance exam.

3
Selective Schools
320
Year 7 Places
3
Different Tests
No
Consortium
11 Plus Grammar Schools Reading
About the Reading 11+

Three Schools, Three Tests

Reading has 2 fully selective grammar schools — Reading School (boys) and Kendrick School (girls) — plus Reading Girls' School, a bilateral academy with 42 selective stream places. Unlike many grammar school areas, there is no consortium in Reading. Each school runs its own independent entrance exam with a different test provider.

Reading School uses a bespoke FSCE test with four papers covering the broad KS2 curriculum. Kendrick School uses GL Assessment with two papers covering VR, NVR, English, and Maths. Reading Girls' School uses CEM Select for its selective stream. Families wishing to apply to more than one school must register and sit each exam separately.

Students studying for the Reading 11 Plus exam
UK grammar school students in classroom Young students preparing for 11 Plus exams
School Directory

All Reading Grammar Schools

Every selective and partially selective school in Reading, Berkshire. Includes addresses, Year 7 intake numbers, test details, and key admissions information for 11 Plus families.

Central Reading
Reading School
Boys Boarding FSCE

One of England's oldest schools, with roots dating back to 1125. Reading School is a highly selective boys' grammar school and academy with state boarding provision. It uses a bespoke FSCE entrance test with four papers: Adventure (multiple-choice KS2 subjects), Beacon (short written responses), Compass (multiple-choice), and Discovery (creative task). Papers cover Art, Computing, D&T, English, Geography, History, Languages, Maths, Music, PE, and Science. Up to 15 places are reserved for boys demonstrating sporting aptitude. Approximately 75% of pupils come from outside Reading borough. Co-educational sixth form.

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AddressErleigh Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5LW
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Year 7 Places150 (138 day + 12 boarding)
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TestFSCE — 4 papers (broad KS2 curriculum)
Kendrick School
Girls GL Assessment

Founded in 1877 under the will of Reading cloth merchant John Kendrick, this highly selective girls' grammar school is now an academy. Uses GL Assessment with two one-hour multiple-choice papers, each covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English, and Maths. The school provides 10 hours of free familiarisation materials for candidates. Qualifying standardised total score for recent entry was 100.00 (95.00 for Pupil Premium). Of the 128 places, 96 are allocated to Priority Areas 1 and 2 (Reading and surrounding postcodes) and 32 to pupils from further afield. Co-educational sixth form.

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AddressLondon Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5BN
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Year 7 Places128 places
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TestGL Assessment — 2 papers (VR, NVR, English, Maths)
South Reading
Reading Girls' School
Girls Bilateral CEM Select

A bilateral academy offering both selective and non-selective streams. Of its 180 Year 7 places, up to 42 are allocated through the selective academic stream based on CEM Select online test results (Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning). The remaining 138 places are non-selective and allocated based on standard oversubscription criteria including siblings, feeder school attendance, and distance. While not a full grammar school, the selective stream provides a grammar-standard academic pathway for girls in the Reading area.

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AddressNorthumberland Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 7PY
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Year 7 Places42 selective (of 180 total)
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TestCEM Select — online (VR, NVR)
Eleven Ace Tutoring

Preparing for the Reading 11+?

Eleven Ace offers personalised 1:1 live online tuition, small 4-student batch classes, and realistic mock exams — covering GL Assessment, FSCE, and CEM test formats used by Reading's grammar schools.

FAQs

Reading 11 Plus Questions

Is there a consortium for Reading grammar schools?
No. Unlike many grammar school areas, Reading does not operate a consortium. Each school — Reading School, Kendrick School, and Reading Girls' School — runs its own independent entrance exam with a different test provider (FSCE, GL Assessment, and CEM Select respectively). Families wishing to apply to multiple schools must register for and sit each exam separately.
What tests does Reading School use for the 11 Plus?
Reading School uses a bespoke FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) test consisting of four papers sat on one day: the Adventure Paper (multiple-choice KS2 subjects), the Beacon Paper (short written responses), the Compass Paper (second multiple-choice paper), and the Discovery Paper (creative task). The test covers a wide range of KS2 subjects including English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, Art, Computing, Design & Technology, Languages, Music, and PE.
What is the qualifying score for Kendrick School?
Kendrick School uses GL Assessment and the qualifying total standardised score (Paper 1 + Paper 2) for recent entry was 100.00, with a lower threshold of 95.00 for pupils eligible for Pupil Premium, Service Premium, or Looked After Children. Meeting the qualifying score does not guarantee a place — if oversubscribed, priority is given based on the school's Priority Area system and test score ranking.
Does Reading School offer boarding places?
Yes. Reading School offers 12 weekly boarding places alongside 138 day places, giving a total Year 7 intake of 150. It is one of only a handful of state grammar schools in England offering boarding. Boarding applicants must achieve the academic qualifying score and may also apply for one of the 15 sporting aptitude places. The catchment area for day places covers postcodes including RG1, RG2, RG4-RG8, RG10, RG12, RG18-RG19, RG30-RG31, RG40-RG42, and RG45.
What is Reading Girls' School's selective stream?
Reading Girls' School is a bilateral academy — not a full grammar school. It allocates up to 42 of its 180 Year 7 places through a selective academic stream, based on performance in a CEM Select online test covering Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The remaining 138 places are non-selective. The selective stream provides a grammar-standard academic pathway within a comprehensive setting.
How does Kendrick School allocate its 128 places?
Kendrick School divides its 128 Year 7 places between two priority areas and a wider pool. After Looked After Children and Pupil Premium/Service Premium applicants, 96 places go to children living in Priority Area 1 (central Reading postcodes) and Priority Area 2 (wider Berkshire postcodes including parts of RG, GU, and SL), ranked by test score. The remaining 32 places go to children from outside the designated area, also ranked by score.

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