Boys' grammar school, founded 1598, Outstanding Ofsted (November 2022), 186 Year 7 places via the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (the September 2027 entry test was scheduled for Thursday 10 September 2026). Expert one-to-one preparation from Leading Tuition.
Book a Free ConsultationAylesbury Grammar School (AGS) is a selective state grammar school for boys aged 11 to 18, on Walton Road in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. It was founded in 1598 following a bequest from Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley, and it moved to its current Walton Road site in 1907. In 1959 the girls moved to a separate site to become Aylesbury High School, and Aylesbury Grammar School is now a boys' school. At its most recent inspection on 2 November 2022, Ofsted rated the school Outstanding across every category, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision. See also our guide to Aylesbury Grammar School sixth form entry.
Preparing your son for Aylesbury Grammar School?
Our specialist 11+ tutors structure preparation around the STT's real 50/25/25 weighting — building verbal fluency, technical English, timed mathematics and non-verbal reasoning in proportion, not by guesswork. We also help families understand the catchment area, the 115 to 120 Pupil Premium route, Selection Review, and how Aylesbury Grammar compares with neighbouring Buckinghamshire grammar schools when ranking preferences on the Common Application Form.
Our detailed Aylesbury Grammar 11+ guide covers the paper-by-paper breakdown for parents who want to go deeper.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppAt a glance
Test dates and results day for September 2028 entry are set out on the school's own admissions policy page, which links the draft September 2028 policy.
Updated for September 2028 entry — October 2026
Year 5 families are preparing for the 2027 test for September 2028 entry. Aylesbury Grammar School's draft September 2028 admissions policy lists 186 Year 7 places and a qualifying score of 121, and the school's consultation on that draft is listed as ending on Tuesday 1 December 2026.
Year 6 families are in the September 2027 entry round (2026 test): the qualifying score was 121 and Buckinghamshire grammar school offers follow on National Offer Day, Monday 1 March 2027.
For September 2027 entry, AGS's admission number for Year 7 is 186 boys. Year 7 entry runs through the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT): a boy is eligible with a score of 121 or more, or if a Selection Review deems him qualified. The STT is the single, shared assessment used by all 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools, produced by GL Assessment and administered by Buckinghamshire Council. A boy who reaches the qualifying standard on the STT becomes eligible to apply to any Buckinghamshire grammar school he lists on his Common Application Form, Aylesbury Grammar included.
Because it shares a single county-wide test with every other Buckinghamshire grammar school, preparing for Aylesbury Grammar School means preparing thoroughly for the STT itself, because qualifying for any Buckinghamshire grammar school starts with a score in that one test. This makes the test format, its scoring, and Aylesbury's own admissions criteria (which determine who receives an offer once boys have qualified) the two things families most need to understand.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| School name | Aylesbury Grammar School |
| Type | Selective state grammar — boys only, Year 7–13 |
| Location | Walton Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 7RP |
| Entrance test | Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT), GL Assessment — shared across all 13 Bucks grammars |
| Test format | 2 papers × about 45 minutes of test time (about 60 minutes including the introduction and examples), multiple-choice, age-standardised |
| Weighting | 50% verbal ability, 25% mathematics, 25% non-verbal reasoning |
| Year 7 places | 186 |
| Qualifying score | 121 standardised score (the council expects about 37% of children to reach it) |
| Test date (2026, for Sept 2027 entry) | Thursday 10 September 2026 |
| Ofsted rating | Outstanding (all categories, 2 November 2022) |
The STT is sat by every boy or girl in Buckinghamshire hoping to enter a grammar school in Year 7, so it is worth understanding as a system rather than as an Aylesbury-specific hurdle. Buckinghamshire Council's own published guidance confirms the test comprises two papers, each about 45 minutes of test time (about an hour per sitting including the introduction and examples), taken with a break between them, both entirely multiple-choice. The practice test was scheduled for Tuesday 8 September 2026, two days before the main test; the council's guide says it looks the same as the Secondary Transfer Test and has the same instructions.
The papers assess verbal ability, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. Each component is converted into an age-standardised score — so that no child is advantaged or disadvantaged by his or her age — and the components are then combined into the final Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS) using a published weighting of 50% verbal ability, 25% mathematics and 25% non-verbal reasoning. In practical terms, verbal preparation — vocabulary, comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning — deserves the largest share of study time, though a boy cannot afford to neglect timed maths practice or non-verbal reasoning either, since together they still make up half the final score.
Buckinghamshire Council states that a standardised score of 121 or above is required to qualify, and that it expects about 37% of children to get a score of 121 or more. Crucially, the council is explicit that scoring above 121 does not carry extra weight in the admissions process itself — grammar schools do not use the raw STT score as an ongoing ranking tool once a boy has qualified. What determines whether a qualifying boy actually receives an offer from Aylesbury Grammar specifically is the school's own oversubscription criteria, covered below.
Where qualifying applications exceed the number of places available, the school's published admissions policy sets out a priority order for allocating its 186 Year 7 places. After looked-after and previously looked-after boys, the order is: up to 6 places for the 115 to 120 route described below; boys living in the catchment area who are eligible for Pupil Premium; siblings of boys who will be on roll at AGS when the applicant starts in Year 7; siblings of girls who will be on roll at Aylesbury High School; siblings of former AGS boys; qualified children of staff employed on a permanent contract for at least two years (or recruited to a post with a demonstrable skills shortage); boys with exceptional medical or social needs that only AGS can meet; boys living in the catchment area; and finally all other boys. Where places are tied within a category, the tie-breaker is straight-line distance from home to the main entrance gate on Walton Road.
One route is easy to miss: criterion 5.1.2 of the school's determined 2027 admissions policy, which ranks second in the order. It reserves up to 6 places for looked-after or previously looked-after boys living anywhere, or for other boys who live in the catchment area (as at and continuously from 1 September 2026) and are eligible for Pupil Premium as at the application deadline and expected to remain eligible when they start, whose STT score is 115 to 120 inclusive and who have not been deemed qualified by Selection Review. Looked-after children are prioritised within it, and it ranks ahead of siblings. This is separate from a Selection Review, which a panel of serving secondary and primary headteachers decides for boys who would have met the score but for circumstances affecting their participation in testing; the council says families can apply for both at the same time. Families whose sons score 115 to 120 should read the full policy; the council's results page ties sending Pupil Premium evidence and the test score to the school to the application deadline (the closing date for September 2027 entry applications was 31 October 2026).
Aylesbury Grammar also publishes its own catchment area map on the school website, cross-referenced against Buckinghamshire Council's postcode checker service. Buckinghamshire does not restrict which grammar school a qualifying child may apply to, so a boy can list Aylesbury Grammar on his Common Application Form regardless of where he lives — but once the school is oversubscribed, boys who live in the catchment area (as at and continuously from 1 September 2026) rank ninth of the ten criteria, ahead only of all other boys, and straight-line distance is the tie-breaker within each priority group. Families should check their address against the catchment map before deciding how highly to rank Aylesbury Grammar on their application.
Preparing your son for Aylesbury Grammar School?
Our specialist 11+ tutors structure preparation around the STT's real 50/25/25 weighting — building verbal fluency, technical English, timed mathematics and non-verbal reasoning in proportion, not by guesswork. We also help families understand the catchment area, the 115 to 120 Pupil Premium route, Selection Review, and how Aylesbury Grammar compares with neighbouring Buckinghamshire grammar schools when ranking preferences on the Common Application Form.
Our detailed Aylesbury Grammar 11+ guide covers the paper-by-paper breakdown for parents who want to go deeper.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppOur specialist tutors help boys prepare for the Aylesbury Grammar School 11+ with personalised, one-to-one tuition built around the Bucks Transfer Test.
Book a Free ConsultationAylesbury Grammar has 186 Year 7 places for September 2027, and a boy who qualifies on the STT is suitable for any Buckinghamshire grammar school, so the order of priority in its policy decides who is offered a place. The council expects about 37% of children to get a score of 121 or more, and a score above 121 gives no extra priority.
Because the priority order and then distance — not raw STT score — decide who gets an offer once a boy has qualified, families should think about "how much above 121" less than they think about "am I inside the catchment, and if not, how strong does my son's overall position need to be." The route for scores between 115 and 120 is limited to up to 6 places, reserved for looked-after boys and for Pupil Premium boys living in the catchment area, so it is not a general fallback.
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Leading Tuition's specialist 11+ tuition programme works with families across Aylesbury, Buckingham, Wendover, Haddenham and the wider Buckinghamshire area to prepare boys for the Secondary Transfer Test. Because every Bucks grammar school shares the same test, our programme prepares boys for the STT itself rather than for any single school, which means a well-structured programme keeps every Bucks grammar school option open, including neighbouring schools such as Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham.
We begin with a diagnostic assessment spanning all three STT skill areas: verbal ability, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. Because the STT weighting is 50% verbal, our diagnostic pays particular attention to reading comprehension, vocabulary range and technical English; the council lists comprehension and technical English among the skills tested in the verbal paper. From there we build a programme that reflects the real weighting of the test rather than spreading effort evenly across all three areas by default.
Verbal preparation covers comprehension technique, deliberate vocabulary building, technical English and verbal reasoning, taught explicitly rather than left to be absorbed by repetition. Mathematics preparation extends beyond Key Stage 2 recall into timed, multi-step problem solving: fractions, ratio, area and perimeter, and data interpretation, all practised under a clock so that pace becomes automatic well before test day. Non-verbal reasoning work trains the spatial reasoning formats the STT uses, since these are highly learnable once a boy has been shown the underlying logic of each question type.
In the final months before the test, we shift towards full timed mock papers that replicate the real two-paper STT structure of about 45 minutes of test time per paper, building stamina and composure alongside accuracy. We also advise families directly on the registration process, the catchment area, and how to rank preferences sensibly on the Common Application Form when a son is likely to sit tests or be eligible for more than one Buckinghamshire grammar school. Progress is reviewed after every session, with short diagnostics at the start of each lesson to catch any drift early and keep the programme focused on genuine gaps rather than repeating work a boy has already mastered.
Note: Boys at Buckinghamshire state-funded primary schools are registered automatically for the STT — parents who do not want their son to sit must actively withdraw him. Boys at independent schools or schools outside Buckinghamshire had to register with Buckinghamshire Council by 3pm on Tuesday 2 June 2026, and the council will not normally accept a late registration without exceptional reasons. Separately, for families told their child's score on 9 October 2026, Buckinghamshire Council's Selection Review page gave 30 October as the date by which the Selection Review case had to be submitted in full.
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Boys born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017 move up to secondary school in September 2028 and sit the Secondary Transfer Test in the 2027 test round. The steps below follow Aylesbury Grammar School's draft September 2028 admissions policy.
Registration is automatic for boys at Buckinghamshire primary schools unless a parent withdraws them. For other boys, including those at independent schools, the draft policy gives 20 June 2027 as the date for applying to Buckinghamshire Council for testing.
Boys sit two test papers in the autumn of the year before entry, so in autumn 2027 for September 2028 entry. The draft policy describes each paper as approximately 60 minutes including the introduction and practice examples, and says the test assesses verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills.
Buckinghamshire Council informs parents of Secondary Transfer Test results, usually in mid-October and primarily by email. A score of 121 or more qualifies a boy automatically.
Applicants must tell their home local authority their preference for the school by the closing date of 31 October 2027 in the draft policy.
The draft September 2028 policy and its consultation notice are on the school's admissions policy page.
Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Buckinghamshire Council's grammar schools, Secondary Transfer Test, results and timeline pages and Aylesbury Grammar School's admissions policy page and draft September 2028 admissions policy.
No. For Year 7 entry, like all 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools, it uses the shared Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT), which GL Assessment produces and marks and Buckinghamshire Council administers. Boys sit one test and, if they reach the qualifying standardised score of 121, they are eligible to apply to any Buckinghamshire grammar school, including Aylesbury Grammar.
The STT is two papers, each about 45 minutes of test time (about an hour per sitting including the introduction and examples), with a break in between, both multiple-choice. The papers assess verbal ability, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. The final Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS) is a standardised score weighted 50% verbal ability, 25% mathematics and 25% non-verbal reasoning, so verbal preparation deserves the largest share of study time, though maths and non-verbal reasoning both need to be strong too.
The qualifying standardised score across Buckinghamshire is 121. Buckinghamshire Council's own guidance says it expects about 37% of children to reach this threshold. Reaching 121 makes a boy eligible to apply to Aylesbury Grammar School, but it does not guarantee a place: when the school is oversubscribed, the priority order in the school's admissions policy and then distance from home to school decide who receives an offer, not how far above 121 a boy scored.
Registration opened at 10am on Friday 1 May 2026 and closed at 3pm on Tuesday 2 June 2026. Boys at Buckinghamshire state primary schools are registered automatically; boys at independent or out-of-county schools had to register by that deadline. The practice test was scheduled for Tuesday 8 September 2026 and the main Secondary Transfer Test for Thursday 10 September 2026. Results day was Friday 9 October 2026, with most parents due to be informed by email after 4pm; the closing date for September 2027 entry applications was Saturday 31 October 2026.
Under criterion 5.1.2 of Aylesbury Grammar School's determined 2027 admissions policy, up to 6 places go to looked-after or previously looked-after boys living anywhere, or to boys living in the catchment area (as at and continuously from 1 September 2026) who are eligible for Pupil Premium as at the application deadline and expected to remain eligible at their date of entry, if their STT score is 115 to 120 inclusive and they have not been deemed qualified by Selection Review. This ranks second, after looked-after boys, and ahead of siblings. Families in this position should read the full policy on the school's website; this route is separate from a Selection Review, and the council's results page ties sending Pupil Premium evidence and the test score to the school to the application deadline (the closing date for September 2027 entry applications was 31 October 2026).
Yes. Aylesbury Grammar School publishes its own catchment area map, and boys living in it (continuously from 1 September 2026) rank ninth of the ten criteria, after looked-after boys, the 115 to 120 Pupil Premium route, in-catchment Pupil Premium boys, siblings, staff children and boys with exceptional medical or social needs, and ahead only of all other boys. Buckinghamshire does not restrict who may apply to which grammar school, but once a school is oversubscribed with qualifying boys, its priority order and then straight-line distance to school decide who is offered a place. Check your address against the school's catchment map or Buckinghamshire's postcode checker before applying.
We recommend starting structured preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5, which gives roughly one to two years before the test in the autumn term of Year 6. Because the STT is weighted 50% towards verbal ability, early preparation should prioritise wide reading, vocabulary and the technical English and verbal reasoning question types alongside timed maths and non-verbal reasoning practice, moving to full timed mock papers in the final months before the test.
Our specialist tutors give online one-to-one tuition built around the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test, teaching verbal, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning in proportion to the test's published weighting. We also talk families through Aylesbury Grammar School's admissions policy, including the catchment rules and the Pupil Premium route for boys just below the qualifying score, so you understand how a qualifying score turns into an offer. Book a free consultation and we will talk through where your son is now and what to prioritise.