Buckinghamshire 11 Plus Living Abroad: 2027 Entry

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Buckinghamshire's Secondary Transfer Test is the entrance test for Year 7 entry to the county's 13 grammar schools, and the council states: “All testing happens in the UK.” A child living abroad is therefore tested after arriving, with late testing for families who move in by 18 June 2027 and can evidence the move. For most grammar schools, 1 September 2026 is the home-address cut-off for the main allocation.

Leading Tuition prepares children whose families live abroad for that test: our expert 11+ tutors build the verbal, non-verbal and mathematical reasoning the council says it assesses, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online. Every rule below is quoted from its source, read on 3 October 2026.

Can a child living abroad sit the Buckinghamshire test?

Not while the child is still abroad. Two council pages state the rule. The register page says: “If your child currently lives abroad, we will not be able to test them until they return to the UK. You should then contact us.” The test-dates page says: “All testing happens in the UK. If your child currently lives abroad, but will be moving to the UK, tell us when they will be in the UK and we will arrange for them to be tested.”

The first asks for contact once the child is back and the second asks to be told the arrival date in advance. Because the wording differs, write to Buckinghamshire school admissions with the expected arrival date, ask which applies to your family, and keep the reply.

Test format and school profiles are on our Buckinghamshire grammar schools page and in the format guide. The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS), the body through which the 13 schools manage transfer testing, is asked in its FAQ: “We are currently living oversees [sic] but will be moving to the UK soon. Can my child be tested for a Buckinghamshire grammar school place?” Its answer is for families about to move: “Yes. All testing takes place in the UK. Your child can take the test when they are in the UK. If you move to Buckinghamshire after the main test date your child can still take the Secondary Transfer Test. In both cases you will need to contact Buckinghamshire Council and they will arrange testing for you.” The same answer carries a warning that shapes the whole plan: “Please note that most grammar school places are filled in the first round of allocations in March so if your child takes the test later and qualifies they may not be offered a grammar school place.”

The sitting is allocated, not chosen. For a child at a school other than a Buckinghamshire state primary or a Partner school, the council says: “Children who attend any other school will sit the tests at a grammar school or another central test venue. For most children this will be on 8 and 10 September. For some children, testing may be slightly later.” It adds: “You cannot choose a test time, date, or venue: these will be allocated to your child.”

Which round is your child in: 2027 entry or 2028 entry?

The council defines each round by birth date: “Children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 will be moving up to secondary school in September 2027.” For the next round: “Children born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017 will be moving up to secondary school in September 2028.” Its over-age wording names living abroad as an example: “If your child's education was delayed (for example if they started school a year late because they were summer-born, or if you lived abroad), normally they will sit the test at the same time as their classmates, and they will progress to secondary school with the same cohort. Refer to the admissions policy for your preferred school(s) for further information.” If a birth date sits near a boundary, or the school year abroad does not line up, ask the council in writing which cohort applies.

The two rounds as they stand on 3 October 2026

Source: Buckinghamshire Council, introduction and key dates (2027 entry) and timeline for 2028 entry, read on 3 October 2026. For most grammar schools the address date is a cut-off, and the council says some schools have an earlier one.

For a child in the 2027 window, the registration deadline of Tuesday 2 June 2026 and the September sittings are behind the family. Still ahead are the 9 October 2026 results for children who sat, the 31 October 2026 application deadline, and the late-testing, address and allocation dates below. For a child in the 2028 window every step is ahead, and the sitting will be in the UK in early September 2027.

What does late testing for 2027 entry offer a family still abroad?

The register page offers late testing on this condition: “Families who move into Buckinghamshire by 18 June 2027 will be offered late testing for their child, as long as they can provide evidence that they have moved.” The council's testing guide words it differently: “We will also consider later testing for children who move into the area served by a Buckinghamshire grammar school before 18 June 2027, contact us if this applies to you.” The same guide says: “We will only register your child after 3pm on 2 June if you can show you have very recently moved to the area.”

The two 18 June 2027 sentences are not identical, one referring to Buckinghamshire and the other to the area served by a grammar school. If your plan depends on that date, put your arrival date and the school you want in writing to Buckinghamshire admissions and ask which wording applies.

Asked whether a qualified child who later moves in is guaranteed a place, the council answers: “No, your child is not guaranteed a Buckinghamshire grammar school place, even if you can provide evidence that supports a move into Buckinghamshire.” The main round's offers come on National Offer Day: “1 March 2027 is National Offer Day.” The council's later rounds follow this schedule:

Source: Buckinghamshire Council, later allocation rounds, read on 3 October 2026.

Side by side, 18 June 2027 falls after the third round's information deadline of 4 June 2027 and before its offers on 23 June 2027. That comparison is ours, not the council's. How a child tested around those dates is considered is a question for Buckinghamshire admissions, in writing, before the family commits to a move date.

What does an overseas address do to a child's priority?

The Department for Education's guidance to councils and schools addresses this directly, and its condition matters, so it is quoted whole: “If a parent is unable to provide evidence of a return to the area (before the new school year for applications made during the normal admissions round or for late applications, or by the start of the next term for in-year applications), admission authorities could apply a catchment area policy or distance tie-break, if they have such admission criteria, using the parents' place of residence at the point the application is made. If this is in another country, it might give the child a lower priority for admission if the admission authority operates a catchment area or if the child is tied for the final place available with other applicants.”

For a family overseas that will move before secondary school starts, Buckinghamshire's instruction is: “Make sure you apply with your overseas address and send us evidence of your move when you have it. We can only use your Buckinghamshire address when you are physically resident and have provided the evidence we need.”

The 1 September 2026 date, and the schools with an earlier one

On its key-dates page the council says: “1 September 2026 For most grammar schools, this is the cut-off date for the home address they'll use for applicants in the main allocation of school places. But you should check each grammar school's Admissions Policy to make sure. Some have an earlier date.” And: “If your home address changes after this date (or if you have not disposed of your previous address by this date), your previous address will be used until a later allocation round.” School policies state the date in their own wording, among them Burnham Grammar School's, the Royal Grammar School's day-place policy, Aylesbury High School's and Wycombe High School's; this is not a full list.

The council names two schools with an earlier deadline: “Dr Challoners Grammar School and Dr Challoners High School have an earlier deadline.” Dr Challoner's Grammar School's 2027 policy states: “In order to qualify for admission under rules referring to the school's catchment area, the applicant must have been resident at their home address permanently and continuously since 01 April of the year preceding proposed admission (for admission in September 2027 this is 01 April 2026).” Dr Challoner's High School's policy states: “In order to qualify for admission under the oversubscription criterion 5, referring to the school's Catchment Area, the applicant must have been resident at their Normal Home Address continuously from or before April 1st of the calendar year preceding the year of entry (for admission in September 2027 this is 1st April 2026).” It also says how absences are treated: “An applicant will meet the continuous residence requirement where there have been temporary or occasional absences from the Normal Home Address of no more than the duration of a child's school holiday period. Any absences beyond those taken during the specific school holidays will only be considered as meeting the continuous residence requirement in exceptional circumstances.” Whether a family whose home has been abroad since before 1 April 2026 can meet either wording is for each school to say; ask in writing.

Dr Challoner's Grammar School's policy also has a rule about retained properties, quoted with its exception: “If a parent of the applicant student still owns a property within 20 miles of the school which has been the main family home more recently than 01 September 2023 (ie 4 years before the proposed date of admission), a property closer to the school will not be accepted as the basis for a legitimate residence qualification even if the former property is leased to a third party, or has been sold to a company of which parent(s) are a director. … This rule will not apply if the former property is sold by the deadline date of 01 September 2026.”

What the council asks a returning family to prove, and by when

The council's page separates the move deadline from the evidence date, and the two rules apply to different families. For a family that has moved by the school's deadline above, the evidence date is: “If you would like a new address to be used in the main allocation (1 March) and re-allocation round, address evidence must be provided to us in full by 21 November. If you do not provide us with evidence by this date (or you only provide us with some of the required evidence), we will use your previous address to work out your child's catchment and distance information for allocations on National Offer Day and in the reallocation round.” For 2027 entry that is 21 November 2026. For a family that moves later than the move deadlines the council's sentence is a different one: “For families that move later than the deadlines above, note that the earliest point we will update a child's address is the second allocation round: changes of address will not be considered for the reallocation round.” Evidence sent by 21 November therefore does not bring a later move into the main allocation; for that family the earliest update is the second allocation round.

For a family moving back into a home it owns: “If you're moving back into a property you already own, provide proof via Land Registry that you are the legal owner, showing the date that you assumed ownership”. For a family that kept its UK home and let it: “if you still own your previous property and have let it to tenants on a long term rental, send us a copy of the Assured Periodic Tenancy agreement. We would expect this to be via a professional letting agency that is registered with a reputable trade body (for example Property Ombudsman, Propertymark, UKALA) You must also send us as a letter from your mortgage company you have their permission to let out the property. We will not normally accept a tenancy that lets your residential property to a business (for example, as a holiday let). You should be aware that maintaining ownership of a previous property, will likely result in more detailed scrutiny by our team.” To show the family has moved in, the council requires “an electricity bill showing usage of an appropriate level for the size of property and family” plus documents from two further lists; the full lists are on the council's moving-home page.

Families describe the work in their own words on Trustpilot, where Leading Tuition is rated Excellent, 4.8 out of 5 from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026.

Which council receives the application from a family overseas?

Two council pages can both appear to fit a family living overseas, so each is quoted with its condition. The moving-home page says: “If you live overseas but will be moving to Buckinghamshire before your child starts secondary school, submit your child's application to Buckinghamshire Council.” The apply page says: “If you live outside Buckinghamshire, you may include Buckinghamshire grammar schools in the application submitted to your home local authority. Do not submit your application to us if you live outside Buckinghamshire.” The moving-home page also covers a move after the national deadline: “If you will be moving to Buckinghamshire after 31 October, submit your child's application to the Local Authority where you live at that time.” Because the first two can both appear to fit, ask Buckinghamshire admissions in writing which council should receive the application, before the national deadline, which the council gives as “31 October”.

The DfE's guidance supports accepting an application from abroad: “If an application is made from another country, local authorities should consider the application as adequate proof of an intention to move or return to the area and include it within the local authority co-ordinated process.” The council's missed-deadline page says: “Moving into the area or being unaware of the deadline are not considered exceptional reasons for applying late.”

The DfE guidance says an offer made on an application from another country can be checked before term starts: “When an application is made from an address in another country the local authority or school may ask for evidence before the school year or term begins to confirm that the child now lives in the UK. If the child does not attend school on the first day of term the admission authority could, in some circumstances, remove the offer and allocate the place to a child on the waiting list.” Our guide for returning expat families and mid-cycle relocation guide cover the wider picture across England.

Do Armed Forces and Crown Servant families follow a different route?

The council has its own evidence route: “If you are an Armed Forces/Crown Servant family and you are being posted to the area, we will be able to use your posting address for your child's application, even if you do not live there yet. Send us an official letter showing the relocation date and address.” The deadline is on the same page: “If you do this by 29 January, your address will be used for the main allocation on National Offer Day (1 March).” Dr Challoner's Grammar School's 2027 policy sets 30 January 2027 for Service and Crown Servant evidence to be included in the first allocation round (its words: “Evidence must be provided by 30 January 2027”), a day after the council's date, so send the evidence to both by the earlier one. Our forces families guide covers applying from a posting overseas in the main grammar areas.

What if the family arrives after the Year 7 round: the 12+ and 13+ route?

The council describes the later route in these terms: “Late grammar school testing (the 12+ and 13+ exams) are for pupils currently in Years 7 and 8 who want a grammar school place in Years 8 or 9.” It warns: “Places are extremely limited, especially for pupils in Year 8 and 9. Most pupils do not get a place.” and adds: “For September 2026 entry, no places were offered for either Year 8 or Year 9 in the first round of allocations in March.”

For a child coming from abroad: “If your child has moved into Buckinghamshire from outside the county or abroad you will need to make an in-year application for a grammar school place. We will contact you to arrange a test date.” A separate route applies to a child who has already taken the transfer test: “If your child has already taken the transfer test, you can apply for a place starting in September 2027, through the late transfer registration process. Registration is between 5 October to 23 October 2026.” That registration runs from Monday 5 October 2026 to Friday 23 October 2026, and the council's timeline puts the sitting on “Saturday 6 February 2027 Children will sit the Late Transfer Test at a grammar school test centre”. The council's date for that sitting is Saturday 6 February 2027. Our in-year admissions guide explains the wider in-year picture.

The registration page has a paragraph for families overseas: “If you are currently living overseas and moving to the UK or returning to your own property in Buckinghamshire for the academic year September 2027, make sure you apply with your overseas address and send us evidence of your move when you have it. We can only use your Buckinghamshire address when you are physically resident and have provided the evidence we need.” It sets the address rule for that round: “The address used for the first round of allocations will be the address at which the child is resident on 23 October 2026.” And for later arrivals: “If you have moved into the area after the deadline of the 23 October 2026, refer to our in-year admissions process.” Our late transfer test guide lists the participating schools.

Schools that run their own late tests

Some grammar schools run their own late testing on their own dates, so a family abroad needs each school's dates as well as the council's.

Source: each school's own late transfer page, read on 3 October 2026. The Royal Grammar School's policy gives a different pattern, described below.

Dr Challoner's Grammar School adds a condition that matters to a family abroad: “Applicants from outside the catchment area will only be tested if there are 10 or less applicants from within the catchment area in the relevant year group.” It also advises: “We do not provide sample papers and advise that coaching or revision is not required.” The Royal Grammar School's policy says “Applicants seeking admission to Years 8, 9 and 10 at the start of the next academic year will be invited to sit tests in the Annual Testing Round. … The deadline for registration for the tests will be the second Monday in January of the same year.”

Can a child board at the Royal Grammar School while the parents are abroad?

The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, publishes a separate policy for boarding places. It states: “The Published Admission Number for Years 7-11 is 182 day places and 10 boarding places.” It lists three categories: “Weekly boarder: Boarding in term time for 5 days a week, Sunday evening to Friday. - Full boarder: Boarding in term time for 7 days a week. Available to boys in Years 9-13 only. - Sixth Form boarder: Year 12/13, boarding weekly with the option to stay in Boarding any weekend.” For Year 7: “Applicants for places in Year 7 must also complete the Common Application Form (CAF) for their Local Authority, indicating "Royal Grammar School Boarding" as a preference.”

The policy's third oversubscription criterion is: “Applicants with a boarding need, defined for the purposes of this Policy as: a. Students at risk or with an unstable home environment b. Students whose parents are members of the UK Armed Forces, Crown Servants, or key workers (e.g. charity workers, people working for voluntary service organisations, teachers, law enforcement officers and medical staff working abroad) whose work dictates that they spend much of the year overseas or working unsocial hours.” On which address counts for a boarder, the council's definition says: “A child's Normal Home Address is where they spend most of the week, unless they are accommodated at a boarding school. If they're at boarding school It will be the address owned or rented by their parent or legal carer - where they return to live when they aren't accommodated at school.” Whether that wording covers parents who live abroad is not something to assume; ask Buckinghamshire admissions and the school in writing before applying.

How does immigration status fit into a state grammar application?

Status governs whether a child can lawfully enter the UK to study, and checking it is the family's job; the DfE also says state schools and councils may not turn a child away on that basis. The DfE's guidance states: “To lawfully enter the country to access a school, foreign national children resident outside the UK will normally need either: a right of abode an immigration status which otherwise permits them to enter the UK to study at a school”. It also says: “To comply with their visa terms, unaccompanied foreign national children and young people who are entering on a Child Student visa or Student visa must, when accessing education in England, study at the independent school, sixth form college or further education college which is a licensed student sponsor which has offered them an unconditional place on a course. They cannot lawfully, under their UK entry conditions, study at a state-funded school.” On who checks: “It is the responsibility of the parents of foreign national children to check that their children have a right under their UK entry conditions to study at a school before applying for a place.” And on admissions, state-funded school admission authorities “must not refuse to admit a child on the basis of their nationality or immigration status nor remove them from the roll on this basis … must not ask to see passports or other immigration information as a condition of admission”.

How does a child abroad prepare for a test first sat in a UK test centre?

For children at out-of-county schools the council's testing-process page says: “If your child goes to an out of county school, download the familiarisation booklet”. For the Practice Test it says: “If your child goes to any other school, we will invite them to take the practice test, usually at one of the grammar schools, in September.” Whether and when a child arriving from abroad is offered either is for Buckinghamshire admissions to confirm.

Our expert 11+ tutors build the verbal, non-verbal and mathematical reasoning the test assesses, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online. The programme is planned around the date the family expects to be in the UK, the cohort the child falls into and the sitting the council arranges. Across all the programmes we run, 91% of our students achieve their desired grades. That is a practice-wide figure for our own students at every level we teach, not a Buckinghamshire result. Tutoring cannot move a test date, an address date or an allocation round.

Questions families abroad ask about Buckinghamshire

Families in the Gulf and Hong Kong planning a move can also read our pages for families in the UAE, the wider Gulf and Hong Kong, and the overseas 11+ hub for other grammar areas.