Reading School 11 Plus From Overseas: 2027 Entry Rules

Reading School, Kendrick School and the four Slough Consortium grammar schools each set their own rules for a family living abroad. For 2027 entry, registration closed on 17 May 2026 at Reading School, on 1 July 2026 at Kendrick School and on 5 June 2026 at the Slough Consortium. Reading School’s 2027-entry policy set a proposed date of 25 September 2026 for a separate online sitting for day applicants living outside its catchment, and Reading also offers weekly boarding.

Leading Tuition prepares children for UK 11+ entry from abroad: tuition can be one to one, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online. This page covers only what changes for a family not yet living in these schools’ areas.

Which 2027-entry registration windows and sittings have passed?

The three bodies run separate processes, and each published its own 2027-entry calendar. This page was checked on 4 October 2026, so the registration windows and September 2026 sittings in the table are in the past.

All three then feed into one state-school timetable. The Consortium guide gives the Common Application Form (CAF) deadline for the family’s home local authority as Saturday 31 October 2026 and notification of places as Monday 1 March 2027; Reading School’s boarding policy and Kendrick’s policy give the same two dates.

The 2027-entry cohort is, in Slough Borough Council’s words, “Children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016”. Reading School’s boarding policy phrases it as Year 5 in July 2026 with those dates of birth; Kendrick’s policy says a girl’s date of birth “would normally fall” within them and that she “must be working in Year 6 at the time of testing”. The page on which UK year group a child is in maps other countries’ school years onto that range.

What the pages read on 4 October 2026 give for 2028 entry

For the next cohort, children one school year younger, three Slough pages carry details. Herschel’s 2028-entry page states that the Consortium “has contracted with Quest Assessments as the test provider for the 11+ examination to be held in September 2027”, and St Bernard’s 2028-entry page says the same of “Quest”. Langley says further open mornings in June and July 2027 “will be aimed primarily at parents of pupils currently in Year 5 for entry in September 2028”. For Reading School and Kendrick School, ask each for its 2028 dates in writing; the 2027 calendar above shows how early in the year registration closed at each.

Where and how does each body say the child sits the test?

The three bodies describe three different sittings. The quotations below are each body’s published 2027-entry sitting arrangements; the questions a family abroad still has to ask are listed at the end of the section.

Reading School: where and when the child sits

The day policy for 2027 entry named two sittings. The first was “In July of Year 5 for candidates living within the catchment area at the time of registration and those registered for a boarding place”, with a proposed date of 16 July 2026. The second was “In September of Year 6 for candidates living outside the catchment area at the time of registration”, with a proposed date of 25 September 2026; the policy’s words on the format were “This test will be held online.” It added: “All sittings will contain the same test content. A child may only take the test once. It is not possible to change the time or venue.” Alternative dates are “only available in cases of illness or incapacity on the day”, supported by a medical certificate. Boarding candidates sat with the July group: the boarding policy said “The entrance test will be held in July of Year 5 for boarding candidates.”

Kendrick School: where and when the child sits

Kendrick’s 2027-entry page set the tests for Friday 18 September 2026 at Kendrick School, in the morning or the afternoon. The school states: “No alternative test date will be offered to candidates who wish to sit a test for another grammar school on the same day.” Candidates who live outside the designated area “will not sit the test on Friday 18th September 2026, but on a later date to be advised in due course”.

The Slough Consortium

The Consortium guide set its 2027-entry 11+ in these words: it “will take place on Saturday 19th September 2026 for all candidates, whatever their home address or current primary school”, with “four test centres in Slough, one at each of the four grammar schools”. A single alternative date was available “for applicants who cannot attend on Saturday 19th September 2026 for religious or medical reasons. However, there are no opportunities to take the test at a later date because of clashes.” The April 2026 briefing answers a family in Reading directly: “If you live in Reading, you must register directly with the Slough Consortium”.

The three bodies’ published September 2026 dates were 18, 19 and 25 September. The Consortium guide also states that Kendrick School and Reading School “use different testing procedures to Slough. There is no facility for sharing any 11+ scores between the schools any more.” Each body’s test is its own registration and its own sitting.

Three questions to put to Reading School in writing

Reading’s September group is defined by where the child lives “at the time of registration”. A family abroad preparing for a later cycle should write to admissions@reading-school.co.uk, the address the school gives for admissions enquiries, and ask: which sitting a child living abroad is placed in; what equipment the online sitting needs and what time it starts; and whether a test centre outside the UK can be arranged. The school’s own dated answers are what to rely on.

What does an address outside the priority area do at each school?

For several of these schools admission turns partly on where the family lives, so the address matters alongside the test. DfE’s guidance, last updated 28 March 2024, sets the general position for a family that cannot yet show a return to the area: “If a parent is unable to provide evidence of a return to the area”, admission authorities “could apply a catchment area policy or distance tie-break” using the place of residence when the application is made, and “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”. What each school publishes follows.

Reading School: an address outside the catchment

The 2027-entry day policy lists Category 6 as “All Other Eligible Candidates”: “Candidates with an eligible score who do not meet any of the above categories, including those whose address is NOT in the catchment area.” It adds: “Out of catchment day applicants and day applicants who move into the catchment area after the entrance test will only have their creativity element assessed if places remain unfilled after 1st March 2027 and will be ranked accordingly.” The school’s separate 2026 Entry FAQs describe a typical year for 2026 entry: “in a typical year, no day places are offered to those applicants living outside of the catchment area”. That sentence is the school’s description of a typical year, not a statement about 2027 or 2028. Boarding is separate: “There is no catchment area for boarding applicants” (see the boarding section below). Postcodes are in our Reading School catchment guide.

Kendrick School: an address outside the designated area

Kendrick’s Year 7 page says: “We strongly advise parents who live outside of the designated area NOT to register their child to sit our test - no candidate, whatever the score they attain, who lives outside of our designated area has been offered a place at Kendrick School since the introduction of the designated area in 2013.” The policy’s sixth and last category is “Applicants whose permanent home address is NOT in the designated area of the school.” Both statements are Kendrick’s about Kendrick; neither is a rule for Reading School or for Slough. Postcodes are in our Kendrick catchment guide.

The four Slough grammar schools

In the part of the Consortium guide that deals with other schools’ test dates and clashes between them, not in an address rule, the Consortium states its view: “In the Slough grammar schools, we take the view that we are here primarily to serve the interests of children already living in Slough and the immediate surrounding area, and not those who live much further away from the school.” Each school has its own criteria.

Langley Grammar School publishes three Priority Admission Areas and then says: “The Priority Admission Areas represent the geographical area in which almost all students across the school live. It is anticipated that the school will continue to be heavily oversubscribed and that applicants living outside these defined areas therefore have no realistic chance of being offered a place under these admission arrangements.” Its last criterion is “Eligible applicants who live outside the Priority Admission Areas, in rank order of performance in the admission examination”. That is Langley’s statement about its own arrangements.

Herschel Grammar School defines its catchment as “a home address within 4 miles of the school”; its remaining places “will be allocated to pupils in rank order of performance in the examination”, with equal scores “ranked in order of proximity to the school”. Upton Court Grammar School allocates “Up to 120 Pupils in rank order of performance in the 11+ tests. If pupils are admitted through criteria 6, 7(i), 7(ii), 7(iii) and 7(iv), this number will reduce accordingly”, and makes the “remaining offers” by “proximity to the school, nearest first”.

St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School ranks looked-after children first and then by faith categories. Ties for the final place are settled by distance: “priority will be decided by proximity to the school”. A family naming it also needs its Supplementary Form: “The Supplementary Form must be completed online by 31st October 2026. If Supplementary Forms are not returned, then the child will automatically be considered as ‘Any Other Children’ in the oversubscription criteria”.

Which address and date does each school accept from a returning family?

Each school names its own cases for a returning family, and the wording differs enough that the dates matter more than any summary. Every date in this section belongs to the 2027-entry cycle.

Reading School: the address and date it accepts

The day policy fixes the address early: “the child’s main address on the July entrance test day will be the address that is used. Their main address must continue to be in the catchment area on National Offer Day.” It names an exception: “if the family are returning from abroad to a previous home within the catchment area by which they must return by 31st October 2026 (CAF deadline day) Documentary evidence will be required to confirm this. Or are Crown Servants or members of the Armed Forces”. Its address appendix adds a sentence for applicants outside England: “Applicants living outside of England may only submit an application if they have a linked address within the Local Authority area, and documentary evidence must be supplied to show they will return to the address prior to the September in the year of entry; this address must not be an address of convenience.” Which local authority area that means, and what counts as a linked address for a family abroad, are questions for the school in writing.

Kendrick School: the address and date it accepts

The policy fixes the date at 31 August 2026: the address is “the applicant’s permanent home address at the time of application, and no later than 31st August 2026. This also applies to applicants who are applying late due to exceptional circumstances”, and “Evidence is required of a single address on 31st August 2026.” The Crown servant exception sits in the policy’s Appendix 1, under “Definition of Permanent Home Address”, straight after the sentence on the address where child benefit is paid: “The exception to this is if the family are Crown Servants returning from overseas or members of the Armed Forces with a confirmed posting. Documentary evidence will be required.” The 2027 summary prospectus has its own sentence among its bullets on the designated area: “The exception to this is if the applicant's family are Crown Servants or members of the Armed Forces and their role requires them to be relocated to our designated area (documentary evidence will be required to support this).” On temporary addresses: “A temporary address cannot be used to obtain a school place and will only be considered where evidence is provided showing a genuine reason for the move e.g. homelessness, flooding or subsidence”.

The Slough grammar schools: the address and date they accept

The Consortium guide sets the baseline: “The address you give on the CAF must be your permanent address on the closing date of Saturday 31st October 2026, and you may be asked for proof of this address.” The April 2026 briefing warns that schools differ: “Some schools may consider the address you give at the time of registration for the 11+ to be your permanent address.”

Herschel takes the second view: “The home address provided when you registered for the 11+ will be used for admissions purposes ... Applicants must be living at the address stated on your Common Application Form by 31 October 2026, and must have lived continuously at that same address since 1 May 2026.” If the address changes between registering and the CAF closing date, Herschel says: “you must inform the school and provide a reason for the change. Special consideration may be given if it can be clearly demonstrated that the move was not made to increase chances of securing a place at the school i.e., a move that results in being closer to the school (increasing proximity).” Langley and Upton Court also require residence on 31 October 2026 and continuous residence since 1 May 2026, “ie six months prior to the Common Application Form closing date” in Langley’s words. Langley adds: “Where families have moved into the area between 1st May 2026 and the closing date for the Common Application Form, special consideration will be given where it can be demonstrated that the move was for reasons unrelated to obtaining a place at the School.” A family that moved after 1 May 2026 should give each school the dates and the reason for the move in writing.

For Crown servant and service families, DfE’s explanatory note says: “Paragraph 2.21 of the School Admissions Code requires that for families of Crown servants returning from overseas, admission authorities must allocate a school place in advance of their move, provided the application is accompanied by an official letter declaring a relocation date.” Langley says that where “Service families or other Crown Servants who often move within the UK and from abroad, are posted to the area”, a place is allocated in advance “if an official government letter is provided declaring a relocation date and an intended address”; Upton Court’s policy uses the same words. Our forces families guide and the page on applying for Year 7 from abroad cover the national rules.

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What do Kendrick and Reading’s boarding policy say about nationality and residence?

Two of the texts state a rule about nationality or residence, each for a different kind of place, and GOV.UK’s guidance is set beside each.

Kendrick School: its rule for places at the school

Under “Eligibility for a School Place”, Kendrick’s 2027-entry policy states: “All students must be entitled to hold a full British Citizen passport or have the right of residence in the United Kingdom. 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.” Beside it, GOV.UK: state-funded admission authorities “must not ask to see passports or other immigration information as a condition of admission (this would be a breach of paragraphs 1.9(a) and 2.8 of the school admissions code)”.

Reading School: its rule for boarding places only

The boarding policy says: “As a state school, boarding places are open to British citizens and anyone with a right of residence in the UK”. Beside it, GOV.UK again: state-funded admission authorities “must not ask to see passports or other immigration information as a condition of admission (this would be a breach of paragraphs 1.9(a) and 2.8 of the school admissions code)”.

DfE’s guidance adds what a family abroad needs: to lawfully enter the country to access a school, foreign national children resident outside the UK “will normally need either” a right of abode or “an immigration status which otherwise permits them to enter the UK to study at a school”. How a school’s wording and that guidance fit together for a particular child is a question to put to the school in writing. Our page on foreign national children at UK grammar schools sets out the visa routes.

Can a child board at Reading School while the parents stay abroad?

The 2027-entry boarding policy states: “Only weekly boarding is available. There is no catchment area for boarding applicants.” The school “admits 12 boarding students into Year 7 each year”. Boarding candidates sat the test in July of Year 5, with a proposed date of 16 July 2026, and the CAF must name Reading School Boarding or no place can be offered. “Boarders must have suitable accommodation outside School for the weekends. This must be provided by the family or a guardian. Reading School regrets that it is unable to assist in finding a guardian.”

The priority criteria include: “Boarding Need: candidates with an eligible score (or 5 marks below it) and for whom it can be demonstrated that they are either: ... Boys whose parents are members of the UK Armed Forces, Crown Servants, or key workers (e.g. charity workers ... and medical staff working abroad) whose work dictates that they spend much of the year overseas or working unsocial hours.” Appendix 1 lists “Official letters detailing the overseas work of parent(s), including time” as one example of evidence, and also says: “Applications under this criterion must be supported by written evidence from a relevant professional, such as a doctor, social worker, or other specialist ... Priority under this criterion will only be given in exceptional cases where the evidence shows that attending the designated school is essential for the well-being of the child.” Suitability for boarding is assessed in part through “An informal meeting/interview (without the parent present)”.

Reading calls itself “a state school”, and DfE’s guidance is explicit about state schools: “unaccompanied foreign national children and young people who are entering on a Child Student visa or Student visa” must study at the licensed student sponsor that offered them a place, and “They cannot lawfully, under their UK entry conditions, study at a state-funded school.”

For academic year 2026-27, the current year, the school publishes its boarding fee on its boarding fees page: “As of 25th March 2026, the governors have now approved the revised fees for boarding for academic year 2026-7, which are detailed below: £15,849 per year £5,283 per term.” A boy starting in September 2027 begins academic year 2027-28, so ask the school for that year’s fee.

Which council takes the form when the family lives abroad?

Reading School’s policies say: “Parents must apply for a school place via their home Local Authority (the one to whom Council Tax is paid).”

Slough Borough Council’s application guidance introduces its list with “When applying for a Year 7 secondary school place for September 2027, please note:” and includes the point: “you must apply to the local authority where you and your child live and provide proof of address to verify the address used in your child’s application. Applications from outside Slough will not be accepted”. The Consortium guide says: “If you live outside Slough and are applying to any Slough schools, your home local authority will send your application information through to Slough Local Authority.” Which authority takes a form from an overseas address is a question for Slough Borough Council’s school admissions team, through the contact page on slough.gov.uk, in writing.

The same DfE guidance, which GOV.UK describes as “Advice for state-funded school admission authorities, independent schools, local authorities and parents”, says in its section on processing applications from parents moving to England: “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.” It is guidance, and DfE “recommend[s] that determined co-ordinated schemes follow the process set out in this advice”.

What are the late and in-year routes once the windows have closed?

Each body’s published late rule for 2027 entry comes with conditions, and the Code limits what a school may do about a missed test. The Code, at paragraph 2.9, says admission authorities “must not refuse to admit a child solely because” they “have missed entrance tests for selective places”. The dates and conditions of any late test are each body’s own.

Reading School: late and in-year routes

The 2027-entry day policy says registrations after the deadline “will be considered ‘late’ unless unforeseeable exceptional circumstances can be evidenced that were beyond parents’ control and prevented a timely registration (e.g. short notice job relocation, unforeseeable housing issues, severe illness of a single parent, flight from domestic abuse or relocation by members of the armed services) or the child moved into the area after the closing data [sic] for registration. The Director of Admissions will make a decision based on the evidence provided.” Then: “Late registrants will not be tested until after 1st March 2027 and will be treated in line with late school place applications.” The school’s Year 7 page asks anyone with “an exceptional reason” for not applying between 27 March and 17 May 2026 to contact admissions@reading-school.co.uk. For 2026 entry the school’s FAQs said of late registrations that “It is highly unlikely that places will be available at this stage”; that sentence is dated to 2026 entry.

Reading also runs an in-year test for entry to Years 7 to 11. Its page says “All tests are conducted online”, and its 2026 parent instructions say: “The test is to be completed on a computer or laptop at home.” The listed requirements include “Windows 10 or 11 or macOS Big Sur version 11 or higher” and a webcam. The school adds that “in-year enrolments are rare”. Whether a child living outside the UK may sit it is a question for the school in writing.

Kendrick School: late and in-year routes

The 2027-entry policy says: “Late applications for the Kendrick School Admission Test will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. Applicants should write to the Admissions Team outlining their reasons. Documentary evidence will be requested. The final decision on whether there are exceptional circumstances will be made by the Headteacher.” Later entry is a separate route with its own condition: “a family must be living permanently in our designated area before completing the non-routine admissions application form and have contacted Reading Local Authority to request a school place in the Reading area”, and “The admission tests must be taken at Kendrick School”.

The Slough grammar schools: late and in-year routes

For 2027 entry the Consortium guide says: “Late applications will NOT be accepted unless there are exceptional circumstances.” For entry after the start of Year 7, Herschel says: “Please note that during the school year, we have very few pupils leaving, so gaining an ‘in-year’ place is highly unlikely”, and Langley lists, as a reason to apply outside the main round, “for example if they have moved into the area”; both require an entrance assessment. Our guides to joining a grammar school after Year 7 and relocating to the UK mid-cycle cover the national picture.

How does a child abroad prepare for tests that do not share a score?

The three bodies use different providers, and the year matters. For 2027 entry, Reading School’s test is the FSCE Ltd test, and the school states: “Please note: there are no commercially available practice test papers for the FSCE Ltd tests.” For 2027 entry Kendrick’s candidates “will sit two test papers, each approximately one hour”, and “All marking and standardisation will be carried out by GL Assessment.” The Slough Consortium’s 2027-entry examination “is provided by GL Assessment”, and its April 2026 briefing says: “All questions are multiple-choice and the examination is paper based” and “There are no mock tests of official practice papers for the Slough Consortium 11+ test.” For 2028 entry, Herschel and St Bernard’s name Quest as the Consortium’s provider for the September 2027 sitting.

That has a practical consequence for a child abroad. Reading’s policy set its September 2026 group to sit online and its 2026 in-year test instructions specify a laptop with a webcam; Slough’s 2027-entry sitting was paper-based, at four centres in Slough. A practice sitting that copies the medium of the real one is the sensible aim. Our expert 11+ tutors prepare children for the particular test each of these bodies sets: tuition can be one to one, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online (see time zones and the 2027-entry deadlines). Test format, places and results sit on our pages for Reading School, Kendrick School and the Slough grammar schools. Families arriving on the BN(O) route have their own page.

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