How in-year admissions work, what tests are set, and which regions run formal late-transfer processes
Book a Free ConsultationGrammar schools in England admit the large majority of their pupils at Year 7 through the 11+ test, but joining a grammar school after that point is possible. In-year admissions (sometimes called casual admissions) allow children in Years 8, 9, 10 or 11 to apply for a place if one becomes available — but the process is not coordinated at a national level, places are rare, and every school publishes its own policy. This guide explains how in-year grammar school admissions work, what tests different regions use, how to apply in Buckinghamshire, Kent, and London, and how likely your child is to secure a place after Year 7. Our specialist tutors support families through this process every year — see our 11+ tuition hub for further preparation resources.
In-year admissions (also called casual admissions or mid-year entry) refers to any admission to a secondary school outside the normal round of transfer. For grammar schools, the normal transfer point is Year 7, when children aged 11 sit the 11+ or transfer test. If your child missed that opportunity — whether because your family was living abroad, because you moved into a grammar area after the registration deadline, because your child did not sit the test at the time, or simply because your child was not ready at 11 — an in-year application is the route to attempt entry to a selective school at a later stage.
There is no national process for in-year admissions. The School Admissions Code requires all state schools (including grammars) to process in-year applications, but it does not prescribe a single method, test format, or timeline. This means parents must research each target school individually, as policies differ significantly between schools and local authorities. Some schools run group test sessions three times a year; others admit applications on a rolling basis and arrange an assessment when a space opens; others are so oversubscribed they effectively do not accept in-year applications at all.
As a grammar school, the key distinction from a non-selective secondary is that even if a place is technically available, the school is not required to offer it to a child who does not meet the academic threshold. A vacancy and a passing test score are both required before an offer can be made.
In theory, in-year admissions are possible from Year 8 through to Year 11. In practice, the realistic window narrows significantly as you move up the school:
Year 8 entry is the most commonly attempted and most likely to succeed. More schools maintain waiting lists for Year 8 places, and in areas with formal late-transfer processes (Buckinghamshire, for example), Year 8 is the primary target year for in-year applicants. Families who moved into a grammar area during Year 7, or whose child narrowly missed the 11+ threshold, most frequently pursue Year 8 entry.
Year 9 entry is more restricted. Places arise less frequently, and some schools explicitly state they do not maintain waiting lists for Year 9 because vacancies rarely occur. Buckinghamshire runs a formal 13+ test for Year 8 pupils seeking Year 9 entry, but even with a passing score, offers are not guaranteed.
Year 10 and Year 11 entry is extremely rare and handled individually by each school. Applications for Year 10 or 11 at most grammar schools must be made directly to the school. Some grammars state outright that they do not accept Year 10 or 11 in-year admissions because GCSE studies are already underway and joining mid-course is educationally disruptive. Where they do accept applications, there is typically no coordinated test — the school assesses the child individually against its admissions policy.
One important rule applies in some areas: in Bexley (London), children who sat the 11+ in Year 6 are not eligible to sit the in-year test until the end of the Summer term of Year 7. This prevents children from immediately re-sitting after a Year 7 offer was not received and is specific to that borough's policy. Check your target school's admissions policy for equivalent restrictions in other areas.
| Region / Area | In-Year Coordination | Typical Test Used | Score Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire | Formal 12+/13+ process via council | Late Transfer Test | Selective threshold (school-specific) |
| Kent | Per school — no county process | CAT4 (most schools) | Average 114; or 118 in each subtest |
| Bexley (London) | Via London Borough of Bexley | CEM in-year test | Selective (deemed selective required) |
| Other London boroughs | Varies — typically per school or LA | School's own or CAT4 | School-specific |
| Slough / Berkshire | Per school | School's own Maths and English | School-specific |
| Other grammar areas | Per school | Varies | School-specific — check admissions policy |
The tests used for in-year grammar school admissions are not the same as the 11+ your child may have sat in Year 6, and this distinction matters for preparation. There are several common formats:
CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test, 4th Edition) is the most widely used assessment for in-year grammar admissions. CAT4 measures verbal, quantitative, non-verbal, and spatial reasoning across four batteries. It is not a knowledge test — there is no Maths syllabus to revise or English curriculum to cover. Instead, it tests the underlying cognitive abilities that correlate with academic potential: pattern recognition, abstract reasoning, numerical sequences, and verbal analogy. Schools that use CAT4 typically require a mean standardised score of at least 114 (equivalent to approximately the 82nd percentile) across all four batteries, with no individual battery falling below 108. Some schools set a higher threshold of 118 in each subtest. These scores are not trivially achieved — a score of 114 places a child in roughly the top 18% of the population, and grammar schools are already the top end of that range.
CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) in-year tests are used by schools in the Bexley borough, among others. The CEM in-year tests are different from the CEM 11+ (which many children sit for Year 7 entry) and are designed specifically for children already at secondary school. They are administered as timed computer-based or paper-based assessments covering reasoning skills.
Buckinghamshire's Late Transfer Test is a separate purpose-built assessment for children seeking Year 8 or Year 9 grammar school entry. It is not the same as the Year 6 Buckinghamshire transfer test. The 12+ is sat by current Year 7 pupils in the autumn term for September Year 8 entry; the 13+ is sat by Year 8 pupils for September Year 9 entry. Registration is via Buckinghamshire Council's admissions team and is only available during the annual registration window.
School-designed Maths and English papers are used by some schools outside the above areas, particularly those that are not part of a consortium or formal process. These papers vary considerably — some mirror A-level GCSE demand (appropriate for Year 9–11 entry), others are closer to the 11+ format. South Wilts Grammar School, for example, uses its own assessment for Year 8, 9, and 10 late entry.
Regardless of which test your child will sit, preparation that is specific to that format is important. CAT4 preparation is quite different from 11+ VR and NVR practice; the Late Transfer Test in Buckinghamshire has its own character; and CEM in-year papers differ from the Year 6 version. Our specialist tutors identify the exact test your target school uses and prepare accordingly — see our grammar school admissions process guide for more context on how selective schools approach assessment.
Buckinghamshire is one of the few areas in England with a fully selective secondary education system, meaning all state secondary schools in the county are either grammar schools or non-selective schools with no comprehensive alternative. This creates a unique situation for in-year applicants: the county runs a formal, coordinated Late Transfer Test (LTT) specifically for children seeking Year 8 or Year 9 grammar school entry.
The Late Transfer Test consists of two distinct assessments:
The 12+ test is for pupils currently in Year 7 who wish to join a Buckinghamshire grammar school in Year 8 (i.e., for September 2027 entry, the 12+ is for children currently in Year 7 in academic year 2026–27). The 13+ test is for pupils currently in Year 8 who wish to join in Year 9.
Registration for the Buckinghamshire Late Transfer Test for September 2027 entry opens on 5 October 2026 and closes on 23 October 2026. This is a narrow two-week window and it is essential to register within it — late registrations are not processed. There are two circumstances under which a child can apply: they have previously sat the Buckinghamshire transfer test (at Year 6), or they have moved into Buckinghamshire from outside the county or from abroad since the Year 6 round. Children who have not previously sat a Buckinghamshire test and who have lived in the county throughout Year 6 without taking the transfer test are not eligible for the LTT.
The schools accessible through the Buckinghamshire LTT include Aylesbury Grammar School, Aylesbury High School, Beaconsfield High School, Burnham Grammar School, Chesham Grammar School, John Hampden Grammar School, The Royal Latin School (Year 8 only), Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, and Wycombe High School. For other Buckinghamshire grammar schools, applications must be made directly to the school.
Places are extraordinarily rare. For September 2026 entry, no places were offered in either Year 8 or Year 9 in the first round of allocations in March, according to data published by Buckinghamshire Council. Children who pass the test are placed on a waiting list, but that list may never be called upon for Year 9, and only rarely for Year 8. Families should treat the LTT as a genuine long-shot process and plan their school options accordingly — but equally, families who have recently moved into the area or who have children who have demonstrably developed academically since Year 6 should not be deterred from applying.
Preparing for In-Year Grammar School Entry?
Leading Tuition provides targeted preparation for children applying through in-year admissions — CAT4, CEM, the Buckinghamshire Late Transfer Test, and school-specific papers. Our specialist tutors work from the exact format your target school uses, not generic 11+ materials.
Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. We support families in this process every academic year.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppKent has 32 grammar schools and one of the largest selective secondary sectors in England. Unlike Buckinghamshire, there is no county-wide coordinated in-year process — each school manages its own in-year admissions independently. This means families in Kent must contact and apply to each target school separately, and the process, test dates, and score requirements will differ between schools.
The majority of Kent grammar schools use CAT4 assessments for in-year applicants. Typical requirements are a standardised CAT4 score averaging 114 across all four batteries, with some schools setting a minimum of 118 in each battery. These requirements are confirmed to our tutors' knowledge from published admissions policies; always verify the current requirement directly with the school before applying, as thresholds can change year to year.
Several Kent schools run group in-year test sessions on scheduled dates throughout the year. Tonbridge Grammar School, Weald of Kent Grammar School, and Gravesend Grammar School are among those with published in-year policies available on their school websites. Applications are typically submitted on the school's own In-Year Casual Admissions Form (IYCAF), with results communicated to parents within ten working days of the assessment date. If a place is available and the child passes the test, an offer is made. If the child passes but no place is available, they may be added to a waiting list.
The scale of demand for Kent grammar places is significant. At Gravesend Grammar School, for example, all year groups from Year 7 to Year 11 are currently full with Year 7 waiting lists exceeding 150 students. Some Kent schools explicitly state that they are not maintaining in-year waiting lists for Years 8 to 11 because places are so unlikely to arise. Families moving into Kent should therefore contact target schools very early in the process to establish the current vacancy position before investing time in test preparation.
For detailed admissions information on individual Kent schools, our blog covers many of them — including our guides to Tonbridge Grammar School and Weald of Kent Grammar School.
London has a smaller grammar school sector than Kent or Buckinghamshire, but the schools that exist are typically highly competitive. In the London Borough of Bexley, which contains Bexley Grammar School, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, Beths Grammar School, and Townley Grammar School, in-year admissions follow a structured borough-coordinated process that is distinct from applications in other areas.
In Bexley, all in-year secondary applications — including to grammar schools — are processed through the London Borough of Bexley, not directly through the school. Parents must complete a Bexley In-Year Secondary School Application Form and return it to the council. Children who are already deemed selective (having passed the Bexley Selection Test at 11+) and who want to transfer to a Bexley grammar will be considered if a place is available. Children who have not previously sat the Bexley Selection Test and who are currently in Years 7 to 9 must sit the CEM in-year test before being considered.
The Bexley in-year tests are held on scheduled group dates across the year. For 2025–26, the test dates were: January 2026 (at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School), April 2026 (at Beths Grammar School), and July 2026 (at Townley Grammar School). Applications must be received at least three weeks before each test date. Results are typically communicated to families within two to three weeks of the test.
A significant restriction applies in Bexley: children who sat the Bexley 11+ in Year 6 and were not offered a Year 7 grammar place are not eligible to sit the in-year test until the end of the Summer term of Year 7. This means a child who started at a non-grammar school in September cannot apply for an in-year place until the following summer at the earliest — entry would then be from Year 8 in September.
For grammar schools in other London boroughs — such as QE Boys in Barnet, or Wallington County Grammar — the process is not coordinated at a borough level in the same way, and applications typically go directly to the school or through the admissions team. Check each school's own in-year admissions page for the current procedure.
Honest expectations are important here. The data is unambiguous: in-year places at grammar schools are extremely rare, and parents should not plan around receiving one. However, they do arise, and children who are well-prepared for the relevant test have a genuine chance when they do.
Places arise from three main sources: families leaving the area (including internationally mobile families on postings), children leaving to join the independent sector at Year 9 (Common Entrance transition), or children whose circumstances change during their time at the school. The frequency depends heavily on the individual school. A grammar school in a highly transient area near a military base or international employer may see more in-year movement than a school in a stable commuter town.
The statistics available are stark. In Buckinghamshire, which runs the most transparent process, zero places were offered in the first round for either Year 8 or Year 9 for September 2026 entry. Gravesend Grammar School in Kent explicitly states that Year 7 waiting lists exceed 150 students and that waiting lists are not maintained for higher year groups because they are essentially never called. In Bexley, all year groups are listed as full with waiting lists in place.
Despite this, in-year applications are still worth pursuing in several situations: your family has recently moved into the area (which may give priority in some oversubscription criteria), your child has clearly developed academically since Year 6 and would now comfortably pass a selective assessment, or you are moving from abroad and cannot have sat the Year 6 11+ for logistical reasons (in which case many schools treat you comparably to a normal applicant). Our tutors at Leading Tuition have supported children through successful in-year transitions — preparation matters both for the test and for demonstrating consistent academic readiness. For context on how the standard admissions process works, see our grammar school admissions process guide.
The application process for in-year grammar school admissions varies by area, but the following steps apply broadly across most situations:
Step 1: Identify your target schools and read their admissions policies. The admissions policy (also called the admission arrangements) must be published on the school's website. It will state whether the school accepts in-year applications, which year groups it currently has vacancies for, what test is used, the score threshold, and whether a waiting list is maintained. Download this document before doing anything else.
Step 2: Contact the school or local authority admissions team. Before submitting a formal application, call or email the admissions team to establish the current vacancy position and confirm the next available test date. In Bexley, the first contact should be with Bexley Council, not the school. In Kent and most other areas, contact the school directly. In Buckinghamshire, monitor the council website for the annual LTT registration window (October).
Step 3: Submit the in-year application form. Different areas use different forms. Bexley uses the borough's standard in-year secondary application form. Kent schools use their own IYCAF. Buckinghamshire uses the council's LTT registration process. Some schools simply have a contact form on their website. Ensure you note any deadlines relative to test dates — most schools require applications at least ten to fifteen working days before the test session.
Step 4: Prepare for the test. If your child is invited to sit an in-year assessment, preparation is important. The test format (CAT4, CEM, LTT, or school-specific) should be confirmed before you begin preparation. CAT4 and CEM in-year tests reward practice with the specific question types involved — they are not tests where general knowledge revision is helpful. Our tutors specialise in preparing children for the exact format they will face.
Step 5: Wait for results and place decision. Most schools communicate results within ten working days. If a place is offered, a start date will be agreed. If no place is currently available but your child passed the test, ask whether a waiting list is maintained and at what position your child would be placed. Many schools will confirm the waiting list position in writing. If an appeal is possible, this will be outlined in the results letter.
For families considering appealing a grammar school refusal, our grammar school appeal guide sets out the process in detail.
Yes, grammar schools can accept pupils outside the normal Year 7 intake through in-year admissions (sometimes called casual admissions). However, places are extremely limited. Grammar schools are selective, which means in-year applicants must sit and pass a test before being considered for a place — and many schools have no vacancies at all in Years 8 to 11. The process varies significantly between schools and local authorities: some run formal coordinated tests multiple times a year, while others process applications individually as and when a vacancy arises. Waiting lists are common and can be lengthy.
What tests do grammar schools set for in-year applicants?
The tests vary by school and region. Many grammar schools use Cognitive Abilities Tests (CAT4) for in-year applicants, typically requiring a minimum standardised score — often an average of 114 across all subtests, or 118 in each individual subtest. Schools in Bexley use CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) tests. Buckinghamshire runs a formal Late Transfer Test (the 12+ and 13+) for pupils wishing to transfer to grammar in Years 8 or 9. Some schools set their own Maths and English papers. None of these tests are identical to the Year 6 11+, and preparation targeted at the specific test format your target school uses is important.
Buckinghamshire runs a structured Late Transfer Test process for pupils wanting to join grammar school in Year 8 or Year 9. The 12+ test is for pupils currently in Year 7 who want a place in Year 8; the 13+ test is for Year 8 pupils wanting to enter Year 9. Registration for September 2027 entry opens on 5 October 2026 and closes 23 October 2026. Places are extremely limited — for September 2026 entry, no places were offered in either Year 8 or Year 9 in the first round of allocations in March. Registration is open to children who have previously sat the transfer test and to children who have newly moved into the county.
Kent grammar schools do accept in-year applications, but each school manages its own process independently — there is no county-wide coordinated in-year system equivalent to the 11+ Kent Test. Most Kent grammars use CAT4 assessments for in-year applicants, typically requiring scores of 114 or above on average, or 118 in each individual subtest. Schools such as Tonbridge Grammar, Weald of Kent Grammar, and Gravesend Grammar all publish their own in-year policies and test dates. Many Kent grammars are oversubscribed at every year group, with Year 7 waiting lists at some schools exceeding 150 students.
The process depends on the school and local authority. For London borough schools such as those in Bexley, applications are made through the borough's in-year secondary application form — not directly to the school. For Kent grammar schools, applications typically go to the school via their own In-Year Casual Admissions Form (IYCAF). For Buckinghamshire, registration is through the council's Late Transfer Test process during the annual October window. In all cases, step one is to check the specific school's admissions page and download their in-year admissions policy. Each school publishes its own procedure, test dates, deadlines, and score requirements.
Leading Tuition provides targeted preparation for children applying to grammar schools through in-year admissions — whether that means preparing for CAT4 assessments, CEM in-year tests, Buckinghamshire's Late Transfer Test, or a school's individual Maths and English papers. Unlike 11+ preparation, in-year admissions testing requires familiarisation with formats specific to each school or region. Our specialist tutors assess your child's strengths, identify gaps against the exact test format your target school uses, and build a focused preparation programme. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation at leadingtuition.co.uk/consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
Our specialist tutors prepare children for the exact test format their target grammar school uses — CAT4, CEM, the Buckinghamshire Late Transfer Test, or school-specific papers. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.
Book a Free Consultation Message on WhatsApp