Which Sutton grammar schools use it, what it tests, score thresholds and how to prepare.
The Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) is the 11+ entrance examination used by the five grammar schools in the London Borough of Sutton: Wilson's School, Sutton Grammar School for Boys, Nonsuch High School for Girls, Wallington High School for Girls, and Wallington County Grammar School for Boys. If your child is aiming for any of these schools, the SET is the gate through which every application must pass.
The SET is administered once per year, in September of Year 6. A child sits the test on a single day and the result determines eligibility for all five Sutton grammar schools simultaneously — there is no separate exam for each school. Registration typically opens in May of Year 6 and closes in June; missing the deadline means waiting a full year.
The SET consists of three papers, all taken on the same day:
Paper 1 — Mathematics: This is a problem-solving paper rather than a pure calculation test. Questions draw on the primary maths curriculum — number, algebra, ratio, geometry, and data handling — but present problems in ways that require multi-step reasoning and flexible thinking. The paper is timed, and both accuracy and speed matter. Boys and girls who have practised working systematically through multi-step problems and can identify the most efficient route to an answer tend to perform well.
Paper 2 — Verbal Reasoning: A 50-question paper covering all standard GL Assessment verbal reasoning question types: word analogies, hidden words, word codes, letter sequences, number codes, logic, and vocabulary-based tasks. Questions are multiple-choice and the paper is timed at 50 minutes. Verbal reasoning is one of the most teachable skills in the 11+ preparation toolkit — children who work through the full range of question types systematically over several months improve their scores significantly.
Paper 3 — Non-Verbal Reasoning: A 50-question paper testing pattern recognition, series completion, spatial reasoning, and figure classification using abstract shapes and symbols. Like verbal reasoning, NVR improves markedly with structured practice. Children should not leave NVR preparation until the final weeks before the exam.
Raw scores from all three papers are standardised to account for differences in age among candidates born at different times of year. A September-born child and a late August-born child (nearly a full year's difference in age) are compared on an equal basis after standardisation. The standardised score has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of approximately 15.
To be grammar-qualified — eligible for any of the five Sutton schools — a child must score above the grammar standard threshold. This threshold is recalculated each year based on the distribution of scores and the number of grammar school places available, but has typically been in the range of 107-111 in recent years. Meeting the grammar standard does not guarantee a place at any specific school; it simply means the child is eligible to be considered.
Once grammar-qualified, places at each school are allocated based on oversubscription criteria: children in care first, then siblings, then London Borough of Sutton residents, then out-of-borough children by distance. This means that a Sutton-resident child who meets the grammar standard has a very strong chance of receiving an offer from at least one of the five schools. An out-of-borough child needs to score well above the grammar standard to be competitive, particularly for oversubscribed schools like Wilson's School.
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Because all five schools use the same examination, families can effectively apply to multiple schools with a single sitting. The strategic question is which schools to list as preferences on the secondary school application form. Here is a brief summary of each:
Wilson's School — the most academically selective and consistently highest-ranked of the five schools. Particularly competitive for both Sutton residents (who have priority) and non-residents. See our Wilson's School Guide.
Sutton Grammar School for Boys — a strong boys' grammar school with good results and a supportive culture. Less oversubscribed than Wilson's, making it more accessible for boys who meet the grammar standard.
Wallington County Grammar School for Boys — a solid boys' grammar school that tends to be less oversubscribed than Wilson's. A good option for Sutton-resident boys who meet the grammar standard. See our Wallington County Grammar Guide.
Nonsuch High School for Girls — a highly regarded girls' grammar school with strong academic results. One of the most sought-after of the five schools for girls.
Wallington High School for Girls — a girls' grammar school with good results and a broad co-curricular programme. Less oversubscribed than Nonsuch, making it more accessible for girls who meet the grammar standard.
Registration for the SET is a two-step process that parents need to plan for in advance:
Step 1 — Register for the SET: Registration opens in May of Year 6 and closes at the end of June. Families register directly with the Sutton grammar schools (the registration form is available on the Sutton grammar schools consortium website). Missing the registration deadline means the child cannot sit the SET that year.
Step 2 — Submit secondary school preferences: The secondary school application is submitted separately, through the London or home local authority admissions portal, in October of Year 6. Families list their school preferences in order. To be considered for a Sutton grammar school, the child must both be grammar-qualified (have sat and passed the SET) and have listed that school as a preference on their secondary school application.
Both steps are required. Forgetting either step — registering for the SET but not listing the school on the application, or vice versa — results in no offer.
Several patterns consistently come up in families who underperform in the SET despite a capable child. Being aware of these in advance can make a significant difference:
Starting too late: September of Year 6 arrives quickly. Families who begin systematic preparation in January or February of Year 6 have seven to eight months of structured practice before the exam. Families who begin in July or August often find that there is not enough time to build genuine fluency — children can learn question types but have not developed the speed and accuracy that only comes from repeated, spaced practice over months.
Only practising maths: Many parents naturally focus on mathematics because it is the most familiar component. However, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning are equally important and equally teachable. A child who scores 120 in maths but only 105 in VR will be standardised to a much lower overall score than one who achieves 112 across all three papers consistently.
Not simulating exam conditions: Practice at home without time pressure is very different from a timed examination environment. Build timed, exam-condition practice sessions into the preparation routine from at least six months before the exam.
At Leading Tuition, our SET specialist tutors prepare children for all five Sutton grammar schools. We cover all three SET papers in depth and provide regular full timed mock examinations throughout the preparation period. Our programmes are tailored to each child's current level and target schools, and we build in regular progress assessments to ensure preparation is on track.
For families in Sutton and surrounding areas, we offer both in-person and online tuition. Many of our families are also considering grammar schools elsewhere in South London or Surrey, and we can design integrated programmes covering multiple examination formats. Book a free consultation with our team to discuss your child's targets and preparation timeline.
Many families prepare thoroughly for the SET Stage One multiple-choice papers but underestimate the different demands of the Stage Two examinations. Since Stage Two determines who actually receives a grammar school place — all five Sutton schools use Stage Two results to make final offers — it is crucial to understand what markers are rewarding in these written papers.
In the Stage Two Mathematics paper, examiners are specifically looking for clear written workings, not just correct answers. A child who arrives at the right answer but shows no working receives fewer marks than one who demonstrates a logical method even if a minor arithmetic slip produces the wrong final answer. Children should be drilled in the habit of writing down each step clearly, including any estimates or checks they have made. This is a significant departure from the Stage One multiple-choice format, where only the answer matters.
In the Stage Two English paper, open-answer comprehension questions are assessed on the accuracy of the child's understanding and their ability to reference the text effectively. Extended writing tasks — where they exist — reward controlled, purposeful writing with a clear structure and varied vocabulary. Examiners are experienced markers who read large numbers of scripts; responses that demonstrate genuine engagement with the question rather than template-based answers tend to stand out.
The best Stage Two preparation involves practising with past-style open-answer papers under timed conditions, then reviewing each response against the mark scheme to understand where marks were gained and lost. Children who have built this reviewing habit throughout their preparation are better placed to self-correct during the exam itself — noticing when an answer lacks evidence or when a mathematical step has been skipped. Starting Stage Two-specific preparation as soon as Stage One results come in (typically mid-October) gives families around four to six weeks of focused practice before the November Stage Two dates.
The SET takes place in September of Year 6 each year. The exact date shifts slightly year to year but is usually in the second or third week of September. Registration opens in May of Year 6 and closes at the end of June. Families should check the Sutton grammar schools' websites and the Sutton SET registration portal for the precise date each year as early as possible, since missing the registration deadline is not recoverable.
The grammar standard threshold is recalculated each year based on the distribution of scores and the number of grammar school places available. In recent years it has typically been in the range of 107-111 on the standardised scale (mean 100, SD ~15). However, to be competitive for the more popular schools — particularly Wilson's School — a score significantly above the bare grammar standard is generally needed, particularly for families living outside the London Borough of Sutton.
Yes. The SET is one examination system covering five schools; other grammar school systems (such as the North London Consortium for QE Boys and HBS, or the Hertfordshire system for Watford Grammar Schools) are entirely separate. A child can sit the SET in September and also sit other grammar school examinations in the same year — the registration and preparation processes are independent. Many families in South London apply to both the Sutton SET schools and to other grammar schools in the broader area.
Leading Tuition offers specialist preparation for the Sutton Selective Schools Entrance Test (SET), the CEM-style examination used by all five Sutton grammar schools including Wilson's School, Sutton Grammar School, Nonsuch High School, Wallington County Grammar School, and Wallington High School for Girls. The SET's verbal, numerical, and spatial reasoning components require sustained preparation from Year 4 or 5 to build the depth of reasoning the exam rewards. We are rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot by families we have worked with across the Sutton, Croydon, and Merton areas. To build a structured preparation plan for your child, book a free consultation at leadingtuition.co.uk/consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
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