Trafford is home to seven grammar schools, making it one of the most grammar-rich boroughs outside of the traditional selective counties of Kent and Buckinghamshire. For families living in Greater Manchester and across north Cheshire, these schools offer access to academically stretching state-funded education from age eleven — and competition for places is intense. This guide covers every grammar school in Trafford for 2026 entry: the five schools in the Trafford Consortium (AGSB, AGSG, Sale, Stretford and Urmston), and the two independent-test schools (Loreto Grammar and St Ambrose College), explaining the test formats, admissions timelines, number of places, oversubscription criteria, and what effective preparation looks like for each route.
Whether your child is in Year 4 or Year 5 and you are just beginning to explore options, or you are a Year 6 family trying to understand the 2026 deadlines, this guide gives you a comprehensive, factual starting point. For deeper coverage of the test format itself, see our companion guide to the Trafford 11+ format 2026, and for individual school guides covering AGSB, AGSG and Sale Grammar in detail, see the school-specific pages linked below.
Trafford's seven grammar schools fall into two distinct groups, and understanding this distinction is essential before you begin the admissions process. The first group — the Trafford Grammar School Consortium — comprises five schools that share a common entrance test. A child can register once, sit the examination on a single day, and use that result to apply to any or all five schools on the Common Application Form. This consortium approach is administratively convenient and significantly reduces the burden on families compared with areas where each school sets its own independent exam.
The five Consortium schools are:
1. Altrincham Grammar School for Boys (AGSB) — One of the most academically selective grammar schools in the north of England, AGSB is located on Marlborough Road, Bowdon, and offers 202 Year 7 places. Founded in 1912, it has a long tradition of academic excellence, with 99% of pupils achieving grade 5 or above at GCSE and consistently strong A-Level results. AGSB was rated 10th best sixth form in the country by the Daily Telegraph in 2025. It is rated Outstanding by Ofsted and is responsible for its own admissions as an academy.
2. Altrincham Grammar School for Girls (AGSG) — Founded in 1910 and located on Cavendish Road, Bowdon, AGSG offers 204 Year 7 places and has approximately 1,250 pupils in total, making it the largest single-sex grammar school in England. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted at its most recent inspection in October 2022, AGSG is part of the Bright Futures Educational Trust and has a reputation for both strong academic outcomes and broad co-curricular provision.
3. Sale Grammar School — Located on Marsland Road, Sale, Sale Grammar offers 190 Year 7 places and is led by Headteacher Mrs R Smith. With 99.5% of pupils achieving grade 4 or above in English and Maths at GCSE and 38.5% achieving AAB or better at A-Level, it offers a strong all-round education for both boys and girls. Ofsted rates the school Outstanding.
4. Stretford Grammar School — A mixed (co-educational) selective grammar school in Stretford, serving boys and girls across Trafford and surrounding areas. Stretford Grammar is one of the more accessible Trafford selective schools by geography for families in central and south Manchester, and it draws pupils from a wide area.
5. Urmston Grammar School — Located in Urmston, this co-educational grammar school serves families in the Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme areas, as well as those from neighbouring parts of Greater Manchester and Cheshire. It offers a welcoming and rigorous selective education with a strong community ethos.
The second group consists of two Catholic selective schools that sit outside the Consortium:
6. Loreto Grammar School — A Catholic girls’ grammar school in Altrincham. Loreto uses its own separate entrance test, taken on a different date from the Consortium exam (19 September 2025 for 2026 entry). As a faith school, it has additional oversubscription criteria related to religious practice. Loreto is consistently regarded as one of the top girls’ grammar schools in the North West.
7. St Ambrose College — A Catholic boys’ grammar school in Hale Barns. Like Loreto, St Ambrose uses a separate entrance test and has faith-based oversubscription criteria. It is regularly placed among the top-performing boys’ schools in Greater Manchester for A-Level and GCSE results.
For children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 — those in Year 5 during the 2025-26 academic year, who will start Year 7 in September 2027 — the Trafford Consortium admissions timeline for September 2027 entry is as follows:
| Key Date | Detail |
|---|---|
| Registration opens | 12 noon, Thursday 23 April 2026 |
| Registration closes | 12 noon, Friday 19 June 2026 |
| Entrance examination | Monday 14 September 2026 |
| Results issued | Mid-October 2026 (by email) |
| CAF deadline | 31 October 2026 |
| National offers day | 1 March 2027 |
Registration is completed through each Consortium school’s own website (for example, via the AGSB admissions portal at traffordgl.applicaa.com). You do not need to register with every school individually — you can indicate at registration which schools you wish your child’s result to be shared with. Families who miss the 19 June 2026 registration deadline will not be able to sit the standard September test; late applications are generally not considered until after National Offers Day on 1 March 2027.
The Common Application Form (CAF), which is submitted to your home local authority, must be completed by 31 October 2026. On the CAF, you rank your preferred schools in order. Achieving a qualifying score in the Trafford test does not guarantee a place — it makes your child eligible for selective consideration, and places are then allocated according to each school’s oversubscription criteria. This is why it is important to understand the criteria for each school you list.
The Trafford Grammar School Consortium uses a bespoke test created by GL Assessment. This has been the provider since 2024 entry, replacing the previous arrangement. The test consists of two papers, each approximately one hour in length, assessing three areas: verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and mathematics.
Because the paper is bespoke to the Trafford Consortium, students sitting this test will not sit the same examination at any other school. The question types, however, are broadly similar to standard GL Assessment familiarisation materials, which GL makes available. The consortium’s test is entirely multiple-choice, which distinguishes it from exams such as the Manchester Grammar School entrance test and the CSSE Essex consortium test, both of which use written or open-ended formats.
Scores are age-standardised to ensure that summer-born children — those born between April and August — are not disadvantaged relative to September-born peers who have had more months of schooling by the exam date. After standardisation, each school uses its own qualifying threshold and oversubscription criteria to determine which children receive offers. Schools do not publish their qualifying thresholds in advance; these are set each year based on the cohort and are typically communicated to families alongside results in October.
The total number of Year 7 places available across the Trafford Consortium is substantial, but so is the demand. Each school is consistently oversubscribed, meaning that the majority of children who sit the entrance test and achieve a qualifying score will not receive an offer from every school they apply to. The oversubscription criteria determine who is offered a place when there are more qualifying applicants than spaces.
| School | Type | PAN (Y7 places) | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGSB | Boys’ grammar | 202 | Trafford GL (Consortium) |
| AGSG | Girls’ grammar | 204 | Trafford GL (Consortium) |
| Sale Grammar | Mixed | 190 | Trafford GL (Consortium) |
| Stretford Grammar | Mixed | — | Trafford GL (Consortium) |
| Urmston Grammar | Mixed | — | Trafford GL (Consortium) |
| Loreto Grammar | Catholic girls’ | — | Separate (own test) |
| St Ambrose College | Catholic boys’ | — | Separate (own test) |
Common oversubscription criteria across the Consortium typically prioritise: (1) looked-after children and previously looked-after children; (2) Pupil Premium-eligible children from local state primary schools who achieve at or above threshold; (3) children living within the priority admission area who score above the qualifying threshold; and (4) children from outside the priority area, allocated by score and then distance. The exact criteria differ between schools, so it is essential to read the admissions policy for each school you intend to list on the CAF.
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Message Us on WhatsAppFor families interested in Loreto Grammar School or St Ambrose College, the admissions process is entirely distinct from the Consortium. These two Catholic schools use their own entrance examination, scheduled on a different date. For 2026 entry (children already in Year 6 during 2025-26), the test took place on 19 September 2025, and families will have already sat that examination. For 2027 entry — the cohort currently in Year 5 in 2025-26 — families should contact Loreto and St Ambrose directly for their 2026 registration and test dates.
Both schools have faith-based oversubscription criteria, which means that Catholic families who meet the religious practice requirements — typically demonstrated through a priest’s reference or certificate of Catholic practice — are given priority over equally qualified non-Catholic applicants once all higher-priority criteria have been applied. Families who are not Catholic can still apply and may receive a place if they score highly enough, but competition for the remaining places is typically intense.
Academically, both Loreto and St Ambrose are among the strongest performing schools in the North West. St Ambrose College has historically ranked among the top boys’ schools in the country for A-Level performance, and Loreto Grammar has a similarly strong track record at GCSE and A-Level for its girls. Both schools have Sixth Forms and educate pupils through to age 18.
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Book a Free ConsultationEffective preparation for the Trafford Consortium entrance test requires a systematic approach across all three assessed areas: verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and mathematics. Unlike the CSSE exam used in Essex, which assesses English and Maths through written answers, the Trafford test is entirely multiple-choice. This has implications for preparation strategy: children need to develop both the underlying skills (vocabulary, reasoning, mathematical fluency) and the technique for working accurately and quickly through multiple-choice questions.
Verbal Reasoning (VR) covers a wide range of question types, including word analogies, synonym and antonym selection, number codes, letter sequences, and verbal comprehension. A rich vocabulary is the foundation: children who read widely and regularly from Year 4 onward develop word knowledge that serves them across all VR question types. Targeted VR practice using GL Assessment-style questions is essential from around Year 5, as many question types — particularly codes and letter patterns — need deliberate practice to feel intuitive under time pressure.
Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) assesses visual and spatial thinking: recognising patterns in shapes, identifying mirror images, completing sequences, and understanding spatial codes. NVR is often the area where children’s performance improves most rapidly with targeted practice, because the question types are unlike anything taught in school. Many children find NVR unfamiliar when they first encounter it, but with regular systematic exposure to the common question types, they develop pattern recognition that significantly improves both speed and accuracy.
Mathematics covers the KS2 curriculum up to the start of Year 6: place value, fractions and decimals, percentages, ratio, algebra, geometry, and data handling. In the Trafford test, maths questions are multiple-choice, which means children can sometimes work backwards from the available answers or eliminate options to save time. A solid foundation across all KS2 maths topics, combined with timed multiple-choice practice, is the most effective preparation approach.
Timing and starting point. Most families who target the Trafford Consortium begin structured preparation in Year 5, giving roughly twelve months of preparation before the September exam. Beginning in Year 4 is possible for children who show particular readiness, but it should be paced carefully to avoid fatigue. Beginning in the spring or summer of Year 6 is possible for children with strong underlying skills, but the window for addressing gaps becomes compressed. The most effective approach is a regular, manageable schedule — two to three sessions per week — rather than intensive cramming near the exam date.
Each Trafford grammar school has its own admissions policy, oversubscription criteria, character, and catchment patterns. For families who want to understand a specific school in depth, we have published detailed individual guides:
Our complete AGSB 11+ guide covers the school’s 202-place intake, the priority admission area (WA13/WA14/WA15/M33/M23 within Trafford LA), the qualifying score threshold, the school’s distinctive ethos and sixth form, and how to prepare specifically for AGSB.
Our complete AGSG 11+ guide covers the school’s 204-place intake, why AGSG is the largest single-sex grammar school in England, the 8-mile catchment radius, Ofsted Outstanding rating, and how the school differs in character from other Trafford grammars.
Our complete Sale Grammar 11+ guide covers Sale Grammar’s 190 places, the confirmed qualifying score of 334+, the school’s co-educational character, GCSE and A-Level results, Ofsted rating, and preparation strategy.
With five Consortium schools to choose from (plus potentially Loreto and St Ambrose for eligible families), one of the most common questions parents ask is: how do I decide which schools to list on the CAF, and in what order? There is no single right answer, but there are a few important principles to bear in mind.
First, listing a school on your CAF does not commit your child to attend — you can accept or decline any offer made. This means there is little downside to listing multiple Consortium schools, as long as you are genuinely happy with any offer you receive. Second, order matters: local authorities apply equal-preference rules, but your preference order is used to decide between equal offers. Most families put their most preferred school first and work down to their acceptable alternatives.
The key factors that typically differentiate Trafford grammar schools for families are: single-sex versus co-educational (AGSB and AGSG are single-sex; Sale, Stretford and Urmston are mixed); geography and travel time; school ethos and extracurricular provision; and, for Catholic families, whether faith school criteria are relevant. Visiting each school at an Open Evening — which typically takes place in the summer term of Year 5 or early autumn of Year 6 — is the most reliable way to assess cultural fit beyond exam statistics.
There are seven grammar schools in Trafford: Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale Grammar School, Stretford Grammar School, and Urmston Grammar School are in the Trafford Consortium and share one entrance test. Loreto Grammar School and St Ambrose College are Catholic schools that use a separate test on a different date. All seven are state-funded and free to attend.
For 2027 entry (children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, currently in Year 5 during 2025-26), the Trafford Consortium entrance test is scheduled for Monday 14 September 2026. Registration opens 23 April 2026 and closes 19 June 2026. Loreto Grammar and St Ambrose use a separate test with a different date — contact those schools directly for their 2026 registration information.
The Trafford Consortium test is a bespoke GL Assessment paper covering verbal reasoning (VR), non-verbal reasoning (NVR) and mathematics. It consists of two papers, each approximately one hour in length, and is entirely multiple-choice. There is no English essay or written element. The maths content covers the KS2 curriculum up to the start of Year 6. VR includes word relationships, vocabulary and comprehension tasks. NVR covers pattern recognition, sequences and spatial reasoning.
Qualifying thresholds vary by school and are set each year based on that year’s cohort. Sale Grammar confirms a score of 334 or above as a successful outcome; AGSB uses a similar threshold for priority-area applicants, with Pupil Premium places starting from 324. Scores are age-standardised, so summer-born children are not disadvantaged. Achieving the qualifying standard makes a child eligible but does not guarantee a place — oversubscription criteria then determine allocation.
Yes. All five Consortium schools share the same entrance test. Your child sits it once on 14 September 2026, and the result can be shared with all five schools. You then list your preferred schools on the Common Application Form (CAF), submitted by 31 October 2026. Each school applies its own oversubscription criteria to allocate places. Loreto Grammar and St Ambrose require separate registration and use a different test — they cannot be accessed via the Consortium route.
Leading Tuition provides specialist one-to-one preparation for children targeting the Trafford Grammar School Consortium. We start with a diagnostic assessment covering VR, NVR and maths in GL Assessment format, then build a personalised preparation plan. As the exam approaches, we shift to timed mock papers to build pacing and confidence. We are rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot and have helped children across the UK earn grammar school places. Contact us on WhatsApp to book a free consultation.
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