Wallington County Grammar School for Boys 11+ Guide 2026
SET exam format, score thresholds and preparation strategy for this strong Sutton grammar school.
SET exam format, score thresholds and preparation strategy for this strong Sutton grammar school.
Checked October 2026
The SET was held on Tuesday 15 September 2026 and the boys' Second Stage Test on Saturday 3 October 2026. The Common Application Form closes on 31 October 2026 and offers follow on 1 March 2027, according to the Greenshaw Learning Trust's SET guidance and WCGS's admission arrangements for Year 7 entry in September 2027.
Wallington County Grammar School (WCGS) is a boys' state grammar school in Wallington, in the London Borough of Sutton. It participates in the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) alongside Greenshaw High School, Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls and Wilson's School. WCGS is an academy in the Greenshaw Learning Trust, which is also the admissions authority for the school.
For Year 7 entry in September 2027, the school has a Published Admission Number of 150, and places go to boys who reach the school's combined qualifying standard from the SET and the Second Stage Test and who name WCGS on the Common Application Form. In the Department for Education's performance tables published in April 2026, the school's Attainment 8 score for pupils who completed key stage 4 in summer 2025 was 77.7, against 46.1 for all state schools in England.
WCGS uses the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) as the first stage of its 11+ entrance examination, the same first-stage test used by the other participating schools. The SET was held on Tuesday 15 September 2026 for children in Year 6 and consists of two papers:
Mathematics: A multiple-choice paper whose content is broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Each SET paper takes between 40 and 50 minutes, candidates may not bring a calculator, and no rough paper is supplied, so workings go on the question paper.
English: A multiple-choice paper whose content is also broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Candidates record their answers on a separate answer sheet, and where a question says to select two options, a mark is only gained by selecting both correct answers.
Marking: There is no negative marking in the SET papers, and it is the total score across both papers that determines whether a boy passes.
The SET was sat on a single day, Tuesday 15 September 2026, and the Greenshaw Learning Trust's SET guidance says parents receive an outcome email during the week after the test. Registration opened on Friday 1 May 2026 and closed at midnight on Friday 31 July 2026, with no late registrations accepted; the earlier deadline for access-arrangements requests was Friday 12 June 2026. Boys who reached the pass mark were invited to the Second Stage Test, which was held on Saturday 3 October 2026, and its outcome will be emailed to parents by the end of October 2026. The Common Application Form must be submitted by 31 October 2026, and offers are made on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027.
The SET is the first stage for every participating school, but the pass mark is decided by the participating schools after the test has been marked, and each school may determine its own pass mark. To be considered for a place at WCGS, a boy must reach the school's combined qualifying standard from the SET and the Second Stage Test, in which the SET counts for two fifths of the total standardised score and the Second Stage Test for three fifths. Once a boy has reached that standard, places at WCGS are allocated under the school's own oversubscription criteria, which are:
1. Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children who meet the combined qualifying standard. 2. Children of permanent members of staff who meet the combined qualifying standard, where the member of staff meets the conditions in the arrangements. 3. The entrance test: places are allocated in rank order of performance, and places under Priorities 1 to 3 will not initially exceed 110. 4. Pupil Premium: up to 25 places for boys who meet the combined qualifying standard and are eligible for Pupil Premium through their current school at the Common Application Form deadline. 5. Sutton postcodes: up to 15 places for boys who meet the combined qualifying standard and live at a listed postcode at the closing date for applications. Boys with an Education Health Care Plan that names WCGS and who meet the combined qualifying standard are allocated a place before these criteria are applied, which reduces the places available under them. Home-to-school distance is used only as a tie-breaker.
Importantly, address plays only a limited part in allocation at WCGS: the Sutton postcodes priority covers up to 15 places, while the entrance test priority allocates places in rank order of performance. A boy must also name WCGS on his Common Application Form to be considered for a place.
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In the summer 2025 key stage 4 results, 99.3% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs, against 45.4% across state schools in England.
WCGS is a selective school for boys that accepts girls into its sixth form.
The most common question we hear from families is how WCGS compares to Wilson's School. The key differences are:
Shared tests: Boys applying to WCGS, Sutton Grammar School and Wilson's School sit the SET and then one Second Stage Test shared by the three schools, which was held on Saturday 3 October 2026. Each school determines the criteria it applies to judge selective ability.
Selectivity: Each school may determine its own pass mark and may apply its own ratio between the SET and Second Stage scores; WCGS counts two fifths of the total standardised score from the SET and three fifths from the Second Stage Test.
Size: WCGS has a Published Admission Number of 150 for Year 7 in September 2027.
Sixth form: WCGS has 175 selective places in Year 12 for male and female applicants, and a minimum of 25 external places will be offered.
For many families, WCGS is the right first-choice school — not a fallback. The choice between Wilson's and WCGS should not be made solely on national rankings.
Preparation for WCGS entry is the same as for Sutton Grammar School and Wilson's School, since boys sit the same SET and the same Second Stage Test for all three. A strong preparation plan looks like this:
Year 5: Build secure Key Stage 2 English and maths, since the content of the SET Maths and English tests is broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Continue developing mathematical fluency and read widely. Build a habit of regular timed practice sessions.
Year 6 (the months before the SET): Move to structured mock papers covering both SET papers, Maths and English. Review mistakes by question type to identify specific weaknesses. Introduce full timed practice examinations in the final months before the test.
Year 6 (the SET and Second Stage Test): Reduce paper volume slightly; focus on maintaining accuracy and confidence. Practise exam-day logistics: each SET paper takes between 40 and 50 minutes, answers go on a separate answer sheet, and there is no negative marking.
At Leading Tuition, our Sutton SET specialist tutors prepare boys for WCGS, Wilson's School, Sutton Grammar School, and the other Sutton grammar schools. Since boys sit the same SET and the same Second Stage Test for WCGS, Sutton Grammar School and Wilson's School, preparation for one covers all three. We provide structured programmes from Year 5 onwards, full mock papers, and detailed feedback on each child's performance by question type.
For families in Sutton and surrounding areas, we offer both in-person and online tuition. Book a free consultation to discuss your son's preparation.
Securing a place at Wallington County Grammar School demands a two-stage strategy because boys must first reach the pass mark in the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) and are then invited to a Second Stage Test, run jointly by WCGS, Sutton Grammar School and Wilson's School. In 2026 the SET was held on Tuesday 15 September 2026 and the boys' Second Stage Test was held on Saturday 3 October 2026, 18 days later. The strongest applications are built well before the SET. Passing the SET depends on the total score across its two papers, so a very good English performance can compensate for a slightly weaker Maths one, but the pass mark is only decided after the test has been marked, so consistent performance across both papers is essential.
To maximise your son's chances, structure preparation in two phases. From the start of Year 5 until the end of the spring term of Year 6, focus on building subject knowledge: work through the full KS2 maths curriculum methodically, extend reading to include complex non-fiction and structured argument texts, and build vocabulary deliberately using word-a-day programmes or etymology study. From the summer term of Year 6 onwards, shift to exam-specific practice: sit full timed practice papers in the SET's multiple-choice Maths and English format (the SET guidance says specimen papers are not provided, but sample questions are published), review every error with a tutor or parent, and target any recurring weak spots with topic-specific drills. Aim to complete several full timed mocks before the test. Candidates who have practised under timed conditions repeatedly are better placed to settle into papers that last between 40 and 50 minutes each, and boys who reach the school's pass mark are then invited to the Second Stage Test.
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Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against the Greenshaw Learning Trust's SET frequently asked questions and WCGS Admission Arrangements 2027/28, WCGS's own admissions page and the DfE's school performance tables.
The tests are the same but the pass marks are not necessarily the same: both schools take boys through the same SET and the same shared Second Stage Test, but each school determines its own criteria for selective ability and may determine its own pass mark and its own ratio between the SET and Second Stage scores. WCGS counts two fifths of its total standardised score from the SET and three fifths from the Second Stage Test, and its Published Admission Number for Year 7 in September 2027 is 150.
Only to a limited extent. A Sutton postcode priority (Priority 5) covers up to 15 places for boys who meet the combined qualifying standard and live at a listed postcode on 31 October 2026, while the entrance test priority allocates places in rank order of performance. A boy who lives in Sutton still has to reach the combined qualifying standard from the SET and the Second Stage Test. Boys living outside Sutton compete under the same entrance test priority, in which places are allocated in rank order of performance.
Yes. Because the participating schools share the SET, a family registers once and a boy sits the test once; a boy deemed to be of selective ability by any one of Sutton Grammar School, WCGS or Wilson's School can then name those schools on his Common Application Form in his chosen order of preference. A school can only be considered if it is named on the Common Application Form, which must be submitted by 31 October 2026, and offers are made on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027. After the SET, boys who reached the pass mark were invited to the shared Second Stage Test, which was held on Saturday 3 October 2026.
Entry to Wallington County Grammar School has two stages. The first is the Selective Eligibility Test (SET), made up of two multiple-choice papers, Maths and English, each taking between 40 and 50 minutes, with no verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning. The SET's content is broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, answers are recorded on a separate answer sheet, there is no negative marking, and calculators are not permitted. Boys who reach the school's pass mark are then invited to a Second Stage Test, made up of a Maths paper and an English paper. Understanding this format is essential before starting structured preparation, as it determines which skills to prioritise and which practice materials to use.
Both schools take boys through the same SET and the same shared Second Stage Test, but each school determines its own criteria for selective ability and may determine its own pass mark, so reaching the pass mark for one school does not mean a boy has reached it for the other. Both schools use the same Sutton SET exam, and a family registers for it once.
No. Wallington County Grammar School's determined admission arrangements contain no designated area or catchment. Priorities 1 to 3 together will not initially exceed 110 of its 150 places, and under Priority 3 places are allocated in rank order of performance, not by distance. A Sutton postcode priority does exist, but it is Priority 5, the last of five, and offers up to 15 places to boys who have already met the combined qualifying standard from the SET and the WCGS Second Stage Tests; the postcodes listed are SM1 to SM7, KT4 8, CR0 4 and CR4 4. There is no separate in-area threshold - the qualifying standard is the same wherever a boy lives, and home-to-school distance is used only as a tie-break within a priority. Always check the current determined arrangements on the school's website before applying.
Leading Tuition provides specialist preparation for Wallington County Grammar School 11+ entry using the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET). The SET's two multiple-choice papers, Maths and English, are broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, so knowledge and fluency built over time count for more than last-minute cramming. Our specialist tutors work with boys from Year 5 through to the SET, building the subject knowledge and exam confidence needed to reach the pass mark. To discuss a structured preparation plan for your son, book a free consultation at leadingtuition.co.uk/consultation or message us on WhatsApp at +44 7360 278449.
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