The 11+ and grammar schools near Walthamstow
Waltham Forest has no grammar schools of its own, so every application is an out-of-borough one. Here is who you can apply to from E17, which test each school uses, and the deadlines families most often miss.
Grammar schools within reach of E17
Dates below are for September 2027 entry — the cycle that is running now. Schools usually publish the following year around 12 to 18 months ahead.
The Latymer School
A highly regarded co-educational grammar school, and the most realistic option for most Walthamstow families. E17 postcodes are inside its catchment area, so your child is eligible to apply.
- Its own bespoke 11+ test: maths, verbal reasoning and English
- Registration: 17 March – 2 June 2026
- Test sat: early September 2026
- 192 Year 7 places
- Council application deadline: 31 October 2026
Woodford County High School
A selective girls’ grammar, consistently among the strongest schools in the country. Entry is through the joint Redbridge 11+ test.
- Redbridge 11+ (GL Assessment)
- Minimum qualifying score: 104
- Registration: 1 May – 15 June 2026 (5pm)
- Test sat: 18 September 2026
- 180 places, with a quarter of catchment places reserved for pupil premium children
- Council application deadline: 31 October 2026
Ilford County High School
A selective boys’ grammar and one of the most oversubscribed schools in London. Entry is through the same Redbridge 11+ test as Woodford County High.
- Redbridge 11+ (GL Assessment): one English and verbal reasoning paper, one maths and non-verbal reasoning paper
- Minimum qualifying score: 104
- Registration: 1 May – 15 June 2026 (5pm)
- Test sat: 18 September 2026
- 180 places, with a quarter of catchment places reserved for pupil premium children
- Council application deadline: 31 October 2026
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet
Worth knowing about because it has no catchment area at all — places are awarded on test score alone, from anywhere in the country. The journey is long, but the door is genuinely open.
- Its own test: multiple-choice maths and English
- Minimum qualifying score: 225 (combined standardised English and maths)
- Registration: 1 May – 8 July 2026 (noon)
- Test sat: 16–17 September 2026
- 180 places
- Council application deadline: 31 October 2026
Also within reach for some families: The Henrietta Barnett School and St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School in Barnet, and the CSSE consortium schools in Essex including King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford. Journey times from E17 are an hour or more.
Two deadlines, not one
This is where families most often come unstuck. Registering for a grammar school’s entrance test is not the same as applying for a place.
- Register directly with each school you want your child to sit a test for. Every school has its own window, and they close in June or July — more than a year before your child would start.
- Then name those schools on your council application (the Common Application Form) by 31 October. Waltham Forest families apply through Waltham Forest, even for schools in Enfield, Redbridge, Barnet or Essex.
- Offers arrive on 1 March, and you have until 15 March to accept.
Waltham Forest has no grammar schools of its own, so every school on this page is an out-of-borough application. That is normal, and it does not count against you.
When to start, and what the test actually asks
The 11+ is sat at the start of Year 6, which means the preparation happens in Year 5.
Year 4 – get the basics solid
No 11+ practice yet. Reading widely and secure arithmetic do more for a Year 4 child than any practice paper.
Year 5 – start properly
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are unfamiliar to most children because school does not teach them. This is the year to meet them.
Summer before Year 6
Registration closes in June or July. Timed papers over the summer, so the test in September is not the first one under pressure.
Have a plan B
Most children who sit the 11+ do not get a place, and that is not a failure. Name good local comprehensives on the same form.
How we help
We teach 11+ preparation the same way we teach everything else — face to face, in small groups, with our own materials.
- Verbal and non-verbal reasoning from scratch
- English comprehension and writing under time pressure
- Maths beyond the Year 5 curriculum
- Timed practice papers with written feedback
The dates on this page are for September 2027 entry. No school has published September 2028 dates yet — if your child is currently in Year 5, expect the same pattern roughly a year later. We update this page as each school confirms.
Talk to us before you commit to anything
The 11+ suits some children and not others. Book a free assessment and we will give you an honest view of whether it is worth preparing for.
