Guide to grammar schools and the Secondary Transfer Test

GL Assessment mark the Secondary Transfer Test papers. The marks are then ‘standardised'. Standardisation balances the overall performance of children from one year to the next. It also makes sure that all children are placed on an equal footing and that no child is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged because of their age. It takes into account each child's age in years and months on the date they take the test. A child's ‘standardised score' will be between 60 and 170.

Your child's standardised scores from the two Secondary Transfer Test papers are added together. This gives their standardised Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS). The STTS will be the sum of the following:

• 50% of the standardised score for verbal skills
• 25% of the standardised score for mathematical skills
• 25% of the standardised score for non-verbal skills

If your child's STTS is 121 or above, they qualify for grammar school. We expect that about 37% of children will get an STTS of 121 or more. Your child is suitable for any Buckinghamshire grammar school if they qualify by scoring 121 or more in the Secondary Transfer Test

All children who score 121 or above qualify. A score above 121 does not mean your child has a higher priority for a grammar school place as Buckinghamshire grammar schools do not use score as an admission rule.

Your child's STTS is not used to work out whether they are likely to be offered a grammar school place. This is different from other areas with grammar schools.

If your child qualifies but does not go to one of our grammar schools at the start of Year 7, that qualification will eventually lapse. Usually this happens in the school year starting in September 2025 but you should check the admission policy for the school you are interested in to find out.

Further details are in the admissions policy for each grammar school. If you would like your child to start at a grammar school after the start of Year 7, there is the Late Transfer Procedure.

If you ask us, we will remark your child's test papers and check their Secondary Transfer Test Score (STTS). There is a cost for this service. Talk to your child's headteacher about this. They will tell you that it is most unlikely that your child's papers will have been incorrectly marked.

Under the Data Protection Act, Schedule 2, Part 4, Para 25, candidates do not have the right to see their test papers once handed in. The Freedom of Information Act does not override the Data Protection Act in this matter.