Selective Eligibility Test 2025 entry - FAQs
Who are the ‘participating schools’ in the Selective Eligibility Test?
The ‘participating schools’ in the Selective Eligibility Test, ‘SET’, are Greenshaw High School, Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls and Wilson’s School.
If my child passes the Selective Eligibility Test does that mean they have a place at my chosen school?
No. If your child passes the Selective Eligibility Test for a particular school it means:
For Greenshaw High School – Greenshaw High School uses the outcome of the Selective Eligibility Test to determine those children who may be eligible to be considered for one of their 60 ability places. You may wish to list this school on your CAF. Please note that even if your child does not achieve the pass mark in the Selective Eligibility Test, they may still be eligible for a place at Greenshaw under one of the school’s other criteria.
For Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls, Wallington County Grammar School and Wilson’s School – your child is eligible to sit the second stage Entrance Examinations, details of which will be sent to you by email.
For boys:
A shared second stage test will be held by Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School and Wilson’s School on Saturday 5 October 2024. The test will be common to all three schools but the criteria applied to be of selective ability will be determined by each school individually. If your son is deemed to be of selective ability by any one of these schools, you will be able to name those school(s) on your CAF in your chosen order of preference.
A joint second stage test will be held by Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls on Saturday 28 September 2024. Both the test and the criteria applied to be of selective ability will be common to both schools. If your daughter is deemed to be of selective ability, you will be able to name either or both schools on your CAF in your chosen order of preference.
The outcome of the second stage entrance examinations will be emailed to parents/carers by the end of October (in advance of the deadline for completion of the CAF). Please note that success in the examinations does not mean that a place will be offered.
Please note:
- Greenshaw High School admits both boys and girls.
- Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School and Wilson's School admit only boys.
- Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls admit only girls.
When is the Selective Eligibility Test?
The date of the Selective Eligibility Test will be Tuesday 17 September 2024.
How do I apply for a place at Greenshaw High School?
To be considered for a Selective Eligibility Place at Greenshaw High School in Year 7 September 2025 you must register your child to take the Selective Eligibility Test by completing the online Registration Form which can be accessed via this website. This online Registration Form can also be accessed via the websites of Sutton Grammar School, Nonsuch HiWilson’s School, Wallington High School for Girls and Wallington County Grammar School.
The online Registration Form will be available to complete online from 1 May 2024. The closing date for the completion of the Registration Form is midnight on Friday 2 August 2024. No late registrations will be accepted under any circumstances. Please note there is an earlier deadline of 14 June 2024 for submission of requests for access arrangements for candidates with SEN and for supporting evidence (see further information below).
There is no overseas provision; in order to sit the test, your child must be present at one of the participating schools.
For the SET, these will be Greenshaw High School, Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls and Wilson’s School.
You must complete your registration using the online form in advance of the closing date. Should your child be successful in the Selective Eligibility Test and you wish to apply for a Selective Eligibility place, you must include Greenshaw High School on the Common Application Form (CAF).
The CAF is provided by your home Local Authority when your child is in Year 6 and you use it to apply to any school regardless of the Local Authority in which the School is located. The closing date for submission of the CAF is 31 October 2024. If you wish to apply for a place at Greenshaw High School, you must name the school on the CAF.
If I am also interested in a place at one or more of the other participating schools do I need to complete a separate form for them too?
No. You only need to complete the online Registration Form once. This is the case no matter how many of the participating schools you are interested in.
Do I need to complete a Supplementary Form?
The Registration Form for the Selective Eligibility Test serves as the Supplementary Form for Greenshaw High School and for all the schools in the SET group.
What if I am only interested in a place at one or two of the participating schools?
That’s fine. Just complete the online Registration Form to sit the Selective Eligibility Test (accessed via the website of any of the participating schools). Your child must sit the Selective Eligibility Test in order to be considered by any of the following schools: Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls, Wilson's School or for one of the 60 ability places available at Greenshaw High School.
What if I change my mind or am not seriously interested in any of the participating schools?
If you register your child for the SET but then decide that you do not want them to take the test after all, please let us know by emailing set2025entry@suttongrammar.school as soon as you decide.
Are you genuinely interested in applying for a place at one or more of the selective schools in the London Borough of Sutton? While any parent of a child who will be transferring to secondary school in September 2025 is entitled to register their child for the SET, we respectfully request that you only register if you are genuinely seeking a place in one or more of the SET participating schools.
Parents using our tests as a free ‘mock’ for more distant grammar schools or for independent schools generate unnecessary costs for us. When the children qualify for, and sit, stage 2 tests the costs can be quite significant as stage 2 tests have to be marked by teaching professionals.
How do I register twins or two or more children in the same school year?
You will be asked when you start your registration how many children you are going to register. Your children will then be linked to your parental information so that we know they are from the same family group. Please follow the instructions on the registration form. Please ensure you register siblings within the same registration so they are allocated the same school for the SET. If siblings are registered separately, they are not linked within the system and therefore may be allocated to different venues.
Can my child sit the test if they are not in Year 6 at the time of the tests?
No. The Selective Eligibility Test is for children who will be in Year 6 of primary school at the date of the test being held on 17 September 2024 (expected date of birth range 1 September 2013 to 31 August 2014). Children can only sit the Selective Eligibility Test once. A younger child cannot sit the test in earlier years as a practice. The participating schools will conduct year on year comparisons of the names of registered children.
What do I do if my child is out of the normal chronological age range in his/her year group?
If your child is going to be in Year 6 at the time of the test but is out of date range (i.e. their birth date is not between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014) then you must contact the SET Administrator at set2025entry@suttongrammar.school. You will be asked to provide supporting evidence from your child’s primary school confirming why the decision was taken to allow them into an academic year that does not correspond with their birth year. This information will be shared with all relevant participating schools and a decision will be taken by each of those schools as to whether to allow a child to be considered for a place at that school outside of the normal chronological age range. Please refer to the 2025 admission arrangements for the school(s) you are interested in for more information on how out of date range pupils are considered.
Why is there a question on the registration form about Pupil Premium/Free School Meals (FSM)?
You have been asked to complete these questions because your child’s eligibility for Free School Meals and/or your child’s Primary School receiving Pupil Premium in respect of him or her forms part of the oversubscription criteria in the admissions policies of the following schools within the SET group:
- Sutton Grammar School
- Nonsuch High School for Girls
- Wallington High School for Girls
- Wallington County Grammar School
- Wilson’s School
You should consult the Admissions Policy of these specific schools for further information.
For Sutton Grammar School, there is an admission band of up to 10 places available for candidates who pass the entrance tests for Sutton Grammar School and are eligible for income linked Free School Meals. If your son is eligible to be considered for a place at this school because they have passed the relevant test(s), documentary evidence to confirm FSM eligibility will be required from your child's current primary school after the Selective Eligibility Test. It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure this documentary evidence is available.
For Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls, candidates in receipt of income related free school meals or those who are registered as Pupil Premium at their Primary School are eligible to achieve up to 20% less than the standardised pass mark for the SET (and the standardised pass marks in the NWSSEE Maths and NWSSEE English papers). Parent/carer’s will be able to download a Pupil Premium form when registering their child for the SET (or a copy can be found here). The child’s Primary School will need to complete the form and return it to GLT Admissions (for Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls) before the child sits the Selective Eligibility Test. It is the parents/carer’s responsibility to ensure this evidence is submitted.
For Wallington County Grammar School, there is an admissions band of up to 25 places available for candidates who pass the entrance tests for Wallington County Grammar School and who are eligible for Pupil Premium. If your son is eligible to be considered for a place at this school because they have passed the relevant test(s), documentary evidence to confirm Pupil Premium/FSM eligibility will be required from your child's current primary school after the Selective Eligibility Test. It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure this documentary evidence is available.
For Wilson’s School, there is an admission band of up to 14 places available for candidates who pass the entrance tests for Wilson’s School and are eligible for income linked Free School Meals. If your son is eligible to be considered for a place at this school because they have passed the relevant test(s), documentary evidence to confirm FSM eligibility will be required from your child's current primary school after the Selective Eligibility Test. It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure this documentary evidence is available.
How do I find out if my child has triggered Pupil Premium or is eligible for Free School Meals (FSM)?
You should speak to your child’s primary school who will be able to help answer this question.
This link gives a list of the reasons why your child could be eligible for free school meals: https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals
This link provides information on pupil premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium/pupil-premium
What is in the Selective Eligibility Test?
The test is made up of two papers; a multiple-choice Maths paper and a multiple-choice English paper. The tests do not include verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning. Candidates record their answers on a separate answer sheet by filling in a lozenge-shape for answer A, B, C, D or E or a combination of answers. If candidates change their mind about the answer, they need to rub out as fully as possible the wrong answer and replace it with the new answer. The exam papers take between 40 and 50 minutes each and there is a rest and toilet break between the two.
An extract from a sample answer sheet can be viewed here.
Can I get specimen papers or sample questions for the Selective Eligibility Test?
We do not provide specimen papers. The content of the Maths and English tests is broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Examples of the sorts of questions asked for both the English and Maths Selective Eligibility Tests can be found below.
Is there any negative marking in the Selective Eligibility Test?
There is no negative marking in the SET papers. In the English paper, for questions where the candidate is told to select two of the multiple-choice options, candidates will only gain marks if they select both of the correct answers. No marks are awarded if only one of the correct answers is selected. No marks are awarded if the candidate selects more than two answers. For questions where the correct answers involve a range of possible answers (2, 3 or 4 options) without specifying the number, a marking approach will be taken which does not require the candidate to get all of the right answers to score a mark (unless the candidate selects all five options, which will automatically score zero). We do not share further details about this approach.
Will rough paper be supplied for workings out?
No, we do not provide rough paper for workings out. It is fine for candidates to use any additional space on the SET Question papers for their workings out.
Are there any other opportunities to sit the Selective Eligibility Test?
There are no alternative dates to sit the Selective Eligibility Test except if your child is not fit to sit the test on the day. A medical certificate/evidence covering 17 September 2024 confirming your child was not fit to sit the test on the day will be required. Further guidance regarding unfit to sit will be provided with your SET invitation.
Where will my child sit the Selective Eligibility Test?
All six participating schools will be hosting the Selective Eligibility Test at their schools at the same time on the same day. About a week before the test date you will be notified by email of the test centre your child should attend, along with other details needed to sit the test. Regardless of your preferences, girls will be allocated to sit the test at either Nonsuch High School for Girls, Wallington High School for Girls or Greenshaw High School. Boys will be allocated to sit the test at one of Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School or Wilson’s School. Boy/Girl twins or siblings will be allocated to sit the test at Sutton Grammar School.
Can I request that my child sits the Selective Eligibility Test at a particular venue?
No. In view of the number of candidates, it is not possible to manage requests for a specific venue.
I have been allocated a particular venue for my child to sit the Selective Eligibility Test but I am not interested in a place at that school?
It doesn’t matter. The school your child attends to sit the Selective Eligibility Test has no relevance to your preferences for a school place.
My child is at school abroad. Is it possible for my child to sit the SET at his/her current school?
No. We do not provide any form of overseas testing and all candidates are expected to travel to the UK to sit the SET at one of the Sutton school test centres.
My child currently lives outside England, can I apply for a place?
You should be aware that when you are applying for a school place by completing the Common Application Form, rather than simply registering your child to sit an entrance test, applicants living outside England may only submit an application if they have a linked address within an English Local Authority area. Documentary evidence must be supplied to the Local Authority at the time of application to show you will return to the address prior to September in the year of entry. If you wish to discuss your circumstances prior to making an application, you should contact the school admissions department of your likely future home Local Authority. Local Authority contact details in the local area are as follows:
- Sutton suttonadmissions@cognus.org.uk 020 8770 5000
- Merton admissions@merton.gov.uk 020 8274 4901
- Croydon school.admissions@croydon.gov.uk 020 8726 6400
- Surrey schooladmissions@surreycc.gov.uk 0300 200 1004
Can we request a morning or afternoon slot for the Selective Eligibility Test?
No. In view of the number of candidates, it is not possible to manage requests for a specific time during the test day.
What if my child has an Education Health and Care Plan? (EHCP)
If your child has an EHCP, there are separate processes for school admissions to be followed and you should speak first with your Local Authority who administer the process. You still need to complete the online Registration Form for your child to be able to sit the Selective Eligibility Test. Your child will need to pass the Selective Eligibility Test (and second stage tests where applicable) to be considered for a place at Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls, Wilson’s School or for one of the 60 ability places at Greenshaw High School.
Please note that supporting documentary evidence must be submitted if you wish us to consider putting access arrangements in place for the tests. The required evidence must be submitted no later than Friday 14 June 2024 to sen-set2025entry@suttongrammar.school. Please do not send the evidence to the school(s) you are interested in or to the general SET 2025 email address as it will not be processed.
Further guidance and information on the evidence that is required and the basis on which decisions on access arrangements will be made can be found here. A copy of the primary school form can be found here.
What if my child has special educational needs, disability or medical requirements that I think should be taken into account for the Selective Eligibility Test?
The online registration form asks you to provide details of any special educational needs, physical disability or medical conditions your child may have. It is particularly important that you tell us if your child has any physical/mobility, medical, sensory, learning or behavioural issues or conditions or is suffering from a temporary injury that may substantially disadvantage him/her in the context of an examination. Letting us know will not disadvantage your child in any way. It is also important that you tell us if your child has a disability in relation to mobility that has an impact upon their ability to access the exam venue so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
sen-set2025entry@suttongrammar.school no later than Friday 14 June 2024. Further guidance and information on the evidence that is required and the basis on which decisions on access arrangements will be made can be found here. A copy of the Primary School Form can be found here.
What should my child bring with them to the Selective Eligibility Test?
Your child will need:
- A printout of the invitation email which will be sent to you the week before the test. This contains your child’s venue details and candidate number.
- Two pencils (HB or B), a soft rubber, a pencil sharpener and a ruler in a clear plastic pencil case or bag.
- A fleece or jumper.
- If desired, water in a clear plastic sports cap bottle (no fizzy drinks) and a snack for break time (no nuts due to the number of children who suffer from nut allergies).
- A reading book to help pass waiting time. It should be a book that your child is reading for pleasure.
- Tissues.
Your child must not bring:
- A mobile telephone or any other electronic device.
- A calculator or calculator watch.
- A smartwatch or watch that beeps.
- Any piece of stationery which displays times tables or other such information.
- A dictionary.
- Any food containing nuts.
Please do not show us your child’s candidate number on your smartphone. You must have a printout with his/her candidate number when you arrive for the test.
Can my child bring their medication (e.g. EpiPen, inhaler) with them to the Selective Eligibility Test?
Your child may bring their usual medication with them to the test venue. It is important to provide details of their medical requirements on the online registration form so that we can make sure that the members of staff supervising their test venue are aware.
If your child is not fit to sit the Selective Eligibility Test on 17th September 2024 you must follow the instructions that will be included in the email invitation to sit the SET which you will receive in the week before the test. You will be required to email set2025entry@suttongrammar.school before the start of your child’s test session on 17th September 2024 with your child’s full name, date of birth and a brief description of their reasons for not attending the test.
Can you apply special consideration to the outcome of the Selective Eligibility Test?
We are unable to apply special consideration to the outcome of the Selective Eligibility Test under any circumstances. If you do not feel your child is in a fit state to sit the test on the test day, please follow the guidance above.
What happens if my child becomes unwell during the Selective Eligibility Test itself?
Where a candidate becomes indisposed during a test, the test venue will make appropriate arrangements to care for the child and to inform his/her parents. These arrangements may include allowing the candidate to leave the test room for a short period under supervision and returning to finish the tests. If the candidate is unable to continue and leaves the premises then he/she will not be allowed to finish any test that he/she has already started.
What is the pass mark for the Selective Eligibility Test?
It is not possible to state a pass mark in advance of the test. The pass mark will be decided by the participating schools after the test has been marked. Each School may determine its own pass mark.
Do you offer a review or re-marking service?
No. All SET answer sheets are marked twice as a matter of course: firstly, by machine and then by hand, to ensure that all marks are accurately recorded.
Does my child have to pass each paper in the Selective Eligibility Test?
It is the total score that determines whether your child has passed the test: so, for example, a very good performance in English can compensate for one that is a little weaker in Maths.
Does my son’s score in the Selective Eligibility Test count towards his score in the Second Stage Entrance Examination at Sutton Grammar, Wallington County Grammar and Wilson’s School?
Yes. The rank order of the entrance examinations at each of these schools will be determined on the basis of the aggregate scores of the Selective Eligibility Test and the papers which make up the shared Second Stage Entrance Examination. Each school may apply their own specific ratio and you are advised to look further at the websites of the individual schools.
Does my daughter’s score in the Selective Eligibility Test count towards her final score for Nonsuch and Wallington Girls?
Yes. The final total score is the sum of the SET score (re-standardised and divided by 2), the standardised Maths NWSSEE score and the standardised English NWSSEE score.
Do you make allowances for age (as in a child whose birthday is at one end of the school year)?
Yes. A standardisation for age mechanism is applied to the outcome of the Selective Eligibility Test. Age standardisation is normal in tests for entrance to selective schools. There is no fixed amount for the age adjustment. It is calculated for each test separately.
When and how do I find out the outcome of the Selective Eligibility Test?
You will receive an outcome email during the week after the Selective Eligibility Test.
Will I be given details of my child’s results of the Selective Eligibility Test?
Each school may determine its own pass mark.
For Greenshaw High School, if your child is eligible for one of the 60 ability places, you will not be given their score but you will be given information on how to apply for one of these 60 places.
If your child does not meet the required standard for any of the participating schools, you will be given his/her standardised scores in both papers which will include any appropriate age adjustment and their total score.
What happens if my child does not pass the Selective Eligibility Test?
If your child does not pass the Selective Eligibility Test for a particular school it means:
For Greenshaw High School – your child is not eligible for one of the 60 ability places at Greenshaw High School but they may still be eligible for a place at Greenshaw High School under one of the school’s other criteria. Please see our admissions policy for details of our admissions criteria.
For all the other participating schools – your child is not eligible for a place at any of these schools as they will not have met the admissions criteria. You should not name these schools on your CAF. However, if you think you might want to lodge an appeal, you will need to name the relevant school(s) on the CAF. This will give you the opportunity to lodge any appeal(s) after National Offer Day.
My child did not achieve the pass mark but only missed it by a few marks
The pass mark for each school represents a standardised score, rather than raw marks or points or a percentage score in the tests. Each child’s final total standardised score is stated to several decimal places to provide a ranked list. It is therefore possible (in fact likely) that there are a great number of candidates in the ranked list between each whole number.
For example, if the pass mark was a standardised score of 214 and your child’s total standardised score is 213, it is not accurate to say that they have missed the pass mark by ‘one mark’. There could be a large number of children (e.g. 50-60) with total standardised scores between your child’s position in the rank and the last child to achieve the pass mark.
When will I receive an offer of a school place?
You will not receive an offer until 3 March 2025 (National Offer Day).
I have a question which isn’t covered here; what should I do?
If your query relates to the SET, you should email it to set2025entry@suttongrammar.school
If your query relates to admissions for one of the participating schools, you should contact a member of the Admissions Team at that school:
|
School |
Tel No |
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Greenshaw High School |
020 8715 1001 |
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Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls |
020 8394 3400 |
|
|
Sutton Grammar School |
020 8642 3821 |
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Wallington County Grammar School |
020 8647 2235 |
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Wilson’s School |
020 8773 2931 |