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EXAM AREA / SEPTEMBER 2027 ENTRY

Trafford 11+

The five-school shared test, with separate routes for the Catholic grammar schools.

GL Assessment · shared testYear 6 test → Year 7 entry

Official sources checked 28 Sept 2026

HOW TO APPLY

Test registration & school applications

Test registration and your school application are two separate steps.

01 · TEST REGISTRATION

Register for the test

Through the five-school consortium

2027 entry registrationClosed 19 June 2026, noon
Registration & access arrangements

Registration ran from noon on 23 April to noon on 19 June. Check the school-sharing choices on your confirmation.

The five-school registration does not register a child for Loreto or Saint Ambrose. Discuss access arrangements with the relevant test organiser.

Official registration details
02 · SCHOOL APPLICATION

Choose your schools

On your home council’s CAF

School application deadline31 October 2026
How do I apply for a place?

Use the Common Application Form (CAF) for the council where you live, including when applying across council boundaries. List schools in your genuine preference order.

Check each school’s admissions policy and any supplementary form. Taking the test does not secure a place.

How to order your schools

TEST FORMAT

The shared Trafford assessment

Altrincham Girls’, Altrincham Boys’, Sale, Stretford and Urmston

SKILLS TESTED

English & verbal reasoning

English
Verbal reasoning
What skills are tested?
English
Read closely, understand vocabulary and use the information in a passage.
Verbal reasoning
Recognise relationships between words, letters and information.
SKILLS TESTED

Maths & non-verbal reasoning

Maths
Non-verbal reasoning
What skills are tested?
Maths
Number fluency, calculations and applying maths to unfamiliar problems.
Non-verbal reasoning
Identify patterns, shapes and spatial relationships.

The skill groups above describe the shared test. Loreto and Saint Ambrose operate separate assessment arrangements.

SCHOOL-SPECIFIC RESULTS

Do not apply one threshold to every school

  • School qualificationRead each school’s result and required standard. A threshold quoted for one school may not apply to the others.
  • Priority provisionsSome policies include specific provisions for eligible priority groups. Check the conditions and evidence.
  • AllocationAddress, catchment and other school criteria still apply after a child qualifies.
Understand your result

Official guidance: Trafford 2027 test information.

SEPTEMBER 2027 ENTRY

Dates to keep track of

Tests take place in 2026, for children starting Year 7 in September 2027. Follow your invitation for your child’s session.

  1. Shared-test registration

    Registration opened and closed at noon.

  2. Trafford Consortium test

    For the five participating schools; separate school tests have their own invitations.

  3. School results

    Use each relevant school’s notification before finalising CAF preferences.

  4. Submit your school application

    Name your preferred schools on your home council’s CAF. Send any school supplementary forms separately by their published deadlines.

  5. National Offer Day

    Your home council confirms the school place offered. Read the acceptance and waiting-list instructions in the offer.

Official timetable: Consortium 2027 timetable. Check the school’s instructions for late, exceptional or additional testing.

THE PRACTICE LIBRARY

Get to know the questions

For the five-school shared GL test for September 2027 entry.

Start with the official guidanceLocal instructions, sample questions & answer sheets

These materials do not cover every Trafford grammar-school route. For Loreto, Saint Ambrose or 2028 entry, use the guidance published for that particular test.

SCHOOLS & ADMISSIONS

The five shared-test schools

These schools share the consortium assessment. Loreto Grammar and Saint Ambrose College require separate testing and policy checks.

Year 7 intake

5 of 5 schools

Year 7 intake shown · sixth forms may differ

Compare up to 4 schools side by side.

Other local schools · separate tests

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Three school-specific checks

  1. Confirm the school is in your test route

    The shared registration covers five schools. Open Loreto’s or Saint Ambrose’s admissions page separately if either is on your list.

  2. Match the score to the school

    Do not read AGGS’s threshold as a Trafford-wide guarantee. Check each result and the policy for the right entry year.

  3. Check catchment and priority evidence

    The schools’ geographic priorities differ. Confirm the address date, boundary and any documents needed for priority.

KEEP READING

Help with your next decision

Understanding your result

Read scores alongside eligibility, school priorities and the allocation of places.

Read the guide If your preferred school has no place

Understand the difference between a test result, a waiting list and an admission appeal.

Read the guide

GOOD TO KNOW

A few common questions

Which Trafford schools share the test?

Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Sale Grammar, Stretford Grammar and Urmston Grammar.

Are Loreto and Saint Ambrose included?

No. They have separate assessment and admissions arrangements.

Is Trafford switching to FSCE?

Yes, for 2028 entry. The consortium’s 2027 entry assessment uses GL.

Is 334 the pass mark for every Trafford school?

No. Do not transfer a threshold from an individual school’s policy to the whole consortium. Use each school’s current qualifying rules.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

Checked 28 Sept 2026. Follow the current school policy and your child’s test invitation for individual arrangements.