Quick answer
There is no single national 11+ calendar, but most families still move through the same sequence: narrow the route, register carefully, handle test season, review results in context, submit realistic preferences, then manage offer day and waiting lists.
- Dates vary by school, consortium, and local authority, so use the sequence first and exact deadlines second.
- The stage that saves the most stress later is the one before registration: narrowing the shortlist honestly.
- If the route still feels too broad when results arrive, the whole timeline becomes harder to manage.
This page is designed to help you see what happens when, not to replace each school's published timetable.
The six stages most families go through
The exact month can change, but the order usually does not.
1. Early research
- What parents are doing
- Working out which areas, schools, or consortiums belong in the same shortlist
- What matters most
- Travel, school fit, and whether the route is realistic from home
- Do not leave without
- A shortlist that is small enough to register for with confidence
2. Registration
- What parents are doing
- Submitting entries for the right schools or shared routes
- What matters most
- Knowing who runs the process and what paperwork or details are needed
- Do not leave without
- Confirmed registrations for every route you actually intend to pursue
3. Test season
- What parents are doing
- Managing exam dates, any second-stage process, and practical logistics
- What matters most
- Keeping the shortlist stable unless something important has changed
- Do not leave without
- A clear record of which test belongs to which school or route
4. Results review
- What parents are doing
- Interpreting scores, ranks, or stage outcomes against admissions rules
- What matters most
- Separating a good-looking result from a realistic offer picture
- Do not leave without
- A final shortlist that still makes sense on admissions and travel
5. Preference forms
- What parents are doing
- Ordering schools through the local authority process
- What matters most
- Putting schools in genuine order of preference rather than reputation order
- Do not leave without
- A list of choices you would actually accept if offered
6. Offer day and after
- What parents are doing
- Handling the first outcome, any waiting lists, and next decisions
- What matters most
- Staying practical even if the first offer is not the final answer
- Do not leave without
- A plan for accepting, waiting-list movement, or revising the shortlist
What to check against the real calendar
Once the sequence is clear, these are the deadlines and dates worth checking on the real school or local-authority pages.
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Registration opening and closing dates
Different schools and consortiums can open or close at different times, even when they feel part of the same broad route.
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Exam or stage dates
This matters most if you are balancing more than one route or a route with several stages.
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When results are released and how they are described
Some schools give scores, some ranks, and some only tell you whether the next stage applies.
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The local authority preference deadline
This is the point where the shortlist needs to be honest, not theoretical.
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Offer day and any waiting-list follow-up process
A first outcome is important, but it is not always the final movement in the cycle.
Where parents lose time
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Trying to manage every future stage at once
The process feels calmer when you focus on the decision in front of you rather than the whole year in one go.
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Registering before the shortlist is realistic
A wide or muddled shortlist usually creates extra noise later when results and preferences arrive.
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Interpreting dates without understanding the route
The same-looking deadline means different things if the schools do not share the same admissions process.
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Leaving travel reality until after the results
Commute questions are usually easier to answer before a school becomes emotionally fixed in the shortlist.