How many grammar schools?Make each choice worthwhile.

The Number Depends On The Route

One assessment may serve several grammar schools, while one school may require two test stages. Counting school names does not tell you the number of exam sessions, registrations or journeys involved.

For example, Sutton grammar schools share the SET first stage but require further assessment under their published arrangements. Kent schools share the Kent Test, while their allocation rules differ. Confirm each route before deciding whether another application is manageable.

A School Should Pass Five Tests

1. Your child is eligible

   Check the intake, academic requirement and any residence conditions for the entry year.

2. You understand the priority

   Identify the relevant category and how score or distance orders children within it.

3. The journey works

   Try a school-day trip and a return after an activity. Include cost and a plan for disrupted transport.

4. The school suits your child

   Consider curriculum, pastoral support, SEND provision and your child’s experience of a visit.

5. You would accept an offer

   Do not use a CAF preference on a school you already know you would reject.

When More Grammar Schools Helps

Another school may be worth considering when it is suitable, uses an assessment your child is already taking and offers a meaningful alternative under its admission rules. It may also give you a different curriculum or journey that you would prefer.

But shared testing does not remove the need to read each policy. Check score sharing, supplementary forms and additional stages rather than assuming one registration does everything.

When Fewer Is Better

An extra school adds little if your child cannot be considered, the journey is unworkable or you would not accept the place. Another unrelated exam also means more preparation formats, administration and test-day travel.

Consider the burden on your child as well as the apparent number of chances. Several selective preferences with similar high-demand admission rules are not a substitute for a suitable non-selective option.

The CAF Is A Preference List, Not A Grammar List

Your council limits the number of preferences on the CAF. Use them to express the schools you want in genuine preference order, including acceptable non-selective schools with a realistic admission prospect.

An uncertain higher preference does not reduce your priority at a lower one under equal preference. The risk is using all the spaces on schools that cannot offer, or omitting an alternative you would have accepted. See CAF strategy.

A Practical Answer

Start with the schools you would use, then count the registrations and CAF spaces they need. That produces a more useful answer than aiming for a fixed number of grammar applications.