Quick answer
There is no ideal number of grammar schools for every family. A sensible number is the set of schools you would genuinely name on the CAF after checking the test route, admissions policy, journey, school fit, and realistic non-grammar options.
- Do not register for a test just because it is available.
- Do not name a school on the CAF unless you would accept the place above the schools listed below it.
- Use all available preferences carefully, including realistic non-grammar schools.
The Number Depends On The Route
Some areas use one shared test for several schools. Others require separate registration, separate stages or school-specific forms. That means the number of grammar schools is less important than the number of routes being pursued.
One shared route can create several school choices. Two separate routes can double the calendar, pressure and later decision work.
For example, a family comparing Kent grammar schools and Medway grammar schools is not just adding more school names. They are managing the Kent Test dates and Medway Test dates separately, then reading two sets of school policies.
A School Should Pass Five Tests
Route
- Keep the school if
- The registration, test and result process are clear
- Remove or pause it if
- You are adding the route only because it is nearby or familiar
Policy
- Keep the school if
- The admissions rules give a route that is worth pursuing
- Remove or pause it if
- No one has read the oversubscription criteria yet
Journey
- Keep the school if
- The weekday journey works in ordinary weather and ordinary stress
- Remove or pause it if
- The school only works as a one-off open-evening journey
Preference
- Keep the school if
- You would accept the school if it were offered
- Remove or pause it if
- The school sounds impressive but would sit below too many local options
Balance
- Keep the school if
- The CAF still includes realistic non-grammar schools
- Remove or pause it if
- The application relies on selective outcomes going perfectly
When More Grammar Schools Helps
More grammar schools can make sense when they sit inside the same route and the journeys are genuinely workable.
In Sutton, for example, the Sutton SET can keep several schools in play from one shared first-stage registration, but the later stages and individual policies still matter. In Buckinghamshire, one Secondary Transfer Test connects a county-wide group, but a family still needs to decide whether Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Chesham or Beaconsfield schools fit the daily route.
More names are useful only when each name still represents a school the family would choose.
When Fewer Is Better
Fewer schools may be better when:
- every extra school needs a separate test route
- the journey is weak
- the child is already carrying too much test pressure
- the school would never outrank a local alternative
- the family has not read the admissions rules
A shorter list can be more serious than a longer one. It makes it easier to read policies properly, visit the right schools, understand result wording and write a CAF order that reflects genuine preference.
The CAF Is A Preference List, Not A Grammar List
Do not reserve the CAF only for grammar schools unless the local authority’s preference count and the family’s alternatives make that a safe choice.
GOV.UK tells families to apply through the local council and list schools in order of preference. It also says listing only one school will not increase the chance of getting that school.
Use grammar school CAF strategy before final ordering. Use how to choose grammar schools if the school list is still too broad.