Quick answer
Year 4 grammar school research should stay light and practical. The goal is to understand whether grammar schools are part of the local secondary-school picture, not to make final CAF choices or build an exam-heavy year too early.
- Learn the difference between grammar schools, test routes, area hubs and individual school policies.
- Rule out impossible journeys early, before a school name becomes fixed in the family's mind.
- Save detailed registration tracking for Year 5, when the current route dates are closer.
The Year 4 Job
Year 4 is a good time to understand the map. It is not the year to decide every school preference.
The strongest Year 4 research usually answers:
- Are there grammar schools within a workable journey?
- Which areas or boroughs matter from home?
- Do those schools share an 11+ route or use separate processes?
- Is the family looking at boys’, girls’ or co-educational schools?
- Which non-selective schools also need attention?
Start with what is a grammar school and what is the 11 plus if the basic language is still unclear.
Year 4 Research Checklist
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Find the local grammar school map
Open the area hubs before individual school profiles. The local cluster matters more than a national list.
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Separate school type from admissions route
A boys' grammar, girls' grammar and mixed grammar can share a route, but still need different school-level checks.
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Test the journey without optimism
A Year 4 map check should remove schools that would create an unreasonable weekday.
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Learn the registration year
Most detailed registration work belongs in Year 5, but Year 4 is a good time to learn that the 11+ and CAF are separate steps.
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Read one area guide
A local guide makes more sense than jumping between isolated school reputations.
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Keep non-selective schools in the same conversation
The secondary school decision is wider than the grammar route, even when grammar schools are being explored.
What Can Wait Until Year 5
Registration dates
- Year 4 version
- Learn that separate registration may be needed.
- Year 5 version
- Record current opening and closing dates for the actual routes being pursued.
Admissions policies
- Year 4 version
- Learn the terms: PAN, eligibility, oversubscription, distance and catchment.
- Year 5 version
- Read the current policy for the correct entry year.
School visits
- Year 4 version
- Notice school type, location and journey.
- Year 5 version
- Ask route, admissions, curriculum and pastoral questions at open events.
CAF choices
- Year 4 version
- Understand that the CAF is the final preference form.
- Year 5 version
- Order schools the family would accept in genuine preference order.
When Year 5 begins, move to the Year 5 grammar school research checklist and the 11+ timeline for parents.
Good Year 4 Starting Pages
For a broad first look, open grammar school areas or the school search. If the family is in or near London, the London grammar schools guide helps separate Sutton, Bexley, Barnet, Kingston, Redbridge and other outer-borough routes.
For county systems, compare:
- Buckinghamshire grammar schools
- Kent grammar schools
- Essex grammar schools
- Gloucestershire grammar schools
What To Avoid In Year 4
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Avoid treating one famous school as the whole plan
A single school name is not enough. The route, nearby alternatives and non-selective options still matter.
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Avoid reading old forum dates as current deadlines
Dates change. Year 4 is for route awareness, not archived deadline hunting.
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Avoid comparing distant areas as if they are interchangeable
Sutton, Kent, Buckinghamshire and Essex are different admissions conversations.
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Avoid making the child carry the whole school decision early
The adult research can happen quietly before the child needs to think about names and outcomes.