GSGrammarSchool Hub
11+ guide 11+ basics Updated 26 Jun 2026 5 min read

What to research in Year 5 before grammar school registration

A practical Year 5 checklist for grammar school research before registration, test dates, school policies and CAF choices start to matter.

Search schools Compare schools More guides
Best for
Getting the school type, test route and application sequence clear before opening profiles.
Read time
5 min read
You leave with
A clearer sense of which local documents, dates and school pages matter next.

Quick answer

Year 5 is the year to turn grammar school interest into a named, manageable research list. The work is not tutoring strategy. It is route clarity: which schools can be reached, which tests need registration, which policies matter, and which choices would still make sense on the CAF.

  • By late Year 5, registration dates can start to close for some routes.
  • A school that fails on journey or admissions rules can be removed before exam pressure rises.
  • The best Year 5 research list is small enough to keep accurate.

The Year 5 Job

Year 5 research should answer four questions:

  • Which grammar school routes are genuinely in range?
  • Which schools would the family accept if offered?
  • Which registrations, dates and school policies need attention?
  • Which non-grammar options still belong in the final CAF picture?

The 11+ timeline for parents gives the full sequence. This checklist focuses on the Year 5 work that prevents rushed registration decisions.

Year 5 Research Checklist

  1. Name the actual school group

    Do not research grammar schools as one national category. Start with an area page such as Kent, Essex, Sutton, Buckinghamshire, Bexley or the West Midlands.

  2. Find the test route for each school

    A shared route can cover several schools, but some schools have separate tests, second stages or supplementary details.

  3. Record registration opening and closing dates

    Keep a dated list for every route being considered. Missing registration is a different problem from changing the CAF later.

  4. Read one admissions policy slowly

    Learn the pattern: PAN, eligibility, oversubscription, catchment, distance, tie-breaks and waiting lists.

  5. Test the journey on an ordinary school day

    The journey can remove a school from the list before score or reputation becomes emotionally loaded.

  6. Keep realistic non-grammar schools in view

    A grammar route is not a complete secondary school plan. The CAF still needs schools the family would accept.

Dates To Put In One Place

Test registration opens

Why it matters
Some routes need action before the summer or early autumn.
Where to confirm
The school, consortium or local authority page for that route.

Test registration closes

Why it matters
Late registration may be restricted or refused unless the official route allows it.
Where to confirm
The current official route page, not an old forum thread or saved PDF.

Test date

Why it matters
Clashes, illness procedures and second stages need early awareness.
Where to confirm
The route page and any school-specific admissions page.

Results date

Why it matters
Results often arrive before the CAF deadline, but not every result gives the same level of certainty.
Where to confirm
The route guidance and score explainer for that area.

CAF deadline

Why it matters
This is where school interest becomes an ordered application.
Where to confirm
The home local authority's secondary admissions page.
Date type
Why it matters
Where to confirm
Test registration opens
Some routes need action before the summer or early autumn.
The school, consortium or local authority page for that route.
Test registration closes
Late registration may be restricted or refused unless the official route allows it.
The current official route page, not an old forum thread or saved PDF.
Test date
Clashes, illness procedures and second stages need early awareness.
The route page and any school-specific admissions page.
Results date
Results often arrive before the CAF deadline, but not every result gives the same level of certainty.
The route guidance and score explainer for that area.
CAF deadline
This is where school interest becomes an ordered application.
The home local authority's secondary admissions page.

For live route timing already covered on Grammar School Hub, keep Kent Test dates, CSSE 11 plus dates, Bexley Selection Test dates, Buckinghamshire 11 plus dates, Sutton SET dates and Medway Test dates beside the school list.

What To Stop Doing In Year 5

  • Stop collecting school names without route checks

    A long list looks productive but can hide the fact that several schools use different registrations or are too far away.

  • Stop treating rankings as the CAF order

    Rankings help discovery. CAF order needs school policy, journey, child fit and real preference.

  • Stop postponing the admissions policy

    The policy is the place where a score becomes an actual allocation rule.

  • Stop leaving non-grammar research until results day

    A calm CAF needs strong non-grammar choices before the selective result arrives.

Area Starting Points

Open the area first, then the school. That keeps the school list local enough to manage.

A Year 5 Workflow

  1. Map the realistic areas

    Open the local grammar school area hubs before building a school-by-school spreadsheet. Browse area hubs.

  2. Read the route sequence

    Line up registration, test, results and CAF timing in one place. Open the timeline.

  3. Limit the number of routes

    A route only belongs in the plan if the schools, travel and registration workload all make sense. Read route-number guidance.

  4. Read the first policy properly

    Once one policy makes sense, the next school policy is faster to interpret. Read policy guidance.

Official Sources Checked

Next useful pages

Keep going with one clear next step

Open the page that answers the next real question. You do not need all of them.