What goes into the Bexley total?
Bexley’s current guidance combines age-standardised ability scores with these weights:
| Component | Share of the weighted total |
|---|---|
| Verbal ability | 50% |
| Numerical ability | 25% |
| Non-verbal ability | 25% |
The result is not a count of correct answers. Use the council’s explanation rather than trying to convert it into a raw percentage. The selective standard is determined for the test cohort; an older year’s figure is not automatically the current requirement.
Selective status and the top 180
The result needs to be read for both selective status and any top-180 designation. Bexley places the highest-scoring 180 children in one of the highest priority groups for their preferred grammar school.
For other selective children, distance and the individual school’s criteria remain significant. Check the policy for Beths, Bexley Grammar, Chislehurst and Sidcup, or Townley rather than treating the four schools as one allocation list.
The top-180 distinction is not a reason to skip the CAF or ignore which schools your child is eligible to attend.
Apply the result to your school preferences
Check your child’s priority category at each school, any sibling or other relevant evidence, and the school’s distance method. Compare official historical allocations only where they describe the same category.
Name individual schools on your home council’s CAF in genuine preference order. Sitting the test in one grammar school’s building does not make that school your first preference.
The Bexley route page groups the schools, while score versus rank explains why a result number is not the same as an allocation position.
If the child is not deemed selective
Bexley says families with grounds for a review should discuss the outcome with the primary headteacher and still include a grammar preference on the secondary application. Its headteacher review takes place after results and after the school application deadline.
That review is distinct from a later admission appeal following a refused place. Save the result, obtain the local review instructions and keep the CAF on time with realistic alternatives. For families outside Bexley, tell the primary school the result: Bexley says those schools do not automatically receive it.
A FEW MORE ANSWERS
Still wondering?
Is the Bexley score a percentage?
No. It is a weighted age-standardised result. It cannot be compared directly with a Kent aggregate or a practice-paper percentage.
Does being selective guarantee Townley, Beths or another named school?
For most selective children, no. The school applies its oversubscription policy and the council coordinates preferences. Top-180 candidates have a distinct priority position, but must still complete the application correctly.
Can parents request the headteacher review directly?
Bexley describes a headteacher-requested review. Discuss the result and possible evidence with the primary headteacher, including if the child attends a school outside Bexley.
Official sources
Checked 28 Sept 2026