Exeter Street, Salisbury, SP1 2ED
A selective boys grammar school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,188 pupils on roll.
Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School
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On this page
At a glance
Bishop Wordsworth's is a Salisbury grammar with a very particular setting: a Church of England boys' school founded in 1890 and still rooted close to the Cathedral Close. It educates roughly 1,190 pupils from Year 7 through sixth form, with a house structure, chapel life and a strong tradition of music, drama and public service giving the school a more distinctive feel than a purely exam-led grammar.
The academic pitch is unapologetically ambitious. The school publishes GCSE and A level results, and its 2022 Ofsted judgement was Outstanding across the inspected areas. The sixth form is a significant part of the school, with prefect leadership, a broad A level curriculum and a culture that expects pupils to take visible responsibility in the wider community.
Co-curricular life is active rather than decorative: choirs and house music sit alongside drama productions, sport, coding, competitions and student leadership. Facilities named across the school material include performance spaces, music rooms, a library and sports provision, so the day-to-day offer is not confined to the classroom.
For Year 7, Bishop Wordsworth's publishes 160 places. The admissions route is the school's own two-paper 11+ process, with only the nearest 480 applicants invited to test; ten places are reserved for qualifying pupil-premium applicants. The headteacher and governors set the qualifying standard each year, so a qualifying result is the start of the allocation process, not an automatic offer.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Wiltshire and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Wiltshire and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Wiltshire and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,188 pupils; 1,110 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 68.2% | White | 810 |
| Unclassified | 6.6% | Unclassified | 78 |
| Indian | 6% | Asian | 71 |
| Any other White background | 3.5% | White | 42 |
| Any other Asian background | 2.9% | Asian | 34 |
| White and Asian | 2.9% | Mixed | 34 |
| African | 2.8% | Black | 33 |
| Chinese | 1.9% | Asian | 22 |
| Any other mixed background | 1.6% | Mixed | 19 |
| Pakistani | 1.4% | Asian | 17 |
| Any other ethnic group | 0.9% | Other | 11 |
| Any other Black background | 0.4% | Black | 5 |
| White and Black African | 0.4% | Mixed | 5 |
| Irish | 0.3% | White | 3 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.2% | Asian | 2 |
| Caribbean | 0.1% | Black | 1 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.1% | Mixed | 1 |
The designated area gives priority in oversubscription, but boys do not need to live inside it to apply or attend. If applications to sit the 11+ exceed capacity, the nearest 480 applicants to the Exeter Street gate are invited to test; straight-line distance is also used within an oversubscription criterion.
Looked after and previously looked after children
Priority first goes to looked after children, previously looked after children, and children previously in state care outside England who are now adopted or under special guardianship or child arrangements orders.
Pupil premium applicants
Ten places are reserved for qualifying pupil premium applicants, who can reach a qualifying standard set at 10 percent below the main standard.
Designated area applicants
Qualified applicants living in the designated area are ranked ahead of other qualified applicants.
Children of eligible staff
Priority then extends to children of staff who meet the published service criteria in the policy.
Service premium and armed forces applicants
Priority then goes to children who qualify under the service premium or other published armed-forces conditions.
Other qualified applicants
Remaining places go to other qualified applicants, with distance to the Exeter Street gate used as the final tie-break.
Only the nearest 480 applicants are invited to sit the test, ten places are reserved for qualifying pupil-premium applicants, and the main exam is a two-paper GL route.
Paper 1
Non-verbal reasoning, Maths
Paper 1
Approximate split of 40 non-verbal reasoning questions and 25 maths questions.
Paper 2
English, Verbal reasoning
Paper 2
Approximate split of 26 English questions and 32 verbal reasoning questions.
English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
Science is not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Approximate split of 26 English questions and 32 verbal reasoning questions.
Non-verbal reasoning
Approximate split of 40 non-verbal reasoning questions and 25 maths questions.
Science
Bishop's applications open
25 March 2026
PastSchool application deadline
26 June 2026
Local authority applications open
1 September 2026
11+ test day
26 September 2026
Results released
16 October 2026
Common Application Form deadline
31 October 2026
National Offer Day
1 March 2027
Complete the school application
Submit the Bishop Wordsworth's 11+ application and all supporting documents between 25 March 2026 and 26 June 2026.
Open admissions pageSit the 11+ test if invited
Only the nearest 480 applicants are invited to sit the test, which takes place on Saturday 26 September 2026.
View admissions datesUse the result on your local authority form
Results are released on 16 October 2026 and the local authority application closes on 31 October 2026.
Open Year 7 timetableLatest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 76 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 71.9 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 72.3 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 73.1 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | A- average (46.1 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B+ average (43.5 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B+ average (43.0 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B+ average (43.6 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 99% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 100% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 99% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 98% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 0% |
| In employment | 1% |
Latest inspection: 16 November 2022
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
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Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Complete the school application: Submit the Bishop Wordsworth's 11+ application and all supporting documents between 25 March 2026 and 26 June 2026. 2. Sit the 11+ test if invited: Only the nearest 480 applicants are invited to sit the test, which takes place on Saturday 26 September 2026. 3. Use the result on your local authority form: Results are released on 16 October 2026 and the local authority application closes on 31 October 2026.
Bishop's applications open: 25 March 2026. School application deadline: 26 June 2026. Local authority applications open: 1 September 2026. 11+ test day: 26 September 2026. Results released: 16 October 2026. Common Application Form deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 16 November 2022.