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School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire 11+

Caistor Grammar School

Church Street, Caistor, LN7 6QJ

A selective co-educational grammar school in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 669 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form Individual
UK rank
UK Rank #106
Year 7 places
96
Competition ?
Moderate
Ofsted ?
Good
11+ route
Individual
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #106
Sector
Grammar school
Admissions
Mixed
Assessment
Individual
Places in Year 7
96
Competition ?
Moderate
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Ofsted ?
Good

Overview

Caistor Grammar School is a compact co-educational grammar school in the Lincolnshire market town of Caistor, serving pupils from 11 to 18 with about 669 on roll. Its official mission is unusually direct: lively minds, hard work, developing talents, and growing through sharing. That gives the school a tone closer to a close academic community than a large selective campus.

The school describes its curriculum as challenging, rigorous, engaging and broad, set inside a caring community that wants students to become independent thinkers, emotionally resilient, empathetic and socially responsible. The library sits at the centre of that academic culture, and published performance data is consistently strong, including +0.68 Progress 8 and 96.8% grade 5+ in English and maths.

Caistor's sixth form has a clear identity of its own. Casterby House provides teaching, study and social space, with the Lower Lindsey Dining Room's Coffee Club adding another base during the day. The Personal and Professional Development programme pushes students into leadership, enterprise, mentoring, performing arts, societies and volunteering, including local community placements.

Year 7 entry is smaller than many grammar schools, with 96 places. Applicants sit two school-administered verbal reasoning papers, and the published eligibility score for September 2027 entry is 220 or more across the two tests. Qualified in-catchment applicants living within 6.5 miles are prioritised before out-of-catchment applicants, with up to 12 main-round places reserved for Pupil Premium applicants, so address and eligibility evidence matter alongside the test result.

Key points
Assessment route
Individual across a 2-stage process, covering Verbal reasoning.
Places and demand
96 places in Year 7 and Moderate
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Results
96.8% grade 5+ in English and maths and 69.8 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 32.6% AAB or better and 69% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Lincolnshire and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Caistor Grammar School, Lincolnshire, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
69.8
Grade 5+ English and maths
96.8%
EBacc APS
6.88
EBacc entry
94.7%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Lincolnshire and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Caistor Grammar School, Lincolnshire, and England. 80 66.7 53.3 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Lincolnshire and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Caistor Grammar School, Lincolnshire, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Academy converter
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Mixed
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mrs Shona Buck
Pupil roll
669 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Caistor Grammar School
FSM ?
6.3%
EAL ?
7.6%
EHCP ?
1%

Facilities

Library

Extracurriculars

Drama

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 669 pupils; 660 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 71.8% Asian 18.5% Mixed 4.2% Black 2.6% Other 1.2% Unclassified 1.3%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Church Street, Caistor, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
Postcode
LN7 6QJ
Area
Lincolnshire
Exam area
Lincolnshire 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mrs Shona Buck

School contact

School email
enquiries@caistorgrammar.com
School phone
01472851250

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions
Admissions email
admissions@caistorgrammar.com
Admissions phone
01472851250
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
96 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed
189 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
134 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition ?
Moderate
Who can apply
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Published score threshold
220 (2027 entry)
Pass mark note
Applicants need a combined score of 220 or more to be eligible for consideration. This matches the county grammar standard used to identify the top 25% of the ability range.

For September 2027 entry, Caistor requires a combined score of 220 or more across two verbal reasoning papers. Qualified in-catchment applicants are prioritised before out-of-catchment applicants, with a separate pupil premium reservation in the main round.

In-catchment priority applies to qualified applicants living within 6.5 miles straight-line of the school on 1 September 2026. Remaining qualified places are then allocated by score, with up to 12 pupil premium places reserved in the main round.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Qualified looked after and previously looked after children are considered first.

    After any EHCP allocations, priority starts with qualified applicants who are in public care or previously looked after.

  2. 2

    Qualified in-catchment applicants living within 6.5 miles are prioritised next.

    The policy defines in-catchment as a principal residence within 6.5 miles straight-line of the school on the qualifying date.

  3. 3

    Up to 12 main-round places are reserved for Pupil Premium (Ever 6) applicants.

    Reserved pupil premium places are filled by the highest verbal reasoning scores once in-catchment places are allocated.

  4. 4

    All other qualified applicants are ranked by higher verbal reasoning score.

    If a category is oversubscribed, the policy then applies its published tie-break sequence.

Admissions policy

Admissions Policy (2027 Entry)

2027 entry

Information booklet

11+ Information

2027 entry

Exam and test format

The Individual 11+ entrance test format

Caistor runs its own two-paper verbal reasoning assessment for Year 7 entry.

Assessment route
Individual
Papers and stages
2 papers
Format
Mixed format

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

Lincolnshire test guide

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    Verbal reasoning

    Standard verbal reasoning paper

    The first Year 7 paper is a standard verbal reasoning test sat on Saturday 19 September 2026.

  2. Paper 2

    Verbal reasoning

    Multiple-choice verbal reasoning paper

    The second Year 7 paper is a multiple-choice verbal reasoning test sat on Saturday 26 September 2026.

What the test includes

Verbal reasoning is included in the published format.

English, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning and Science are not listed in the current published format.

Included

  • Verbal reasoning

    The first Year 7 paper is a standard verbal reasoning test sat on Saturday 19 September 2026.

Not listed

  • English

  • Maths

  • Non-verbal reasoning

  • Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Registration opens

    Beginning of March 2026

  2. Registration closes

    Friday 14 August 2026

    Past

  3. Test information email issued

    Friday 11 September 2026

    Past

  4. First verbal reasoning paper

    Saturday 19 September 2026

  5. Second verbal reasoning paper

    Saturday 26 September 2026

  6. Results emailed

    Tuesday 13 October 2026

  7. Local authority preference deadline

    Saturday 31 October 2026

  8. National offer day

    Monday 1 March 2027

How to apply

  1. 1

    Register for the Caistor 11+

    Complete the school?s Year 7 registration form by Friday 14 August 2026 so your child can be scheduled for the September tests.

    Open registration form
  2. 2

    Check whether you qualify as in-catchment

    For September 2027 entry, in-catchment priority depends on living within 6.5 miles straight-line of the school on 1 September 2026.

    Check your address
  3. 3

    Name Caistor Grammar on your local authority form

    Submit your secondary preference form by 31 October 2026. Sitting the school?s 11+ alone does not secure a place.

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admissions Policy (2027 Entry)

2027 entry

Information booklet

11+ Information

2027 entry

Results

Inspection
View report
Good

Latest inspection: 25 May 2022

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: Caistor Grammar School was graded Good. Pupils are proud, safe and happy, enjoy lessons and become independent learners, while inspectors identified some subjects where key concepts and assessment were not yet precise enough.
  • Quality of education: The academic curriculum is ambitious, with English, mathematics, science, a language and humanities carried into key stage 4. Many subjects are well sequenced, but in a few, important knowledge is not clearly identified or checked precisely enough.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: Pupils are kind and respectful to each other. They know what bullying and derogatory language are, report concerns, and trust staff to deal with incidents fairly and swiftly, helping them feel safe.
  • Personal development: Leaders prioritise wider development and emotional well-being, creating an inclusive ethos that pupils notice. Parents also praised the combination of classroom support and extra-curricular opportunities, and sixth-form students valued bespoke support.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders set high expectations and maintain effective safeguarding, with trained staff, quick action and strong work with external agencies. Curriculum leadership was still developing in a few subjects where important knowledge and assessment needed sharper planning.
  • Sixth form provision: Sixth form was graded Good. Students spoke highly of the bespoke support they receive, and the school's wider emphasis on independence, academic success and well-being extends into their sixth-form experience.

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Shortlist comparisons

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Explore this school in context

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Related pages and guides

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Caistor Grammar School use?

Caistor Grammar School currently uses Individual.

How do I apply to Caistor Grammar School?

1. Register for the Caistor 11+: Complete the school?s Year 7 registration form by Friday 14 August 2026 so your child can be scheduled for the September tests. 2. Check whether you qualify as in-catchment: For September 2027 entry, in-catchment priority depends on living within 6.5 miles straight-line of the school on 1 September 2026. 3. Name Caistor Grammar on your local authority form: Submit your secondary preference form by 31 October 2026. Sitting the school?s 11+ alone does not secure a place.

When are the key dates for Caistor Grammar School?

Registration opens: Beginning of March 2026. Registration closes: Friday 14 August 2026. Test information email issued: Friday 11 September 2026. First verbal reasoning paper: Saturday 19 September 2026. Second verbal reasoning paper: Saturday 26 September 2026. Results emailed: Tuesday 13 October 2026. Local authority preference deadline: Saturday 31 October 2026. National offer day: Monday 1 March 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Caistor Grammar School?

Caistor Grammar School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 25 May 2022.