School Updated 26 April 2026

Lincolnshire / Lincolnshire 11+

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle

West Street, Horncastle, LN9 5AD

A selective co-educational grammar school in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 788 pupils on roll.

Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #129
Admissions
Mixed
Assessment
GL Assessment
Places in Year 7
120
Competition
2.1 applicants per place
Catchment
Catchment detail is still being reviewed
Ofsted
Good

Overview

A selective co-educational grammar school in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 788 pupils on roll. Families looking at Horncastle, Lincolnshire will usually see Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle as a selective option for boys and girls aged 11-18, with sixth form continuing the academic journey on the same site. Current published roll and admissions data point to around 788 pupils on roll and 120 Year 7 places.

For parents thinking about the 11+, the admissions picture is one of the clearest differentiators here. The current route includes GL Assessment, with 120 places available in Year 7 and demand that currently looks high by grammar-school standards. Catchment or distance rules still matter at allocation stage, so this is the kind of school where families need to read the admissions policy carefully rather than rely on headline scores alone.

On current official measures, the school offers a clear academic profile for parents to weigh up. The latest published Ofsted judgement is Good. Recent official performance measures show Progress 8 at 0.28 and Attainment 8 at 62.1. 81.5% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths in the latest stored GCSE figures. In the sixth form, 33.3% of entries were awarded AAB or better at A level. Destinations data also suggest strong progression after sixth form, with 69% moving into higher education.

Published school information highlights facilities such as Library. The wider offer currently includes Drama. For many parents, the presence of a sixth form is part of the attraction, because it gives able pupils the option to stay in a familiar academic setting through to A level. Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle is likely to appeal most to families who want strong academic expectations but also need the practical details, culture, and selective route to line up sensibly.

Key points

Assessment route
GL Assessment across a 2-stage process, covering VR and NVR.
Places and demand
120 places in Year 7 and 2.1 applicants per place
Catchment
Catchment detail is still being reviewed
Results
95.9% grade 5+ in English and maths and 66.2 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 33.3% 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 Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
66.2
Grade 5+ English and maths
95.9%
EBacc APS
6.35
EBacc entry
89.4%

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 Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, 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 Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details

School type
Academy converter
Admissions
Mixed
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mr Simon Furness
Pupil roll
788 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Horncastle Education Trust
FSM
9.1%
EAL
6.5%
EHCP
0.9%

Facilities

Library

Extracurriculars

Drama

Location and contact

Address

Address
West Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire
Postcode
LN9 5AD
Area
Lincolnshire
Exam area
Lincolnshire 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mr Simon Furness

School contact

School phone
01507522465

Admissions contact

Admissions phone
03301235375

Admissions

Year 7 places
120 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed
248 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
156 first preferences (2025 entry)
Applicants per place
2.1 applicants per place
Catchment picture
Catchment detail is still being reviewed
Pass mark note
A total standardised score of at least 220 across the two papers is the Lincolnshire qualifying level. Meeting the qualifying level does not by itself guarantee a place.

Oversubscription and eligibility

Oversubscription detail is still being reviewed, so use the official admissions policy before relying on a summary.

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

The Lincolnshire 11+ has separate verbal reasoning and non-verbal/spatial reasoning papers supplied by GL Assessment. Scores are standardised, including age adjustment.

Assessment route
GL Assessment
Papers and stages
2 papers
Format
Multiple-choice papers
Age standardisation
Published as age-standardised

This school uses the shared Lincolnshire consortium route. The consortium page brings together the common test format, key dates and official papers used across that route.

Open Lincolnshire guide

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    VR

    Verbal reasoning test

    Multiple-choice verbal reasoning test marked from OMR answer sheets.

  2. Paper 2

    NVR

    Non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness test

    Multiple-choice non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness test marked from OMR answer sheets.

What the test includes

Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.

English, Maths, Science and Creative writing are not listed in the current published format.

Included

  • Verbal reasoning

    Multiple-choice verbal reasoning test marked from OMR answer sheets.

  • Non-verbal reasoning

    Multiple-choice non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness test marked from OMR answer sheets.

Not listed

  • English

  • Maths

  • Science

  • Creative writing

Application

Key dates

  1. Registration opens

    7 January 2026

  2. Registration closes

    31 March 2026

  3. First test: verbal reasoning

    11 or 12 September 2026

  4. Second test: non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness

    18 or 19 September 2026

  5. Results

    9 October 2026

  6. Secondary application deadline

    31 October 2026

  7. National Offer Day

    1 March 2027

How to apply

  1. 1

    Register for the Lincolnshire 11+

    Registration opens on 7 January 2026 and forms must be returned to the chosen grammar school by 31 March 2026.

    Open key dates
  2. 2

    Sit the two reasoning papers

    Verbal reasoning is scheduled for 11 or 12 September 2026, followed by non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness on 18 or 19 September 2026.

    Open test details
  3. 3

    Review results and submit the CAF

    Results are due on 9 October 2026; the Lincolnshire CAF deadline is 31 October 2026, with National Offer Day on 1 March 2027.

    Open timetable

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8
+0.28 Progress 8
Attainment 8
66.2 Attainment 8
GCSE results
98.4% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths
95.9% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score
6.35 EBacc APS
A-level results
33.3% AAB or better
A-level average points
38.26 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression
69% in higher education
Apprenticeships
3% in apprenticeships
Employment
20% in sustained employment

Latest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.

Subject performance

Maths
92.7% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English
95.1% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences
88.6% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages
62% grade 5+ in EBacc languages

Performance trends

Recent trend

Overall GCSE performance

This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle Grammar schools England
Overall GCSE performance across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, grammar schools, and England. 80 70 60 50 40 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 69.4 74.2 49.4
2022/23 66.6 71.8 47.0
2023/24 62.1 72.1 46.7
2024/25 66.2 72.3 46.8

Recent trend

Average A-level result

This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle Grammar schools England
Average A-level result across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, grammar schools, and England. 50 pts 45 pts 40 pts 35 pts 30 pts 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 B average (40.6 points) 44.0 points 37.5 points
2022/23 B average (39.2 points) 40.5 points 33.7 points
2023/24 B- average (37.8 points) 41.3 points 34.5 points
2024/25 B- average (38.3 points) 41.8 points 35.0 points

Recent trend

Where pupils go after Year 11

This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle Grammar schools England
Where pupils go after Year 11 across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, grammar schools, and England. 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 99% 99.1% 94.1%
2022/23 99% 98.9% 93.9%
2023/24 98% 99.0% 93.3%
2024/25 98% 97.8% 91.4%

Latest year breakdown

In education 96%
In apprenticeships 1%
In employment 1%

Inspection

Good

Latest inspection: 5 June 2024

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

Similar schools and comparisons

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle use?

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle?

1. Register for the Lincolnshire 11+: Registration opens on 7 January 2026 and forms must be returned to the chosen grammar school by 31 March 2026. 2. Sit the two reasoning papers: Verbal reasoning is scheduled for 11 or 12 September 2026, followed by non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness on 18 or 19 September 2026. 3. Review results and submit the CAF: Results are due on 9 October 2026; the Lincolnshire CAF deadline is 31 October 2026, with National Offer Day on 1 March 2027.

When are the key dates for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle?

Registration opens: 7 January 2026. Registration closes: 31 March 2026. First test: verbal reasoning: 11 or 12 September 2026. Second test: non-verbal reasoning and spatial awareness: 18 or 19 September 2026. Results: 9 October 2026. Secondary application deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027

What does the latest Ofsted picture look like for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle?

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 5 June 2024.