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School profile Verified 2 June 2026

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire 11+

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School

West Street, Marlow, SL7 2BR

A selective co-educational grammar school in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,205 pupils on roll.

Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment
UK rank
UK Rank #89
Year 7 places
150
Competition i
High
Ofsted
Outstanding
11+ route
GL Assessment
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #89
Admissions
Mixed
Assessment
GL Assessment
Places in Year 7
150
Competition i
High
Catchment
Admissions priority combines catchment residence, a Priority Admissions Area lottery, pupil premium provisions and distance tie-breaks. Some places remain available outside the highest-priority geographic categories.
Ofsted
Outstanding

Overview

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School is a Marlow grammar founded in 1624, with the motto Te Digna Sequere - Follow Things Worthy - still doing real work in the school's published vision. It is a co-educational 11 to 18 school of about 1,200 pupils, with a large sixth form and a strong Buckinghamshire reputation for academic and cultural ambition.

The Borlase curriculum deliberately keeps the arts, languages, humanities, sciences, computing, design, religious studies, philosophy and ethics in play. The school says its Key Stage 3 curriculum is broad and culturally rich, and its sixth form offers A levels across sciences, languages, humanities and the arts, plus EPQ, Gold CREST, extension mathematics and a weekly lecture series.

The co-curricular programme is one of the school's defining features. Hundreds of students complete Duke of Edinburgh each year, sixth formers support learning in local primary schools, and the school highlights music, drama, dance, sport, creative writing, STEM, trips and student-led academic societies.

Year 7 entry has 150 places through the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test. The GL papers cover verbal, mathematical and non-verbal skills, with the standardised score weighted 50% verbal, 25% mathematical and 25% non-verbal; 121 is the usual qualifying mark. The school's own policy also includes priority-area and pupil-premium provisions around the qualifying threshold.

Key points
Assessment route
GL Assessment across a 2-stage process, covering English, Verbal reasoning, Maths and Non-verbal reasoning.
Places and demand
150 places in Year 7 and High
Catchment
Admissions priority combines catchment residence, a Priority Admissions Area lottery, pupil premium provisions and distance tie-breaks. Some places remain available outside the highest-priority geographic categories.
Results
98% grade 5+ in English and maths and 72.4 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 44.4% AAB or better and 77% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

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

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, Buckinghamshire, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
72.4
Grade 5+ English and maths
98%
EBacc APS
6.87
EBacc entry
80.8%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Buckinghamshire and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, Buckinghamshire, and England. 100 80 60 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

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

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, Buckinghamshire, 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 Ed Goodall
Pupil roll
1,205 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Marlow Education Trust
FSM i
2.7%
EAL i
11.4%
EHCP i
0.5%

Facilities

Theatre

Extracurriculars

Drama

Ethnicity

January 2025 school census

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,205 pupils; 1,195 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 76.9% Asian 11% Mixed 9.9% Black 0.5% Other 0.7% Unclassified 0.8%
Recorded group Share Category Pupils
White British White 836
Indian Asian 98
Any other White background White 88
Any other mixed background Mixed 58
White and Asian Mixed 53
Pakistani Asian 21
Unclassified Unclassified 10
Any other ethnic group Other 9
Chinese Asian 7
African Black 5
Any other Asian background Asian 5
White and Black Caribbean Mixed 5
White and Black African Mixed 4
Irish White 3
Bangladeshi Asian 2
Caribbean Black 1

Location and contact

Address

Address
West Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Postcode
SL7 2BR
Area
Buckinghamshire
Exam area
Buckinghamshire 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mr Ed Goodall

School contact

School email
enquiries@swbgs.com
School phone
01628816500

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions Team
Admissions email
enquiries@swbgs.com
Admissions phone
01628816500
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
150 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed
620 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
220 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition i
High
Catchment picture
Admissions priority combines catchment residence, a Priority Admissions Area lottery, pupil premium provisions and distance tie-breaks. Some places remain available outside the highest-priority geographic categories.
Residence requirement
Admissions priority combines catchment residence, a Priority Admissions Area lottery, pupil premium provisions and distance tie-breaks.
Pass mark note
An STTS of 121 or more automatically qualifies a child for Buckinghamshire grammar-school consideration; allocation still follows each school's oversubscription criteria.

Year 7 entry uses the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test. Sir William Borlase's also has pupil premium and priority-area provisions for some applicants scoring below or around the standard qualifying threshold.

Admissions priority combines catchment residence, a Priority Admissions Area lottery, pupil premium provisions and distance tie-breaks. Some places remain available outside the highest-priority geographic categories.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Looked after and previously looked after children

    Qualified children in this group are first priority, including children previously in state care outside England.

  2. 2

    Catchment pupil premium places below 121

    Up to 20 catchment pupil premium applicants with STT scores between 110 and 120 are prioritised by distance.

  3. 3

    Catchment pupil premium qualifiers

    Catchment pupil premium applicants who score 121 or qualify through review/appeal.

  4. 4

    Priority Admissions Area lottery

    Up to 15 places for applicants living in the Priority Admissions Area on 1 September 2026, allocated by random lottery.

  5. 5

    Children of staff

    Children of qualifying staff employed for at least two years or recruited to a shortage post.

  6. 6

    Catchment residence

    Children living in catchment, including the priority area, continuously since 1 September 2026.

Admissions policy

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School admissions policy 2027

2027 entry

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

The Secondary Transfer Test has two multiple-choice GL Assessment papers. The standardised score is weighted 50% verbal skills, 25% mathematical skills and 25% non-verbal skills; 121 or above qualifies.

Assessment route
GL Assessment
Papers and stages
2 papers
Format
Multiple-choice papers
Weighting
Maths 25% / Reasoning 75%
Age standardisation
Published as age-standardised

Shared exam route

Practice for this school's entrance test

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School uses the shared Buckinghamshire route. Use these common practice resources for the route, then check the full consortium guide for the complete set and current test guidance.

View all Buckinghamshire practice papers
Practice paper Maths

GL Assessment Maths Practice Paper 1

Practice paper Non-Verbal Reasoning

GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths Practice Paper

Practice paper Verbal Reasoning

GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning Paper 1

Practice paper Maths

GL Assessment Maths Practice Paper 2

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    English, Verbal reasoning

    Verbal skills paper

    One GL Assessment paper covers comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning.

  2. Paper 2

    Maths, Non-verbal reasoning

    Mathematical and non-verbal skills paper

    The second GL Assessment paper covers mathematics, non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning.

What the test includes

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

Science is not listed in the current published format.

Included

  • English

  • Maths

  • Verbal reasoning

    One GL Assessment paper covers comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning.

  • Non-verbal reasoning

    The second GL Assessment paper covers mathematics, non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning.

Not listed

  • Science

Official papers and familiarisation

Familiarisation

download the Familiarisation booklet

Application

Key dates

  1. Secondary Transfer Test registration opens

    1 May 2026, 10am

    Past

  2. Secondary Transfer Test registration closes

    2 June 2026, 3pm

    Past

  3. Practice test

    8 September 2026

  4. Secondary Transfer Test

    10 September 2026

  5. Secondary Transfer Test results

    9 October 2026

  6. Secondary application deadline

    31 October 2026

  7. National Offer Day

    1 March 2027

How to apply

  1. 1

    Check the 2027 admissions policy

    Use the school policy for the PAN, oversubscription order, catchment priority, and any pupil premium rules.

    Read policy
  2. 2

    Register for the Secondary Transfer Test

    Out-of-county and non-partner-school families register with Buckinghamshire Council by 3pm on 2 June 2026.

    Register with Buckinghamshire Council
  3. 3

    Sit the Secondary Transfer Test

    Buckinghamshire primary and partner-school pupils sit the test on 10 September 2026; other sessions run across the published September window.

    View test dates
  4. 4

    Submit the secondary application

    Name the school on the home local authority application by 31 October 2026.

    View timeline

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School admissions policy 2027

2027 entry

Key dates

Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test timeline 2027

2027 entry

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8 i
+0.56 Progress 8
Attainment 8 i
72.4 Attainment 8
GCSE results
99.3% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths i
98% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score i
6.87 EBacc APS
A-level results
44.4% AAB or better
A-level average points
44.75 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression
77% in higher education
Apprenticeships
2% in apprenticeships
Employment
14% in sustained employment

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

Subject performance

Maths
98% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English
97.4% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences
98% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages
76.1% 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.

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School Grammar schools England
Overall GCSE performance across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, grammar schools, and England. 90 77.5 65 52.5 40 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 77.4 74.2 49.4
2022/23 76.4 71.8 47.0
2023/24 73.8 72.1 46.7
2024/25 72.4 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.

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School Grammar schools England
Average A-level result across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, 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 A- average (47.7 points) 44.0 points 37.5 points
2022/23 B+ average (44.8 points) 40.5 points 33.7 points
2023/24 B+ average (43.7 points) 41.3 points 34.5 points
2024/25 B+ average (44.8 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.

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School Grammar schools England
Where pupils go after Year 11 across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, 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%
2022/23 100% 98.9% 93.9%
2023/24 98% 99.0% 93.3%
2024/25 100% 98.7% 91.8%

Latest year breakdown

In education 100%
In apprenticeships 0%
In employment 0%

Inspection
View report
Outstanding

Latest inspection: 2 May 2024

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

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: Sir William Borlase's Grammar School was rated Outstanding in every judgement. The report describes exceptional achievement, excellent behaviour, a generous and inclusive community, broad academic study from Year 7 and enrichment that develops interests beyond the classroom.
  • Quality of education: The curriculum was broad, deep and ambitiously sequenced, with consistently strong teaching and excellent results. Pupils explored learning beyond exams, from music and languages to abstract mathematics, and reading for pleasure was woven into school culture.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: The school community was described as vibrant and generous, with pupils showing excellent behaviour, manners and attitudes to learning. Pupils were respectful and supportive of each other, and bullying was extremely rare and addressed when reported.
  • Personal development: The report stresses that personal development sits alongside academic results. Pupils benefit from impressive extra-curricular opportunities, an inclusive ethos and a culture where staff value each individual and pupils feel able to be themselves.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders' mission to inspire, empower and shape the future was reflected in the balance of academic ambition and personal growth. Staff helped new pupils settle quickly, supported SEND effectively and maintained safeguarding arrangements judged effective.
  • Sixth form provision: The sixth form was Outstanding. Older students experience the same broad, deep curriculum and high-quality teaching, with the report giving the example of a sixth-form student inspired by studying poets during a trip to Venice.

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Related pages and guides

Area and ranking pages

Best Grammar Schools in Buckinghamshire

Compare 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, Buckinghamshire route, admissions rules, competition, and school profiles.

Best Grammar Schools in the UK

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.

Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results

Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.

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Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Sir William Borlase's Grammar School use?

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Sir William Borlase's Grammar School?

1. Check the 2027 admissions policy: Use the school policy for the PAN, oversubscription order, catchment priority, and any pupil premium rules. 2. Register for the Secondary Transfer Test: Out-of-county and non-partner-school families register with Buckinghamshire Council by 3pm on 2 June 2026. 3. Sit the Secondary Transfer Test: Buckinghamshire primary and partner-school pupils sit the test on 10 September 2026; other sessions run across the published September window. 4. Submit the secondary application: Name the school on the home local authority application by 31 October 2026.

When are the key dates for Sir William Borlase's Grammar School?

Secondary Transfer Test registration opens: 1 May 2026, 10am. Secondary Transfer Test registration closes: 2 June 2026, 3pm. Practice test: 8 September 2026. Secondary Transfer Test: 10 September 2026. Secondary Transfer Test 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 Sir William Borlase's Grammar School?

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 2 May 2024.