School profile Verified 11 September 2026

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.

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

UK rank: UK Rank #88
Year 7 places: 150
Competition ?: High
Ofsted ?: Outstanding
11+ route: GL Assessment

Compare Official website Map

Exterior of Sir William Borlase's Grammar School

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank: UK Rank #88
Sector: Grammar school
Admissions: Mixed
Assessment: GL Assessment
Places in Year 7: 150
Competition ?: High
Catchment: You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
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: You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
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

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

Destinations

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

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown

School details

Sector: Grammar school
School type: Academy converter
Application: Local authority CAF
Gender: Mixed
Age range: 11-18
Headteacher: Mr Ed Goodall
Pupil roll: 1,205 pupils
Sixth form: Yes
Trust: Marlow Education Trust
FSM ?: 2.7%
EAL ?: 11.4%
EHCP ?: 0.5%

Facilities

Theatre

Extracurriculars

Drama

Ethnicity

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	69.4%	White	836
Indian	8.1%	Asian	98
Any other White background	7.3%	White	88
Any other mixed background	4.8%	Mixed	58
White and Asian	4.4%	Mixed	53
Pakistani	1.7%	Asian	21
Unclassified	0.8%	Unclassified	10
Any other ethnic group	0.7%	Other	9
Chinese	0.6%	Asian	7
African	0.4%	Black	5
Any other Asian background	0.4%	Asian	5
White and Black Caribbean	0.4%	Mixed	5
White and Black African	0.3%	Mixed	4
Irish	0.2%	White	3
Bangladeshi	0.2%	Asian	2
Caribbean	0.1%	Black	1

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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 ?: High
Who can apply: You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
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

Looked after and previously looked after children

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

Catchment pupil premium qualifiers

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

Children of staff

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

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.

Buckinghamshire test guide

Familiarisation download the Familiarisation booklet Familiarisation GL Assessment English familiarisation pack English General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Maths familiarisation pack Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ.

View all 8 resources

Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Skills familiarisation pack Verbal Skills General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Guidance GL Assessment official guidance and downloads General provider familiarisation. Use only the subjects in this school’s test; question counts and timings may differ.

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Papers and rounds

Paper 1

English, Verbal reasoning

Verbal skills paper

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

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders

Find open days and plan a visit

Secondary Transfer Test registration opens

1 May 2026, 10am
Past
Secondary Transfer Test registration closes

2 June 2026, 3pm
Past
Practice test

8 September 2026
Past
Secondary Transfer Test

10 September 2026
Past
Secondary Transfer Test results

9 October 2026
Secondary application deadline

31 October 2026
National Offer Day

1 March 2027
Year 7 open evening

23 September 2026

For September 2027 entry; book through the school website.

How to apply

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
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
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
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 ?: +0.56 Progress 8
Attainment 8 ?: 72.4 Attainment 8
GCSE results: 99.3% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths ?: 98% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score ?: 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

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

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

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%

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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

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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.

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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. Year 7 open evening: 23 September 2026

What does the latest inspection 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.