A selective boys grammar school in Orpington, Greater London, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,085 pupils on roll.
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School
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At a glance
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School is a selective boys' grammar school in Orpington, with girls admitted to the sixth form. It is also a Church of England school, but its own values pages stress that pupils of all faiths and none are welcomed. History is central here: the school traces its foundation to the sixteenth century and repeatedly connects more than 450 years of tradition with dignity, respect, responsibility and service.
Academically, St Olave's is one of the strongest academic performers among England's grammar schools. The school describes itself as a designated state grammar selecting by high academic performance in entrance tests, and its headteacher's welcome calls it one of the country's most successful voluntary-aided selective schools. The curriculum is supported by strong sixth-form provision, and published measures show +1.27 Progress 8, 100% grade 5+ in English and maths and 78.5% AAB or better at A level.
The school life offer is substantial and specific. St Olave's highlights sport, music, drama, Duke of Edinburgh, clubs and societies, and the site record includes a library, swimming pool and music rooms. The homepage also points to a purpose-built sixth-form block and music centre, and to the conversion of the former Olympic-sized swimming pool into a multi-purpose sports and drama hall. The tone is academically serious but explicitly pastoral: staff knowing pupils well is one of the school's repeated claims.
Year 7 admission has 124 published places and is highly selective. Boys first sit the Selective Eligibility Test in logic, mathematics and English; the top 450 are invited to second-stage English and mathematics tests, with creative writing used in the tie-break sequence. The policy gives priority within the eligible group to EHCP naming, looked-after and previously looked-after boys, and up to 10 pupil-premium places before remaining places are allocated by rank order. Recent demand figures show 475 applications and 126 offers.
Creative writing is tested in this school's current 11+ assessment.
A weak creative writing piece can leave a child short of qualification. 11 Plus Writing Coach helps families build steadier practice and clearer feedback.
From our 11 Plus Writing Coach site
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Bromley and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Bromley and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Bromley and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,085 pupils; 1,014 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian | 34.9% | Asian | 379 |
| Any other Asian background | 11.9% | Asian | 129 |
| White British | 10.3% | White | 112 |
| Chinese | 10.2% | Asian | 111 |
| African | 8.4% | Black | 91 |
| Unclassified | 6.5% | Unclassified | 71 |
| Any other White background | 5.9% | White | 64 |
| White and Asian | 3.6% | Mixed | 39 |
| Any other mixed background | 2.9% | Mixed | 32 |
| Any other ethnic group | 1.5% | Other | 16 |
| Pakistani | 1.5% | Asian | 16 |
| Bangladeshi | 1.2% | Asian | 13 |
| Any other Black background | 0.4% | Black | 4 |
| White and Black African | 0.4% | Mixed | 4 |
| Irish | 0.3% | White | 3 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.1% | Mixed | 1 |
No catchment area applies; places are rank-led after the stated priority categories.
EHCP naming the school
Boys who meet the admission standard and have an EHCP naming the school are admitted first.
Looked-after and previously looked-after boys
Boys in this category who are in the initial top 450 and take the subsequent tests are admitted by rank order.
Pupil Premium places
A maximum of 10 places are available for boys in receipt of Pupil Premium by rank order.
Remaining rank order
Remaining places are allocated by rank order after the stated priority categories.
Tied scores
Ties use mathematics, then creative writing, then English multiple choice, then SET performance, followed by random allocation if needed.
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School currently uses Individual. The published format currently lists 2 papers. Scores are published as age-standardised.
Paper 1
Other, Maths, English
Selective Eligibility Test
The SET contains logic, mathematics and English questions; the top 450 are invited to second-round testing.
Paper 2
English, Maths, Writing task
Second stage tests
Boys passing the SET sit second-stage English and mathematics tests; writing task is used in the tie-break sequence.
English and Maths are included in the published format.
Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning and Science are not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning
Science
Year 7 SIF opens
8 June 2026
PastApplications open at 9am.
Open evening
25 June 2026, 3.30pm-7.30pm
Year 7 SIF deadline
29 June 2026
Applications close at midday.
Selective Eligibility Test
18 September 2026
SET outcome
mid-October 2026 (before half term)
Second-stage entrance test
13 November 2026
National Offer Day
1 March 2027
Submit the Year 7 SIF
Complete the supplementary information form after it opens on 8 June 2026 and before the midday deadline on 29 June 2026.
Open application procedureSit the Selective Eligibility Test
The first-stage SET is scheduled for 18 September 2026.
Open key datesAttend second-stage testing if invited
Candidates invited after the SET sit the second-stage entrance test on 13 November 2026.
Open stepSubmit the local authority application
The local authority application is still required for a Year 7 place, alongside the school SIF and entrance tests.
Open stepLatest 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 | 84.1 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 84.4 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 85.8 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 83.6 | 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 (54.2 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | A average (50.0 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | A average (49.4 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | A average (50.3 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 | 100% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 100% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 100% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 0% |
| In employment | 0% |
Latest inspection: 7 March 2014
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Nearby London option with a similar admissions route
Nearby London option with a similar admissions route
Nearby London option with a similar admissions route
Nearby option within a reasonable travel distance
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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FAQ
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School currently uses Individual.
1. Submit the Year 7 SIF: Complete the supplementary information form after it opens on 8 June 2026 and before the midday deadline on 29 June 2026. 2. Sit the Selective Eligibility Test: The first-stage SET is scheduled for 18 September 2026. 3. Attend second-stage testing if invited: Candidates invited after the SET sit the second-stage entrance test on 13 November 2026. 4. Submit the local authority application: The local authority application is still required for a Year 7 place, alongside the school SIF and entrance tests.
Year 7 SIF opens: 8 June 2026. Open evening: 25 June 2026, 3.30pm-7.30pm. Year 7 SIF deadline: 29 June 2026. Selective Eligibility Test: 18 September 2026. SET outcome: mid-October 2026 (before half term). Second-stage entrance test: 13 November 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 7 March 2014.