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School profile Verified 2 June 2026

Bexley Bexley 11+

Townley Grammar School

Townley Road, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AB

A selective girls grammar school in Bexleyheath, Greater London, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,670 pupils on roll.

Girls Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment
UK rank
UK Rank #58
Year 7 places
224
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 #58
Admissions
Girls only
Assessment
GL Assessment
Places in Year 7
224
Competition i
High
Catchment
There is no named catchment boundary. After Bexley selective eligibility and priority groups, distance from home to school is a major allocation rule; Bexley's top 180 score protection also applies.
Ofsted
Outstanding

Overview

Townley Grammar School is a large Bexley selective girls' school with boys admitted into the sixth form. It became an academy in 2012, but its distinctive identity predates that: the school was recognised as a Specialist School for the Performing and Visual Arts in 2004 and later as a High Performing Specialist School.

The academic profile is strong, with Townley publishing GCSE and A level outcomes and Ofsted judging the school Outstanding in 2023. The curriculum and sixth-form offer keep the performing arts visible alongside mathematics, computing, sciences, humanities, languages and social sciences, which is important to the school's identity as a former Specialist School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Townley's sixth form is large, co-educational and broad, with around 500 places expected. The school describes it as high-achieving and diverse, with academic study supported by pastoral care, electives, leadership and preparation for post-18 routes. Music, drama, Duke of Edinburgh and performance opportunities are part of the everyday texture of the school.

Year 7 has 224 places and uses the Bexley Selection Test. Applicants must be deemed selective before Townley's criteria are applied; after looked-after children, pupil-premium categories, Bexley's highest 180 scorers, siblings and staff children, distance is the main deciding factor. Meeting the Bexley selective standard does not by itself guarantee a Townley place.

Key points
Assessment route
GL Assessment across a single-stage process, covering English, Verbal reasoning, Maths and Non-verbal reasoning.
Places and demand
224 places in Year 7 and High
Catchment
There is no named catchment boundary. After Bexley selective eligibility and priority groups, distance from home to school is a major allocation rule; Bexley's top 180 score protection also applies.
Results
98.7% grade 5+ in English and maths and 75 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 21.9% AAB or better and 75% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

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

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Townley Grammar School, Bexley, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
75
Grade 5+ English and maths
98.7%
EBacc APS
7
EBacc entry
71%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Bexley and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Townley Grammar School, Bexley, and England. 100 80 60 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

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

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Townley Grammar School, Bexley, 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
Girls only
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Ms Sarina Totty
Pupil roll
1,670 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Townley Grammar School Trust
FSM i
8.5%
EAL i
23.8%
EHCP i
0.2%

Facilities

Library

Extracurriculars

Duke of Edinburgh

Ethnicity

January 2025 school census

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,670 pupils; 1,647 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 21.2% Asian 35.2% Mixed 10.3% Black 29.8% Other 2.2% Unclassified 1.4%
Recorded group Share Category Pupils
African Black 448
Indian Asian 229
White British White 219
Any other Asian background Asian 177
Any other White background White 128
Chinese Asian 82
Bangladeshi Asian 71
Any other mixed background Mixed 69
White and Asian Mixed 51
Any other ethnic group Other 36
White and Black African Mixed 35
Pakistani Asian 28
Any other Black background Black 27
Caribbean Black 24
Unclassified Unclassified 23
White and Black Caribbean Mixed 17
Irish White 6

Location and contact

Address

Address
Townley Road, Bexleyheath, Greater London
Postcode
DA6 7AB
Area
Bexley
Exam area
Bexley 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Ms Sarina Totty

School contact

School email
admin@townleygrammar.org.uk
School phone
02083048311

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions
Admissions email
admissions@townleygrammar.org.uk
Admissions phone
02083048311
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
224 places (2025 entry)
Applications listed
917 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
223 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition i
High
Catchment picture
There is no named catchment boundary. After Bexley selective eligibility and priority groups, distance from home to school is a major allocation rule; Bexley's top 180 score protection also applies.
Residence requirement
Yes, home address evidence is part of the published admissions checks
Pass mark note
Bexley decides the selective mark each year. Achieving the selective standard does not guarantee a grammar place unless the child is among the highest 180 scorers.

Applicants must be deemed selective through the Bexley 11+ route. After priority categories, distance is the main allocation rule; Bexley's highest 180 scorers retain special priority.

There is no named catchment boundary. After Bexley selective eligibility and priority groups, distance from home to school is a major allocation rule; Bexley's top 180 score protection also applies.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Children in public care and previously looked-after children

    Selective applicants in this category are prioritised first.

  2. 2

    Pupil Premium selective places

    Up to 20 places for girls achieving the qualifying selective score and eligible for Pupil Premium, ranked by score then distance.

  3. 3

    Pupil Premium near-selective places

    If fewer than 20 Pupil Premium places are filled, further Pupil Premium applicants up to 2% below the selective score may be considered by score then distance.

  4. 4

    Bexley top 180

    Girls among Bexley's highest 180 scorers who apply to Townley are prioritised.

  5. 5

    Siblings

    Selective applicants with a qualifying sibling link are prioritised next.

  6. 6

    Staff children

    Eligible staff children are prioritised after siblings.

Admissions policy

Admissions policy 2027-28

2027 entry

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

Townley Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment. The published format currently lists 1 paper. Scores are published as age-standardised.

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

Shared exam route

Practice for this school's entrance test

Townley Grammar School uses the shared Bexley 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 Bexley practice papers
Practice paper English

GL Assessment English Paper 1

Practice paper Maths

GL Assessment Maths Practice Paper 1

Practice paper Non-Verbal Reasoning

GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning Paper 1

Practice paper Verbal Reasoning

GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning Paper 1

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    English, Verbal reasoning, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning

    Bexley Selection Test

    Two multiple-choice booklets covering verbal ability, English comprehension, numerical reasoning and non-verbal 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

    Two multiple-choice booklets covering verbal ability, English comprehension, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

  • Non-verbal reasoning

    Two multiple-choice booklets covering verbal ability, English comprehension, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

Not listed

  • Science

Application

Key dates

  1. Bexley Selection Test registration opens

    1 March 2026

    Past

  2. Bexley Selection Test registration closes

    31 March 2026

    Past

    Deadline is midnight.

  3. Bexley primary school test window

    Wednesday 2 to Thursday 10 September 2026

  4. Test-centre window

    Monday 7 to Thursday 10 September 2026

  5. Selection Test results

    Early October 2026

  6. Secondary school application deadline

    31 October 2026

  7. National offer day

    1 March 2027

How to apply

  1. 1

    Register for the Bexley Selection Test

    Registration opened on 1 March 2026 and closed at midnight on 31 March 2026.

    Check test information
  2. 2

    Sit the Bexley Selection Test

    Test centres run from 7 to 10 September 2026; Bexley primary schools test from 2 to 10 September 2026.

    Check test details
  3. 3

    Submit the secondary application

    Name Townley Grammar on the secondary application by the normal October deadline.

    Check application details

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admissions policy 2027-28

2027 entry

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8 i
+0.66 Progress 8
Attainment 8 i
75 Attainment 8
GCSE results
98.7% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths i
98.7% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score i
7 EBacc APS
A-level results
21.9% AAB or better
A-level average points
40.64 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression
75% in higher education
Apprenticeships
4% in apprenticeships
Employment
10% in sustained employment

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

Subject performance

Maths
97.3% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English
98.7% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences
96% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages
91.8% 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.

Townley Grammar School Grammar schools England
Overall GCSE performance across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Townley 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 76.7 74.2 49.4
2022/23 75.6 71.8 47.0
2023/24 76.2 72.1 46.7
2024/25 75 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.

Townley Grammar School Grammar schools England
Average A-level result across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Townley 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 B+ average (42.4 points) 44.0 points 37.5 points
2022/23 B average (39.3 points) 40.5 points 33.7 points
2023/24 B average (40.8 points) 41.3 points 34.5 points
2024/25 B average (40.6 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.

Townley Grammar School Grammar schools England
Where pupils go after Year 11 across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for Townley 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
2021/22 100% 99.1% 94.1%
2022/23 100% 98.9% 93.9%
2023/24 100% 99.0% 93.3%
2024/25 99% 98.7% 91.8%

Latest year breakdown

In education 99%
In apprenticeships 0%
In employment 0%

Inspection
View report
Outstanding

Latest inspection: 1 March 2023

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

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: Outstanding overall, with the report describing a school where pupils feel heard, are highly ambitious and benefit from strong pastoral care. The breadth is striking: Latin, modern languages, dance, STEM, international visits and a sixth form integrated into school life.
  • Quality of education: The curriculum is academically stretching and deliberately broad. Pupils study Latin and modern languages, build knowledge step by step, and use teacher feedback to close gaps. Reading is checked on entry, while sixth formers add electives and often take the extended project qualification.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour was described as exemplary: pupils are punctual to learning, listen carefully and take responsibility for themselves. Bullying was reported as rare and dealt with quickly, supporting a culture where academic challenge sits alongside strong pastoral care.
  • Personal development: Personal development is a strength, not an add-on. The character and well-being programme covers relationships education, while 21c and EDGE develop critical thinking, creativity and independence. Sport, music, dance, photography, productions, Duke of Edinburgh and overseas visits widen the offer.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders and trustees set high academic expectations while listening to pupils and staff. The report highlights well-planned staff training, workload consideration, rapid support for SEND and safeguarding systems that train staff on local risks and involve outside agencies promptly.
  • Sixth form provision: Sixth formers choose from a wide A-level offer and additional electives such as art appreciation and pharmaceutical science. They are welcomed into the wider community, supported with applications, introduced to university and apprenticeship routes, and often challenge themselves through the extended project qualification.

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Shortlist comparisons

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Townley Grammar School use?

Townley Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Townley Grammar School?

1. Register for the Bexley Selection Test: Registration opened on 1 March 2026 and closed at midnight on 31 March 2026. 2. Sit the Bexley Selection Test: Test centres run from 7 to 10 September 2026; Bexley primary schools test from 2 to 10 September 2026. 3. Submit the secondary application: Name Townley Grammar on the secondary application by the normal October deadline.

When are the key dates for Townley Grammar School?

Bexley Selection Test registration opens: 1 March 2026. Bexley Selection Test registration closes: 31 March 2026. Bexley primary school test window: Wednesday 2 to Thursday 10 September 2026. Test-centre window: Monday 7 to Thursday 10 September 2026. Selection Test results: Early October 2026. Secondary school application deadline: 31 October 2026. National offer day: 1 March 2027

What does the latest Ofsted picture look like for Townley Grammar School?

Townley Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 1 March 2023.