School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Wycombe High School

Marlow Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1TB

A selective girls grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,361 pupils on roll.

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

UK rank: UK Rank #68
Year 7 places: 192
Competition ?: High
Ofsted ?: Outstanding
11+ route: GL Assessment

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At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank: UK Rank #68
Sector: Grammar school
Admissions: Girls only
Assessment: GL Assessment
Places in Year 7: 192
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

Wycombe High School is a selective girls' grammar in High Wycombe with about 1,361 pupils and a history that began in September 1901 with 18 fee-paying students and three staff. The school moved through earlier town sites before settling on Marlow Hill in 1956, later adding technology, sport and drama blocks, the Wainwright Learning Centre, a Music Centre and an all-weather pitch.

Its current ethos is confident and distinctive. Wycombe High talks about students relishing challenge, chasing excellence and inspiring others, with values including infectious joy, limitless ambition, insatiable curiosity and generous spirit. The curriculum includes computing, design and technology, personal development and sixth-form study, while sport, music, drama, houses, leadership and the library give the school a lively all-round grammar feel.

Year 7 admission is through Buckinghamshire's Secondary Transfer Test. The published admission number is 192. The test score is age-standardised and weighted 50% verbal skills, 25% mathematical skills and 25% non-verbal skills; a score of 121 or above qualifies for Buckinghamshire grammar-school entry before Wycombe High's catchment, sister, partner-feeder and distance criteria are applied.

Wycombe High's public performance profile is very strong: Ofsted Outstanding, high Progress 8, 99.5% grade 5+ in English and maths and a sizeable sixth form. The admissions decision is therefore as much about Buckinghamshire transfer-test qualification and catchment detail as it is about the school's academic reputation.

Key points

Assessment route: GL Assessment across a 2-stage process, covering English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning.
Places and demand: 192 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. Last distance offered: 11.25 miles.
Results: 99.5% grade 5+ in English and maths and 73.9 Attainment 8
Sixth form: Sixth form available with 27.7% AAB or better and 70% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

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

School Local authority England

Attainment 8: 73.9
Grade 5+ English and maths: 99.5%
EBacc APS: 7.16
EBacc entry: 96.3%

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: Girls only
Age range: 11-18
Headteacher: Mrs Nicola Renyard
Pupil roll: 1,361 pupils
Sixth form: Yes
Trust: Wycombe High School Academies Trust
FSM ?: 7.9%
EAL ?: 16.6%
EHCP ?: 0.3%

Extracurriculars

Sport

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,361 pupils; 1,336 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 38.3% Asian 48.5% Mixed 7.8% Black 2.3% Other 1.3% Unclassified 1.8%

Recorded group	Share	Category	Pupils
White British	33.4%	White	454
Indian	20.1%	Asian	273
Pakistani	19.4%	Asian	264
Any other Asian background	6.1%	Asian	83
Any other White background	4.8%	White	65
Any other mixed background	3.3%	Mixed	45
White and Asian	3.2%	Mixed	43
African	1.8%	Black	25
Unclassified	1.8%	Unclassified	25
Chinese	1.5%	Asian	20
Bangladeshi	1.4%	Asian	19
Any other ethnic group	1.3%	Other	18
White and Black Caribbean	1.1%	Mixed	15
Caribbean	0.5%	Black	7
White and Black African	0.2%	Mixed	3
Irish	0.1%	White	2

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Location and contact

Address

Address: Marlow Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Postcode: HP11 1TB
Area: Buckinghamshire
Exam area: Buckinghamshire 11+

School leadership

Headteacher: Mrs Nicola Renyard

School contact

School email: office@whs.bucks.sch.uk
School phone: 0149452396101494897328

Admissions contact

Admissions team: admissions team
Admissions email: office@whs.bucks.sch.uk
Admissions phone: 01494523961

Open in Map Open school website

Admissions

Year 7 places: 192 places (2028 entry)
Applications listed: 615 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences: 227 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.
Last distance offered: 11.25 miles (2026 entry)
Pass mark note: A Secondary Transfer Test score of 121 or above qualifies a child for Buckinghamshire grammar-school entry.

Qualified girls living in catchment are prioritised before outside-catchment categories. Straight-line distance is the final criterion.

Oversubscription and eligibility

1

Looked after and previously looked after girls in catchment

Qualified girls who are looked after or previously looked after and live in catchment are prioritised first.
2

Catchment pupil premium or service premium

Qualified girls in catchment who are eligible for pupil premium or service premium are prioritised next.
3

Catchment sisters

Qualified girls in catchment with a sister on roll are prioritised.
4

Catchment partner feeder schools

Qualified girls in catchment attending a named partner feeder school are prioritised.
5

Other catchment girls

Other qualified girls living in catchment are prioritised before outside-catchment categories.
6

Outside catchment sisters

Qualified girls outside catchment with a sister on roll are considered next.

Admissions policy

Determined admissions policy from September 2027

2027 entry

Information booklet

Marking the Secondary Transfer Test

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

Secondary Transfer Test marks are age-standardised and weighted as 50% verbal skills, 25% mathematical skills and 25% non-verbal skills.

Assessment route: GL Assessment
Papers and stages: 2 papers
Format: Multiple-choice papers
Weighting: English 50% / Maths 25% / Reasoning 25%
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 Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test 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

Paper 1

Multiple-choice verbal-skills paper covering comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning.
Paper 2

Maths, Non-verbal reasoning

Paper 2

Multiple-choice mathematics and non-verbal skills paper, including 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

Multiple-choice verbal-skills paper covering comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning.
Non-verbal reasoning

Multiple-choice mathematics and non-verbal skills paper, including spatial reasoning.

Not listed

Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders

Find open days and plan a visit

Secondary Transfer Test registration opens

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

3pm on 2 June 2026
Past
Test invitation email

by 7 August 2026
Past
Practice Test

8 September 2026
Past
Secondary Transfer Test

10 September 2026
Past
Secondary Transfer Test results

after 4pm on 9 October 2026
Secondary application deadline

31 October 2026
National Offer Day

1 March 2027

How to apply

1
Register for the Secondary Transfer Test

Registration opens at 10am on 1 May 2026 and closes at 3pm on 2 June 2026 for children who need to register.
Register
2
Sit the Secondary Transfer Test

Practice testing is on 8 September 2026 and the Transfer Test is on 10 September 2026 for most candidates.
Check test dates
3
Submit the secondary application

Submit the secondary school application to the home local authority by 31 October 2026.
Open admissions page

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Determined admissions policy from September 2027

2027 entry

Information booklet

Marking the Secondary Transfer Test

Key dates

Admissions page

2027 entry

Key dates

2027 entry

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8 ?: +0.90 Progress 8
Attainment 8 ?: 73.9 Attainment 8
GCSE results: 99.5% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths ?: 99.5% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score ?: 7.16 EBacc APS
A-level results: 27.7% AAB or better
A-level average points: 42.22 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression: 70% in higher education
Apprenticeships: 4% in apprenticeships
Employment: 18% in sustained employment

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

Subject performance

Maths: 96.8% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English: 98.4% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences: 96.7% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages: 86.7% 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.

Wycombe High School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	79.4	74.2	49.4
2022/23	74.6	71.8	47.0
2023/24	75.5	72.1	46.7
2024/25	73.9	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.

Wycombe High School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	A- average (47.2 points)	44.0 points	37.5 points
2022/23	B+ average (43.6 points)	40.5 points	33.7 points
2023/24	B+ average (42.0 points)	41.3 points	34.5 points
2024/25	B+ average (42.2 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.

Wycombe High School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	99%	99.1%	94.1%
2022/23	98%	98.9%	93.9%
2023/24	99%	99.0%	93.3%
2024/25	98%	98.7%	91.8%

Latest year breakdown

In education	98%
In apprenticeships	0%
In employment	0%

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Inspection

View report

Outstanding

Latest inspection: 1 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: Outstanding overall, with pupils achieving highly and contributing eagerly to school life. The report describes very high expectations, mutual respect, exceptional enrichment, strong SEND support and a sixth form that combines academic ambition with a well-planned futures programme.
Quality of education: The curriculum is highly ambitious, rigorous and carefully sequenced for all pupils. Recall activities, expert explanation and questioning help pupils build detailed knowledge, while SEND and reading needs are identified accurately and supported effectively.
Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour is Outstanding. Pupils show self-control, positive attitudes and respect for staff and each other. Attendance is high, and where absence is higher for a small number of disadvantaged pupils, staff work constructively with families.
Personal development: Wider development is exceptional. Pupils join clubs and trips, create new societies, take leadership roles and study PSHEE topics such as toxic masculinity, consent, sleep and healthy eating, alongside strong guidance on university, careers and apprenticeships.
Leadership and management: Leaders and trustees focus sharply on the best outcomes for pupils. They know the school well, act on imperfections, provide high-quality staff training and have built a culture where positive relationships and workload support matter.
Sixth form provision: The sixth form is described as a beacon of excellence. Students work in an aspirational culture, follow a wider curriculum, use the futures programme to build life skills and leave as ambitious, compassionate and well-rounded young adults.

Similar schools and comparisons

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Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.

Beaconsfield High School

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Kendrick School

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Nearby schools with similar results

Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.

Westcliff High School for Girls

Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8

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Dartford Grammar School for Girls

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Shortlist comparisons

Compare Wycombe High School with Beaconsfield High School Compare Wycombe High School with Aylesbury High School Compare Wycombe High School with Dr Challoner's High School

Explore this school in context

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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.

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 Girls' Grammar Schools in the UK

Explore the best girls grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county and Ofsted before comparing schools by route and journey.

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.

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Wycombe High School use?

Wycombe High School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Wycombe High School?

1. Register for the Secondary Transfer Test: Registration opens at 10am on 1 May 2026 and closes at 3pm on 2 June 2026 for children who need to register. 2. Sit the Secondary Transfer Test: Practice testing is on 8 September 2026 and the Transfer Test is on 10 September 2026 for most candidates. 3. Submit the secondary application: Submit the secondary school application to the home local authority by 31 October 2026.

When are the key dates for Wycombe High School?

Secondary Transfer Test registration opens: 10am on 1 May 2026. Secondary Transfer Test registration closes: 3pm on 2 June 2026. Test invitation email: by 7 August 2026. Practice Test: 8 September 2026. Secondary Transfer Test: 10 September 2026. Secondary Transfer Test results: after 4pm on 9 October 2026. Secondary application deadline: 31 October 2026. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Wycombe High School?

Wycombe High School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 1 May 2024.