Quick answer
The Bexley result is useful because it tells parents whether the child has met the selective standard, and whether the child is in the top 180 group. For everyone else who is selective, the result still needs to be read with distance, sibling priority, preference order, and the named school's policy.
- Bexley uses one selection test for the four Bexley grammar schools.
- The total score is age-standardised and weighted across the assessed areas.
- Bexley states that more children are deemed selective than there are grammar school places.
The three readings of a Bexley result
The first reading is whether the child met the selective standard. If they did not, a Bexley grammar place becomes much harder to secure through the normal allocation process.
The second reading is whether the child is in the top 180. Bexley treats this as a high-priority group for the child’s preferred grammar school.
The third reading is the one many families spend too little time on: if the child is selective but not in the top 180, the school admissions criteria matter sharply. Bexley says most places are offered using criteria such as distance and sibling priority.
What the weighting means
Verbal ability and English comprehension
- Bexley weighting
- 50% of the total weighted age-standardised score.
- How to use it
- Treat it as a large part of the total, not as a separate admissions promise.
Numerical reasoning
- Bexley weighting
- 25% of the total weighted age-standardised score.
- How to use it
- Use the official total score rather than trying to recreate raw marks.
Non-verbal reasoning
- Bexley weighting
- 25% of the total weighted age-standardised score.
- How to use it
- Check the result outcome first, then the named school's policy.
Example
A child is deemed selective in Bexley but is not in the top 180. That is still a meaningful result: the child can be considered for Bexley grammar schools. It is not the same as a secured place. The family now needs to read the admissions policy for the actual school on the CAF and check how distance, sibling rules and other criteria are used.
For an out-of-borough family, the same result may feel strong, but the home-to-school distance can still decide whether a preferred school is realistic.
What parents should check
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Selective standard or top 180
Those two outcomes have different admissions consequences.
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The preferred school, not only the borough
Beths, Bexley Grammar, Chislehurst and Sidcup, and Townley each need a school-level read.
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Distance and sibling rules
Bexley's own guidance points parents back to the individual school admission arrangements.
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A balanced CAF
List grammar preferences only where you would accept the offer, and keep other realistic schools in the order you genuinely prefer.