The three readings of a Bexley result
The Bexley Selection Test guidance distinguishes selective status, top-180 priority and the later school allocation. A family needs all three pieces, rather than treating the total as an offer prediction.
Selective standard
Has the child been assessed as selective for this test cycle?
Top 180 status
Does the result identify the child in the highest-scoring 180 group?
School priority
Which admissions category applies at each preferred grammar school?
The number 180 counts children; it is not the pass mark. Children in that group receive high priority for their preferred grammar school. Other selective children can apply, but places are not guaranteed. Bexley assesses more children as selective than there are places.
What the weighting means
- Verbal ability
- 50%
- Numerical ability
- 25%
- Non-verbal ability
- 25%
Verbal ability includes English comprehension. The total reported by the council is an age-standardised score, not a percentage. Avoid adding remembered raw answers or comparing it directly with a Kent or Medway total: the assessments have different scales and rules.
The result should answer whether the selective standard was met. Keep that wording with the total. If seeking a review, show the complete communication to the primary headteacher rather than just the difference from a previous year’s threshold.
Example
These situations illustrate the admissions distinction without inventing a future selective score or a school cut-off.
Worked examples
One test, different result categories
The school’s priority rules now matter
The child can be considered, but the result does not reserve a place. Identify the relevant category and how the school uses distance or sibling priority.
Compare the school checksIllustrative situations. Read the result and the preferred school’s entry-year policy.
What parents should check
- The two result labels
Record selective status and any top-180 status separately. A high-looking number without the result wording is an incomplete basis for an application.
- The policy for each of the four schools
Read Beths, Bexley Grammar, Chislehurst and Sidcup, and Townley individually. The Bexley school directory links to profiles and admissions information.
- The address and tie-break
Find the distance measurement, sibling definition and any evidence needed for your category. A nearby school is not automatically the one at which your child has the strongest admissions priority.
- The CAF and any review separately
Submit preferences to your home authority on time. If requesting a review, use the Bexley review and appeals guide; a review of selective status and an appeal against a refused place are different processes.
Common questions
A few more answers
Is 180 the Bexley pass mark?
No. It is the number of highest-scoring children in the top-priority group, not a score threshold. The council and grammar schools set the selective score for the test cycle.
Does being selective guarantee a place?
A selective result outside the top 180 does not guarantee a place. The school’s admissions criteria, including relevant distance and sibling rules, determine priority.
How is the Bexley score weighted?
Half comes from verbal ability, a quarter from numerical ability and a quarter from non-verbal ability, after age standardisation.
What if a child is not deemed selective?
Discuss the headteacher review route with the primary headteacher. The council says to retain a grammar preference on the secondary application if seeking a review; also include suitable alternatives.
Official sources
Checked 28 Sept 2026