What the SET result is doing
The Selective Eligibility Test (SET) is shared, but each participating school makes its own admissions decision. The official SET FAQs distinguish the five grammar schools from Greenshaw’s selective ability places.
For September 2027 entry, Nonsuch, Wallington High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar, Wallington County Grammar and Wilson’s all require a second stage. Do not use an older description of a school’s testing arrangements for this cycle.
SET outcome
Has the child met the named school’s first-stage standard?
Second-stage outcome
The school applies its rules to the testing results.
School allocation
Eligible applicants are considered under the admissions policy and CAF.
A pass email without a score is normal under the published SET guidance. Save the email and list the schools for which the required standard has been met. The useful information is the outcome for each school, not a number inferred from a practice paper.
The Sutton result in plain English
For a concrete weighting example, Wallington County’s 2027 policy gives 40% of the final standardised total to SET and 60% to its second stage. Apply that ratio only to Wallington County: it is not a rule for all Sutton schools.
Example
Match the situation to the school named in the result. These are route explanations, not assessments of a child’s chance of admission.
Worked examples
What does a first-stage pass unlock?
The second-stage result still matters
A qualifying SET outcome leads to NWSSEE. Completing the exam is not itself a confirmed offer: read the final outcome and each school’s policy.
See the official second-stage guidanceIllustrative situations for September 2027 entry. Follow the school’s outcome email.
What parents should check
- Each named school’s result
Record which first-stage standards have been met and which invitations arrived. If an expected communication is missing, contact the relevant admissions team.
- The correct second-stage arrangements
Use the invitation for venue and instructions. Keep the Sutton testing dates separate from the CAF deadline.
- The final score and policy
Use the school’s method of combining results, then its priority categories and ranking rules. Compare the Sutton schools individually.
- The school application
Submit the home-authority CAF by 31 October. Include realistic alternatives; a second-stage invitation does not reserve a place. Read the Sutton appeals guide if considering the options after a later school refusal.
Common questions
A few more answers
Why were we told the SET outcome without a score?
The SET guidance says children who meet the standard for any participating school are told the outcome without their scores. Where no school’s standard is met, standardised English and maths scores and the total are supplied.
Is there one Sutton SET pass mark?
Schools decide their pass standards after marking and may use different standards. Read the outcome for each named school rather than treating it as a single Sutton-wide verdict.
Does Wallington County Grammar have a second stage?
Yes, for 2027 entry its policy requires the SET and the joint boys’ second-stage test. Its final standardised total gives two fifths to the SET and three fifths to the second stage.
Does passing the SET secure a place?
No. For the five grammar schools it allows progression to the relevant second stage. The final testing outcome, school admissions criteria and CAF preferences determine the later allocation.
Official sources
Checked 28 Sept 2026