Secondary Transfer Testing in Buckinghamshire

 

Secondary Transfer Test

Children seeking a Year 7 place in a Buckinghamshire grammar school sit the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT) in the Autumn term of Year 6. The test is commissioned by the The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) acting on behalf of the 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools and is produced by GL Assessment.

 

The Secondary Transfer Test comprises two test papers that are each approximately 60 minutes in length including an introduction and practice examples.  Both papers are taken on the same day with a short gap in between. One paper assesses verbal skills. The other paper assesses mathematical and non-verbal skills. Children  need to achieve a standardised score of 121 or above in order to automatically qualify for consideration for entry to a Buckinghamshire grammar school. Grammar school places are then offered according to the individual school’s admissions policy.

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Familiarisation and practice

Familiarisation materials for the Buckinghamshire test are made available to parents in the summer term of Year 5. Additional free familiarisation materials are available on the GL Assessment website.

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There is also a practice test. The practice test has two short papers. Its purpose is to enable children to experience listening to the test instructions and also to become familiar with the look and format of the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test so that they know what to expect on the test day.

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Test administration

Buckinghamshire Council (BC) administers the testing process under contract to The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS). This includes providing information and support to parents and schools, managing access arrangements for children with Special Educational Needs, running a registration service for children attending out of county schools, releasing test results and managing selection reviews.

 

Thanks to the support of primary school head teachers, children in Buckinghamshire primary schools and partner schools usually sit the test in their own school. Other children sit the test at one of the grammar schools or another central location. 

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Further details can be found in the FAQs.

 

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