For parents and guardians: Please verify all school data — cut-off scores, applicant numbers and competition ratios — against official sources (school websites, local authority admissions data) before making any decisions. The figures on this page are researched but not guaranteed and change each admissions cycle.
Complete 2025/26 11+ Guide to Grammar Schools in Barnet (North London)
Barnet (North London) is home to 2 fully selective grammar schools and 0 partially selective schools. This guide covers every school — admissions criteria, competition data, cut-off scores, GCSE results, and specific prep advice — so you can make an informed decision.
How the Barnet (North London) 11+ works
No shared consortium. QE Boys (Queen Elizabeth's School) runs its own two-paper exam: English and Maths, both multiple-choice (~50 minutes each), sat on the same day in September. No VR or NVR. Henrietta Barnett School (HBS) runs a two-stage process: Round 1 is GL Assessment multiple-choice covering English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning; the top 300 from Round 1 progress to a school-set Round 2 with written English (comprehension + creative writing) and Mathematics (open-answer problem solving). The two schools have separate registration forms, separate exam dates and separate results processes.
Register separately for each school — there is no single Barnet registration. QE Boys registration opens 1 May and closes in early July each year. HBS registration opens 1 April and closes in early July. Both exams fall in September (HBS Round 1 in early September; QE Boys mid-September), with HBS Round 2 in early October. Submit your school preferences via your Local Authority Common Application Form by 31 October.
Key dates
Who can apply?
Any child in Year 6 may apply to QE Boys or HBS — there is no geographic restriction on registering or sitting the test.
QE Boys is a boys' grammar school; HBS is a girls' grammar school. Applications must match the school's gender.
QE Boys is fully open access nationally — no catchment area. Offers go strictly by test score (220+ qualifying mark) with no geographic preference.
HBS gives priority to girls living within 3 miles of the school (NW11 7BN) once they qualify — girls outside this zone compete only in the final open category. In practice, the local proximity advantage is meaningful when scores are close.
HBS reserves up to 20 places per year for Pupil Premium-eligible girls (current or most recent Free School Meals eligibility). Evidence must be submitted from the current school.
Children with an EHCP or statement of SEN naming either school are admitted outside the normal admissions round.
Looked-after and previously looked-after children who meet the qualifying threshold are prioritised ahead of other candidates.
Candidates requiring access arrangements (extra time, rest breaks, etc.) must apply to the relevant school in advance with supporting documentation before the registration deadline.
Admissions process
Register separately for each school. QE Boys: complete the entrance test request form at qebarnet.co.uk by 11 July 2025 at noon. HBS: complete the registration form at hbschool.org.uk by c. 12 July 2025 at 5pm. Registrations are free.
Two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers: English (~50 min) and Maths (~50 min), sat on the same day with a break between them. No VR or NVR. Boys scoring 220 or above qualify; places are then allocated in strict score order.
GL Assessment multiple-choice covering English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Approximately 3,100+ girls sit Round 1. The top 300 by combined standardised score are invited to Round 2.
School-set written papers in English (comprehension and creative writing) and Mathematics (open-answer problem solving). Round 2 is not multiple-choice. Final offers are based on combined standardised scores from both rounds, ranked and filtered through oversubscription criteria.
Boys are notified whether they scored 220+. The qualifying mark is not an offer — final offers depend on ranking at all schools on National Offer Day.
Girls are notified of their Round 1 result and whether they are invited to Round 2. Girls not in the top 300 do not progress.
List all school preferences on your Local Authority Common Application Form. You can include QE Boys, HBS and other schools across boroughs on a single CAF.
QE Boys and HBS offers are made via your Local Authority alongside all other school offers. Offers are based on each school's oversubscription criteria applied to qualified candidates.
If unsuccessful, you may appeal on selective ability grounds. Grammar school appeals can succeed but require substantial independent evidence. Success rates are generally low.
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Disclaimer: QE Boys admissions guide (qebarnet.co.uk); HBS admissions policies (hbschool.org.uk); Barnet LA secondary admissions (barnet.gov.uk); elevenplusexams.co.uk forum; Ofsted reports; DfE performance tables Always verify figures on the school or local authority website before making decisions — data changes each admissions cycle. Last updated: April 2026. We aim to refresh this guide every year after new DfE data is published (typically June/July).