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 Trafford
Trafford is home to 3 fully selective grammar schools and 0 partially selective schools, served by the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium (GL Assessment). 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 Trafford 11+ works
Two papers, each approximately one hour long, sat on the same day. Both papers contain questions testing Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Mathematics skills — all three subjects appear in each paper in a range of question types. Scores are age-standardised. GL Assessment produces a bespoke paper for the Trafford Consortium; it is not the same test used at any other school.
All five Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium members (AGSB, AGGS, Sale Grammar, Stretford Grammar, Urmston Grammar) use the same GL Assessment paper from 2024 entry onwards. Children register for the exam through their preferred school's website; they sit only once but can request their score be shared with multiple consortium schools at point of registration. Scores cannot be retrospectively shared after standardisation.
Key dates
Who can apply?
Children born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015 are eligible for September 2026 entry.
All eligible children — regardless of where they live — may sit the Trafford 11+ exam. There is no geographic restriction on sitting the test.
A qualifying standardised score of 334 or above is required for most applicants to be considered for admission (the qualifying mark for Looked After Children and Pupil Premium applicants is 324 at AGSB and AGGS).
Passing the entrance exam does not guarantee a place; oversubscription criteria then apply, giving priority to children in each school's defined priority admission area.
Children register to sit the exam at one consortium school but may request their score be sent to multiple consortium schools — this must be specified at point of registration.
Admissions process
Register online through your preferred consortium school's website between April and June each year. Registration is free. If your exam centre reaches capacity, spaces are reallocated by distance. Access arrangements (e.g. extra time) must be requested at point of registration with supporting documentation.
Children sit two one-hour GL Assessment papers on the same day in September, testing Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths. Results (a single age-standardised score) are released to parents before the end of October — in time to inform the Common Application Form.
Submit your Local Authority's secondary school CAF by 31 October, listing your preferred schools in rank order. You must name each consortium school you wish to be considered for. For in-Trafford residents this is via trafford.gov.uk; for out-of-area applicants, use your home LA portal.
Schools check that each applicant has achieved the qualifying standardised score. Where qualified applicants exceed places, oversubscription criteria are applied in priority order: (1) Looked After / Previously Looked After children; (2) Pupil Premium children within the priority area (up to reserved numbers at AGSB/AGGS); (3) siblings in priority area; (4) other applicants in priority area, ranked by distance; (5) Pupil Premium applicants outside priority area; (6) siblings outside priority area; (7) all other qualified applicants, ranked by straight-line distance from home to school.
Offers made by home Local Authorities on 1 March. Where multiple schools offer a place, the LA allocates to the highest-listed preference. Appeals may be submitted after offer day; schools maintain waiting lists of qualified applicants until 31 December.
School Directory
Disclaimer: Data from official school and LA sources (AGSB admissions policy 2026, AGGS admissions policy 2026, Sale Grammar admissions policy 2026, AGGS admissions FAQ, DfE Compare School Performance, Ofsted inspection reports, Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026). Verify all details at www.agsb.co.uk, aggs.bright-futures.co.uk and www.salegrammar.co.uk before acting. Progress 8 is unavailable for 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to COVID-related KS2 data gap; most recent figures cited are 2023/24 (Attainment 8) and 2022/23 (Progress 8 where available). Last reviewed April 2026. Always verify figures on the school or local authority website before making decisions — data changes each admissions cycle. Last updated: 2026-04-19. We aim to refresh this guide every year after new DfE data is published (typically June/July).