Slough 11 Plus Registration 2026: Key Dates and How to Apply

Slough 11 plus registration 2026 opens on 1st May 2026 and closes on Friday 5th June 2026. The Slough Consortium 11 plus exam takes place on Saturday 19th September 2026. Results arrive in mid-October 2026. The qualifying score is 111. The Common Application Form must be submitted by 31st October 2026. One registration covers all four Slough grammar schools. The exam covers English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths across two papers set by GL Assessment. 

If your child is aiming for one of the four grammar schools in Slough, this guide covers everything you need to know. From the confirmed Slough 11 plus registration 2026 dates to the exam format, the pass mark, and exactly how to apply.

The four grammar schools in the Slough Consortium

The Slough Consortium 11 plus is used by four grammar schools in the Slough local authority area. All four schools are co-educational, meaning they welcome both boys and girls. Your child sits the exam once, and the result is valid for all four schools simultaneously.

• Herschel Grammar School

• Langley Grammar School

• St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School

• Upton Court Grammar School

Slough 11 plus exam dates 2026

• 28th April 2026: Slough Consortium 11 plus information evening for parents. Highly recommended to attend 

• 1st May 2026: Slough 11 plus registration opens via the Slough Consortium application portal 

• 5th June 2026: Slough 11 plus registration closes. Do not miss this deadline

• 19th September 2026: Slough Consortium 11 plus exam day. Two papers sat on the same day with a short break between 

• Mid-October 2026: Results sent to parents

• 31st October 2026: Deadline to submit Common Application Form (CAF) to your home local authority 

• 1st March 2027: National Offer Day. School places confirmed by your local authority  

How to register for the Slough 11 plus exam

Every family who wants their child to be considered for a place at a Slough grammar school must actively register. There is no automatic registration system for Slough, unlike some other grammar school areas such as Buckinghamshire. This applies to children attending any school, state or independent, inside or outside Slough.

Step by step: completing the Slough 11 plus registration

• Visit the Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools application portal. A link to this is available on the website of each of the four participating schools from 1st May 2026.

• Complete the online registration form with your child's personal details, date of birth and current school information.

• Submit before the portal closes on 5th June 2026.

• Registration is free of charge.

• You will receive confirmation of your child's registration and details of the exam date, time and location in the weeks before 19th September.

Do I need to register separately for each school?

No. One registration through the Slough Consortium portal covers all four grammar schools. You do not need to register separately with Herschel, Langley, St Bernard's or Upton Court. You list your school preferences later on the Common Application Form once results are available.

What about the Slough 11 plus information evening?

The Slough Consortium holds a parent information evening on 28th April 2026, three days before registration opens. This is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the schools, ask questions about the process, and understand exactly what the exam involves. It is not compulsory, but we strongly recommend attending if you can.

The Slough Consortium 11 plus exam format explained

The Slough Consortium 11 plus exam is set by GL Assessment and consists of two papers. Both papers are sat on the same day, Saturday 19th September 2026, with a short break in between. Each paper lasts around one hour, including time for instructions and example questions that do not count towards your child's score.

The two papers are divided into verbal skills and non-verbal skills, but each paper covers more than one subject area.

Verbal Skills Paper

This paper covers three areas. English comprehension tests your child's ability to understand and analyse written texts. Technical English covers grammar, punctuation and spelling based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Verbal Reasoning tests logic and reasoning using written information such as letters, words and numbers. Children who have never practised Verbal Reasoning before will find this section unfamiliar.

Non-Verbal Skills Paper

This paper covers two areas. Non-Verbal Reasoning tests logic and reasoning using visual information such as shapes, diagrams and patterns. Maths covers the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum including number, algebra, measures, shape and space, and data handling. The Maths questions can be more demanding than standard Year 6 school content in their presentation.

Answer sheets are marked electronically using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) technology for consistent and accurate results. All questions are multiple-choice. There is no negative marking, so your child should always attempt every question. A blank answer earns zero. An educated guess earns a chance of a mark. 

The Slough 11 plus pass mark explained

The qualifying score for the Slough Consortium 11 plus is a total standardised score of 111. Children who achieve this score are considered eligible for a place at a Slough grammar school. 

Reaching a score of 111 is the starting point, not the finishing line. All four Slough grammar schools are frequently oversubscribed with qualifying candidates. When there are more eligible applicants than available places, each school applies its own admissions oversubscription criteria to decide who receives a place. These criteria typically include things like whether your child lives within the school's priority area, whether a sibling already attends the school, and in the case of St Bernard's, faith criteria. 

What score does your child actually need at each school?

Each of the four Slough grammar schools sets its own effective threshold based on the number of places available and the number of eligible applicants each year. There is no publicly fixed score above 111 that guarantees a place at any specific school. The effective cut-off varies year to year. Always check each school's individual admissions policy and recent admissions data for the most useful guide to what score gives your child the best chance at their preferred school.

How the Slough Consortium 11 plus is scored

After the exam on 19th September 2026, answer sheets are marked electronically using Optical Mark Recognition technology. Raw scores, the number of questions answered correctly, are then converted into Standardised Age Scores (SAS).

Age standardisation is an important and fair process. It adjusts each child's raw score to account for their exact age in years and months at the time of the exam. This means a child born in August is not penalised compared to a child born in September who has had almost a full extra year of schooling. The standardisation process ensures the exam is fair to all children regardless of when in the school year they were born.

The SAS from both papers are combined into a total score. Parents are then informed in mid-October whether their child has met the qualifying standard of 111. You are told only whether your child has qualified, not their exact score.

How to apply for a Slough grammar school place

Applying for a place at a Slough grammar school involves two distinct steps that must both be completed in the right order. Missing either one will affect your child's application.

Step 1: Register for and sit the Slough Consortium 11 plus

Register through the Slough Consortium portal between 1st May and 5th June 2026. Your child sits the exam on 19th September 2026. Results arrive in mid-October confirming whether your child has met the qualifying standard of 111.

Step 2: Submit the Common Application Form by 31st October 2026

The Common Application Form (CAF) is the form through which you formally apply for a secondary school place. It must be submitted to your home local authority by 31st October 2026, not to the individual schools or to Slough Council if you live elsewhere.

If you live in Slough, submit the CAF to Slough Borough Council. If you live in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey or another neighbouring area, submit it to your home local authority and list the Slough grammar schools among your preferences. Your local authority coordinates the application with the schools on your behalf.

Only list grammar schools on the CAF if your child has been confirmed as meeting the qualifying score of 111. Always include at least one non-selective school as a backup in case your child does not receive a grammar school offer.

Step 3: National Offer Day, 1st March 2027

School place allocations are confirmed on Monday 1st March 2027. Your child will be offered a place at the highest-preference school on your CAF for which they are eligible and which has places available. If no grammar school places are available, your child will be offered a place at another local school, and you will receive information about how to appeal.

How to prepare your child for the Slough 11 plus

The Slough Consortium 11 plus is a genuinely competitive exam. All four Slough grammar schools attract strong, well-prepared applicants, and achieving a score well above the qualifying threshold of 111 requires thorough preparation across all four tested subject areas.

Here is how we help families at Pass 11 Plus Grammar build the preparation their child needs.

Cover all four subjects from the start, including Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning

The Slough Consortium exam tests English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths. Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning are not taught in school, which means children who begin preparing without covering these subjects are at a significant disadvantage in two of the four areas tested. Our 11 plus tuition covers all four GL Assessment subject areas in structured, progressive sessions with specialist tutors.

Work with a specialist 11 plus tutor from Year 4 or early Year 5

A specialist tutor identifies exactly which areas are holding your child back and builds a targeted plan to address them. Our 11 plus tutors have over 30 years of experience preparing children for GL Assessment exams and know the Slough Consortium format in depth. Starting tuition in Year 4 gives your child the time to build genuine skill across all subjects without the pressure of a looming exam.

Use free practice papers regularly at home

Regular timed practice at home builds the speed and accuracy needed to perform well under real exam conditions. Our free 11+ practice papers cover all four subjects in the GL Assessment format and are available to download right now at no cost. Make timed practice a consistent weekly habit rather than an occasional activity.

Book an intensive summer course before the September exam

The summer holiday between Year 5 and Year 6 is the ideal time for a concentrated final preparation boost. Our 11 plus intensive summer course runs in small groups with experienced tutors, covering all GL Assessment subjects with timed practice built into every session. It is designed to bring your child's skills to their sharpest point in the weeks before the September exam.

Sit a full mock exam before 19th September

Walking into the real exam having never experienced full exam conditions is one of the biggest sources of anxiety and underperformance. Our 11 plus mock exams replicate the GL Assessment format with two full timed papers and detailed subject-by-subject feedback. Sitting one in July or August gives your child confidence, familiarity and an accurate picture of where they stand before it really matters.

Final thoughts

The Slough 11 plus registration 2026 process is short and fast-moving. Registration opens 1st May and closes 5th June, leaving just five weeks to get your child registered. Do not leave it until the last few days.

At Pass 11 Plus Grammar, our expert tutors cover all four GL Assessment subjects. Get in touch today and let us help your child prepare properly for the Slough Consortium 11 plus.