About the school
Parmiter’s School is a co-educational, partially selective academy in Garston, near Watford, Hertfordshire, educating around 1,460 pupils aged 11 to 18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted, it has in recent years been the most oversubscribed school in Hertfordshire, combining academic excellence with a famously supportive and inclusive community.
Founded in 1681 through the will of the silk merchant Thomas Parmiter, originally as a free school in Bethnal Green, London, it became a voluntary aided grammar school in 1951 and moved to its current Garston site as a mixed school in 1977. Its motto is "Nemo sibi nascitur," meaning "No one is born for himself alone."
Parmiter’s School is a member of the South West Herts Schools Consortium and selects a proportion of its pupils through the shared Academic Ability Test for Year 7 entry. It admits 186 pupils into Year 7, of whom up to 25 per cent are academic places and up to 10 per cent music places.
School type
Co-Educational Partially Selective
Exam date
Sat 5th September 2026 (SW Herts Test)
Exam board
GL Assessment (SW Herts Consortium)
Address
High Elms Lane, Garston, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD25 0UU
Age range
11–18 (Years 7–13)
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Admissions information
The Parmiters School entrance test is the South West Herts Schools Consortium Academic Ability Test, shared by six Hertfordshire schools. Here is everything you need to know about the Parmiter’s School admissions criteria and exam structure.
Parmiter’s School is a partially selective school and allocates a proportion of its Year 7 places on academic ability through the South West Herts Schools Consortium Academic Ability Test. The test is shared by six Hertfordshire schools and consists of two papers, one in Mathematics and one in Verbal Reasoning, both produced for the Consortium by GL Assessment, with no non-verbal reasoning component.
Each of the two papers takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour, with a short break in between, and both are taken on the same day. The raw scores are age-standardised to account for a child’s month of birth, and there is no fixed pass mark. Instead, pupils are ranked by their standardised score and academic places are offered in descending order of score under each school’s admissions criteria.
Parents register their child for the South West Herts Schools Consortium Academic Ability Test online through the Consortium website, and a single registration covers all six member schools. For September 2027 entry, registration opens on 1st April 2026 and closes on 5th June 2026, with no late registrations accepted. Parents must also name Parmiter’s School on the Hertfordshire Common Application Form by the 31st October.
Test results are released to parents at around noon on 15th October 2026, after which families confirm their secondary school preferences. School place offers are confirmed on National Offer Day, 1st March 2027. As these are partially selective schools that are heavily oversubscribed, a high score does not guarantee a place.
Key admissions details
Parmiter’s School admits 186 pupils into Year 7 each year, of whom up to 25 per cent are academic places and up to 10 per cent music places.
Parmiter’s School gives priority for its selective places to applicants living within its defined priority area, with up to 95 per cent of academic and music places reserved for children in the postcodes WD3 to WD25, AL1 to AL3, HP1 to HP3 and HA6. The remaining places, alongside community places, are allocated by distance and other criteria such as siblings.
Our tutors know the South West Herts Academic Ability Test format inside out. Book a free assessment today and let us build a personalised preparation plan for your child starting wherever they are right now.
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Parmiter’s School is located on High Elms Lane in Garston, near Watford, Hertfordshire, WD25 0UU. It is a co-educational, partially selective academy serving pupils aged 11 to 18, around three miles north of Watford town centre.
Parmiter’s School was founded in 1681 through the will of the silk merchant Thomas Parmiter, originally in Bethnal Green, London. It moved to its current Garston site as a mixed school in 1977.
Parmiter’s School uses the South West Herts Schools Consortium Academic Ability Test for its academic places. It consists of two papers, one in Mathematics and one in Verbal Reasoning, both produced by GL Assessment, with no non-verbal reasoning.
Parmiter’s School reserves up to 95 per cent of its selective places for children living within its priority area, covering postcodes WD3 to WD25, AL1 to AL3, HP1 to HP3 and HA6. Children outside this area may still be considered, but very few selective places go to them.
For September 2027 entry, registration for the South West Herts Schools Consortium Academic Ability Test opens on 1st April 2026 and closes on 5th June 2026, through the Consortium website. Parents must also name Parmiter’s School on the Hertfordshire Common Application Form by the 31st October.
Parmiter’s School is a partially selective academy rather than a fully selective grammar school. Up to 25 per cent of Year 7 places are awarded on academic ability and up to 10 per cent on musical aptitude, with the remaining places allocated by distance and sibling criteria.
Yes, all our tuition is available both in-person at our Edgbaston, Birmingham centre and online via live video sessions. Online tuition gives families across Hertfordshire, London and the wider region access to our expert tutors without the need to travel. The quality and personalisation of sessions is identical in both formats.
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