About the school
Reading Girls’ School is a partially selective (bilateral) state school for girls aged 11 to 18, located on Northumberland Avenue in Reading, Berkshire. The school celebrates a richly multicultural student body and is known for its focus on business and enterprise.
Reading Girls’ School traces its history to 1818 and moved to its current Northumberland Avenue campus in 1960, taking its present name in 1993 when the selective stream was reintroduced. The school became an academy in 2017.
Although it is not categorised as a full grammar school, Reading Girls’ School offers a Selective Stream of up to 42 places, allocated on academic ability through an 11-plus-style entrance test. The Selective Stream provides a grammar-standard academic pathway within a comprehensive setting, with the remaining places allocated through the local authority’s coordinated admissions scheme.
School type
Girls’ Bilateral (Selective Stream)
Exam date
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Exam board
CEM Select (Cambridge)
Address
Northumberland Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 7PY
Age range
11–18 (Years 7–13)
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Admissions information
The Reading Girls’ School Selective Stream test is set and administered by the school using CEM Select. Here is everything you need to know about the selective admissions process and exam structure.
Reading Girls’ School is its own admissions authority for its Selective Stream and is not part of a consortium. Its Selective Stream test is the Cambridge CEM Select assessment, an online, computer-guided test. It covers three core areas – Numerical, Verbal and Non-Verbal ability – and is designed to assess academic potential rather than taught curriculum knowledge.
The CEM Select assessment is completed independently by each candidate at a computer, guided by on-screen instructions, and takes approximately 60 minutes. All questions are multiple-choice. Scores are age-standardised to account for date of birth, and candidates are then ranked in order; there is no fixed pass mark, with the highest-ranked scores being most likely to secure a Selective Stream place.
Registration for the Selective Stream test is completed online directly with Reading Girls’ School during the registration window, which usually opens in the spring and summer of Year 6. After the closing date, the school sends invitation letters by email with details of the test arrangements. Parents must also complete their local authority’s Common Application Form, naming Reading Girls’ School as a preference, by 31st October 2026.
The Selective Stream test takes place on Saturday, 3rd October 2026. Results are shared before the 31st October 2026 Common Application Form deadline. Meeting the qualifying standard does not guarantee a place, as Selective Stream places are limited to 42; where more children meet the standard than there are places, the school applies its admissions criteria. School allocations are confirmed on National Offer Day in March 2027.
Key admissions details
Reading Girls’ School offers up to 42 academically selective Year 7 places through its Selective Stream, out of a total Year 7 intake of around 180 places.
Reading Girls’ School does not operate a catchment area for its Selective Stream; if a child meets the qualifying standard, she is eligible to apply regardless of where she lives. If a tie-break is needed, the child living closest to the school is prioritised. For the non-selective places, priority follows the school’s published criteria, including looked-after children, strong medical or social grounds, siblings, children of staff, the named feeder school and then proximity to the school.
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Reading Girls’ School traces its history to 1818 and moved to its current Northumberland Avenue campus in Reading in 1960. It took its present name in 1993 when the selective stream was reintroduced, and it became an academy in 2017.
Reading Girls’ School offers up to 42 academically selective Year 7 places through its Selective Stream, out of a total Year 7 intake of around 180 places. Selective Stream places are limited and competitive, so thorough preparation is important.
Reading Girls’ School uses the Cambridge CEM Select assessment for its Selective Stream. This is an online, computer-guided test of approximately 60 minutes covering Numerical, Verbal and Non-Verbal ability, with all questions in multiple-choice format.
No. Reading Girls’ School does not operate a catchment area for its Selective Stream, so any child who meets the qualifying standard is eligible to apply regardless of where she lives. If a tie-break is needed, the child living closest to the school is prioritised.
Registration for the Selective Stream test is completed online directly with the school during a window that usually opens in the spring and summer of Year 6. After the closing date, the school emails invitation letters with the test arrangements; the test takes place on Saturday 3rd October 2026.
Yes. Reading Girls’ School offers a broad enrichment programme, including a regular dedicated STEM focus for Years 7 and 8 with activities such as university visits and project challenges, reflecting its emphasis on business, enterprise and academic ambition.
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 Reading and Berkshire 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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