About the school
Watford Grammar School for Girls, often abbreviated WGGS, is a partially selective academy for girls in central Watford, Hertfordshire, educating pupils aged 11 to 18. Despite its name it admits girls of all abilities, and its results are among the highest achieved by non-grammar state schools in England.
The school descends from a free school founded as a charity school for boys and girls by Dame Elizabeth Fuller in 1704, refounded as a secondary school in 1884. It has occupied its present site at Lady’s Close in central Watford since 1907, and holds an annual Founder’s Day service to commemorate its charitable foundation.
Watford Grammar School for Girls 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, with 25 per cent of places awarded on academic ability and 10 per cent on musical aptitude.
School type
Girls' Partially Selective (Academy)
Exam date
Sat 5th September 2026 (SW Herts Test)
Exam board
GL Assessment (SW Herts Consortium)
Address
Lady's Close, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 0AE
Age range
11–18 (Years 7–13)
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Admissions information
The Watford Grammar School for Girls 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 Watford Grammar School for Girls admissions criteria and exam structure.
Watford Grammar School for Girls 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 Watford Grammar School for Girls 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
Watford Grammar School for Girls admits around 210 pupils into Year 7 each year, of whom 25 per cent are academic places and 10 per cent music places.
Watford Grammar School for Girls allocates its community places largely by distance, which in recent years has been very tight, often under a mile for non-siblings. Specialist academic and music places are offered across a wider admissions area in a 60:40 ratio between the Watford area and the rest of the admissions area, and sisters of boys at Watford Grammar School for Boys also receive priority.
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Watford Grammar School for Girls is located at Lady’s Close in central Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 0AE. It is a partially selective academy for girls serving pupils aged 11 to 18, on a site it has occupied since 1907.
Watford Grammar School for Girls descends from a free school founded by Dame Elizabeth Fuller in 1704, refounded as a secondary school in 1884. The name Watford Grammar School for Girls dates from 1903, and it has been on its current Lady’s Close site since 1907.
Watford Grammar School for Girls 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.
Watford Grammar School for Girls allocates its community places largely by distance, which is often under a mile. Academic and music places are open to a wider admissions area, so families further away usually rely on the selective routes.
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 Watford Grammar School for Girls on the Hertfordshire Common Application Form by the 31st October.
Despite its name, Watford Grammar School for Girls is a partially selective academy rather than a fully selective grammar school. 25 per cent of Year 7 places are awarded on academic ability and 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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