Manchester Grammar School (MGS) 7 Plus (7+) Assessment Guide

About The Manchester Grammar School

The Manchester Grammar School admits boys into its Junior School at 7+ (Year 3), with the same process open to Years 4, 5 and 6 applicants. A Junior School place carries automatic progression to the Senior School, with no 11+ to sit later, which is a large part of why the 7+ here matters so much locally.

Assessment runs on rolling assessment days through the year rather than one fixed exam morning, and the school advises applying early because days fill.

Key information for 2027 entry to The Manchester Grammar School at 7 Plus (7+)

• School type: boys’ school, Old Hall Lane, Fallowfield, Manchester; 7+ enters Year 3
• Assessment days for 2027 entry begin Tuesday 15 September 2026 and run through the year
• Application deadline for a guaranteed assessment: Wednesday 18 November 2026; the form opened 13 July 2026
• Application fee: £48, paid online
• Format: boys taught in groups of up to 10, with a maths lesson and a topic-based lesson followed by short tests on what was just taught, plus writing and reading tasks
• Content deliberately covers things boys won’t have studied, ‘to identify potential rather than prior learning’
• Results published Friday 22 January 2027; acceptance by Friday 5 February
• Junior School boys progress to the Senior School with no 11+
• No bursaries at Junior School entry; MGS bursaries start at Year 7 and sixth form

Admissions information for 2027 entry to The Manchester Grammar School at 7 Plus (7+)

Apply by 18 November 2026 to be guaranteed an assessment day; days start as early as 15 September and continue through the year, with late applications considered into summer 2027 if space remains. Results for the main round are published on Friday 22 January 2027, post-offer tours run on 1 and 2 February, and acceptance is due by 5 February.

An unsuccessful Year 3 applicant may re-apply for Year 4 the following year, but then must wait two years before another attempt, worth knowing before deciding when to first apply. And plan finances on full fees: bursary funding is explicitly not available for Junior School places.

How can I register my child for the 7 Plus (7+) assessment at The Manchester Grammar School?

Apply online at mgs.org with the £48 fee. Because assessment is by taught day rather than one exam date, applying early means more choice of days and less chance of a full calendar.

What is the 7 Plus (7+) assessment format at The Manchester Grammar School?

The assessment is a taught day, not an exam hall. Boys work in groups of up to ten through a maths lesson and a topic-based lesson, each followed by short tests on what was just taught, plus reading and writing tasks. The material is deliberately chosen to be new, because the school wants to see how a boy learns, not what he has already covered.

That design blunts crude tutoring on purpose. What still helps: a boy who reads daily, writes happily, is secure in core Year 2 maths, and is used to having a go at unfamiliar problems without wobbling.

The Manchester Grammar School 7 Plus (7+) top tips for your child

• Apply early for the widest choice of assessment days
• Practise ‘learn then answer’: teach your son something new, then quiz him on it, mirroring the day’s structure
• Keep reading and writing daily; both are directly assessed
• Don’t chase advanced content; the day is built to test learning, not prior coverage
• Plan around the two-year re-application rule if this year is a maybe

How to prepare your child for the 7 Plus (7+) The Manchester Grammar School assessment

Our 7+ English and maths packs below keep the core skills sharp with full answers for marking together. For a taught-day format, that steady baseline plus plenty of reading is the whole sensible preparation; the lesson element cannot be rehearsed, by design.