The Blue Coat School, Liverpool 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About The Blue Coat School, Liverpool

The Blue Coat School Liverpool is a co-educational, non-denominational selective school in Wavertree, Liverpool.

It selects through its own two-phase online entrance test, provided by CEM, sat on school computers rather than on paper, and it runs this test alone rather than sharing one with other Liverpool schools.

Key information for 2027 entry to The Blue Coat School, Liverpool at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: co-educational, non-denominational selective school
• Published admission number: 180 places in Year 7
• Entrance test: online, in two phases, provided by CEM, sat on school computers
• Phase 1 (all applicants): reading, spelling, general mathematics, mental arithmetic and developed ability, in a 1.5 hour slot
• Phase 2 (about 600 qualifiers): verbal ability, numerical ability and non-verbal ability
• Registration: opened 26 March 2026 and closed at 4pm on Friday 24 April 2026
• Phase 1: 2, 3 or 4 July 2026, with results on 15 July 2026
• Phase 2: Saturday 19 September 2026, with results on 16 October 2026
• Up to 27 places are reserved for the highest-scoring applicants eligible for free school meals
• Contact details: bluecoatschoolliverpool.org.uk, [email protected], 0151 733 1407

Admissions information for 2027 entry to The Blue Coat School, Liverpool at 11 Plus (11+)

Blue Coat’s process is a two-phase filter: every applicant sits Phase 1 in early July, and around 600 qualifiers return for Phase 2 in September, competing for 180 places. No raw pass mark is published, and the school does not release papers or scores.

Instead of a score, you get a steer: each child is placed in Group A (the school recommends naming Blue Coat on your preference form), Group B (you may apply, without a guarantee, and you are told your child’s ranking position to help you decide) or Group C (the school advises against naming it). That is genuinely useful information for the preference form that most selective schools never give.

Up to 27 of the 180 places are reserved for the highest-scoring children eligible for free school meals, a meaningful social-mobility quota. And the application is two separate steps: the school’s own registration in the spring, and the ordinary local authority form by 31 October 2026. Missing either means no place, whatever the score.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at The Blue Coat School, Liverpool?

Registration for the September 2027 round has closed (26 March to 4pm on 24 April 2026), and Phase 1 was sat in early July. If your child is in the process, here is the rest of the timetable; if you are planning for a younger child, note how early this school starts.

1. Phase 1 was sat on 2, 3 or 4 July 2026, with results on 15 July 2026.
2. Phase 2 qualifiers sit the second test on Saturday 19 September 2026, with arrangements communicated on 11 September.
3. Phase 2 results arrive on Friday 16 October 2026, with your child’s group (A, B or C).
4. Apply through your home local authority by Saturday 31 October 2026, naming the school if its guidance supports it.
5. Offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for The Blue Coat School, Liverpool?

Everything is sat online, on a school PC with keyboard and mouse. There is no paper test.

• Phase 1 (all applicants, 1.5 hour slot): reading, spelling, general mathematics, mental arithmetic and developed ability.
• Phase 2 (qualifiers only): verbal ability, numerical ability and non-verbal ability.

The provider is CEM, whose style leans on vocabulary breadth, mental arithmetic and mixed short sections rather than long single-subject papers. A child used to working on screen, switching question types quickly and doing arithmetic without written working will feel at home here.

The Blue Coat School, Liverpool 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Practise on screen where you can. The whole test is computer-based, and mouse-and-keyboard familiarity is part of the game.
• Build vocabulary and mental arithmetic steadily. CEM-style testing rewards both more than any last-minute cramming.
• Rehearse switching between question types quickly, which is the CEM style, rather than settling into one long paper.
• Treat July as the real exam date: Phase 1 is in the first week of July, a full term earlier than most 11+ tests.
• Follow the school’s group guidance on the preference form. Group C advice is the school telling you plainly not to spend a preference.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) The Blue Coat School, Liverpool exam

Preparation for Blue Coat is CEM-style practice: vocabulary, comprehension, mental arithmetic and mixed reasoning, ideally on screen and against short timers. The early July Phase 1 means the spring and early summer of Year 5 are the real working window, months ahead of most 11+ timetables.

For The Blue Coat School, Liverpool 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: