Watford Grammar School for Boys 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

This information is relevant for those applying to Watford Grammar School for Boys based on academic assessment. The school also reserves a number of places (10% of admissions) on the basis of music aptitude. Entry based on musical assessment will not be discussed in this article; however, you can find more information about it here.

It is strongly recommended that prospective students and their parents attend one of Watford Grammar School for Boys’ Open Days if you are applying for a place in Year 7. The next Open Day will be held in October 2026 and more information about it can be found here. This will give you and your child the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the facilities, meet the staff and ensure WGSB is the right choice for you and your child. 

To register for the WGSB entrance exam for Year 7 entry into their 2027 class, you must register with the South West Herts Consortium; registration will be made available from April 2026. 

You must also submit a School Information Form (SIF) to the school and a Common Application Form (CAF) to your local authority by 31 October 2026. If you live in Hertfordshire, your local authority is Hertfordshire County Council. 

WGSB usually offers 146 community places in Year 7 and 78 specialist places. As a result of the school being heavily oversubscribed, they have strict admissions criteria in place.

The oversubscription criteria for community places gives priority to:

• Looked After, or previously Looked After, children 
• Children whose regular home address is nearest to the school and would not be allocated a place under any other criteria
• Children with a parent who is a permanent full-time or part-time member of the school staff (who has been employed at the school for two or more years)
• Children with a sibling enrolled at either WGSB or Watford Grammar School for Girls (excluding students who entered these schools in Sixth Form)
• Places will then be allocated to children in increasing distance order using straight line distance between the child’s normal home address and the school

The oversubscription criteria for specialist places gives priority to:

• Children selected on the basis of aptitude for music as measured by the school’s assessment procedures, in merit order (max. 22 places)
• Children selected by academic ability as measured by the school’s assessment procedures, in merit order (max. 56 places) 

For more information about the admissions process at Watford Grammar School for Boys, please visit the Year 7 admissions page on the school’s website.