Westcliff High School for Boys 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Westcliff High School for Boys

Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) is a state grammar school for boys aged 11 to 18 in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, with a co-educational sixth form. The school has been designated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted on five separate occasions.

WHSB selects through the CSSE 11+, the bespoke Essex entrance test set by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex, rather than a GL Assessment paper. Your son registers once and sits the test once, and the result can be used for any CSSE school you name on your Local Authority application.

WHSB has 185 places each year, and reserves up to 80% of them for boys living in its catchment postcodes (SS0 to SS9), so where you live matters as much as the score. Above its own annually-set pass mark, places are allocated first to looked-after children, then to catchment boys, then to boys from outside catchment, each category ranked by mark.

Key information for 2027: Westcliff High School for Boys at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: State grammar school (boys at 11+, with a co-educational sixth form)
• Consortium: Essex Consortium of Selective Schools (CSSE)
• Registration deadline: June 2026
• Exam date: September 2026
• CAF deadline: end of October 2026
• National school offer day: March 2027
• Contact details: 01702 351141, www.whsb.essex.sch.uk, https://www.csse.org.uk/examination/

Admissions information for 2027 entry: Westcliff High School for Boys at 11 Plus (11+)

Registration for Year 7 entry into Westcliff High School for Boys is made through the CSSE’s shared registration portal and closes in June 2026. The test is sat on one day in September, and results are emailed to families in October.

You must also submit your Common Application Form (CAF) to your home Local Authority by the end of October 2026, naming Westcliff High School for Boys in your order of preference.

National school offer day falls in March 2027. The Published Admission Number (PAN) is 185, and the CSSE-wide minimum qualifying score is a total standardised score of 303, though WHSB sets its own higher pass mark each year and ranks qualified boys by mark within each priority category.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exam at Westcliff High School for Boys?

To register your son for the CSSE entrance test, you as their parent/legal guardian must complete the online registration through the CSSE’s registration portal, before the June 2026 deadline.

When registering, make sure you understand whether your home address falls within WHSB’s catchment postcodes (SS0 to SS9), since up to 80% of places are reserved for boys living inside them.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Westcliff High School for Boys?

The CSSE 11+ is written rather than multiple choice, and is sat over two papers on one day: English (60 minutes, plus 10 minutes’ reading time), covering comprehension and continuous writing, and Maths (60 minutes), covering the Key Stage 2 curriculum. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. Each paper is marked and age-standardised, then weighted equally and combined into a total standardised score.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Westcliff High School for Boys exam

The most useful way to prepare for Westcliff High School for Boys’ 11+ entrance exam is to use practice tests that match the real CSSE format, so your son is comfortable with written answer booklets and the timed writing task, not just multiple-choice questions.

Full, timed practice papers help build both the accuracy and the pace needed across the English and maths papers, and let you mark the writing section together at home before the real test.

For Westcliff High School for Boys (CSSE) 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: