About Bournemouth School
Bournemouth School is a selective boys' grammar school (with a co-educational Sixth Form), founded in 1901 and rated Outstanding by Ofsted. It admits approximately 150 boys per year and is one of four schools in the Dorset Grammar School Consortium (with Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar, and Poole Grammar). Children sit one shared test and results are shared across all four schools.
Bournemouth School provides an excellent education with high academic standards and a broad curriculum. GCSE 9–7: 66.8%. A-Level A*–B: 67.9%.
About the GL Assessment 11+ Test for Bournemouth School
Bournemouth School is a boys state grammar school in England that selects pupils through the Dorset Consortium 11+ (a shared test set using GL Assessment papers) for Year 7 admission. The school admits approximately 180 Year 7 pupils each September, and applications must be made through your home Local Authority via the Common Application Form (CAF) — never directly to the school.
The GL Assessment 11+ is one of two main 11+ test providers in England (the other being CEM, now retired in many regions). The your local 11+ consortium test typically consists of multiple papers covering English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Scores are standardised against the cohort age distribution, so younger pupils are not disadvantaged. Each school sets its own qualifying mark (pass mark).
For 2026 entry, the GL Assessment test is sat in September 2025 and results are released to parents on Mid-October 2025 — crucially, before the Common Application Form deadline of Friday 31 October 2025, giving parents time to consider results before listing school preferences. National Offers Day is Monday 2 March 2026, when Local Authorities issue Year 7 secondary school offers.
Bournemouth School is academically selective — pupils must achieve the qualifying mark in the 11+ test to be eligible for a place. If applications exceed the published admission number (180 places), the school applies its oversubscription criteria (looked-after children, FSME, siblings, distance) to allocate places. This page is updated each year with the latest verified admissions criteria, key dates and oversubscription rules.
Year 7 Admissions Guide for Bournemouth School
Bournemouth School Admissions Criteria
Bournemouth School is a selective boys' grammar school (with a co-educational Sixth Form), founded in 1901 and rated Outstanding by Ofsted. It admits approximately 150 boys per year and is one of four schools in the Dorset Grammar School Consortium (with Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar, and Poole Grammar). Children sit one shared test and results are shared across all four schools.
- ✓Register with one of the four Dorset Consortium schools (opens 13th April 2026, closes 4th September 2026 at noon).
- ✓Sit three GL Assessment multiple-choice tests in English (45 min), Mathematics (50 min) and Verbal Reasoning — taken on the same day at the school where you are registered.
- ✓Achieve the qualifying standard in all three papers.
- ✓Results shared across all four consortium schools — one registration gives eligibility for all.
- ✓Looked-after and previously looked-after children (highest priority).
- ✓Boys achieving the qualifying standard within Bournemouth School's priority area (postcodes BH1–BH11, BH12 5, BH23 1–3).
- ✓Pupil Premium boys within the priority area who achieve the qualifying standard.
- ✓All other qualifying boys, ranked by score then distance.
Bournemouth School Oversubscription Criteria
If applications exceed the 180 Year 7 admission number, the Board of Governors / Trust applies the following criteria in priority order. Final ranking uses the standardised score achieved in the GL Assessment 11+ entrance test.
- Looked-after / previously looked-after children (highest priority by law)
- Children who achieve the qualifying mark in the entrance test (above the qualifying standard set by Bournemouth School)
- Children eligible for Pupil Premium / Free School Meals Entitlement (FSME)
- Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming the school
- Children with sibling(s) currently attending the school
- Children of staff (where staff member has worked at the school for 2+ years)
- Children ranked by total standardised score (highest first) up to the published admission number
- Tiebreak: distance from home to school (straight-line measurement) for children with equal scores
Key Dates & Deadlines — Bournemouth School 2026 Entry
| 📌 Registration opens | May 2025 |
| 📌 Registration closes | Mid-July 2025 (varies by school) |
| 📌 GL Assessment 11+ Entrance Test | September 2025 (English + Maths + Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning) |
| 📌 Test results released | Mid-October 2025 |
| 📌 CAF deadline (apply via Local Authority) | Friday 31 October 2025 |
| 📌 National Offers Day | Monday 2 March 2026 |
How to Apply to Bournemouth School via the Common Application Form
Step 1 — Register your child for the GL Assessment 11+ Test
Register through your regional 11+ portal (e.g. Default) when registration opens. Closes Mid-July 2025 (varies by school). There is no fee to sit the GL Assessment test.
Step 2 — Attend an Open Day at Bournemouth School
Visit during Year 5 or early Year 6 to meet staff and pupils and decide whether to list this school on your CAF.
Step 3 — Sit the GL Assessment Entrance Test
Your child sits the GL Assessment in September 2025. The test typically covers English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with standardised scores age-adjusted.
Step 4 — Receive your standardised test results
Test results are released to parents on Mid-October 2025, BEFORE the Common Application Form deadline. You will receive a standardised score and an indication of whether your child has passed the qualifying mark.
Step 5 — Complete your Common Application Form (CAF)
List Bournemouth School as one of your preferences on the CAF submitted via your home Local Authority (not the school's LA, unless they are the same). You can usually list 3-6 preferences depending on your LA.
Step 6 — Submit the CAF by the deadline
Submit your CAF by Friday 31 October 2025. Late applications are processed only after all on-time applications have been allocated, dramatically reducing your chance of a place.
Step 7 — Receive your school offer on National Offers Day
Offers are issued via your Local Authority on Monday 2 March 2026. If unsuccessful, you can appeal or join Bournemouth School's waiting list — managed by the school itself.
GL Assessment Subjects Tested at Bournemouth School
How to Prepare for the Bournemouth School 11+ Exam
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Simulating real exam conditions means no surprises on the day — your child knows what to expect.
GL Assessment Practice Papers and Quest Software for Bournemouth School
A change is coming. This school's consortium is moving to Quest Assessments for the September 2027 test — that is entry in September 2028. Children sitting the test in 2026 take the current GL Assessment paper, and the same subjects are tested either way. Checked September 2026 — always confirm with the school.
Bournemouth School uses the GL Assessment 11+ format. Our practice papers mirror that exact format, with a short tutor video explaining every question. Quest, our interactive practice software, comes in a GL Assessment edition too: 4,600 questions across English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning in short tests with medals to win, an Exam Hall of timed mocks, the GL sitting papers, flashcards, a daily five, a Weekly Challenge set by a friendly Guardian and a hero your child unlocks by learning, with a working-out board under every question and My Corrections — plus a Skills Report and a week-by-week plan for parents. Start with the free samples, then choose a pack when you're ready.
When you're readyPractice-paper packs from £19 · all papers £69 · Quest £59 a year · Quest + all papers £89. One-off purchases with 12 months' access — no subscription, nothing renews.
View GL Assessment practice papers →Academic Performance at Bournemouth School (GCSE & A‑Level Results)
Bournemouth School is a boys’ grammar (with a mixed sixth form) rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with a long‑standing reputation as one of the strongest performers in the Dorset area.
- ✓Consistently high GCSE and A‑Level results across a broad, academic curriculum.
- ✓More than 25 hours of structured learning each week, plus an extensive enrichment programme.
- ✓Most pupils progress to leading universities, including Russell Group institutions. (Figures vary year to year; see the school’s website for the latest.)
Catchment Area & the Dorset Consortium
Bournemouth School is one of four schools in the Dorset Consortium — alongside Poole Grammar (boys) and the two girls’ grammars, Bournemouth School for Girls and Parkstone Grammar — that share a single 11+ test.
- ✓Children sit the test once, even when applying to more than one consortium school.
- ✓There is no fixed catchment boundary; where oversubscribed, places go first to looked‑after children, then by distance from the school.
- ✓Pupils travel in from across the Bournemouth (BH) area and beyond.
Pastoral Care, Sport & Co‑curricular Life
Bournemouth School combines high expectations with a strong sense of community, encouraging pupils to take on leadership and responsibility as they move through the school.
Sport & the outdoors
A wide sporting programme spans representative teams and house sport, with activities including surfing, fencing and martial arts taking advantage of the Dorset coast.
Combined Cadet Force
Bournemouth School is one of relatively few state schools in the UK to run a Combined Cadet Force (CCF), alongside music, drama and a broad range of clubs.
A mixed sixth form
The sixth form is co‑educational, welcoming new students — including girls — at 16+.
Bournemouth School Admissions — FAQ
How do I apply to Bournemouth School?
Register your son for the Dorset Consortium 11+ on the consortium schools’ websites (typically by early September of Year 6), then name Bournemouth School on your Local Authority’s secondary Common Application Form by 31 October.
What test does Bournemouth School use?
The Dorset Consortium 11+, set using GL Assessment papers — three multiple‑choice papers in English, Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning, sat on the same day across the four consortium schools.
When is the 11+ and when are results released?
The test is sat in September of Year 6, with results issued in early October — before the 31 October application deadline.
Is there a catchment area?
There is no rigid catchment, but where the school is oversubscribed, priority is given to looked‑after children, then by distance from the school. Many pupils come from across the Bournemouth (BH) area.
How selective is it?
Bournemouth School is rated Outstanding by Ofsted and is one of the strongest performers in the Dorset area; achieving the qualifying standard does not guarantee a place, as it is oversubscribed.
Does it have a sixth form?
Yes — the sixth form is mixed (co‑educational), so girls join at 16+.
Start preparing for the Bournemouth School 11+
Try the free GL Assessment samples first — a real paper, a tutor video and the Quest demo, no sign-up. Then choose a pack when you're ready.