12 Plus and 13 Plus Entry: Which School Route Do You Mean?

A 13 plus exam is not one national test. Buckinghamshire Council uses 12+ and 13+ for late entry to a state grammar school in Year 8 or Year 9. An independent senior school may also call its Year 9 route 13+, but it sets its own registration and assessment sequence. The name describes an entry point, not a paper that every school uses.

Start with the school you want and the year your child would join. Its current admissions page decides the next step. A child in Year 7 looking for Year 8 at a grammar school needs that school's in-year or late-transfer rules. A child in Year 5 considering Year 9 at an independent school may already be approaching an early registration window. If you are looking at normal Year 7 entry, start with our 11 plus explainer.

Route 1: 12+ or 13+ transfer into a grammar school

Some selective schools consider children who are already in secondary education. The test, eligibility, application form and available places vary by council and school. Qualifying at a test does not create a vacancy. Buckinghamshire Council says places are extremely limited and reports no Year 8 or Year 9 offers in its first March 2026 allocation round. That is one council's past allocation, not a forecast for your child or every grammar school.

Buckinghamshire: a concrete 2027-entry example

For children seeking a place in September 2027, the council's late-transfer timeline gave these dates:

1. 5 to 23 October 2026: registration with up to three preferences, with evidence due by 23 October. This window has closed by this article's publication on 6 November.
2. 8 December 2026: invitations due by email after 5pm.
3. 6 February 2027: late-transfer test at a grammar school centre.
4. Late March 2027: result and a further message about whether a place can be offered. Look out for it from 25 March 2027, and check your invitation or ask the council to confirm the exact day (results page).

The council accepts this registration for nine named grammar schools; its school list says to contact other Buckinghamshire grammars directly. The Royal Latin School is listed for Year 8 only. Its eligibility routes differ: a child who has moved into Buckinghamshire from outside the county or abroad makes an in-year school application, after which the council arranges a test. A child who previously took the main transfer test can use the published late-transfer registration for September 2027. Check the council's full criteria and your chosen school's year group before assuming either route fits.

The council's results page publishes a 121 qualifying score for its late-transfer test, but that score is not a place offer. See our Buckinghamshire area guide for the school directory and our standardised-score guide for what a qualifying number means. Families planning a later cycle should wait for its new timetable before acting.

Bexley: check the school and borough's in-year process

Bexley Grammar School says applicants for its in-year places, including families outside the borough, must complete the Bexley In Year Application Form. At our 24 October 2026 check, the school reported that it was full with waiting lists. A child already deemed selective can request a waiting-list place after applying through Bexley. The school also says a Year 7 pupil who sat the Year 6 selection test cannot sit its in-year test until the end of the Year 7 summer term.

At the same check, the school listed an in-year test at Bexley Grammar School on 21 to 22 January 2027, with applications due by 4pm on 16 December 2026. It also listed tests at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School on 23 and 26 April 2027, with a 12 March 2027 application deadline. These dates do not establish a vacancy or override the Year 7 retesting restriction above. Read the school's current in-year page before applying; another Bexley grammar can have different vacancies and steps. The borough's main Year 7 Selection Test is a separate process. Its published paper format and scores should not be copied into an in-year preparation plan without the chosen school's instructions.

For another county, ask each school: Does it accept entry to this year group? What test or earlier qualification is required? Who receives the in-year application? Our grammar schools near me guide can help you find nearby schools, but proximity alone does not establish admission priority.

Route 2: 13+ entry to an independent senior school

Independent schools set their own Year 9 entry stages. Some use the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, some require Common Entrance at 13+, and a school may add its own tests, interview or reference. Check the target school's published route before choosing practice papers.

Westminster School's 13+ admissions page is one example of an early decision. It opens registration on 1 October of Year 5 and closes it on 30 September of Year 6. Applicants take the ISEB pre-interview tests in maths, English and reasoning in October or November of Year 6. Westminster contacts families in mid-December about invitations to further maths and English tests in early January and an interview in January or February. The school says families hear its decision by the end of February in Year 6. This is Westminster's timetable, not a rule for all independent schools. Westminster also advises families whose primary school ends at Year 6 to consider its Under School's separate 11+ route.

The ISEB Common Pre-Tests assess English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning online. ISEB says pupils often take them in Year 6 or Year 7. Schools may schedule the assessments together or across more than one day. A family shares the pupil's applicant ID with schools so participating schools can access results. Each school can set an earlier deadline than ISEB's overall testing window, so check the individual school's instructions first. Our ISEB guide explains the assessment itself.

Common Entrance at 13+ is different. ISEB says pupils typically take it in Year 8. English, maths and science are compulsory, with extra subjects required according to the senior school. A school may use a pre-test early in the application and still require Common Entrance later. Ask the admissions office which assessment is used for your child's entry year and whether an offer depends on later results.

If a grammar school has no place

You can still ask about its waiting list and submit an in-year application under the relevant local procedure. GOV.UK's waiting-list guidance says a child can join a waiting list while holding a place elsewhere. For state schools in England, if an application is refused, GOV.UK's appeal guidance explains the separate appeal route and says the admission authority must allow at least 20 school days after the refusal letter to appeal. Follow the decision letter's instructions and deadline. A qualifying test result, waiting-list request and appeal serve different purposes; none is an automatic offer.

What to do next

• Grammar school, entry to Year 8 or 9: read the school's in-year policy and the council's application route. Check whether the school has vacancies, accepts testing for that year group and recognises an earlier qualification.
• Independent school, entry to Year 9: check registration during Year 5 or Year 6, then confirm whether the school uses ISEB pre-tests, Common Entrance, its own papers or a combination.
• Any route: record the entry year, school-specific closing date and who receives each form. Treat a previous cycle's dates and allocation figures as examples until the new arrangements are published.

Preparation is useful once you know the actual assessment. For a grammar transfer, use the school's current familiarisation material where available. For independent 13+, ask which stage is assessed now and which subjects may be required later. That prevents a family from practising for a paper their chosen school does not use.