Best Wiltshire Grammar Schools 2026/27

There are just two grammar schools in Wiltshire, and both are in Salisbury: Bishop Wordsworth's School (boys) and South Wilts Grammar School (girls). Both are rated Ofsted Outstanding and have a mixed sixth form, so girls and boys can join at 16.

Both Bishop Wordsworth's and South Wilts use entrance tests from GL Assessment, but they are not a single shared paper. Each child sits the test at the school they are applying to. Bishop Wordsworth's sets two papers (verbal skills, plus non-verbal reasoning and maths), while South Wilts sets three papers taken in one sitting: maths, English and verbal reasoning. All questions are multiple choice.

There is no fixed pass mark set in advance. After the papers are marked, scores are age-standardised (where 100 is the average for a child's age) and ranked, and each school sets its own qualifying standard each year depending on how that year's cohort performs. Reaching the qualifying standard makes your child eligible to apply, but because both schools are oversubscribed it does not guarantee a place.

For September 2027 entry, both schools held the 11+ test on Saturday 26 September 2026 (for children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016). Bishop Wordsworth's registration ran from 25 March to 26 June 2026; South Wilts registration closed at midnight on 1 September 2026, with an optional familiarisation session on 19 September 2026. Results came out in October 2026, the Wiltshire common application deadline was 31 October 2026, and National Offer Day is 1 March 2027.

Neither school has a rigid catchment, and children from outside Wiltshire are welcome to apply (families often come from Hampshire, Dorset and the Southampton area). Both schools recommend a journey time of under about an hour. If a school is oversubscribed, distance from the school is used as a tie-breaker, so applicants living further away generally have lower priority for places.

Bishop Wordsworth's School is a boys' grammar (Years 7 to 11) and South Wilts Grammar School is a girls' grammar (Years 7 to 11). Both have a mixed sixth form, so students of either gender can apply to join in Year 12.

The choice is largely determined by gender at 11+: boys apply to Bishop Wordsworth's and girls to South Wilts. Both are rated Ofsted Outstanding, both use GL Assessment 11+ papers and both are highly regarded academically. The main difference in the test is structure: two papers at Bishop Wordsworth's versus three at South Wilts. We recommend attending each school's open event before deciding.

Start early with the free GL Assessment familiarisation materials linked from each school's website so your child is comfortable with the multiple-choice format, and build core skills in maths, English, verbal reasoning and (for Bishop Wordsworth's) non-verbal reasoning. Regular reading strengthens comprehension and vocabulary. Prep4All's realistic 11+ practice papers, matched to the GL-style format used in Wiltshire, help your child build exam technique and confidence under timed conditions.