Our selection of the state selectives

 This indicates we have visited and independently reviewed a school. You will find the review on this website (if you are a logged in subscriber) and in The Good Schools Guide as a book (available to purchase from our online bookstore).

• School reviews. The Good Schools Guide selection of grammar schools is a personal one. The reviews provide informative insights into the country's leading state selective schools.
• Exams, performance, trends and more. We carry detailed information, including helpful and detailed examination results analysis, for ALL grammar schools in England. The LA is given in brackets. 
• What's in a name? Not all 'grammar schools' are, in fact, still state - and therefore, non-fee-paying - schools. Some are now independent schools but have retained their names for historical reasons.  Moreover not all Grammar Schools have grammar in their name. Some selective grammar schools have recently converted to academies. We review the best of all schools in The Good Schools Guide. The schools listed below are genuine state grammars and do not charge any fees for tuition - the others such as Manchester Grammar School, Bradford Grammar School and Bristol Grammar School are now independent and do charge parents a fee.

Grammar Schools reviewed by The Good Schools Guide

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Aylesbury Grammar School,  Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire)

From The Good Schools Guide review of Aylesbury Grammar School:

'A flagship school and among the top state grammars in the country. It has the sort of feel – and the sort of boys – you might have imagined had gone with Jennings, Darbishire and Mr Wilkins.'

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Bishop Wordsworth's Grammar School, Salisbury (Wiltshire)

Bournemouth School, Bournemouth (Bournemouth)

Bournemouth School for Girls, Bournemouth (Bournemouth)

Caistor Grammar School, Caistor (Lincolnshire)

From The Good Schools Guide review of Caistor Grammar School:

'The school feels happy and with a strong sense of purpose in the air – smiling students and staff. Teachers are strikingly popular and much mention is made of friendliness and supportiveness.' You must be a logged in subscriber to read the full review.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls, Chelmsford (Essex)

Churston Ferrers Grammar School,  Brixham (Torbay)

Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester (Essex)

Colchester Royal Grammar School, Colchester (Essex)

Colyton Grammar School, Colyton (Devon)

From The Good Schools Guide review of Colyton Grammar School:

'Unique rural grammar with astonishingly fine exam results. Ground-breaking three-year sixth form. Worth moving house for.' You must be a logged in subscriber to read the full review.

Cranbrook School, Cranbrook (Kent)

Dane Court Grammar School, Broadstairs (Kent)

Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth (City of Plymouth)

Devonport High School for Girls, Plymouth (City of Plymouth)

Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham (Buckinghamshire)

Dr Challoner's High School, Little Chalfont (Buckinghamshire)

From The Good Schools Guide review of Dr Challoner's High School:

'A difficult environment for those on the margins, especially those who needed pushing through the 11 plus. A powerhouse of a school where girls are smart and proud to be so.' You must be a logged in subscriber to read the full review.

Ermysted's Grammar School, Skipton (N Yorkshire)

The Henrietta Barnett School, London (London Borough of Barnet)

Ilford County High School, Ilford (Redbridge)

The Judd School, Tonbridge (Kent)

King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham (Birmingham)

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford,(Essex)

King Edward VI School (Stratford-upon-Avon), Stratford-upon-Avon (Warwickshire)

Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Lancaster (Lancashire)

Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Lancaster (Lancashire)

The Latymer School, London (London Borough of Enfield)

Newstead Wood School for Girls, Orpington (Kent)

Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton (London Borough of Sutton)

Parkstone Grammar School, Poole (Poole)

Pate's Grammar School, Cheltenham (Gloucestershire)

Poole Grammar School, Poole (Poole)

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (Penrith), Penrith (Cumbria)

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, Barnet (London Borough of Barnet)

Ripon Grammar School, Ripon (N Yorkshire)

The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire)

St Michael's Catholic Grammar School, London (London Borough of Barnet)

St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School, Orpington (London Borough of Bromley)

Sale Grammar School, Sale (Trafford)

Sir Roger Manwood's School, Sandwich (Kent)

Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, Marlow (Buckinghamshire)

Skipton Girls' High School, Skipton (N Yorkshire)

Slough Grammar School, Slough (Slough)

South Wilts Grammar School for Girls, Salisbury (Wiltshire)

Stroud High School, Stroud (Gloucestershire)

Sutton Grammar School for Boys, Sutton (London Borough of Sutton)

The Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston Upon Thames (Kingston Upon Thames)

Tiffin School, Kingston Upon Thames (Kingston Upon Thames)

Tonbridge Grammar School, Tonbridge (Kent)

Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Torquay (Torbay)

Torquay Girls' Grammar School, Torquay (Torbay)

Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington (London Borough of Sutton)

Wallington High School for Girls, Wallington (London Borough of Sutton)

Wilson's School, Wallington (London Borough of Sutton)

Woodford County High School, Woodford Green (London Borough of Redbridge)

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Ripon Grammar School, Ripon is a state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18, that takes boarders.

Demand for boarding places (14 a year) outstrips supply, especially post-GCSE. An unashamedly academic school, exemplifying much of the traditional English grammar school tradition, though certainly not an exam factory; even so, those with an IQ of lower than 120 could eventurally find the pace too hot.

 Discover all the inside information including: 

• What the head is really like.
• How to get in - and where pupils go on to when they leave.
• What's really on offer; both in and out of the classroom.
• The facilities, frippery and finery to be found - or not!
• The atmosphere - who will the school REALLY suit?
• The funding you'll need and the financial health of the school.
• Our opinion - what parents think, what we've uncovered...

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• School performance data* for KS2, GCSE and A-level
• Value-added data* .Does the school make a difference to all pupils or just some?
• University information*. Details of which universities pupils go on to and what they study.
• And, for English state schools, make sure you make the right move by examining catchment area data and seeing which schools pupils come from and which schools they move on to. 

*We indicate on a school's page here data is available. We do not have data for schools outside of England.

Further Reading

School selection and admissions

State School Admissions - How To Secure A Place

Choosing A School For A Talented Child

Where To Find A State Grammar School

Choosing A State Grammar School

State Boarding Schools: Free Tuition Just Pay For Your Stay

The Gifted Child

10 Ways To Spot A Gifted Child

Educating The Gifted Child

The Good Schools Guide Advice Service - Our expert consultancy providing independent tailor-made advice

Tutor and tutoring

Finding A Tutor

Tutors - Things To Consider

Which Tutor Agency? Recommendations from The Good Schools Guide

A Note On Vetting and Checks - Safety first

11+ examinations

11+ English: A Parents' Toolkit, everthing you will ever need to know about English 11+

Understanding The Eleven Plus (11+) 

Teach Your Child 11+ Maths - a job for an expert or can you lend a hand?

Help With 11+ English - The Basics 

11+ and 13+ Maths - What Your Child Should Know

Common Entrance CE

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Entrance Exams?

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