If your child is aiming to start Year 7 in September 2028, the entrance test is only one part of the application. Use this checklist to keep test registration, school rules and the local authority application separate.

Before choosing schools

Make a shortlist that includes both selective and non-selective options. For each grammar school, find the admission arrangements for September 2028 entry, not just a prospectus written for a previous cohort. Note the admission authority, the exact test or consortium, the score rules, the number of places and any catchment or other priority conditions.

Rules for 2028 are being determined during the 2026–27 admissions cycle. For example, West Northamptonshire Council lists 28 February 2027 as the date by which admission authorities determine 2028 arrangements and 15 March 2027 for publishing those arrangements. Individual schools may provide information earlier; check the final policy before relying on it.

Two different forms

Step 1: Register for each entrance test when required. Some primary pupils are registered automatically in their home authority, but others must register themselves. Keep the confirmation email and any evidence request.

Step 2: Submit your local authority secondary-school application, usually called the common application form (CAF). The national general deadline for secondary applications is 31 October 2027 for 2028 entry, though always confirm local instructions and any separate supplementary forms. Passing a test does not submit a school application.

Keep a one-page record

  • School and official admissions-policy link
  • 2028 test registration opens and closes (write “not published” until confirmed)
  • Test subjects, approved adjustments, test date, result date and score rules
  • Catchment/address cut-off, evidence and priority-group rules
  • Open evenings, application form submission and confirmation number
  • Alternative schools, travel times and your genuine preference order

After the result

Check whether a reported score is a qualifying threshold or an actual place ranking. Compare school policies rather than assuming that any “pass” guarantees a place. In the coordinated process, preferences are not a way to gain extra points by writing the same school more often. The school’s own criteria decide priority, and the council normally offers the highest-ranked place for which the child qualifies.

Keep a copy of the application. National Offer Day normally falls on 1 March: for 2028 entry that is 1 March 2028. If you do not receive your preferred offer, check your council’s waiting-list and appeal instructions before taking action.

What to do this month

Choose your target areas, bookmark the official admissions pages and make a short list of specific unanswered questions. Ten minutes of purposeful reading and Maths practice most days is useful; do not change a child’s school or home arrangements based on an unverified admissions rumour.