Many parents assume that "qualifying = a place". For grammar schools in oversubscribed areas, passing the 11+ is only step one. Once your child clears the qualifying score, a second set of rules decides whether an offer actually lands: distance from the school, sibling links, looked-after status, feeder schools and sometimes a straight rank order of marks. Two children with identical scores can get two completely different outcomes, purely because of where they live. Understanding the model your target school uses is just as important as the exam preparation itself, and it should shape your whole application strategy.
Why catchment rules exist at all
A selective school first uses the 11+ to decide who is eligible. Every child who reaches the school's qualifying standard joins a pool. When that pool is larger than the number of Year 7 places — which it almost always is in popular areas — the school falls back on published oversubscription criteria to rank the eligible children and hand out offers from the top down. These criteria are set out in each school's admissions policy, published on the school or local authority website, and they are legally binding. They are not secret and they are not negotiable, so reading them carefully a full year before you apply is the single most useful planning step a parent can take. You can cross-check the schools you are considering in our grammar school directory.
The three main allocation models
Almost every selective school fits one of three broad patterns. Identifying which one applies tells you instantly whether geography helps you, hurts you, or is irrelevant.
| Model | How places are decided | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Rank-only | Places go strictly to the highest-scoring qualifiers, wherever they live. | You can live anywhere, but you need a genuinely high score to be safe. |
| Distance-only | All qualifiers are treated equally; offers go to those living closest to the school. | A pass is necessary, but distance decides the outcome. Living far away rarely works. |
| Hybrid | Some places by rank, some by distance, usually with sibling priority on top. | Top scorers get in regardless; middle scorers depend heavily on geography. |
Rank-only schools, such as some of the super-selective grammars in outer London and the West Midlands, allocate purely on marks. A child three counties away with a very high standardised score can beat a child living next door. Distance-only schools, common where the grammar serves a defined local community, admit the nearest qualifiers first. Hybrid schools split their intake — perhaps a block of places to the highest scorers and the remainder by distance — which is the most common arrangement and the hardest to predict.
Sibling priority and other tie-breakers
Almost every selective school places siblings of current pupils near the top of its list, and this can absorb a meaningful share of each year's places. Other criteria that typically sit above general distance include:
- Looked-after and previously looked-after children, who by law take first priority almost everywhere.
- Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school.
- Eligibility for the pupil premium — a growing number of grammars now reserve places for disadvantaged qualifiers to widen access.
- Named feeder or partner primary schools at a handful of grammars.
- Straight-line ("as the crow flies") distance as the final tie-breaker.
Read the order of these criteria carefully. A category listed above "distance" can quietly account for a large slice of the intake before geographic allocation even begins.
How distance is actually measured
"Catchment" is often looser than parents expect. Some schools have no fixed boundary at all and simply admit the nearest qualifiers, so the effective catchment shifts a little every year depending on where that year's applicants live. Most measure a straight-line distance from your home to a fixed point at the school, not driving or walking distance. A minority use defined boundary maps or priority zones. Because the cut-off distance is recalculated annually from the actual applicant pool, last year's figure is a guide, not a guarantee — a strong local cohort can pull the boundary in.
How to plan realistically
- Identify the model for every school on your list by reading its current admissions policy in full.
- Find last year's data. Many schools publish, or will release under a Freedom of Information request, the lowest score offered and the furthest distance admitted. Treat these as rough markers.
- Match your circumstances to the model. If you live several miles from a distance-only school, redirect that energy toward rank-only alternatives where a high score alone can win a place.
- Build a balanced list of aspirational, realistic and safe options, and check the exam board each one uses so practice is aimed correctly — most regions now use GL Assessment papers, while Essex families sit the CSSE exam.
- Diarise the deadlines. Registration for the test and the secondary transfer application are separate and easy to miss; our key dates guide lists the typical windows.
Because grammar allocation so often comes down to the margin between qualifying and scoring well above the bar, consistent practice matters. Our free timed mock papers and thousands of free worksheets help your child build the score that keeps them in contention under any model, and the revision hub ties each skill to focused drills.
Should you move house for a catchment?
Some families relocate specifically to sit inside a grammar's effective catchment. For a distance-only school this can genuinely improve the odds — but it is expensive, disruptive, and risky if the boundary tightens in the year you apply. Schools are also increasingly alert to short-term "catchment moves" and may ask for evidence of a genuine, permanent home address. For a rank-only school, moving achieves nothing at all, because only the score counts. Before uprooting your family, confirm exactly which model applies and read the school's rules on address verification.
Frequently asked questions
Does passing the 11+ guarantee a grammar place?
No. Passing makes your child eligible. In oversubscribed areas the school then ranks all qualifiers by its published criteria — commonly score, distance or a mix of both — and offers places from the top down until they run out.
How do I find out which model a school uses?
Read the school's admissions policy, published on its own site or the local authority's. It sets out the exact oversubscription criteria in priority order. You can start from the schools listed in our grammar school directory.
Is last year's cut-off distance a safe guide?
Only roughly. Cut-off distances and lowest offered scores are recalculated each year from the actual applicants, so a strong local cohort can shrink the catchment. Use published figures as a general benchmark, never as a promise.