Stretford Grammar School: 11+ entrance test and admissions
Stretford Grammar School is a mixed grammar school in Trafford with 160 places in Year 7, and one of the most contested in the borough for families outside its priority postcodes — for 2026 entry it made 170 offers for 160 places, reaching 4.414 miles in its final distance category. It uses the Trafford Grammar School Consortium test, which changes for 2028 entry: from the September 2027 sitting it is set by FSCE and covers Key Stage 2 English and maths, with no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. Children must reach the qualifying score (334 for 2027 entry); places then go by priority categories and straight-line distance.
Facts checked against the school's and council's own published pages on 8 October 2026. Admissions details change every year — always confirm with the school before applying.
Stretford Grammar at a glance
- Places in Year 7
- 160 for 2027 entry
- Test (2027 entry)
- GL Assessment: two papers of about an hour — verbal, non-verbal and maths
- Test (2028 entry)
- FSCE: Key Stage 2 English and maths to the end of Year 5
- Qualifying score
- 334 for 2027 entry — not an offer of a place
- Registration (2027 entry)
- Noon 23 April to noon 19 June 2026, online
- Test date (2027 entry)
- Monday 14 September 2026
- 2026 entry outcome
- 170 offers for 160 places; final distance category reached 4.414 miles
The test is changing
Stretford is one of five schools in the Trafford Grammar School Consortium, alongside the Altrincham boys' and girls' grammars, Sale Grammar and Urmston Grammar. They share one test, so a child sits it once and the result is shared with every consortium school the family chooses. The school recommends choosing the nearest consortium school as the test centre.
For 2027 entry the test was set by GL Assessment: two papers of about an hour each, assessing verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills. From the test sat in September 2027 (2028 entry), the provider is FSCE and the content is the Key Stage 2 English and mathematics curriculum up to the end of Year 5 — verbal and non-verbal reasoning are no longer tested. From 2029 entry, the test moves to the latter part of the summer term of Year 5. Our Trafford 11+ guide covers the change across the consortium.
Who is offered a place
A child must reach Stretford's qualifying score — 334 for 2027 entry. Scores are age-standardised, families receive a single standardised score, and remarks are not available. Achieving the qualifying score is not an offer: the list of qualifiers goes to the local authority, which applies the school's oversubscription criteria.
As listed on the school's admissions page for 2027 entry, the categories run: looked-after and previously looked-after children first; then catchment residents receiving pupil or service premium; then children with a sibling in Years 7 to 11; then children living in the school's immediate area — the M32, M33, M41, M17, M15 and M16 postcodes, including M21; then out-of-catchment pupil or service premium children; and finally everyone else by straight-line distance, with random allocation breaking ties. The school consulted on changes to its pupil premium and sibling categories for 2027, so check the final policy.
For 2026 entry, Trafford Council's published outcomes show 170 offers for the 160 places, with the final, distance-based category reaching 4.414 miles. The school also warns that places have been withdrawn after National Offer Day where address information was fraudulent or misleading.
Key dates
For 2027 entry, the online registration form was open from noon on Thursday 23 April to noon on Friday 19 June 2026, for children born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016; no applications were accepted after the deadline. The test was on Monday 14 September 2026, and results reach families via the admissions portal by 31 October. You must also name Stretford Grammar on your council's Common Application Form by 31 October 2026; offers follow on 1 March 2027.
Dates for 2028 entry were not yet published when this guide was checked. Expect registration in the spring of Year 5 again, and confirm on the school's admission timetable page.
How to prepare
For a child in Year 5 now, prepare for the new FSCE test: Key Stage 2 English and maths, done fluently and under time. In maths, times tables, written methods, fractions and multi-step word problems; in English, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. Drilling verbal-reasoning codes or non-verbal shape sequences — the backbone of older Trafford advice — no longer maps to anything on the paper.
Use the consortium's familiarisation material as soon as it is published. Because the qualifying score is a threshold rather than a ranking, the goal is a secure margin above it; beyond that, where you live decides more than how far above it a child scores.
Stretford Grammar: frequently asked questions
What is the Stretford Grammar School qualifying score?
334 for 2027 entry. It is set in the school's admissions policy and reaching it is not an offer — places then follow the oversubscription categories and distance.
Is the Stretford Grammar 11+ changing?
Yes. The Trafford consortium test sat in September 2026 was set by GL Assessment and included verbal and non-verbal reasoning. From the test sat in September 2027 (2028 entry) it is set by FSCE and covers Key Stage 2 English and maths only. From 2029 entry it moves to the summer term of Year 5.
What is the Stretford Grammar catchment area?
The school's immediate-area category covers the M32, M33, M41, M17, M15 and M16 postcodes, within Trafford and Manchester, and includes M21. Catchment residents receiving pupil or service premium have a higher priority than siblings.
How oversubscribed is Stretford Grammar?
For families outside its priority categories, yes. For 2026 entry the school made 170 offers for its 160 places, and the final category — straight-line distance — reached 4.414 miles. Trafford Council publishes each year's outcomes.
Sources
Checked 8 October 2026.