Stay ahead with exclusive tips on the Slough 11+ exam for Upton Court Grammar School
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With a proven track record in preparing pupils for the 11 Plus, Marie Redmond MEd and her team of exceptional, fully qualified and experienced primaryteachers (not 'tutors') provide specialist tuition focused on your child’s individual learning needs.
Introduction to the Slough Consortium 11 Plus exam
To be eligible to apply for a place at a Slough grammar school (Herschel Grammar School, Langley Grammar School, St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School and Upton Court Grammar School), your child will need to pass the Slough Consortium 11 Plus exam. Children born between 1st September 2015 and 31st August 2016 will take the Slough Consortium 11+ exam on Saturday 19th September 2026 to be eligible to apply for a place for September 2027.
The Consortium operates a shared 11 Plus testing process, with all four schools using the same test papers and common eligibility criteria for selection.
Following CEM Cambridge’s announcement in October 2022 that it would stop providing paper-based 11+ exams from September 2023, the Slough Consortium required a new test provider from 2023 onwards. We therefore moved all students preparing for Slough onto our GL Assessment syllabus at the earliest opportunity, ensuring they received additional preparation for the GL-style of questions.
The Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools contracted with GL Assessment as the test provider for the 11+ examinations held in September 2023, 2024 and 2025, and has confirmed that GL Assessment will also be the test provider for the September 2026 examination.
The Slough Consortium has its own contract with GL Assessment and there is no sharing of 11+ scores with any other schools. Therefore, for example, a student applying to both Buckinghamshire and Slough will need to sit both exams.
The tests identify the top 35% of the cohort as eligible for consideration for entry to grammar school, and the eligibility mark is 111.
The Slough 11 Plus exam consists of two papers, taken on the same day, each approximately 60 minutes in duration and testing English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
All questions on both papers are multiple choice and pupils indicate their answers on a separate answer sheet.
The provider of the Slough 11+ exam changed from CEM to GL Assessment in September 2023. Parent guides and familiarisation papers are available to download on the admissions pages of each of the Slough Consortium Grammar Schools.
You need to register your child to take the Slough Consortium 11 Plus test.
Online registration for the 2026 exam (for September 2027 entry) will open on Friday 1st May 2026 and close on Friday 5th June 2026.
The sole purpose of registration is to enable your son or daughter to sit the 11 Plus exam. The consortium will order one set of exam papers for them, therefore ensure that you complete the registration process once only.
The Slough Consortium has its own contract with GL Assessment and there will be no sharing of 11+ scores with any other schools. Therefore, for example, a student applying to both Buckinghamshire and Slough will need to sit both exams. The previous score sharing agreement with Kendrick is no longer in place.
By scoring 111 or more, your child will be eligible for consideration for a place at any Slough grammar school named on your Local Authority’s Common Application Form (CAF). However, this does not guarantee a place as the schools may be oversubscribed. Each school’s admissions policy will describe how places are allocated in the event of oversubscription.
The 2025 Slough 11 Plus exam results (for 2026 entry) were released on Friday 17th October 2025. The results date for the 2026 Slough 11 Plus exam (2027 entry) has not been announced (the specific date will not be given in advance by the Slough Consortium of Grammar Schools).
If you wish your child to be considered for entry to any of the four Slough grammar schools, you will need to name the relevant school or schools on the Common Application Form (CAF).
Common Application Forms will online at the beginning of September 2026 and you will have until the end of31st October 2026 to submit it to your Local Authority.
School places for September 2027 will be confirmed on Monday 1st March 2027.
If you live within Slough or Buckinghamshire, you can name up to 6 schools on your CAF; however some areas differ and may allow you to select fewer schools (please check with your local authority). Schools must be listed in your preferred order.
You will need to submit the CAF to the Local Authority in which you reside. If you live outside Slough, you must apply through your own Local Authority – even if your child currently attends a Slough primary school.
If your child is not offered a place at your first preference school, they will be allocated a lower preference school and placed on the waiting list of any school that is higher up on your order of preference but for which you have not been offered a place. For 2026 entry, the waiting lists will remain in place until 31st December 2026 (the end of your child’s first term in Year 7). Once school places are confirmed on Monday 2nd March 2026, further rounds of allocations from the waiting lists will be made as places in schools are accepted and rejected.
It is likely that you will not be consulted about the waiting list process; your local authority regard your common application preferences as a set of instructions that they will try and fulfil. For example, on 1st March you may be allocated a place at your third preference school, which you sensibly choose to accept. You will then be placed on the waiting list for your first and second preference schools. If in one of the later rounds of allocations, a space becomes available at your second preference school, your third preference place will disappear and your child will be allocated their second preference school. This process happens automatically, so it is very important that if you are happy with the allocation that you have received, that you inform your local authority that you wish to be taken off the waiting lists of any higher preference schools.
What is required to pass the Slough Consortium 11 Plus?
Verbal skills, i.e. English and Verbal Reasoning (50% of the mark)
Comprehension
Verbal reasoning (the production of words, relationships between words, letters and numbers)
Vocabulary
Spelling
Grammar
Punctuation
Numerical Reasoning (approx. 30% of the mark)
Basic skills (addition, multiplication, division and subtraction)
Mental maths development
Problem solving techniques
Extracting information from graphs and tables
Averages
Foundation algebra concepts
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Ratio and proportion
Area and volume
2d and 3d shapes
Non-verbal Reasoning (approx. 20% of the mark)
Spatial awareness
Logical deduction skills
Mathematical concepts such as symmetry, rotation and reflection
Identifying relationships, similarities and differences between figures
Identifying sequences between shapes
Small Classes
Equally, we do not believe that extremely small groups or one-to-one tuition are automatically better. Effective 11+ preparation requires a carefully structured programme that prepares for every area of the exam in a balanced and systematic way. Without that structure, there is a risk of focusing too heavily on isolated weaknesses, which can sometimes affect a child’s confidence and leave gaps elsewhere in their preparation. Children also benefit enormously from discussion, shared learning and working alongside motivated peers in a small academic group.
11+ Mock Exams With Marie Redmond 11+ Intelligent Video Learning®
Get exam ready with Marie Redmond Tuition® 11 Plus Mock Exams for the Slough Consortium 11 Plus. Students who sat our mock exams in 2025 said they were very similar to the actual test, which made them feel prepared and confident when sitting the exam.
Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11+ Resources
Students attending our Year 5 11+ Easter and 11+ summer holiday courses receive a Superbrain® English and verbal reasoning holiday course book for each week they attend, further reinforcing their skills. Plus, all term-time students receive Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11 Plus Flash Cards upon joining—an interactive resource designed to supercharge their vocabulary and accelerate exam preparation.
Explore our full Superbrain® collection and discover how these exclusive resources support students on their journey to 11+ success.
Data-Led Approach With SuccessTrack® by Marie Redmond
In addition to weekly spelling tests, our term-time students undergo formal assessments twice per term—at half-term and at the end of the term—covering all topic areas. These assessments provide a valuable measure of progress over time, ensuring that we can track genuine improvements in attainment without being overly influenced by short-term fluctuations. Testing more frequently risks skewing results due to the occasional ‘off week,’ whereas our structured approach strikes the perfect balance between regular monitoring and meaningful insight.
Based on the initial assessment and your child's specific answers, we create a personalised tuition plan that sets individual targets for each subject area that is relevant to them, such as English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Every lesson is designed to develop these areas. We continuously monitor progress, allowing us to refine tuition plans to ensure they suit your child's needs and challenges.
Parents are always welcome to contact us at any stage during their child's 11+ course for feedback on their development. They can speak with their child's teacher after lessons or contact Marie directly by phone or email for further insight. As a smaller provider, we take pride in our ability to offer tailored guidance and maintain a close, supportive relationship with families.
The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club
Sharing our enjoyment of books is a fantastic way to encourage reading and therefore develop vocabulary and comprehension at home. The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club is an excellent platform for discussions about books, opportunities for creativity and promoting reading for pleasure. Discover our book of the month.
The Marie Redmond Tuition® Creative Thinking Course
The virtual Creative Thinking Course is particularly useful for boys preparing for the latest format of the Reading School 11+ exam but is open to all our term-time students.
Students attend one creative thinking lesson per week on Zoom, which lasts for 45 minutes. Students are taught to use innovation and problem solving. They will become adept at approaching situations in different ways, using diverse strategies. Every lesson includes a fun thinking skills warm-up activity followed by the main focus of the lesson. Strategies like group discussions, questioning, mind mapping, and thinking 'outside the box' are employed to encourage creative learning approaches. Students learn various writing techniques and how to draft, review, and edit their work.
For further information, including fees, term dates and FAQ's, please visit our Creative Thinking Course page.
Our courses are led by qualified primary teachers and prepare pupils for all aspects of the Slough 11 Plus
Marie Redmond Tuition has been brilliant. Our son really enjoyed going to his lessons. The sessions were fun and engaging. During lockdown, the online lessons were well structured and engaging. The teachers have been amazing and really adapted well to the ever changing situation. I would highly recommend Marie Redmond Tuition.
Year 6 parent, Slough (2021)
Wow a great improvement on his verbal reasoning and brilliant score on NVR thank you!
Year 4 parent, Stoke Poges (2020)
My son was nervous about attending the course and reluctant but was absolutely buzzing after each session. He was super positive, excited and incredibly chirpy - he'd loved the lessons, the teaching (thanks Alison!), the reward system and had instantly made friends. It was great because a hard sell - studying in the school holidays! - became easy because of the expertise of the teacher and the small class size environment. Thanks very much everyone!
[From Google Review. The location of the parent/child has been excluded as their name is featured on Google]
Year 5 parent, Location Confidential (2023)
We are so happy for him, he worked really hard and deserves it.
Please could you pass this message onto Leanne. We are truly grateful to her for all that she has done to help Harry. He was so happy to have her as his tutor and he responded really well to her. For Harry, having the right tutor was just as important as the learning materials and putting the hours in. He has more confidence in his school work too and has matured. Leanne helped him with these things.
Thank you so much for everything.
Year 6 parent, Gerrards Cross (2023)
Hope you’re well.
He has passed his exams with good marks. He’s got 143 at GL and 117 at Slough .
We would like to say a huge thank- to all of you,and a special mention to his teacher Gulnaz for all the help and support given to him.
Good luck with all your future endeavours.
Year 5 parent, High Wycombe (2022)
Sara passed both the Slough and the Bucks 11+ exams – she is now hoping to go to Langley Grammar School :-) I will be asking Sara to send you a message herself over the next few days. In the mean time I would like to offer my sincere thanks to you and your team. Your efforts instilled self confidence in Sara and gave her the fine tuning in her skills that she needed to pass the 11+. You managed to do this in a non-stressful environment where, through innovative and imaginative techniques, learning was actually made fun unlike so many other tutors I have heard about. I would whole-heartedly endorse you to other parents who may be considering tuition for their children. Thanks again, I hope your other children enjoyed the same success that Sara had.
Year 5 parent, Slough (2016)
Thank you for your email, which was very informative. Arjan really enjoyed the class, he said he felt he was learning, and he likes the variety of activities which meant he stayed focussed and engaged. Please pass on our thanks to his teacher on the day (Sinead).
Year 4 parent, Langley (2019)
Our son has now received his 11+ (Bucks) results. Thank you to you and Anne again; he passed comfortably. Your tuition was hugely helpful in preparing him for the content of the test papers and the confidence to cope with questions he couldn't immediately answer. We will be confidently sending our youngest to your classes when his turn comes around.
Year 6 parent, Beaconsfield (2019)
We just wanted to provide an update on George, and that he got offered a place at Reading School, Reading starting Sept 2024. He is so pleased and we couldn’t be prouder. Thank you so very much for giving George all the tools, knowledge and confidence to pass the exam with presumably a high mark! Not only were the lesson learnings invaluable, I am pleased to know that you taught him time management as due to Covid he had never sat an exam or had exam practice.
Year 6 parent, Wokingham (2024)
Just to let you know Kiran has been offered a place at Dr Challoner’s; we are very proud of him. Thank you to Anne and you for preparing him so well for the exam.
Year 5 parent, Amersham (2022)
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Get exam ready with Marie Redmond Tuition® 11 Plus Mock Exams for the Slough Consortium 11 Plus. Students who sat our mock exams in 2025 said they were very similar to the actual test, which made them feel prepared and confident when sitting the exam.
Students attending our Year 5 11+ Easter and 11+ summer holiday courses receive a Superbrain® English and verbal reasoning holiday course book for each week they attend, further reinforcing their skills. Plus, all term-time students receive Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11 Plus Flash Cards upon joining—an interactive resource designed to supercharge their vocabulary and accelerate exam preparation.
In addition to weekly spelling tests, our term-time students undergo formal assessments twice per term—at half-term and at the end of the term—covering all topic areas. These assessments provide a valuable measure of progress over time, ensuring that we can track genuine improvements in attainment without being overly influenced by short-term fluctuations. Testing more frequently risks skewing results due to the occasional ‘off week,’ whereas our structured approach strikes the perfect balance between regular monitoring and meaningful insight.
Sharing our enjoyment of books is a fantastic way to encourage reading and therefore develop vocabulary and comprehension at home. The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club is an excellent platform for discussions about books, opportunities for creativity and promoting reading for pleasure. Discover our book of the month.