2026 11 Plus Exam for Upton Court Grammar School

Stay ahead with exclusive tips on the Slough 11+ exam for Upton Court Grammar School

We’re dedicated to your child’s success

With a proven track record in preparing pupils for the 11 Plus, Marie Redmond MEd and her team of exceptional, fully qualified and experienced primary teachers (not 'tutors') provide specialist tuition focused on your child’s individual learning needs.

Our unique 11 Plus tuition courses in Amersham, Aylesbury, Beaconsfield, BusheyGerrards Cross, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Reading (Winnersh, Wokingham) and Stoke Poges are structured to give children the confidence they need to sit and pass exams in a friendly, stress-free environment.

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.

FAQs

What does the Slough Consortium 11 Plus exam include
  • 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.
What does the Slough Consortium 11 Plus exam look like?

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.

How do I register my child for the Slough Consortium 11 Plus exam?
  • 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.

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.

Discover the proven benefits of small class sizes.

11+ Mock Exams With Marie Redmond 11+ Intelligent Video Learning®

GL 11 Plus mock examsGet 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

Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11+ Flashcards packagingStudents 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.

Marie Redmond's Superbrain® Year 4 & 5 Verbal Reasoning and Maths Books

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

Marie Redmond Tuition Book ClubSharing 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

11+ Creative Thinking Course logo for Reading School

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

Discover our 11 Plus courses

Feedback from parents

  • Your course has been invaluable in allowing her to work with her peers, realising that it is normal to find 11+ work challenging, restoring her confidence and realising that hard work and persistence will win the day. In Sara’s own words, “I enjoyed that they made the work fun so that it was interesting and you wouldn’t be tempted to doze off. I also thought my teacher, Anne, is a lovely lady. I learnt some new ways of doing things which will help me when it comes to the 11+ exams.”

    Year 5 parent, Slough (Easter Course 2016)

  • So encouraging, so organised, great resources. [From Google Review. The location of the parent/child has been excluded as their full name is featured on Google]

    Year 5 parent, Location Confidential (2022)

  • Maheen enjoyed her experience on the Easter course, the positive reinforcement seemed to do the trick. She learned a lot from her experience and mentioned that she was able to get a lot of things right when it came to different subjects.

    Year 5 parent, Amersham (2015)

  • Thank you for the test results. We are so pleased with the effort he is putting into his work and how well he is doing. I had a quick chat with Anne last week to thank her and it was lovely to hear positive feedback regarding his attitude in class.

    Year 4 parent, Stoke Poges (2017)

  • She passed! She scored a 127 and was very happy (and proud) for her results. Thank you for all of your help in preparing!

    Year 6 parent, Beaconsfield (2020)

  • We are grateful for the support given through the virtual lessons and also during the class lessons. We appreciate all the teachers who are working tirelessly to make sure our children don't miss out.  Wishing you, your team and your families a happy and blessed Easter.

    Year 4 parent, Langley (2020)

  • His maths has improved immensely since he has joined Sarah’s class. He still finds some aspects difficult but he is improving all the time and has moved up 2 tables in his class. It is obviously working for him which is great for his confidence. So many thanks all round.

    Year 5 parent, Gerrards Cross (2016)

  • Dear Marie, He scored 149 points, which is great! Of course as long as one has more than 121 the exact mark doesn't technically matter, but still, we're happy to see he is "comfortably" above the minimum. Thank you again for your tutoring which definitely helped.

    Year 5 parent, Amersham (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)

  • We have just received his results and pleased to advise you that he has gained an eligible score for Reading Boys. [From Google Review. The location of the parent/child has been excluded as their name is featured on Google]

    Year 5 parent, Location Confidential (2024)

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