Archived news
30 June 2021
Important notice: Change of test dates for out of county candidates in September 2021
In order to keep everyone as safe as possible, TBGS is planning to change this September’s test dates for out of county children only.
Out of county children will now take the tests on:
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Saturday 4 September (practice) and Saturday 11 September (Transfer Test) OR
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Sunday 5 September (practice) and Sunday 12 September (Transfer Test).
Parents will receive an email in August advising the dates on which their child will be tested and where this will take place.
Children attending Buckinghamshire primary schools and Partner schools will take the tests on Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 September as planned.
There is no change to the date for results which is 15 October.
4 September 2020
TBGS writes to parents confirming testing will be delayed until October/November.
24 July 2020
The Department for Education has today published its guidance on selective school admissions. DfE has strongly advised that testing should be delayed to late October/November. In the advice DfE recognises that children are unlikely to perform at their best if tested at the beginning of September and also recognises the logistical challenges for schools of carrying out testing this year. The publication of this guidance means that TBGS is now able to confirm test dates for this autumn as:
27-30 October (out of county children) and
2-5 November (children attending Buckinghamshire primary schools and Partner schools).
Further information will be provided in due course.
7 July 2020
A presentation giving details about moving up to secondary school in 2021 for parents of Bucks children has now been published on the Buckinghamshire Council website. The slides and additional notes are also available to download.
24 June 2020
Additional details about the proposed move of dates for testing and results are now on the FAQs page.
17 June 2020
TBGS writes to the parents of Year 5 children in Buckinghamshire and parents of out of county children who have registered for Secondary Transfer Testing advising that, owing to Covid-19, dates for testing are likely to be delayed but that this is dependent on agreement from the Department for Education.
30 April 2020
TBGS sends a letter to parents of Year 5 children updating them about discussions taking place about the 2021 entry test.
24 April 2020
The Buckinghamshire 2021 Secondary Selection Tests are currently scheduled to take place on Tuesday 8 September (practice test) and Thursday 10 September (selection test). At the current time schools are closed and it is not known when they will re-open. An update will provided closer to the time if any changes need to be made to dates or other aspects of the testing arrangements.
1 October 2019
GL Assessment sends a letter to parents detailing the solution to the errors contained in the Secondary Transfer Test taken by pupils on 12 September. Parents are also sent a letter by TBGS.
20 September 2019
GL Assessment provide an update to parents of children who took the test on 12 September.
13 September 2019
Joint statement – The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) and GL Assessment,
“During the first sitting of the Secondary Transfer Test yesterday (12 September), it became apparent that two questions in the Verbal Skills paper could not be answered correctly as the options on the answer sheet did not reflect those in the question paper.
“As soon as the issue was identified, every effort was made to give instructions to all test centres, informing them that candidates should not attempt to answer the two questions. The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) and GL Assessment were immediately informed, and an urgent investigation is already under way. However, we would like to assure all parents and candidates that there will be a fair resolution within a very short period of time and we will update parents as soon as we can.
“We fully appreciate that this is a difficult time for all involved, and we sincerely apologise for any anxiety this may have caused the candidates and their parents.”
Further information
For parental enquiries, please contact bucks@gl-assessment.co.uk
For press enquiries, please contact Danielle Morgan, Head of Communications, GL Assessment
Danielle.morgan@gl-assessment.co.uk / 020 8996 3632
28 March 2017
New arrangements for secondary selection testing for September 2019 entry (current Year 4)
The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) have today announced the award of new contracts for secondary selection testing. GL Assessment will be providing the test and Buckinghamshire County Council will be continuing to provide test administration services. The new contracts will first apply to the tests taken in September 2018 by pupils moving into secondary school in Autumn 2019 (current Year 4).
For more details see the full press release and FAQ section.
1 December 2016
The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) is seeking tenders for entrance testing services. This procurement is divided into two lots; Lot 1 Secondary Selection Test Provision and Lot 2 Test Administration Services. The successful bidder for Lot 1 is required to devise an appropriate Secondary Selection Test and provide related services, and the successful bidder for Lot 2 is required to provide test registration, test administration services and results and review services. The procurement began with a contract notice published in OJEU with reference number 2016-153549 and which was dispatched on 29 November 2016.
The grammar schools are all academies and use a common secondary selection test and process to select pupils for entry in to Year 7 in Buckinghamshire grammar schools each year. The current test assesses verbal, non-verbal and numerical skills. Tests are normally taken in the second week of the Autumn term and results are published by the end of the first half of the autumn term. Approximately 10,000 children take the entrance test each year at approximately 200 different testing locations.
The procurement documents will be sent to bidders on request. Bidders should contact the TBGS Chairman by sending an email to
chairman.tbgs@gmail.com to request a copy of the tender pack.