Key information for St Olave's Grammar School
St Olave's Grammar School is a state grammar school in Orpington, Greater London. If your child is sitting for Year 7 entry, here's what the admissions process involves, when the key dates fall, and how places are allocated.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | grammar (state) |
| Year groups | Years 7-13 |
| Location | Orpington, Greater London |
| Headteacher | Mr Andrew Rees |
| Address | Goddington Lane, Orpington, Kent, BR6 9SH |
| Phone | 01689 820101 |
| admissions@saintolaves.net | |
| Places at 11+ | 124 |
| Applications per year | 1,682 (2026 entry, per the school's published admissions overview) |
| Entrance assessment | School-set Selective Entrance Test (SET) plus second-stage exam |
| Exam format | Two-stage |
| Subjects tested | Stage 1 SET (1 hour): multiple-choice questions in English, Logic (Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning) and Mathematics; Stage 2 covers extended writing and further English/Maths |
| Catchment | No formal catchment area is published. Distance is used only as a tie-breaker for the final place when candidates share the same score. |
Important dates for 2027 entry
| Stage | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Registration opens | 8 June 2026 | You can submit your application to the school from this date. |
| Registration deadline | Monday 29 June 2026 at midday | Late applications are not accepted after midday on the deadline day, so put this in the calendar. |
| Entrance exam | Stage 1 SET: 18 September 2026; Stage 2: 13 November 2026 | Sat at the school or at a designated test centre. |
| Results | Mid-October 2026 (Stage 1) / December 2026 (final) | Score (or qualifying status) released to parents. |
| National Offer Day | 1 March 2027 | Place offers issued to families via your council's allocation system. |
Dates above are the latest the school has published. They can shift by a week or two between cycles, so check the school's admissions page once a term in the run-up.
How to apply to St Olave's Grammar School
Applying to St Olave's Grammar School is a two-step process. You register your child for the entrance test directly with the school (or, for some authorities, via the local authority's grammar-test registration system). Then, separately, you submit your council's common application form (CAF) by 31 October of Year 6 listing St Olave's Grammar School as one of your secondary preferences.
Registering for the test alone does not get you a place. You need both the test registration and a CAF entry naming the school as a preference, or you won't be in the allocation.
Full and current details are on the school's admissions page: https://www.saintolaves.net/32/admissions-year-7.
What will my child be tested on?
St Olave's Grammar School uses the School-set Selective Entrance Test (SET) plus second-stage exam. The assessment is two-stage. Subjects covered: English, Mathematics, Reasoning (Stage 1 SET, 1 hour); Stage 2 covers extended writing and further English/Maths. Question style follows the pattern set by the test provider, so good past-paper practice in the right format matters more than raw academic ability at this stage.
A quick view of the papers your child will sit. Format and timings change year to year, so confirm against the school's published arrangements.
- Stage 1 SET (1 hour, multiple-choice): English
- Stage 1 SET (1 hour, multiple-choice): Mathematics
- Stage 1 SET (1 hour, multiple-choice): Logic (Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning)
- Stage 2: extended writing and further English/Maths
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How are places allocated at St Olave's Grammar School?
St Olave's Grammar School typically receives more applications than it has places, so there's a published oversubscription policy that decides who gets an offer. Here are the headlines.
Order in which places are allocated at St Olave's Grammar School. Always confirm against the school's current admissions arrangements.
- Looked-after and previously looked-after children meeting the required standard
- Qualifying boys ranked by combined Stage 1 + Stage 2 score (124 standard academic places)
- Up to 10 Pupil Premium places allocated through a separate process
- Approximately 4 Wakeham Choristership places allocated through a separate process
- Final tie-breaks by distance
Pass mark: No fixed pass mark; eligibility set by rank order at each stage.
Does St Olave's Grammar School have a catchment area?
No formal catchment area is published. Distance is used only as a tie-breaker for the final place when candidates share the same score. Catchment boundaries can be redrawn between admission rounds, so check the school's admissions arrangements for the year your child is applying.
How to prepare for the St Olave's Grammar School 11+
Preparation for St Olave's Grammar School works best when it's matched to the actual test format, not generic 11+ practice.
Two further habits are worth building in: doing at least one timed full paper a week from January of Year 5 onwards, and reviewing wrong answers carefully (rather than just doing more papers). The reviewing is where the real learning happens.