11+ registration usually opens between April and June of the year your child sits the exam, and closes somewhere between June and September. The exact dates vary a lot from school to school and area to area. This is the step that often catches families out, because missing the window normally means missing that school's exam altogether. So the safe approach is simple: check each target school's admissions page early and put every deadline in your calendar.
- Registration usually opens between April and June of the exam year.
- It usually closes between June and September, but dates vary widely.
- Each school or authority sets its own deadline, so check them individually.
- Late entries are rarely accepted, so diarise every date well in advance.
When registration opens
For most schools, the registration window opens between April and June. That is the spring or early summer before your child begins Year 6, well ahead of the autumn exam.
It is worth getting your shortlist ready before then, so you are set to register as soon as the window opens. Confirming who is eligible and which schools you want is the natural first step.
When registration closes
Closing dates usually fall between June and September, but this is where schools differ most. Some shut registration in early summer; others stay open closer to the exam.
Because the spread is so wide, never assume one school's deadline matches another's. Treat each application as its own task with its own date.
Why dates vary so much
There is no single national 11+ calendar. Each grammar school or local authority runs its own admissions process, and consortiums that share one test set their own timetable too.
That independence is also why fees, formats and rules differ, so it helps to check the full picture for each school at once, including whether there is a registration fee.
Registering to sit the 11+ happens months before the secondary application. The Common Application Form, where you list your preferred schools, is due on 31 October, after results come out. Keep the two deadlines separate in your planning.
How to find your dates
Go straight to the source. Each school's admissions page, or the local authority's, publishes the registration window and how to apply.
Where you can, sign up for email alerts or note the page to check it again as the window approaches. If you are weighing up several schools, our guide to sitting the 11+ for multiple schools explains how consortiums and separate entries fit together.
Don't miss the window
Late entries are rarely accepted, so a missed deadline usually means a missed chance that year. This is the single most avoidable setback in the whole process.
Diarise every date with a reminder a week or two before, and register as early as you comfortably can. With the admin under control, your child can focus on steady daily practice with Pip rather than a last-minute scramble.