Trafford's New FSCE 11+ Exam: A Guide for 2028 Entry

FSCE stands for Future Stories Community Enterprise, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Reading School that designs bespoke admissions assessments for selective state grammar schools. The Trafford Grammar School Consortium appointed FSCE as its new test provider following a compliant tender process under the Procurement Act 2023, selecting it from a field of qualified national providers.

FSCE's tests are currently used by twelve grammar schools and consortia nationally, with more than 8,000 pupils sitting its papers each year. The consortium cited FSCE's technical expertise, commitment to fairness and accessibility, and focus on widening access for disadvantaged pupils as reasons for the appointment.

Under the new arrangements, FSCE will design, develop and deliver the test papers – including scoring, analysis, age-standardisation and secure reporting of results – and will provide specialist guidance to admissions teams across all five consortium schools.

The change applies to the five schools that make up the Trafford Grammar School Consortium, which operate a shared testing process – meaning a child sits one test to be considered for entry to any of them:

• Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
• Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
• Sale Grammar School
• Stretford Grammar School
• Urmston Grammar School

Loreto Grammar School and Saint Ambrose College are not part of the consortium and continue to run their own separate admissions tests. If you are considering either of those schools, check their websites directly for their test arrangements.

The transition is staged. The year your child sits the test determines which provider and format applies – not their current year group alone. The table below shows what is confirmed for each entry year.

The provider switch (GL to FSCE) and the content change take effect from 2028 entry. The earlier test date (summer term of Year 5) is a separate change that takes effect from 2029 entry onward.

The consortium has confirmed the term and year in which the test is sat for each entry year, but has not yet published specific calendar dates (day and month) for the 2028 or 2029 sittings. The table below distinguishes what is confirmed from what is anticipated.

Specific calendar dates for the 2028 and 2029 sittings are anticipated to be published closer to the time on each consortium school's admissions pages. Do not rely on dates from previous years, as the test window is changing.

Beginning with the entrance test sat in September 2027 (for 2028 entry), the content of the admissions test changes from verbal, non-verbal and mathematical reasoning to the Key Stage 2 English and mathematics national curriculum programmes of study up to the end of Year 5.

According to FSCE, its tests feature:

• A mix of text and image-inspired questions
• Content that encourages original critical thinking and problem-solving
• Content from the KS2 National Curriculum taught up to the end of Year 5

FSCE also provides specialist formats – including Braille, large print and modified papers – and support for schools making reasonable adjustments for candidates with additional needs.

Note: the exact paper structure (number of papers, timings, question types) for the Trafford consortium's FSCE test has not yet been published in full. FSCE's tests vary between schools and consortia, so the Trafford specification will be confirmed on each school's admissions pages closer to the test date.

The right action depends on when your child sits the test. The guidance below is editorial, based on the confirmed transition timeline.

FSCE does not publish past papers, and its test content changes every year. Instead, FSCE provides free familiarisation guides for children and parents, which show the test style, format and content, plus sample questions for practice.

These guides are published on each consortium school's admissions pages. FSCE recommends visiting each school's website and reading its admission guidelines and policies carefully, as FSCE works with many schools each with different test specifications.

FSCE also publishes a "10 Tips" video and general information about its test approach on its website at fsce.co.uk/about. Be cautious of third-party resources claiming to be "FSCE past papers" – these are not official and may not reflect the actual test.

Sitting the 11+ is a separate step from the main secondary common application form. You must register your child to sit the test with the relevant testing body, and then rank grammar schools on Trafford's secondary common application form once results are known.

Registration details and deadlines for each consortium school are published on each school's admissions pages. For the overall Trafford secondary admissions process, including the common application form and key dates, see our Grammar Admissions guide and the Key Dates guide.