The Bucks STT
Buckinghamshire's grammar-school admissions run through the Secondary Transfer Test (STT), sat in September of Year 6. The test is organised and commissioned by The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) — a consortium of all 13 state grammars in the county — and supplied as a bespoke GL Assessment paper.
Unlike Kent (which has a single county-wide pass mark and admits primarily on score plus school-specific oversubscription criteria), Bucks uses a single qualifying score across the whole consortium. If your child meets it, they're considered "selected for grammar school" — which grammar they end up at depends on parental preference, distance oversubscription rules, sibling priority, and (rarely, for some schools) school-level supplementary score thresholds.
Paper format
Two papers, both multiple-choice on separate answer sheets, sat on different days:
- Paper 1 — about an hour. A mix of Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning question types. The VR component covers cloze, antonyms / synonyms, analogies, codes, and rearranging letters; the NVR component covers sequences, rotations, mirror images, and odd-one-out.
- Paper 2 — about an hour. Maths at KS2 level: arithmetic, problem-solving, ratio and proportion, geometry, time and money. Calculator not allowed.
The exact paper structure (number of questions, time per section) shifts year to year — the TBGS publishes a familiarisation booklet annually showing the current format. Tutors specialising in Bucks will have the latest familiarisation materials.
The 13 TBGS grammars
Buckinghamshire's grammar schools span the county, grouped roughly by area:
- South Bucks (Amersham / Beaconsfield / Chalfont / Gerrards Cross) — Dr Challoner's Grammar (boys, Amersham), Dr Challoner's High School (girls, Little Chalfont), Beaconsfield High (girls), Chesham Grammar (mixed), John Hampden Grammar (boys, High Wycombe), Wycombe High School (girls), Royal Grammar School High Wycombe (boys).
- Aylesbury Vale — Aylesbury Grammar (boys), Aylesbury High (girls), Sir Henry Floyd Grammar (mixed, Aylesbury), Royal Latin (mixed, Buckingham).
- Slough / Burnham (statutorily in Bucks for grammar admissions) — Burnham Grammar (mixed).
The most over-subscribed in recent years are typically the two Dr Challoner's, the Aylesbury pair, Beaconsfield High, and Royal Latin — but year-to-year application volumes shift, so check the council's published applications-per-place data when planning.
How tutoring works in Bucks
Bucks is a high-coaching environment — the volume of after-school tutoring is among the highest in England. The realistic implication is that the average child sitting the STT has been tutored for at least 6 months, often a year or more. Untutored bright children can still pass, but many parents tutor pre-emptively.
A typical Bucks 11+ prep arc:
- Months 1-3 (early Year 5) — diagnostic and KS2 foundation review. Identify maths gaps, English vocabulary level, reading speed.
- Months 4-9 (mid Year 5 → end of Year 5) — STT-style question types one at a time. Build pattern recognition for VR/NVR, work through Maths problem-solving question banks. Introduce timed individual sections.
- Months 10-12 (summer of Year 5 → September Year 6) — full timed mock papers. Familiarisation with the bespoke STT format using TBGS sample papers and recent past papers. Strategy work (skipping difficult questions, managing nerves).
Choosing a Bucks 11+ tutor
A few questions worth asking before committing:
- How many Bucks STT cohorts have they prepared in the last two years?
- Do they use TBGS-specific familiarisation materials, or generic GL papers?
- Have they had students attend specific grammars on your shortlist?
- How do they handle the pressure / pacing aspect of the STT (a particular issue for the heavy multiple-choice answer sheet)?
- Do they offer mock-paper sessions in addition to weekly tutoring?
Use Tutorperch messaging (free) to discuss specifics before you commit. The £20 unlock fee only matters once you've decided you want to work with a particular tutor.