Sutton runs a mid-September test across its five competitive grammars, using a mix of CEM-style and GL formats depending on school.
Year 5 spring
Confirm Sutton consortium registration. Sutton's registration usually opens in May and closes in late June. Each grammar may have slight variations in registration mechanics; check each target school.
Identify which format applies to your target school. Sutton Grammar and Wallington use one format; Wilson's and Nonsuch use another. The mix matters for preparation.
Year 5 summer
Begin format-specific topic work. Submit registration before the deadline. Cross-applications to Kingston (Tiffin) and other south-west London grammars are common; confirm separate registrations.
Sutton's grammars are highly competitive; the realistic preparation target is consistent practice scores comfortably above the typical qualifying threshold.
Summer holidays
Substantial mock paper window. Six to eight full mocks across the holiday in the right format(s). Off-week review with the four-column marking system.
Sutton attracts heavy cross-borough application. The published catchment-area distance tiebreaker matters; check your address's position relative to each target school.
Mid-September — test
Sutton's tests typically run in the second or third week of September on Saturday mornings. Venue is usually the target school itself.
For families targeting multiple Sutton grammars, separate sittings may apply depending on format mix. Confirm in advance.
Mid-October — results
Results released in mid-October. Each Sutton grammar reports its own qualifying threshold; cross-school comparison is not straightforward.
Submit Sutton secondary preferences by 31 October. List target schools in genuine preference order; allocation respects this.
1 March — offer day
Sutton offers released on national offer day. Wait-list movement through spring is meaningful given the cross-borough application pattern.
For families with offers from both Sutton and another south-west London authority (Kingston, Wandsworth, Merton), the decision often hinges on commute and cohort fit alongside academic ranking.