Like Kent, Buckinghamshire retained its grammar schools when selective state education was phased out elsewhere in the UK. The county is home to some of the country’s top state-funded secondary schools. Dr Challoner’s High School, alongside its local counterpart Beaconsfield High School, forms a powerhouse of selective state education that rivals the best in the nation, whether state or independent.
Exam results at Dr Challoner’s are consistently outstanding, and the school is highly oversubscribed. Students develop a reputation locally for being confident and well-rounded, thanks in part to the wide range of extracurricular opportunities available.
In recent years, Dr Challoner’s High School has been named the best secondary school in Buckinghamshire, despite strong competition from other local grammar schools. This ranking is based on Key Stage 4 performance, particularly the number of students achieving strong passes (Grades 9–5) in English and Mathematics. In 2025, 99.5% of students achieved a strong pass, an almost perfect result. That year also saw the best results in the school’s history, with 83% of all grades at 7, 8, or 9.
A-Level results in 2025 were also record-breaking: 56% of all grades were A* or A, 83% were A*–B, and 95% were C or above. Record numbers of students secured places at their university of choice.
Entry Points
The main entry points are Year 7 and Year 12 (Sixth Form). In 2025, the school offered 180 places in Year 7 and just 20 places for external Sixth Form applicants, with an additional six places reserved for students classified as Looked After or eligible for the Pupil Premium.
Admission Requirements for Year 7 (11+)
In common with other Buckinghamshire Grammar schools, admissions for Dr Challoner’s High School are managed by Buckinghamshire County Council, who the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STTS). Girls will only be considered for admission in Year 7 if they gain the qualifying mark - 121 - across two assessed papers of the test, with both papers sat on the same day. Test scores are age-standardised to ensure all students are assessed equally, regardless of their precise date of birth.
All students who achieve the 121 score will qualify for a grammar school place in Buckinghamshire. But as the best schools – and Dr Challoner’s is considered the best in the county - are always vastly oversubscribed, the oversubscription criteria (below) will be applied. As such not all students will go to their school of first choice.
Oversubscription criteria prioritise what are known as Looked After Children, so here girls who are in the care of the local authority, who must gain at least 115 in the entrance tests. Thereafter places are offered, on a similar number basis, to girls in receipt of the Pupil Premium i.e. free school meals. The main body of places will then be allocated to girls from within the school catchment area, which includes Prestwood, Amersham, Great Missenden, Chalfont St Giles, Gerrards Cross, Chesham and Chalfont Common. Only then will places be offered in distance order from the school, prioritising those living closest to the school.
What to Expect in the Entrance Test
Buckinghamshire County Council’s name for the 11+ selective exam is the ‘Secondary Transfer Test’, or STTS. This consists of two separate test papers, sat on the same day. Each test will last 45 minutes.
These will largely conform to the standard requirements of the 11+ exam, with multiple-choice questions spanning verbal and non-verbal reasoning elements. The first test considers verbal skills: comprehension, technical English (spelling and grammar), and verbal reasoning. The second tests maths and non-verbal reasoning skills, including spatial reasoning elements. While based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, both tests will be challenging and push students into unfamiliar areas at the upper range of subject knowledge and skills.
For English, there will be a challenging textual element where you must read and answer questions on a sophisticated piece of prose writing. You may also have to spot spelling and/or punctuation mistakes. Verbal reasoning tests always require students to assess words and letters and their relationships.
Non-Verbal Reasoning (or VR), requires students to assess relationships between shapes, and how they are similar or different - and to assess and predict changes from within a sequence. Maths includes multiple-choice too, using mathematical and numerical skills. Buckinghamshire schools give a sample booklet containing practise questions here.
Sixth Form (16+) Admission
External applicants for Year 12 should apply directly to Dr Challoner’s High School from 1 October in the year prior to entry.
Requirements for internal and external candidates include:
- A minimum of 48 points from their best eight GCSEs.
- At least Grade 5 in English (Language or Literature) and Maths.
- Meeting subject-specific requirements for chosen A-Level courses, as outlined in the Sixth Form Prospectus.
The Sixth Form is also oversubscribed. After allocating places for Looked After and Pupil Premium students, external candidates are offered places based on predicted GCSE scores across their best eight subjects.
Preparation Tips
Dr Challoner’s High School is highly oversubscribed so expect completion for places to be strong. Girls do get the chance to sit a practice test (in exam conditions, at their current primary or prep school) in the days preceding the actual Secondary Transfer Test. These both take place in early-mid September in the year preceding entry.
A solid base of practise in timed conditions, plus familiarity with KS2 curriculum content, should serve as the basis for success in these tests. GL Assessment partner with the Buckingham schools and provide free and pertinent materials which will be invaluable in helping parents and students prepare.
Keystone Tutors have over ten years’ experience of preparing students for 11+ exams. We employ specialist grammar school entrance tutors who can guide you through the entire process. Do call the office for an informal conversation about any part of the entrance process.