A Guide to Wallington High School for Girls Admissions
Wallington High School for Girls is one of the most successful state schools in the UK, both in terms of its academic results and the ethos - which visitors and parents alike are keen to comment on. The school is variously described as warm, purposeful and ‘listening’. All of which contribute to its popularity and selective rigour. As a grammar school, entrance is naturally selective - in a South London borough that is already home to ambitious families, and which is only twenty minutes from London by train.
As such, you would expect results to be eye-catching. In 2025, an impressive 35% of all GCSE entrants gained a grade 9, with an imposing 65% at grade 8 – 9. A Level results include 22% of all entrants gaining an A*, with 56% at grades A*or A.
But add to that an active and obvious sense of community and Wallington High School for Girls gains another layer of interest and prestige. Parents speak of an excellent atmosphere at the school, encouraging both learning and a sense of purpose. Girls are seen to be uniformly confident and extremely smart. Although this is a large school, with 1,300 pupils, they receive in excess of 2000 applicants for just 200 Year 7 places.
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Entry Points
The school admits just over 200 Year 7 students each academic year. Those wishing to apply should register to sit the two-stage entrance exam by filling out a school registration form in May preceding entry.
The school also admits a strictly limited number of external applicants to its Sixth Form. There is no routine admission outside of Year 7 or Sixth Form entrance, though places do become available, sometimes mid-year. Those wishing to gain entry in Years 8 through 11 should approach the London Borough of Sutton who will guide them through the process.
Admission Requirements for 11+ Entry for Wallington High School for Girls
Those students wishing to gain entry in Year 7 must pass every part of a rigorous two-stage entrance test, comprising firstly the Selective Eligibility Test or SET, and secondly a Second Stage Test, run in conjunction with other excellent local grammar school provider, Nonsuch School in Cheam.
The first stage Selective Eligibility Test (SET) is made up of two multiple choice exams, covering Mathematics and English. Only those students who gain the pass mark at SET will be invited back to sit the Second Stage test.
The school runs a complex system of admissions which allocates places based in part on academic ability: the school ranks students based on their results across the two tests. But also in relation to a student’s economic status, awarding up to 35 places for those who receive the Pupil Premium or Free School Meals, for whom there may be some academic concession i.e. they don’t have to gain the very highest grades to be admitted.
The school awards up to 100 places regardless of whether applicants live within the specified catchment area, but also up to 110 offers are made to those living within 6.7km of the school.
What sort of questions should I expect in the Wallington High Schools for Girls entrance tests?
The first stage Selective Eligibility Test takes place in mid-September preceding entry. The exam includes two papers, both multiple-choice, on Maths and English. (There is no verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning element.) The papers take around 45 minutes each with a rest break between the two.
Test content for both subjects is based broadly on the KS2 curriculum and content should therefore be familiar to students. The school does not specifically provide past papers but the types of question you might expect are given for both English and Maths.
Those who achieve the pass mark for SET will be invited to sit the Second Stage Entrance Examination. Again there are two parts, English and Maths, though this time the tests are not multiple choice. Again, individual parts last around 45 minutes and do not include verbal or non-verbal reasoning elements.
The school provides sample maths questions here. Wallington advises that the Second Stage English test will involve the production of a continuous piece of writing, following the form of a letter, report, narrative writing (i.e. a story), or using an image as the jumping off point for a piece of original writing. They provide examples of the sort of questions you might expect in this section here.
16+ (Sixth Form) Admission Requirements
Wallington advises that the majority of the 210 Sixth Form places that exist at the school are taken by students transferring from year 11. In practise this means that only around twenty places are given to external candidates each year.
The requirement Sixth Form entry, for both internal and external candidates, is an average of 6 points or more across students top eight GCSE subjects. Candidates should also have gained a Grade 6 (or higher) in both English and Maths; and ordinarily a Grade 7 or more in those subjects they wish to study for A Level.
Preparation Tips for Wallington High School for Girls Admissions Test
As with all grammar schools across South London and its borders, competition for places is fiercely fought. The first stage SET test is effectively the 11+, with certain qualifications as set out above, and students should be familiar with the parameters of the 11+.This includes both content and exam technique.
The school advises that students should be familiar with all aspects of the KS2 curriculum for both English and Maths – and because students sit their Wallington Entrance tests before the completion of Key Stage 2 there may be some additional learning required. Students should certainly be familiar with the format of testing, ranging from multiple choice questions under time pressure to the more extended writing tasks of the Second Stage testing.
For more details on how Keystone can help with preparation for Wallington High School for Girls, feel free to call the office for a chat with one of our client managers, or contact us via our request a tutor form.
Written by Keystone Tutors
We help families find exceptional tutors for every stage of their child's education; from primary and school entrance exams tuition through to GCSEs, A Levels, the IB and university admissions. Our unique model is built around full-time employed tutors and a highly personalised matching process, offering a level of quality, continuity and individual care that is rare in tutoring.
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