Which Grammar Schools Use the FSCE 11+ Exam? (2026 Update)

A current parent overview of grammar schools and regions using FSCE, including the Gloucestershire consortium switch and what families should verify.

If your child is applying to a grammar school, it's worth checking early whether it uses FSCE rather than the more familiar GL Assessment or CEM — the list of schools using FSCE is growing, and preparation looks different for each format. See our companion article, What Is the FSCE 11+ Exam?, for how the format itself works.

How many schools use FSCE

As of April 2026, an FSCE spokesperson stated that FSCE tests are "currently used by twelve grammar schools and consortia nationally, with more than 8,000 pupils sitting FSCE papers each year" — a statement published identically across multiple individual school news pages announcing the Gloucestershire consortium decision (Pate's Grammar School, 2026; Sir Thomas Rich's School, 2026; Denmark Road High School, 2026; Ribston Hall High School, 2026).

Named schools confirmed in published sources

Based on published information as of this article's research, the following schools are individually named as using FSCE for 2025/26 entry:

Reading School (Berkshire) — verified directly; FSCE is a not-for-profit subsidiary of Reading School (Ribston Hall High School, 2026; Atom Learning, 2026)
Chelmsford County High School for Girls (Essex)
Colyton Grammar School (Devon)
Heckmondwike Grammar School (West Yorkshire)
The North Halifax Grammar School (West Yorkshire)
The Crossley Heath School (West Yorkshire)
Skipton Girls' High School (North Yorkshire)
Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (Lancashire)

(Prep4All, 2026)

Confirmed joining for 2027 entry:

Ermysted's Grammar School
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School

(Atom Learning, 2026)

Note on completeness: the named list above totals 11 schools/consortia, one short of the "twelve" cited by FSCE's own spokesperson (Pate's Grammar School, 2026). We have not been able to independently identify the twelfth from published sources at the time of writing — this list should be treated as the confirmed subset, not a complete national list, and rechecked periodically.

The Gloucestershire consortium switch

The most significant recent development: on 15 April 2026, all seven Gloucestershire grammar schools (the "G7") — Pate's Grammar School, Sir Thomas Rich's School, Denmark Road High School, Ribston Hall High School, and others in the consortium — jointly announced they have appointed FSCE as their new admissions test provider, following a competitive tender process, moving from GL Assessment (Pate's Grammar School, 2026; Sir Thomas Rich's School, 2026; Denmark Road High School, 2026; Ribston Hall High School, 2026).

Key details of the Gloucestershire change, confirmed across the school announcements and Gloucestershire County Council:

The new FSCE test applies from Year 7 entry in September 2028 onwards.
The test moves timing — from September of Year 6 to the latter part of the summer term of Year 5.
Around 3,000 children register for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test each year, with approximately 2,500 sitting it (Pate's Grammar School, 2026).
Nothing changes for children sitting the exam in September 2026 for September 2027 entry — Gloucestershire's current test remains GL Assessment, administered by GL and age-standardised as before, with registration for that sitting running 18 May–26 June 2026 (Gloucestershire County Council, 2026; Prep4All, 2026).
Children currently in Year 4 in the 2025/26 academic year will be the first Gloucestershire cohort to sit FSCE.
As of this writing, exact question formats, mark scheme, subject weighting, and how Verbal Reasoning fits into the Gloucestershire-specific FSCE paper have not yet been published; schools state further details will follow in September 2026 (Pate's Grammar School, 2026).
For context: Gloucestershire's consortium previously used CEM before switching to GL Assessment from 2024 entry — this will be their second exam-board change in under five years (Yearwise, 2026).

What this means if you're not sure which format applies

Always verify directly with the school, not from general articles like this one (including ours) — arrangements can and do change between admissions years, and this list will need periodic rechecking (11 Plus London, 2025).
If your target school hasn't announced anything, the safest assumption is that it continues with its current format, usually GL Assessment in most regions, until a school or consortium explicitly states otherwise.
Because more consortia may follow Gloucestershire's example, it's worth checking your school's admissions page yearly, even if nothing has changed before.

References

11+ Daily (2026) Gloucestershire grammar schools are moving to FSCE: what has been announced and what it means for families. Available at: https://11plusdaily.co.uk/blog/gloucestershire-fsce-change/ (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

11 Plus London (2025) 11 Plus Exam Format 2026: FSCE Explained for Parents. Available at: https://11pluslondon.co.uk/11-plus-exam-format-2026-fsce-explained-for-parents/ (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Atom Learning (2026) FSCE 11+ Exam 2026: Format, Schools and How to Prepare. Available at: https://www.atomlearning.com/blog/fsce-11-plus (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Denmark Road High School (2026) Update to Admissions Test Arrangements. Available at: https://www.denmarkroad.org/news-dates/latest-news/item/63/update-to-admissions-test-arrangements (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Gloucestershire County Council (2026) Grammar schools. Available at: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions/grammar-schools/ (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Pate's Grammar School (2026) Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Appoint New Provider for Admissions Test. Available at: https://www.patesgs.org/gloucestershire-grammar-schools-appoint-new-provider-for-admissions-test/ (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Prep4All (2026) FSCE 11+ Exam 2026/27: Format, Schools & Practice Papers. Available at: https://prep4all.co.uk/fsce-11-plus-exam-guide (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Prep4All (2026) Best 7 Grammar Schools in Gloucestershire (2026). Available at: https://prep4all.co.uk/grammar-schools/gloucestershire (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Ribston Hall High School (2026) "Positive change" to admissions test arrangements for grammar schools in Gloucestershire announced. Available at: https://www.ribstonhall.gloucs.sch.uk/news-and-events/news/positive-change-to-admissions-test-arrangements-for-gloucestershire-announced-today (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Sir Thomas Rich's School (2026) Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Appoint New Provider for Admissions Test. Available at: https://strschool.co.uk/news/Gloucestershire-Grammar-Schools-Appoint-New-Provider-for-Admissions-Test/04b466fc-33ac-42ae-980f-661ee6bb8111 (Accessed: 2 July 2026).

Yearwise (2026) Gloucestershire 11+ guide. Available at: https://www.yearwise.co.uk/eleven-plus/guide/gloucestershire (Accessed: 2 July 2026).