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Introduction
St. Olave’s Grammar School, founded in 1571, is a selective school for boys in Orpington, Greater London. The school is renowned for its success, having produced numerous notable alumni, including the former Lord Mayor of London, William Anderson Rose.
St Olave’s Grammar School offers a broad and ambitious curriculum that prioritises engagement, offers academic challenge, and sparks curiosity. Such a curriculum nurtures the joy of learning within each pupil and strives to provide students with a foundation that is just as useful for everyday life as it is for their career enrichment.
At St. Olave’s Grammar School, the curriculum is designed to provide a strong basis in key academic subjects (such as maths, science, English language, arts, etc.) while also offering an extensive range of co-curricular activities. Students learn in groups of varying ability levels and benefit from a comprehensive study programme.
The career interview programme and the selection of career events St. Olave’s Grammar School hosts periodically provide a great opportunity for students to understand the options available to them in the future.
At St. Olave’s Grammar School, boys are not just educated academically but also get to explore a wide array of extra-curricular activities. There is something for everyone, from sports like rugby and competitive games like chess and squash to orchestra, badminton, and robotics.
The school welcomes pupils from every ethnicity and faith. Its primary focus is excellence. Though academic achievements hold the most value, the school embraces and supports various activities outside the classroom.
Outstanding academic results have enabled many pupils at the school to gain acceptance into prestigious universities and creative arts colleges. Some of the pupils at St. Olave’s have also excelled in various national competitions, sports events, and other activities.
St. Olave’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2026
Address: Goddington Lane, Orpington BR6 9SH
County: Bromley (London)
Admissions info: office@saintolaves.net, 01689 820101
School type: Boys’ Grammar
Number of pupils: 960 (approx.)
Number of places in Year 7: 124
Open Day date: June
11+ Exam date: September 2026
Pass mark: Aim for 75%+ (Stage 1) and 80-85%+ (Stage 2) in our practice tests. See below for more details.
Exam type / Board: Set by school | Selective Eligibility Test – SET
St. Olave’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
Admission to St. Olave’s in Year 7 is by academic selection through the 11 Plus exam. Due to its popularity, St. Olave’s is regularly oversubscribed, with an average of eight applications for every Year 7 place.
Parents are encouraged to attend Open Morning in June to ensure that the school can provide an appropriate learning environment for their child prior to applying for a place. The event typically includes informal meetings with key staff members and a tour of facilities.
On completion of the 11+ exam, the school will rank candidates and give the highest priority to those with special educational needs as well as previously looked after children. All boys must meet the school’s required academic criteria to be considered for a Year 7 place. To learn more about St. Olave’s Year 7 admissions process, please visit the school’s website.
You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
How to Apply for 11 Plus (11+) Entry to St. Olave’s Grammar School
St. Olave’s participates in the coordinated admissions process operated by the London Borough of Bromley. For your child to be registered for the selection test and be considered for a Year 7 place, you should complete two forms:
- The Local Authority’s (LA) online application form. You must include St. Olave’s in your order of preference.
- St. Olave’s online Supplementary Information Form (SIF), which registers your son to sit the SET. The SIF must be submitted by the school’s published deadline.
Places are offered by your LA on National Offer Day in March.
St. Olave’s Grammar School Catchment Area
Does St. Olave’s Grammar School have a catchment area?
The school doesn’t have a catchment area.
St. Olave’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
St. Olave’s operates a two-stage process for their 11 Plus testing:
Stage 1
Boys are required to sit the school’s Selective Eligibility Test (SET). This multiple-choice test is made up of English comprehension, mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning questions.
- The English comprehension section tests a range of abilities, including vocabulary, grammar, factual recollection, inference, etc.
- The mathematics section tests arithmetic and problem solving, including questions on fractions and decimals, statistics and probability, geometry, etc.
- The Verbal Reasoning paper primarily tests and assesses your child’s logical thinking, use of English language and vocabulary.
- The Non-Verbal Reasoning paper assesses the ability to understand, interpret and problem-solve, testing logic and intelligence rather than knowledge.
Stage 2
Pupils who pass the SET will then be invited to sit the school’s second stage tests in English and mathematics.
- English – this hour-long, multiple-choice test covers comprehension and a creative writing exercise or essay.
- Mathematics – this hour-long test consists of a range of standard format questions of varying difficulty.
Following Stage 2, all scores will be standardised and aggregated, together with the SET marks, to allow a ranking of candidates. The first 124 pupils in rank order will be offered places at St. Olave’s. Should there be a tie, the final rank order will be determined using performance in the mathematics paper, then the creative writing, then the English multiple-choice paper and finally the SET.
How to Prepare for the St. Olave’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam?
Our practice tests help students become familiar with the style and layout of the St. Olave’s Grammar School exam, which can help boost their confidence in the lead up to the big day. They cover all the question types that could be asked in the entrance exam and can be used to identify any weaker areas that require additional work.
Once you devise a specific study schedule and a structured approach towards 11+ exam preparation, you will be able to remove unnecessary stress from the preparation process and make it more manageable for your child. We highly recommend that students take our practice papers under timed conditions to get used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure.
Our 11+ resources are age-appropriate, yet still challenging, corresponding perfectly with the demands of a competitive grammar school 11+ entrance exam. They are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase.
St. Olave’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
St. Olave’s administers a challenging two-stage 11+ exam and the cut-off marks in recent years were:
- 215
- 252
- 229
Pupils who are able to score 75%+ consistently in our St Olave’s Stage 1 tests should be on track to pass this stage. For Stage 2, you want to be aiming for 80-85%+ in our Stage 2 recommendations.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the St. Olave’s Grammar School entrance exams. Please click here to learn more.
St. Olave’s Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Practice Exam Papers
Stage 1
The St. Olave’s Stage 1 test consists of 4 sections: A, B, C and D.
The following practice tests are specifically designed to help your child prepare for the St. Olave’s Stage 1 11+ Exam. They provide excellent mock exam preparation, highlighting your child’s strengths and weaknesses:
Practice Papers
Section B is multiple-choice Mathematics and we recommend these packs to help build the relevant skills.
Practice Papers
Video Masterclasses
Video Masterclasses
Section C is multiple-choice Verbal Reasoning. This consists of a mix of GL-style, CEM-style and the school’s own style of VR. For the GL and CEM style questions, we recommend the following packs:
Practice Papers
Video Masterclasses
Section D is multiple-choice Non-Verbal (NVR) and Spatial Reasoning (SR) and many of the question types used are covered in these packs.
Practice Papers
Video Masterclasses
Video Masterclasses
Stage 2
The St. Olave’s School Stage 2 11 plus exam consists of English and Maths tests.
The following practice tests are specifically designed to help your child prepare for the St. Olave’s Stage 2 11+ Exam. They provide excellent mock exam preparation, highlighting your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Practice Papers
The English tests consist of comprehension (both multiple-choice and open answer) as well as a writing task.
Practice Papers
The Maths test is the standard format. We would recommend these packs for this section:
Practice Papers
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Why do some of the recommendations above show me independent school papers?
The main difference between independent and grammar school papers is the question format. Independent schools usually assess with standard format questions, which means students need to write out full answers. Grammar schools usually use multiple-choice format questions.
Whilst St. Olave’s Grammar School is a grammar school, they actually use the independent school (standard) format for their second-round exam, which is why standard format papers are included in the Stage 2 recommendations above.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions have been included in St. Olave’s Grammar School 11+ past papers. The information provided about St. Olave’s Grammar School is believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the article.
Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and resources, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by St. Olave’s Grammar School.
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Author(s)
Louise Lang
Director of Learning
