Families often apply to both grammar and independent schools, and the two routes differ more than most parents expect: in exams, timelines, and what "success" even means. Here's a clear map.
The headline difference
Grammar school entry is a pass/fail hurdle followed by an allocation process: your child sits the test (almost always GL Assessment now), receives a standardised score, and places go to qualifying children according to the school's oversubscription rules, which may weigh distance, catchment or score ranking. There's usually no interview and no reference; the number decides.
Independent school entry is a rounder assessment: an exam (school-set papers, or a shared test like the ISEB Common Pre-Test), typically followed by an interview, a reference from the current school, and sometimes a taster day. The exam gets your child to the interview; the whole picture wins the place.
What the exams look like
Grammar tests are usually one or two sittings covering English, maths and reasoning in multiple-choice format, marked by machine, sat early in Year 6 (often September), with results in October ahead of the local authority application deadline.
Independent school assessments vary by school: some use the online adaptive ISEB Pre-Test sat once and shared between schools, others set their own written papers in the January of Year 6, which often include a composition and longer-form maths where working is marked, not just answers. The 13+ route adds its own variations, with pre-tests sat in Year 6 or 7 for places confirmed later.
Practically, this means preparation overlaps heavily but not completely. Core English, maths and reasoning serve both routes. The independent route adds interview readiness and, for schools with written papers, extended writing; the grammar route puts more weight on multiple-choice speed and accuracy.
The timeline trap
The grammar timeline is unforgiving in a specific way: registration for the test typically happens in the spring or early summer of Year 5, months before the local authority school application in October. Miss the registration window and the option simply closes. Independent schools set their own deadlines, commonly in the autumn or early winter of Year 6 for 11+ entry, but each school differs. If you're pursuing both routes, a single sheet of paper listing every school, exam date, registration deadline and result date is the most valuable document you'll make all year.
Interviews: the bit grammar families forget
Children aiming at independent schools should be comfortable talking about themselves, their reading, and their interests with a friendly adult. This isn't about coaching answers, which experienced interviewers spot instantly, but about practice being conversational: expanding answers beyond one word, having a book they can genuinely discuss, showing curiosity. It's a skill built through low-pressure conversation over months, not a script learned the week before.
Choosing your portfolio of schools
Most families do best with a balanced list: a realistic target or two, an aspiration, and a secure option they'd be happy with. Both routes reward starting from the child rather than the league table; the "best" school is the one where your child will be stretched and happy, which isn't always the most selective one that might take them.
If you're weighing up routes and want an honest view of how your child's current level maps onto specific schools, the easiest first step is a free 15-minute phone chat.