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Education
Redbridge 11+ results arrive in mid-October, only two weeks before the 31 October application deadline. This guide explains standardised scores, the 104 threshold and how the 180 places at Ilford County High and Woodford County High are allocated. It also covers what to put on your application form, whatever result your child gets.
Redbridge 11+ results arrive by email in the middle of October, and for many families the first reaction is confusion. You have a number, perhaps an indication of your child's position, and a deadline to name your secondary schools only a couple of weeks later. What does it all mean?
The short version: the number on its own decides very little. What matters is how it sits against the threshold, which priority group your child is in and which school you put on your application. Everything below about Ilford County High School (boys) and Woodford County High School (girls) comes from the Redbridge Council 11+ page and the council's determined admission arrangements for 2027 to 2028.
Key facts for September 2027 entry: 180 places at each school; a minimum score of 104 to be ranked; results emailed in mid-October 2026; school preferences due by 31 October 2026; offers on or about 1 March 2027.
The council emails results to the address used to register. Under the admission arrangements, parents are given advice on their child's position in order of total standardised score before the 31 October application deadline.
That position is a guide, not an offer. The arrangements are explicit that it is not a guarantee of a place, because the final allocation also depends on which applicants actually name the school on their application form and which priority group each child falls into.
Your child's raw marks are converted into a standardised score. Standardisation puts the papers on a common scale so that results can be compared fairly across the whole cohort.
To give a sense of the range, Redbridge's published list of total scores for September 2026 entry runs from 69 at the bottom to just under 140 at the top. The council notes that this list shows scores only and is not a ranking.
Not in the sense of a guaranteed pass. There is a minimum threshold score of 104. Children who score below 104 are not ranked and are not placed on the waiting list, wherever they live. Reaching 104 means your child can be considered; it does not mean a place is likely.
There is no fixed cut-off. The lowest score that receives an offer depends on how many children apply, how they score and how many fall into each priority group. It can change from year to year, so treat any figure you hear at the school gate with caution.
If more children apply than there are places, Redbridge allocates the 180 places at each school in this order:
Looked after and previously looked after children.
Pupil premium children: 45 places (25%) are offered to children entitled to the pupil premium, including those eligible through Ever6, ranked by total standardised score.
Other children living in the common catchment area, ranked by total standardised score.
Children living outside the common catchment area, ranked by total standardised score.
Three details often surprise parents:
There is no sibling priority for the grammar schools.
Ties are broken by distance, measured as the shortest safe walking distance from home to the school's main entrance. If that is also tied, random allocation is used.
Out-of-catchment children come last. They are considered only once children living inside the catchment have been dealt with, so their chances are very limited at oversubscribed schools.
This is the step families most often get wrong. Registering for the 11+ is not an application. You must name Ilford County High or Woodford County High on your home council's secondary school application by 31 October 2026.
Apply through the council where you live, even if that is not Redbridge.
List schools in your genuine order of preference. Councils allocate the highest preference you qualify for, so placing the grammar school first does not reduce your chances at your other schools.
Always include realistic non-selective schools as well.
Redbridge publishes how many children sat the test. For September 2026 entry, 2,062 children sat it: 998 for Ilford County High and 1,064 for Woodford County High, of whom 1,679 lived inside the common catchment area. With 180 places at each school, most children who sit the test will not be offered a place, even with a strong score.
Your child will not be considered for either school this year. Focus on your other preferences. A test result at ten is one snapshot, not a verdict on how your child will do at secondary school.
A place is possible but uncertain. Name the school if you would genuinely choose it, and put a strong non-selective school you are happy with next. Children who reach the threshold can be placed on the waiting list, so a place can sometimes come later.
A strong position is encouraging, but the final outcome still depends on priority groups and who applies. Complete your application carefully, check your catchment status, and keep a realistic second choice.
Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School offers are made through your home council on or about 1 March 2027. If your child is not offered a place:
Waiting list: vacancies are offered to the next highest-ranked qualifying child, so waiting list positions can move.
Appeal: you have a statutory right to appeal. The panel considers whether the admission arrangements were properly applied and whether your reasons outweigh the school's case. GOV.UK explains the appeals process and timescales.
If you are reading this with a younger child in mind, the timetable is earlier than many expect: registration is in the summer term of Year 5 and the test is in the first weeks of Year 6. Merit Tutors runs 11+ classes at its Ilford branch on Ilford Lane and in Forest Gate and Plaistow, and keeps a list of local 11+ schools and key dates.
The admission arrangements do not describe a remarking process. If you believe something went wrong, contact Redbridge's admissions team, and remember that the appeal route is available after offers are made.
No. Scores determine the order within each priority group, but the final outcome depends on how many children in higher groups apply and on the number of places.
Check the score against the threshold of 104.
Read the position advice in the results email, and remember it is a guide, not an offer.
Confirm your address is inside the common catchment area on the council's map.
Decide where Ilford County High or Woodford County High genuinely sits in your order of preference.
Choose at least one non-selective school you would be happy with, and put it on the form too.
Submit your application through your own council, not Redbridge if you live elsewhere, and keep the confirmation.
Redbridge 11 plus results feel final when they arrive, but the decisions you make in the following fortnight matter too.
Ready to try it? Every paper in the library comes with its mark scheme and a worked solution, so you can practise without hunting for files.
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