Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
If your child would shrink in a big, anonymous school but come alive somewhere they are actually known by name, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar in Alford is worth a long look. It is a small, co-educational selective academy in rural Lincolnshire, and the smallness is the whole point. With only around 530 pupils on roll, the head says students are known individually and valued as such. The school's motto, 'Cor Unum via Una', one in heart and goal, captures the emphasis on looking out for one another, mutual respect and aiming high together across school life.
It is one of the older English grammar schools, founded in 1566 and granted a royal charter by Elizabeth I a decade later for 'the Education, Instruction and bringing up of children and Youth for ever to continue'. It marked its 450th anniversary in 2016. A former Business and Enterprise College, it keeps an enterprising streak: pupils can set up their own businesses and trade in school, backed by a dedicated venture fund. There is a strong co-curricular programme run partly by senior students, a well-supported Duke of Edinburgh scheme up to Gold, a bespoke leadership award and even a student-run school radio station, alongside a sports hall, activities studio and science lab added through recent funding.
Led by headteacher Glen Thompson, the school suits a child who would do best in a close-knit, smaller setting where they will be given real responsibility rather than lost in the crowd. It serves families across the Lincolnshire coast and Wolds, with entry through the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools' 11-plus test, and the children who thrive here tend to be the ones who like being part of something they can shape.
Yes
Does Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School have a catchment area?
Yes. The school has a designated free transport area (its traditional catchment), covering Alford and nearby villages, and applicants living within it are given priority when the school is oversubscribed.
In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 60.5 across their GCSEs. 72.2% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 33.3% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above. Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
In 2025 students achieved a B- average grade per A-Level entry. 20% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects. Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entry.
The 11+ pass mark for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford is currently unknown.
No, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford does not conduct interviews as part of its 11+ admissions process.
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford is a co-educational (mixed) school.
Yes, the school has a designated free transport area, and applicants living within it are given priority when the school is oversubscribed.
The official website for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford is https://www.queenelizabeths.co.uk/.
Your child first needs to reach the required standard in the 11-plus, sat in the September of their final primary year. Alford uses the Lincolnshire grammar schools' consortium test, two papers in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and looks for children in roughly the top 25% of ability. If the school is oversubscribed, qualifying children are offered places in priority order. A child with an EHC plan naming the school is admitted first. Then looked-after and previously looked-after children, then children in the catchment (free-transport) area, with priority for those with a sibling at the school and those eligible for Pupil Premium, then children at the named feeder primary schools, then children further afield, each ranked by test score. There's no fixed pass mark; it depends on demand each year.
The 11-plus is run through the Lincolnshire grammar schools' consortium, so any reasonable adjustments and what happens if your child is ill are handled through that testing process rather than by the school alone. Alford's own admissions policy doesn't set out a separate reserve-test procedure for a child who falls ill on the test day itself. If that happens, contact the school as early as you can so they can advise on access arrangements or a possible alternative testing date through the consortium. Flag any disability or special need when you register, with supporting evidence.
