Know exactly where your child stands for Sir William Borlase School
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Sir William Borlase 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 Sir William Borlase School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Sir William Borlase School
Sir William Borlase School is a mixed grammar school in Buckinghamshire. It uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entry, with no interview stage. The school has a defined catchment area covering Marlow and surrounding villages.
If your child is the kind who loves being part of something with deep roots, Sir William Borlase's is the sort of school parents in Marlow speak about with real pride. It has sat in the centre of this Buckinghamshire town since 1624, when Sir William founded it in memory of his son Henry to teach two dozen poor local children to read, write and 'cast accounts'. The striking brick and flint buildings still stand close to the high street, with the River Thames a short walk away and the two-Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers pub next door.
The Good Schools Guide calls it 'the kind of school that many of the parents wish they'd been to and that pupils are very proud of', with a clear focus on 'creating and celebrating confident and responsible, respectful individuals who do well in their subjects'. Walk around and you find an ordered, calm atmosphere, rooms of expensive equipment left open and very little bullying. Performing arts run deep and stay compulsory in the lower years. Rowing is in the school's blood: its boat club, founded in 1921 and based at Longridge on the Thames, has lifted the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley, and the Olympic swimmer Tom Dean is among its former pupils.
Borlase suits a child who will do well in a community-minded, grounded place that values character as much as marks. Entry at 11 is by the school's own exam, and it is heavily oversubscribed. Headteacher Edward Goodall has led it since September 2023, but what stays with most families is how settled and proud their child feels here.
Key facts
Admissions
Admissions contact
enquiries@swbgs.com
Admissions phone
01628 816500
Registration form
https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-index/school-admissions/grammar-schools-and-transfer-testing-11/register-for-the-secondary-transfer-test/
Sibling policy
What this school tests
Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
English
- Punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
- Sentence Completion
- Spelling
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Magic squares
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Number Walls
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Extended Figure Series
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Operations
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Most Like Three Figures
- Most Like Two Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Triangle Series
- Vertical Codes
Verbal Reasoning
- Anagrams
- Compound Words
- Embedded Words
- Form a Word
- Insert a Letter
- Letter Analogies
- Letter Calculations
- Letter Codes
- Letter Grids
- Letter Sequences
- Move 1 / 2 Letters
- Number Analogies
- Number Calculations
- Number Sequences
- Related Words
- Rhyming Synonyms
- Shuffled Sentences
- Synonyms
- Word / Logic Puzzles
- Word Analogies
- Word Completion
- Word Match
- Word Opposites
- Word Pairs
- Word Relationships
- Words and Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Combining Shapes
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Shape Completion
Catchment area
Does Sir William Borlase's Grammar School have a catchment area?
Yes. The school has a defined catchment area covering Marlow and surrounding villages, with a smaller Priority Admissions Area within it, and these are used in the oversubscription criteria when there are more qualified children than places.
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 72.4 across their GCSEs. 96.7% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 58.9% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
A-level results
In 2025 students achieved a B+ average grade per A-Level entry. 44.4% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does Sir William Borlase School use for the 11+?
Sir William Borlase School uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entrance exam.
Does Sir William Borlase School interview as part of the 11+?
No, there is no interview stage as part of the 11+ admissions process for Sir William Borlase School.
Is Sir William Borlase School co-educational or single-sex?
Sir William Borlase School is a mixed grammar school, admitting both boys and girls for Year 7 entry.
Does Sir William Borlase School have a catchment area?
Yes, Sir William Borlase School has a defined catchment area, including Marlow and surrounding villages, used in its oversubscription criteria.
What is Sir William Borlase School's website?
The official website for Sir William Borlase School is https://www.swbgs.com/.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2479.889505400238!2d-0.7812074999999998!3d51.570259099999994!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x487689c0b2f2c101%3A0xa16b23bb7a452720!2sSir%20William%20Borlase%27s%20Grammar%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1780593391984!5m2!1sen!2suk
