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Redbridge 11 Plus: Ilford County and Woodford County, and the Catchment Line That Decides Everything

📖 10 min read 👪 For parents 📊 Fact-checked, Sep 2026 📅 Updated September 2026

Redbridge is one of the clearest examples in the country of a simple truth about the 11+: the exam decides your rank, but the map decides whether your rank counts. Its two grammar schools share a common catchment area, and applicants outside it sit below every in-catchment child in the order of priority, no matter how well they did.

Short answer: Redbridge runs one 11+ for two grammar schools, Ilford County High School for Boys and Woodford County High School for Girls. There are two papers: English with verbal reasoning, and maths with non-verbal reasoning. A common catchment area applies, and in practice living inside it is the decisive factor: catchment children are ranked by score ahead of all out-of-catchment applicants. Registration for 2027 entry closed at 5pm on 15 June 2026, with the test on 18 September 2026.

Written through four expert lenses. This guide reflects four perspectives with 20+ years each: a former grammar school admissions lead and consortium examiner; a head of 11+ at a national tuition provider; an educational assessment specialist who has built reasoning tests and standardisation models at a major exam board; and an independent-school registrar. Every figure and claim below is checked against the primary source listed at the end — confirm current detail before relying on it.

Quick summary

The schoolsIlford County High School for Boys and Woodford County High School for Girls

The papersTwo: English with verbal reasoning, and maths with non-verbal reasoning

CatchmentA common catchment area covering roughly Woodford, Goodmayes, Ilford and Wanstead

2027 entry datesRegistration closed 5pm 15 June 2026; test 18 September 2026; results mid-October

Quick take:

Check your postcode against the official catchment map before anything else — it is the decisive variable.
25% of places go to catchment children eligible for the pupil premium, ranked by score.
Access arrangement requests must be in by the June registration deadline; none are considered afterwards.

Two schools, one test

Redbridge's two selective schools are Ilford County High School for Boys and Woodford County High School for Girls. A single Redbridge 11+ examination serves both. The test comprises two papers: one covering English with verbal reasoning, and one covering mathematics with non-verbal reasoning.

For September 2027 entry, registration opened on 1 May 2026 and closed at 5pm on Monday 15 June 2026. The examination took place on Friday 18 September 2026, with scores issued by email in mid-October, ahead of the Common Application Form deadline at the end of October.

The catchment area is the whole game

Redbridge operates a common catchment area covering, broadly, an area from Woodford in the north, Goodmayes to the east, Ilford to the south and Wanstead to the west. The Council directs applicants to verify their exact address using its official interactive map — choosing Education, then the 11+ common catchment area, and entering the postcode.

Where qualifying applications exceed places available, priority runs:

Looked after and previously looked after children.
25% of available places to children living in the catchment area who are entitled to the pupil premium, ranked by total standardised score in order of merit.
Other children living in the catchment area, ranked by total standardised score in order of merit.
Children living outside the catchment area, ranked by total standardised score in order of merit.

Read criterion 4 carefully. Out-of-catchment applicants are not excluded on paper — they form the final priority group. But because they sit below every in-catchment qualifying child in the ranking, published commentary on both schools reports that in practice children living outside the catchment area have not been offered places, regardless of score. Treat an out-of-catchment application as a genuine long shot rather than a competitive one, and make sure your Common Application Form carries realistic alternatives.

The contrast worth understanding: in Slough, a very high score can win an out-of-catchment place because the final tranche is allocated on rank alone. In Redbridge, there is no equivalent score-only tranche — catchment status sorts the queue first, and score only orders people within their group. Two boroughs, two completely different strategies.

Access arrangements: the deadline is earlier than you think

Redbridge states plainly that no adjustments will be considered after 15 June 2026. Parents of children needing special arrangements for the test must apply during the registration window and submit the child's primary school care plan setting out the required accommodations.

That is a materially earlier cut-off than the test date, and it catches families whose child's needs are identified over the summer. If there is any prospect of your child needing extra time, a separate room, or other arrangements, start that conversation with the primary school in the spring term. Our guide to 11+ access arrangements and extra time covers what evidence is typically required.

Best tips for parents, students and tutors

👪 For parents

Check the official catchment map before you do anything else. Use the Council's own interactive map with your exact postcode. Neighbouring streets can fall on opposite sides of the line, and nothing else about your application matters as much.
If you are outside the catchment, build a genuine plan B. Out-of-catchment applicants rank below every in-catchment qualifying child. Rank realistic alternatives on the Common Application Form rather than treating a Redbridge grammar as a likely outcome.
If your child may need access arrangements, act in the spring. Nothing is considered after the June registration deadline, and evidence from the primary school takes time to assemble.
Check pupil premium eligibility. A quarter of places are reserved for catchment children entitled to the pupil premium, ranked by score. Families who are eligible but have never claimed sometimes miss this entirely.
Register in the May–June window. Registration opens 1 May and closes at 5pm in mid-June — three months before the test is sat.

🎓 For students

Two papers, two skill pairings. One paper is English with verbal reasoning; the other is maths with non-verbal reasoning. Practise them in those combinations so switching between the two styles within a paper feels normal.
Your score sets your rank within your group. Every extra mark moves you up the order of merit, so there is no point at which "enough" is genuinely enough.
Work on timing across mixed content. Papers that blend curriculum work with reasoning reward students who don't get stuck — practise moving on quickly and returning if time allows.
Keep the September date in perspective. One morning, two papers, and months of steady work behind you. Sleep and breakfast matter more the night before than another practice paper.

📚 For tutors

Ask for the postcode in the first conversation. For Redbridge, this is not administrative detail — it determines whether the family is in a competitive process at all, and an honest early conversation is far kinder than an optimistic one.
Teach the two papers as paired formats. English-with-VR and maths-with-NVR is a specific structure. Drilling the four disciplines separately does not rehearse the switching the real papers demand.
Flag the June access-arrangements cut-off to every family. It falls months before the test and is easy to miss. For a student with emerging needs, missing it removes support for the entire process.
Emphasise rank, not pass marks. Because places are allocated in order of merit within catchment groups, framing progress as "where would this put you in the queue" is more accurate than talking about a threshold.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to live in the catchment area for Redbridge grammar schools?

Not as an absolute rule on paper — children living outside the catchment area form the final priority group and are ranked by standardised score. However, they sit below every qualifying in-catchment child in the order of priority. Published commentary on both Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School reports that out-of-catchment children have not in practice been offered places, regardless of score.

What area does the Redbridge 11+ common catchment area cover?

It covers, broadly, an area from Woodford in the north, Goodmayes to the east, Ilford to the south and Wanstead to the west. The Council advises applicants to confirm their exact address using its official interactive map by selecting Education, then the 11+ common catchment area, and entering their postcode.

What is tested in the Redbridge 11 plus?

The examination comprises two papers: one covering English with verbal reasoning, and one covering mathematics with non-verbal reasoning.

When is the deadline for Redbridge 11+ access arrangements?

Requests must be made during the registration window, and no adjustments will be considered after 15 June 2026 for 2027 entry. Parents must submit their child's primary school care plan setting out the accommodations needed.

How are pupil premium places allocated in Redbridge?

After looked after and previously looked after children have been allocated places, 25% of available places go to children in the catchment area who are entitled to the pupil premium. Those places are allocated by total standardised score, in overall order of merit.

Sources

Primary and official sources this guide is checked against — confirm the current detail against these before you rely on it.

Related SharpY Mind resources

Inside the catchment, your score sets your place in the queue

Every mark moves a Redbridge applicant up the order of merit. SharpY Mind builds English, maths and reasoning together, with explanations on every question.

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