Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School is one of Buckinghamshire’s most popular co-educational grammar schools, and a place there is hard to win. It sits on Oxford Road in Aylesbury, teaches boys and girls from ages 11 to 18, and draws applications from across the Aylesbury area and beyond. Ofsted rates it Outstanding in every category. Far more qualified children apply than there are seats, so passing the entrance test is not enough on its own.
This guide explains what it takes to get into Sir Henry Floyd: how the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test works, the score to realistically aim for, why catchment and distance matter so much here, and how to prepare so your child walks into the exam confident. If you are planning ahead for the September 2027 intake, the key dates and decisions are set out below.
School overview
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School is a co-educational selective school for ages 11–18 on Oxford Road, Aylesbury (HP21 8PE). It is part of the Insignis Academy Trust and a member of The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (TBGS) group, which coordinates the county’s 11-plus admissions.
At its most recent inspection on 20 February 2024, Ofsted graded Sir Henry Floyd Outstanding overall and Outstanding in every area, including the sixth form, the highest possible judgement.
The academic results bear this out. According to the Department for Education’s published 2024/25 performance data, the school recorded an Attainment 8 score of 73.2, with 97.2% of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in both English and maths, and an EBacc average point score of 6.74. (A Progress 8 measure was not calculated for 2024/25, as there was no Key Stage 2 baseline for the cohort.)
The sixth form is strong too. In its 2025 A-level results, the school reported 14% of grades at A*, 40% at A*–A and 72% at A*–B, alongside 10 Oxbridge places. That puts it among the highest-performing schools in the county.
The entrance exam: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
Entry to Sir Henry Floyd is by the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test (STT), the county-wide 11-plus produced by GL Assessment and coordinated by The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools. Every child applying for a Year 7 place must sit it.
The STT consists of two papers of roughly 60 minutes each, covering three areas:
- Verbal reasoning: working with words, language and logic
- Non-verbal reasoning: spotting patterns and relationships in shapes and diagrams
- Mathematics: number, arithmetic and problem solving
The papers are taken on separate testing days. Children at Buckinghamshire state primary schools are normally entered automatically, while children at independent schools or schools outside the county must be registered by their parents.
Pass mark and realistic score targets
The qualifying score for the Buckinghamshire STT is 121. A child who reaches this standardised mark has qualified for a grammar school place.
The key point at Sir Henry Floyd is that qualifying is the start, not the finish. Because the school is heavily oversubscribed, scoring 121 does not secure a place on its own. When more qualified children apply than there are seats, the school’s admissions criteria decide who gets an offer: catchment, distance and priority categories, not the test score.
So while 121 is the threshold, we encourage families to aim well above it. A bigger margin protects against a difficult exam day and matches the real standard of the competition. Catchment, as the next section explains, matters a great deal.
Key dates for September 2027 entry
For children hoping to start in September 2027, the timeline is:
- Registration opens: 10am on 1 May 2026
- Registration deadline: 3pm on Tuesday 2 June 2026
- Test dates: 8 and 10 September 2026
Miss the registration window and your child cannot sit the test for that cycle, so diarise it early. The school also holds open events for prospective families; check the school’s website for the latest dates, which vary year to year.
Competition and catchment
Sir Henry Floyd admits 180 children into Year 7, its published admission number (PAN). With far more qualified applicants than places, it is a catchment-area grammar, and its oversubscription criteria are applied in a strict order.
According to the Admissions Policy for September 2026, qualified children are prioritised in this broad order: looked-after and previously looked-after children; eligible Pupil-Premium children; siblings of current pupils; children of trust staff; and then children living within the school’s catchment area. Only after the catchment children have been placed are remaining seats offered to qualified children living outside it.
Two features of this policy are worth understanding in detail.
The first is the distance tie-breaker. Where a tie-break is needed between applicants, distance is measured by a straight line to the nearest of the school’s three main entrances, with closer homes prioritised. Because the school measures to whichever of its three entrances is nearest, your effective distance may be shorter than you assume. The principle still holds: the closer you live, the stronger your position in any tie-break.
The second is the Pupil-Premium places above PAN. Up to 6 places above the 180 can go to children eligible for Free School Meals or the Pupil Premium who score between 110 and 120, just below the standard qualifying mark of 121. This is a widening-access measure, and eligible families should know about it, as it can open a route that would not otherwise exist.
The practical lessons are clear. Families inside the catchment have a real advantage, and those nearest the school have the edge in any tie-break. Before pinning your hopes on Sir Henry Floyd, check your address against the school’s catchment area, and weigh it alongside other Buckinghamshire grammars when you list your preferences.
Preparation timeline and strategy
The children who do best are rarely the ones who cram in the final months. They are the ones who built reasoning skill steadily over time.
Start in Year 4. This is the best point to begin. It gives roughly eighteen months to develop verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths without pressure, and to turn unfamiliar question types into second nature well before the September test.
Treat the four subjects separately. Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths each demand different skills, and strong English underpins verbal reasoning, so each deserves its own attention rather than a single generic “11-plus” approach. A child can be strong in maths yet thrown by non-verbal patterns; working on each strand on its own closes those gaps.
Use timed mocks. Full mock tests build exam stamina, surface weak areas and remove the shock of the clock. Pacing across two roughly 60-minute papers is a skill in itself, and only realistic mocks teach it.
At Think Smart Academy, our 11-plus classes are capped at 8 pupils so every child gets real attention rather than getting lost in a crowd. We start every family with a free diagnostic assessment to pinpoint where your child stands across all four areas, so preparation is targeted from day one. We teach from our High Wycombe centre and online, so families across Buckinghamshire, including those around Aylesbury, can follow the same structured programme.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating 121 as the finish line. It is the qualifying mark, not a guaranteed offer. At an oversubscribed school like Sir Henry Floyd, aim higher.
- Ignoring catchment and distance. A strong score from outside the catchment can still lose out to a qualified child who lives nearby. Know where you stand before you commit.
- Overlooking the Pupil-Premium route. Eligible families scoring 110–120 may qualify for one of the 6 places above PAN, so don’t assume a sub-121 score is the end of the road.
- Leaving registration too late. Miss 3pm on 2 June 2026 for the 2027 cycle and there is no place to sit the test.
- Cramming late. Reasoning skill builds slowly. Starting in Year 6 leaves too little time to develop it properly.
- Neglecting the weakest subject. Most children have one area that drags the average down. Find it early and work on it directly.
Next step
Getting your child into Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School comes down to two things: a strong, confident test score and a clear understanding of the catchment, distance and priority rules that decide who is offered a place.
We can help with the first and advise on the second. Read our full breakdown on the Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School page, then book a free consultation to claim your child’s diagnostic assessment and map out a preparation plan built around the September 2027 timeline.