Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Amersham, Buckinghamshire · Boys · 11-18 (mixed sixth form)
Reviewed against the school’s own admissions policy · September 2026
Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham — a selective boys' grammar school founded in 1624, with its own co-educational sixth form. Secondary Transfer Test admissions.
Key facts
| Gender intake | Boys |
| Age range | 11-18 (mixed sixth form) |
| Admissions test | Secondary Transfer Test (11+) |
| Year 7 places (PAN) | 180 |
| Official website | www.challoners.com/ |
The entrance test
Every applicant sits the first stage; each step below narrows to the last.
Sit the Secondary Transfer Test
Reach the qualifying score (121+)
Ranked — Pupil Premium & siblings first, then catchment, then distance
Places offered
180
A boys' grammar school (Years 7-11) founded in 1624, with its own large co-educational sixth form — a separate arrangement from the neighbouring Dr Challoner's High School, not a joint one. Passing the county Secondary Transfer Test (121+) only makes a boy eligible: the school's own admissions FAQ states the score itself 'is not a relevant factor' once 121 is reached. When oversubscribed, priority runs looked-after children, catchment-area Pupil Premium boys, siblings, a small near-miss band and staff children, before catchment-area boys generally and everyone else, ranked by distance.
How places are decided
Priority order when the school is oversubscribed. The small categories are settled first.
- 1Looked-after & previously looked-after boys
- 2Catchment boys receiving Pupil Premium
- 3Siblings in catchment
- 4Near-miss band — catchment, Pupil Premium, score 110–120 (up to 12 places)
- 5Children of staff
- 6Catchment area boys, by distancemost places
- 7Siblings outside catchment, by distance
- 8Any further places, by distance
Catchment & priority area
Area-based priority
A defined catchment area (published as a map). Once the priority tiers are settled, catchment boys are ranked by straight-line distance to the school's main entrance on Chesham Road; a strict residency rule requires continuous occupation since 1 April of the application year, with an anti-gaming clause covering recently-sold second homes within 20 miles.
How competitive is it
The school's own admissions FAQ states that each year around 500 qualified applicants list Dr Challoner's Grammar School as one of their choices, and around 200 list it as their first preference — against 180 Year 7 places.
Key dates
The shape repeats every year; the exact dates don't — confirm the current cycle with the school.
1 June
Register for the Secondary Transfer Test with Buckinghamshire Council
Early September
Test sat, in Year 6
31 October
Deadline to name schools on the Common Application Form
1 March
National offer day
Always verify against the school’s own current admissions policy — criteria, catchment boundaries and places-available can all change between admissions cycles, and Dr Challoner's Grammar School’s own website is the authoritative source, not this page.
Common questions about Dr Challoner's Grammar School
How competitive is Dr Challoner's Grammar School?
The school's own admissions FAQ says around 500 qualified applicants list it as one of their choices each year, and around 200 as their first preference, for 180 places.
Does a higher Secondary Transfer Test score help at Dr Challoner's Grammar School?
No — the school's own FAQ states the test score is not a relevant factor once the qualifying score of 121 is reached. Places are then decided by the oversubscription tiers, ending in distance.
Is the sixth form at Dr Challoner's Grammar School shared with Dr Challoner's High School?
No — each runs its own sixth form. Dr Challoner's Grammar School's is co-educational in its own right; the two schools are separate members of the Buckinghamshire grammar schools' consortium.
How many places does Dr Challoner's Grammar School offer?
The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 180.
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