Apply to Carre's Grammar School, in plain English.
Carre's Grammar is a boys' grammar school in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, and one of the schools that share the Lincolnshire Consortium 11+. Your son qualifies by reaching a fixed standardised-score standard of 220 across the verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers — it is a pass mark, not a league table, so a higher score does not buy a better place. There is no catchment area: when more qualified boys apply than the 120 places, straight-line distance decides, so register for the test by 31 March 2026.
The three things to know first.
If you read nothing else on this page, read these. They're the bits that catch parents out.
The 11+ is a pass mark of 220, not a ranking. Reaching it makes your son eligible — it does not order him.
The Lincolnshire Consortium 11+ is two papers — verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning — set and standardised by GL Assessment. The standardised scores are added together, and a child needs an aggregate of 220 (intended to identify the top 25% of children by ability) to reach the qualifying standard. Once a boy has reached 220 he is fully qualified; a score of 250 carries no more weight than 221. If places run short, it is distance — not score — that separates qualified boys.
There is no catchment area. Distance only matters if the school is oversubscribed by qualified boys.
Carre's does not have a designated catchment, a feeder list, or postcode tiers. Every qualified boy across Lincolnshire (and beyond) is eligible to apply. If more than 120 qualified boys list the school, the remaining places — after looked-after children, Pupil Premium and siblings — go to those living closest in a straight line. There is no published distance cutoff; the furthest distance offered changes every year, so the circle on our map is indicative only.
Registering for the test and applying for the place are two separate jobs — with two separate deadlines.
Register your son for the 11+ by 31 March 2026 (when he is in Year 5) — sitting the test is not an application. You then have to name Carre's on your home council's secondary application form by 31 October 2026. Miss the test registration and he cannot sit; miss the application and he cannot be offered a place, even if he passed.
Five steps — register in spring, sit the test in autumn, apply by 31 October.
Registration for the test closes in March, six months before the papers are sat. Put the registration date in your calendar now — it is the easiest one to miss.
If too many boys qualify, these four criteria decide.
Children with an EHCP naming Carre's are admitted before these criteria apply. All other qualifying boys are placed in the highest criterion that applies to them; within each criterion, closest boys rank first. Tap any criterion to read the detail.
In plain English: Boys who are currently in council care, or who were previously in care and left it through adoption, a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order (including those adopted from state care outside England), get the highest priority — provided they have reached the qualifying standard. Where they live does not matter.
What the document says: Looked after children and previously looked after children, including those children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
In plain English: Qualified boys who have been registered for Free School Meals at any point in the previous six years (the "Ever 6" Pupil Premium group, not counting Key Stage 1 universal infant meals) come next. The school writes to all parents of boys who pass the 11+ to ask whether their child qualifies and to verify it. Within this group, the closest boys rank first.
What the document says: The child is registered for Pupil Premium, that is those registered for Free School Meals at any point in the previous six years (not including Key Stage 1 statutory Free School Meals).
In plain English: Qualified boys who, at the time of admission, have a brother or sister at one of the secondary schools in the Community Inclusive Trust come next. A sibling is a full, half or step-brother or sister — or another child living in the same household for whom an adult there has parental responsibility. Within this group, the closest boys rank first.
What the document says: Students who, at the time of admission, have siblings at one of the Secondary Schools within the Community Inclusive Trust.
In plain English: Every other qualified boy — anyone not admitted under criteria 1 to 3 — competes for the remaining places ranked by straight-line distance from home to school, closest first. This is the criterion that decides most places. If two boys live an identical distance away and only one place is left, an independent lottery breaks the tie.
What the document says: Students living closest to the school. [Tie breaker] If two or more children are tied for the last place a lottery will be drawn by an independent person, not employed by the school or working in Children's Service Directorate at the Local Authority.
No catchment — closer to school simply means a higher rank.
Carre's is distance-ranked with no catchment area. Once your son reaches the qualifying standard of 220, his position in the deciding criterion is set entirely by how far he lives from school — closest first. Score does nothing beyond the 220 threshold, and there are no postcode tiers, feeder schools or designated areas. Because the school does not publish a distance cutoff, how far "close enough" reaches depends on how many qualified boys apply that year.
Distance is measured in a straight line, to three decimal places, from your home's address point in the OS AddressBaseOS AddressBaseThe Ordnance Survey address database. Lincolnshire's "Synergy" system measures a straight line between the Post Office Address Point of your home and a fixed point at the school. database to a fixed point at the school.
See the indicative area on the GrammarBound mapTwo qualified boys, no sibling link — the closer one ranks higher.
Both boys have reached the qualifying standard of 220 and neither has a sibling at a Trust school. Boy A is 3.0 miles away — he ranks above Boy B at 6.5 miles. Test score above 220 makes no difference; only distance counts.
You have two routes, and you can use both.
Reserve list
If your son met the qualifying standard but was offered a lower-preference school, he is placed on Carre's reserve list automatically. The list is held in oversubscription-criteria order — not by how long you have waited — so a closer late applicant can move above him. The list runs until the end of the coordinated round in August, then is kept by the school to 31 December of the admitting year.
Appeal
You can appeal if a place is refused on non-qualification, oversubscription, or both — provided you named Carre's on your application form. Appeals are organised independently of the school, and the panel's decision is binding. Appealing does not affect your position on the reserve list. Note that overturning a non-qualification refusal needs exceptional circumstances.
Joining Year 12 — the co-educational Sleaford Joint Sixth Form. Around 40 external places.
Carre's sixth form is run jointly with Kesteven and Sleaford High School as the mixed Sleaford Joint Sixth Form: it admits both boys and girls from other schools. The grade floor is a pass (grade 4) in Maths and English, with higher grades needed in the specific subjects your child wants to study.
Five GCSEs at grade 5+, grade 4 in Maths and English — and grade 6 in chosen A-level subjects.
The A-level minimum is five GCSEs at grade 5 or above, including at least grade 4 in Mathematics and grade 4 in English Language or Literature. On top of that, most A-levels need at least grade 6 in the related GCSE subject. A vocational (BTEC/CTEC) pathway needs the equivalent of five subjects at grade 4 or above, including English. Check the sixth form prospectus for the exact subject thresholds.
Internal students continue automatically — apply directly for external places.
The external Year 12 admission number is 40, not counting students continuing from Carre's own Year 11. Where there are more external applicants than places, priority follows looked-after children, Pupil Premium and siblings, with straight-line distance the tie-break. Apply directly to the Sleaford Joint Sixth Form.
See carres.uk for the sixth form prospectus and subject entry requirements.