Apply to Wilson's School, in plain English.
Wilson's School fills all 186 places entirely by test score — no catchment, no sibling priority, no address advantage. Boys from anywhere in England sit the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) shared by all five Sutton grammar schools, and places go to the highest scorers. In 2025, 726 boys applied for 186 places. Register at suttonset.applicaa.com by 31 July 2026 — separately from, and months before, the October CAF deadline.
The three things to know first.
If you read nothing else on this page, read these. They're the bits that catch parents out.
Your son needs the Sutton SET — and you register separately by 31 July 2026.
The Sutton Selective Eligibility Test (SET) is a shared test used by all five Sutton consortium grammar schools. Register at suttonset.applicaa.com by 31 July 2026 — this is separate from the school application and must come first. If your son needs access arrangements (extra time, a reader), the early deadline of 12 June 2026 applies with no exceptions.
14 FSM places, 9 sports aptitude, 9 music aptitude — all ranked by score, not address.
Before the open score competition, Wilson's reserves places for three groups: Free School MealsFSM / Free School MealsChildren who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the relevant period. Evidence from your son's current primary school is required.-eligible boys (14 places), sports aptitude (9), and music aptitude (9). All three groups are still ranked by their SET score within the category. Evidence for FSM and aptitude applications must be submitted at the right time — see the school's admissions page for full details.
No catchment area. Score order decides. Where you live is almost irrelevant.
Wilson's has no named catchment area and no residential requirement. After LAC, FSM, and aptitude places are allocated, every remaining place goes to the highest-scoring boy regardless of where he lives. Sutton LA residency only matters as an ultimate tiebreaker if two boys score exactly the same — in practice, vanishingly rare.
Five steps — the first deadline is summer, not October.
The SET registration (step 1) closes on 31 July 2026 — months before the CAF deadline that catches most families out. Miss the SET registration and there is no route to a place at Wilson's for that year's entry.
If more boys sit the SET than there are places, these 5 criteria decide.
After the test, all boys are ranked by their standardised score. Places are allocated in the order below. Within criteria 2–4, candidates are still ranked by their test score — these are reserved groups, not a different process. Tap any criterion to see the exact wording.
In plain English: Boys currently in council care, or who were before being adopted, get top priority, ranked by their test score. This group is small in practice but always placed before all other criteria.
What the document says: "Looked after" means a child being cared for by a local authority under Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989. "Previously looked after" covers children adopted from care, on a child arrangements order, or under a special guardianship order, including those adopted from state care outside England. Ranked in score order.
In plain English: Up to 14 of the 186 places are reserved for boys who are (or have recently been) eligible for Free School Meals, ranked by their test score. Evidence of FSM eligibility must be obtained from your son's current primary school and submitted at the time of SET registration — it cannot be added later.
What the document says: 14 places reserved for children eligible for, or who have been eligible for, Free School Meals, ranked in score order. Documentary evidence from the child's current primary school required at registration.
In plain English: 9 places are reserved for boys who demonstrate a talent for sport. You must (a) register for the SET as normal and (b) separately apply for Wilson's sports aptitude assessment. Within this group, boys are ranked by their SET score — aptitude just determines eligibility for the reserved category.
What the document says: Up to 9 places for boys who demonstrate aptitude and talent in sport, as determined by the school's aptitude assessment process. Candidates must apply separately for the sports aptitude assessment. Within this criterion, boys are ranked in score order.
In plain English: 9 places are reserved for boys who demonstrate musical aptitude, ranked by their test score within the group. As with sports aptitude, you must apply separately for the music aptitude assessment — register for the SET as normal first, then apply to the school for the music assessment.
What the document says: Up to 9 places for boys who demonstrate musical aptitude as determined by the school's assessment. Candidates must separately apply for a music aptitude assessment. Within this criterion, boys are ranked in score order.
In plain English: All remaining places (around 154, assuming all special-category places are filled) go to the highest-scoring boys in rank order, regardless of where they live. There is no catchment area and no distance calculation. Sutton LA residency is only used if two boys score exactly the same — in most years it never comes into play.
What the document says: Remaining places offered in score rank order to all other eligible applicants. Tiebreak for equal scores: Sutton LA resident takes priority; then a random number generator.
No geographic boundary. Score rank decides everything.
Wilson's School has no catchment area and no residential requirement. After LAC, FSM, sports and music aptitude places are filled, all remaining places go to the highest-scoring boys regardless of where they live. A boy in Surrey, Kent, or anywhere else in England competes on exactly the same terms as a boy five minutes' walk from the school gate. Distance is never used — even as a tiebreaker — unless two boys have an identical test score.
The only tiebreaker within criterion 5 (if two boys have exactly equal standardised scores) is whether the boy is resident in the London Borough of Sutton. If that is also equal, a random number generator decides. In most years, no two boys score identically, making the Sutton residency advantage effectively zero in practice.
See Wilson's School location on the GrammarBound mapTwo criterion-5 boys ranked by score — not by where they live.
Both boys fall into criterion 5 (all other eligible boys, by score). Child A scored 318 and travels from south London. Child B scored 304 and lives five minutes from the school gate. Child A ranks above Child B because score — not proximity — decides. Living in Wallington gives no advantage whatsoever except as a last-resort tiebreaker for equal scores.
You have two routes, and you can use both.
Waiting list
Ask to join the waiting list through Wilson's School Admissions after National Offer Day. The list is maintained in score rank order and re-ranked each time a new name is added. Only boys who sat the SET can be on the waiting list.
Contact Wilson's School Admissions directly to request a place on the list.
Appeal
Contact the school's Admissions Officer to request an Appeal Form. Appeals are heard by an independent School Appeals Panel, not by the school itself. Appealing does not remove your son from the waiting list.
Joining Year 12 from outside.
Wilson's School admits boys directly into Year 12. External places are competitive — the school has been named State Secondary School of the Year for GCSEs.
The grade floor.
You need a total of at least 58 points across your best GCSEs, with at least grade 6 in English Language and Mathematics, and at least grade 7 in any subjects you intend to study at A level. Individual subject requirements are published in the Sixth Form prospectus.
Apply direct to the school.
Apply directly to Wilson's School — not through the CAF. Conditional offers are made on GCSE results day only. Visit wilsons.school/sixth-form for the application form and deadline.