Can a dc take 11+ if they live overseas?

[pinkyturnips]

Dh has been offered a job abroad for 2 years. Dc is in year 5. I don't want to separate our family so we plan to move with him and come back for secondary but can dc take 11+ if we don't have a U.K. address?! The plan originally was to sit 11+ and obviously hopefully get a place. Now it's all a bit up in the air.

Do you mean state grammar school or private school entrance exam? You need a U.K. address in Oct 2023 for state entry in Sept 2024.

Thanks @hockeygrass that's helpful yes was for state grammar. I wondered if you could move back after 11+ results.

When you move back you can apply to the grammar school of your choice. If there is a vacancy in the appropriate year your DC can sit an entrance exam at the school. If the scores are high enough, your DC will get the place. If not, you will have to choose another school in the area.

In my area you can take the exam ( though you would need to get there) but would need a UK address to actually apply as it's done through your home LA. This year there was less than 2 weeks between results and application deadline.

Only if there is a place. They only come up very rarely.
you would need to come back to sit the test too and move back before the application deadline.

www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-index/school-admissions/school-admissions-guides-policies-and-statistics/guide-to-grammar-schools-and-the-secondary-school-transfer-test-11-plus/will-my-child-get-a-grammar-school-place-if-i-dont-live-in-buckinghamshire/

if you want a grammar place in bucks, arrange to come back asap.

@underneaththeash Places come up regularly. Parents move, children don't cope with the school etc. we often had a siblings moving to the area and could take both. Sometimes they had to attend the non selective briefly until there was a vacancy but never for long. We even had vacancies at the beginning of year 7 as children didn't arrive to take up their place and the school hadn't been notified.

We're in Sutton. I don't know if you can apply to sit the test from abroad, but you would need to be back living in the UK by 31st Oct to apply for the schools. You would only get the stage 2 results mid October. What's your plan if he doesn't pass the 11+? Would you still come back for the application deadline or apply late?

It also might help if you shared which 11+ area you are considering. They massively vary e.g. Bucks you need to be resident for 2 years. PP talks about places coming up in a grammar school regularly. I went to a superselective and I think 1 student joined our year between year 7 and 11, so the competition would have been huge!

Maybe it's easier in Kent. We have one grammar school. The nearest town has two and the town the other way has three.

Most school admissions require a UK address before you can make an application. Therefore you would only be able to apply for schools when you have moved back to the UK. The most popular state/grammar schools would have filled all their spaces. If you make an application after the secondary schools transfer dates, you would need to check the in-year admissions policies for the schools you are interested in,some have waiting lists, some run a separate exam for entry only if a vacancy occurs.

If there is no space at any of the schools you have put on your in-year application, your council will offer a place at any school with a vacancy.