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Essex 11+ · CSSE · Dates

CSSE 11+ dates for 2027 entry

The whole timeline from registration to the offer letter, taken from the CSSE's own Information Guide, with what to do at each step. The consortium is the only official source; check csse.org.uk before you act on any date.

Updated 15 September 2026  ·  CSSE tuition  ·  Free worksheets  ·  Pass mark and scores  ·  Redbridge GL dates

The timeline

From registration to National Offer Day

Two separate processes run side by side: registering for the test with the CSSE, and applying for school places with your Local Authority. Doing one is not doing the other.

  • 12 May 2026  CSSE registration opened for 2027 entry. Online or by post.
  • 19 June 2026  Absolute deadline to register. The consortium does not take late registrations.
  • 26 June 2026  Deadline for special adjustment requests and the evidence to support them.
  • mid July 2026  Test centre letters go out by email. Everybody should have theirs by 15 July.
  • 31 August 2026  Last day to withdraw a child from the test, by email to the CSSE office.
  • Saturday 19 September 2026  Test day. Both papers, at the CSSE school you nominated as your test centre.
  • Tuesday 29 September 2026  Reserve sitting, for religious observance or illness with medical evidence only.
  • 12 October 2026  Results emailed to every candidate after the close of business. Allow 24 hours.
  • 31 October 2026  Local Authority Common Application Form deadline. Essex and Southend both close on this date. Pupil Premium forms go to the schools by the same date.
  • 1 March 2027  National Offer Day. The offer comes from your Local Authority, not from the CSSE.

The date families get wrong is the test itself. It is sat at the very start of Year 6, three weeks into the autumn term, not at the end of it. A child starting Year 5 this September has one school year and one summer holiday before they sit it. If your child is in Year 4 now, you have two years, which is the comfortable amount.

What each step means

The three things people miss

Registration is not an application

  • Registering with the CSSE gets your child a seat in the test hall. It does not apply for a place at any school.
  • The school application is the Common Application Form from Essex County Council or Southend City Council, due 31 October 2026.
  • You can name CSSE schools on the form before you have the results, and most families do, because the results arrive only three weeks before the deadline.

Results are a score, not an offer

  • Each paper is standardised and weighted so that English and Maths count for half each.
  • The CSSE publishes a guidance sheet showing the score of the last place offered at each school the year before. It is a guide, not a promise.
  • Places are allocated by the Local Authority on 1 March 2027 using the schools' own admission rules, which differ: some rank purely by score, some give priority to a catchment area first.

Next year

If your child is in Year 4 or Year 5 now

For 2028 entry the CSSE has not yet published dates. The pattern is steady: registration opens in May, closes in June, the test is on a Saturday in the second or third week of September, results come in mid October and the application form closes on 31 October. Plan on that shape and confirm the exact days when the new Information Guide appears on csse.org.uk in the spring.

The preparation years are Year 4 and Year 5, with the summer holiday before the test as the last stretch. My month by month plan for Year 5 sets out what to do when, and the free worksheets cover every topic on the Maths paper.

Questions

Questions parents ask

When is the CSSE 11+ exam?

For 2027 entry it is Saturday 19 September 2026, at the start of Year 6. Children who cannot sit on a Saturday for religious reasons, or who are ill with medical evidence, sit on Tuesday 29 September 2026.

When does registration open and close?

Registration for 2027 entry opened on 12 May 2026 and closed on 19 June 2026. There are no late registrations, so put next year's June deadline in the diary now if your child is younger.

When do the results come out?

By email on 12 October 2026, after the close of business. The email gives standardised scores for each paper and the total; it does not offer a place.

What is the deadline for the school application form?

31 October 2026, for both Essex County Council and Southend City Council. This is the Common Application Form, which is separate from CSSE registration.

Do I need to register for each school separately?

No. One CSSE registration covers all the consortium schools. You nominate one school as the test centre, then name the schools you want on the Local Authority form.

Not sure where your child stands?

Book a free 20-minute call. I will ask about where they are, tell you honestly what I think, and you decide what to do next.

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