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Updated September 2026 for 2027 entry

The Sutton SET (Selective Eligibility Test)

The Selective Eligibility Test (SET) is the shared first-stage entrance test for six schools in the London Borough of Sutton. It is two multiple-choice papers, Maths and English, each taking 40 to 50 minutes and broadly based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum. There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. One registration covers all six schools. For 2027 entry it was sat on Tuesday 15 September 2026.

Which schools use it

Nonsuch High School for Girls

Girls. Those who pass the SET are invited to a joint second stage with Wallington High School for Girls.

Practise with our mock ›

Wallington High School for Girls

Girls. The same joint second stage as Nonsuch, with the same test and the same criteria for both schools.

Practise with our mock ›

Sutton Grammar School

Boys. Those who pass the SET are invited to a second stage shared with Wallington County Grammar School and Wilson’s School.

Practise with our mock ›

Greenshaw High School

Boys and girls. Uses the SET to decide who can be considered for its 60 ability places. It has no second stage, and a child who doesn’t pass may still get a place under its other criteria.

No mock for this school yet.

The papers

Maths
Multiple choice, 40 to 50 minutes
English
Multiple choice, 40 to 50 minutes
  • There is a rest and toilet break between the two papers.
  • Answers go on a separate answer sheet, filling in a lozenge for A, B, C, D or E. Some English questions ask for two answers, and score only if both are right.
  • There is no negative marking.
  • No rough paper is given: children can work in any spare space on the question paper. Calculators aren’t allowed.
  • No specimen papers are published. The schools publish sample Maths and English questions instead.

Key dates for 2027 entry

Registration
1 May to 31 July 2026, online, once for all six schools
Access arrangements
Evidence from the primary school’s SENCO by 12 June 2026
The SET
Tuesday 15 September 2026
SET outcome
By email in the week after the test
Girls’ second stage
Saturday 26 September 2026 (Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls)
Boys’ second stage
Saturday 3 October 2026 (Sutton Grammar, Wallington County Grammar and Wilson’s)
Second-stage outcome
By email by the end of October
Apply for a place
Name the school on your local authority’s Common Application Form by 31 October 2026
Offers
1 March 2027 (National Offer Day)

These are the dates for 2027 entry. We’ll update this page when the schools publish the dates for 2028 entry.

How the results work

  • The SET is age-standardised, so a child’s age is taken into account. The pass mark is a standardised score, decided by the schools after the test is marked, and each school may set its own. It isn’t published in advance.
  • It is the total across both papers that counts, so a strong English paper can make up for a weaker Maths one.
  • If your child passes for any of the schools, you’re told that they met the standard and invited to the second stage, but you aren’t given the scores. If they don’t pass, you’re given their standardised score on each paper and the total.
  • The SET score also counts at the second stage: it is added to the second-stage papers to make the final ranking for all five grammar schools.
  • Passing doesn’t guarantee a place. Offers also depend on the rank order and on the other schools you list on your application.

Our mock

Mathematics: 48 questions in 48 minutes. English: 48 questions in 48 minutes. Timed, multiple choice and styled on the published format, with every answer's timing recorded and the weakest topics ranked afterwards. It is an unofficial practice paper: we aren't affiliated with any of these schools, and a sitting needs a free parent account.

Common questions

Who can sit the SET?
Children in Year 6 on the day of the test. For 2027 entry that means born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016. A child can sit it only once, so a younger child can’t take it as practice.
Where is it sat?
In person, at one of the six schools, all at the same time on the same day. Girls sit it at Nonsuch or Wallington High School for Girls, and boys at Sutton Grammar, Wallington County Grammar or Wilson’s. You can’t choose the venue, and it makes no difference to which schools you apply for. There is no testing overseas.
Do I need a separate registration for each school?
No. One registration covers all six schools, and it also serves as each school’s supplementary form.
Can a mock tell me whether my child will pass?
No. The real pass mark is a standardised score set after marking, from everyone who sat the test that year. A mock helps with pacing, with getting used to the format, and with finding the topics that need work.

Where these facts come from

Checked against these pages in September 2026. If anything here disagrees with them, theirs is right: please tell us and we'll fix it.