Bexley · Bexley Selection Test, numerical reasoning · Live online, small groups or one to one

11 plus maths tuition in Bexley

Bexley does not call the maths in its selection test "maths". It calls it numerical reasoning, and families sometimes take the word reasoning to mean puzzles that sit outside school work. The council's own definition says otherwise: numerical reasoning "measures the ability to solve mathematical problems, with content not exceeding what children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5". So it is Year 5 maths, used to solve problems. The Year 5 curriculum has a line that sits right at the centre of that: children should solve problems "including understanding the meaning of the equals sign". This page covers what the council, Quest Assessments and the grammar schools publish about the test, and then that one idea, taught properly.

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Maths only · We do not teach verbal or non-verbal reasoning · No link with Bexley's schools or council

In short

The London Borough of Bexley runs one selection test for its four grammar schools, Beths, Bexley Grammar, Chislehurst and Sidcup, and Townley, with Quest Assessments as the provider. Children sit two multiple-choice papers of around 50 minutes; according to Quest, Paper One covers verbal ability and English comprehension and Paper Two numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The council defines numerical reasoning as solving mathematical problems with content no later than the end of Year 5, and weights it at 25% of the total. Registration is unusually early: for September 2027 entry it ran from 1 to 31 March 2026, in Year 5, and children at Bexley primaries were not entered automatically. The test itself was sat between 2 and 10 September 2026. We teach the Year 5 maths behind numerical reasoning, live online. Lesson one is free, then fees are USD 100 per month for a group place or USD 150 per month one to one.

Starting in Bexley

Three courses behind numerical reasoning

The right one depends on whether your child calculates well but stalls on problems, or the other way round.

11 Plus Maths Prep course thumbnail

BEXLEY / 01

Numerical reasoning, taught as maths

Year 5 number and problem solving, with missing-number and equals-sign work every week.

Open the syllabus →
Mental Maths for Kids course thumbnail

BEXLEY / 02

Fast, flexible arithmetic

Number facts that let a child see that 13 + 24 and 12 + 25 are the same without adding either.

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Elementary Maths for Grades 1-5 course thumbnail

BEXLEY / 03

Solid primary foundations

For children in Year 4 whose place value and tables need to be secure first.

Open the syllabus →

The Bexley Selection Test

What the council, Quest and the schools publish

The London Borough of Bexley publishes the arrangements and the content; Quest Assessments, the provider, publishes the paper structure with the council and the four schools. All read on 26 September 2026.

The Bexley Selection Test for September 2027 entry, from the London Borough of Bexley and Quest Assessments
StageDatesAs published
Registration1 March to midnight 31 March 2026Online, for children in Year 5 born 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016. Late registrations are not accepted.
Test at primary school centresWednesday 2 to Thursday 10 September 2026For pupils at primary schools that act as test centres.
Test at grammar school centresMonday 7 to Thursday 10 September 2026For all other registered pupils.
ResultsOctober 2026The council gave the date as to be confirmed; Quest said early October.

The test is two booklets, each divided into timed sections, with multiple-choice questions and a set time for every section. The council says each paper "lasts approximately 50 minutes, plus additional time for instructions". Quest describes them as "two non-adaptive paper assessments": the same printed questions for every child, not a computer test that changes with each answer.

Quest puts the numerical reasoning in Paper Two, alongside non-verbal reasoning. Answers are usually one of five options, A to E, marked on an answer sheet that a machine reads. Bexley Grammar School's own page says most questions are multiple choice, so we prepare children for the occasional question that asks for something else.

The registration window is worth underlining. In Bexley it is one month, in the March of Year 5, and the council says children at Bexley primary schools are not registered automatically. A family who assumes the school handles it can miss the test entirely. Tests are held in September on weekdays only, at primary schools acting as test centres or at the grammar schools.

On equipment, the council is brief: "no additional equipment is required or allowed". On scoring, it says the total is weighted 50% verbal, 25% numerical and 25% non-verbal, and that the average total weighted age-standardised score is 200. Admissions after that are for the council and the schools to explain, and we do not.

Sources: London Borough of Bexley, about the test and register for the secondary selection test; Quest Assessments, Bexley Selection Test; Bexley Grammar School, the Bexley Selection Test. Modern Age Coders has no connection with the council, Quest Assessments or any Bexley school.

The word "reasoning"

Numerical reasoning is Year 5 maths, used to solve problems

The label causes more confusion than any other part of the Bexley test. The council's own sentence clears it up.

What the council says

In its information for parents, the London Borough of Bexley writes that "numerical reasoning measures the ability to solve mathematical problems, with content not exceeding what children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5". Two things are in that sentence: the content is ordinary school maths, and the skill is using it on problems.

That rules out two common mistakes. One is buying books of number puzzles that have little to do with the curriculum. The other is racing into Year 6 topics, which the content ceiling says will not be needed.

What reasoning adds

The reasoning part is the step between reading a question and calculating. Which operation? In which order? What is the question actually asking for? A child who calculates perfectly but guesses at the operation will score poorly on a numerical reasoning section.

Much of that step comes down to one idea that Year 5 names directly: the equals sign. Children who see = as "the answer comes next" struggle with problems that are built backwards. Children who see it as "both sides are worth the same" can work in any direction.

A note on the scale, because families ask. The council says the average total weighted age-standardised score is 200, "with approximately two-thirds of candidates scoring between 170 and 230". That is a description of how scores spread across all children, 30 points either side of the middle for most of them. It is not a target, and we do not treat it as one.

The lesson

The equals sign as a balance, not a signal

The national curriculum's own example is a good place to start: "13 + 24 = 12 + 25; 33 = 5 x ?". Neither has an answer sitting alone on the right.

Missing-number problems of the kind we teach for numerical reasoning (our own examples)
ProblemThe reasoningAnswer
48 + 27 = 50 + ?The left number went up by 2, so the right must go down by 225
6 × 35 = 3 × ?Halving one factor means doubling the other70
? × 7 - 15 = 48Work backwards: add 15 to get 63, then divide by 79
125 ÷ 5 = 250 ÷ ?Doubling the first number means doubling the divisor too10
1,000 - 382 = ? - 400Add 18 to both numbers: the difference does not change1,018

Each row can be done the long way, by working out one side and then finding the missing number. Each can also be done in seconds by keeping the balance: whatever happens to one side must be matched on the other. The curriculum's non-statutory guidance says Year 5 pupils "use and explain the equals sign to indicate equivalence, including in missing number problems", which is exactly this.

On a multiple-choice paper the quick route has a second benefit. A child who knows that the missing number in 48 + 27 = 50 + ? must be a little less than 27 can discard any option that is not, before doing any sum at all.

The third row is the one that looks most like a puzzle and is most like algebra. Working backwards through operations, undoing the last step first, is the whole skill. We teach it with a simple picture: the number goes through a machine, times 7 then minus 15, and to find it we run the machine in reverse.

None of this is beyond Year 5. All of it is what the word reasoning is pointing at. We practise it weekly, mixed in with ordinary calculation, so that a problem written backwards stops looking unusual.

Source: national curriculum in England, mathematics, Year 5 multiplication and division, statutory requirement and non-statutory guidance. The problems in the table are written by Modern Age Coders.

The Bexley calendar

A March registration changes the plan

Most selective areas register families in late spring or summer. Bexley's one-month window in March of Year 5 moves the decision earlier, and the preparation with it.

Decide in winter

Families need to have decided about the test by March of Year 5, so any conversation about maths readiness belongs in the autumn or winter before.

Build through spring

After registration there are roughly five months to the test. That is enough to make Year 5 number quick and to embed missing-number reasoning, if the time is used steadily.

Rehearse in summer

Timed sections and the answer sheet come last. Quest publishes familiarisation booklets, which families receive a link to after registering. Use them.

Because tests take place on school weekdays in early September, sometimes in a child's own primary school, the day itself can feel ordinary. Children tend to cope well when the paper feels like a familiar kind of work rather than an event.

We do not reproduce Quest material or any test questions. Our questions are written to the Year 5 curriculum and to the published structure of the test: timed sections, multiple choice, one paper mixing numerical and non-verbal reasoning.

The council notes that Year 6 pupils can take the test only once. There is no second go in the same year, which is another reason to prepare the content calmly across Year 5 rather than in a summer rush.

Paper Two mixes numerical and non-verbal reasoning. We teach only the numerical part. For non-verbal reasoning, the familiarisation booklets show the question types; we are not the right people to coach them.

Bexley's grammar schools

Four schools, one test, lessons at home

The council names the four grammar schools that use the Bexley Selection Test. We list them to make the scope of this page clear.

Bexley's grammar schools, as the London Borough of Bexley lists them
SchoolAs the council describes it
Beths Grammar SchoolBoys
Bexley Grammar SchoolMixed
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar SchoolMixed
Townley Grammar SchoolGirls

A single test is used for all four schools. Children whose primary school is not a test centre, including those from outside the borough, sit it at one of the four grammar schools.

For coding and computing in the borough, see our Bexley coding page.

Our classes are grouped by level. A Bexley child is taught with children at the same stage of Year 5 maths from across the UK, five to ten in a group, all online.

We have no connection with these schools, the council or Quest Assessments, and we do not advise on applications, oversubscription or places.

Source: London Borough of Bexley, about the test, read 26 September 2026.

Timeline

From the autumn of Year 5 to a September test

For a child in Year 5 now, the next registration window is expected in March 2027. The council publishes the dates.

Four stages around a March registration
WhenStageYou will notice
Autumn, Year 51. Number factsTables, place value and doubling and halving are instant
Winter, Year 52. The equals signMissing-number problems solved by balancing, not by long calculation
Spring and early summer3. ProblemsWordy questions turned into the right calculation first time
Summer holiday4. SectionsTimed sections of numerical reasoning finished calmly, answers marked cleanly

After registration

If you registered in March and are starting now, there is still time. Keep the order: facts, then balance, then problems, then timing.

At the trial lesson we will say honestly how far a few months can go.

Beyond the test

Missing-number reasoning is the first step into algebra. Many pupils continue with maths through coding, where variables make the idea concrete.

Children who enjoy it often move on to the challenges on our competitions calendar.

Courses

Maths and coding for Bexley families

By stage, with a link to every syllabus.

I

Towards the Bexley test

Years 3 to 5

BXM / 1

11 plus maths preparation

Year 5 maths for numerical reasoning problems.

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BXM / 2

Mental maths for kids

Balance tricks, doubling, halving and quick facts.

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BXM / 3

Primary maths, Years 1 to 5

Core number sense for younger children.

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BXM / 4

Abacus and mental maths

A physical start to calculating in the head.

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II

Secondary maths

Year 6 and up

BXM / 5

Middle school maths mastery

Where missing numbers become equations.

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BXM / 6

GCSE maths, foundation and higher

Algebra and problem solving to GCSE standard.

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BXM / 7

Olympiad and competition maths

Reasoning with numbers at its most demanding.

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III

Coding with numbers

Maths you can run

BXM / 8

Maths through coding

Variables and equations brought to life in Python.

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BXM / 9

Scratch coding for kids

Logic and sequence in a visual language.

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BXM / 10

Python and AI for kids

A first text language, once blocks feel easy.

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IV

Later on

Teenagers

BXM / 11

Vedic maths and speed calculation

Faster calculation for secure mathematicians.

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BXM / 12

AI and machine learning for teens

Equations that learn from data.

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Scheduling

Lesson times that suit a primary child

We are an Indian school teaching live over video. India keeps the same clock all year while the UK moves between Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time, so we schedule by UK time: late afternoon and early evening on weekdays, and weekend mornings.

Weekday, after school

Before the evening gets late.

Weekend, morning

A fresh start for tired children.

Holidays

Extra short lessons when school is out.

Same teacher weekly

Mistakes are remembered and followed up.

Honest updates

A few frank lines to parents, not glossy reports.

Five to ten learners

Grouped by level, so the lesson fits each child.

Our own material

Questions written by us; no Quest or test material reproduced.

One to one available

For focused help on a particular weakness.

Numerical only

No verbal or non-verbal coaching, no advice on admissions.

Student work

What our students build later

Four projects published by students at our school; every one began with the arithmetic of Year 5. More on the student labs page.

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Fees

Fees

A single monthly fee in US dollars, the same for every family outside India. You can stop at any time.

Free first class

USD 0

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  • A proper lesson from a teacher
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Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Five to ten children at one level
  • A familiar teacher every week
  • Work reviewed together
  • A course certificate
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One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A teacher for your child only
  • Aimed precisely at the gaps
  • Useful in the months after registration
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Bexley test questions

What Bexley families ask us

What is numerical reasoning in the Bexley test?

The London Borough of Bexley says numerical reasoning measures the ability to solve mathematical problems, with content not exceeding what children are expected to learn by the end of Year 5. In practice it is Year 5 maths applied to problems.

Which paper has the maths?

According to Quest Assessments, Paper Two covers numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Paper One covers verbal ability and English comprehension. Each paper lasts around 50 minutes.

How much does numerical reasoning count?

The council says the total is weighted 50% verbal ability, 25% numerical ability and 25% non-verbal ability, with scores age-standardised.

When do we register for the Bexley test?

In March of Year 5. For September 2027 entry the window was 1 to 31 March 2026, and the council says children at Bexley primary schools are not registered automatically. Dates for 2028 entry are published by the council.

When is the test sat?

In early September of Year 6, on weekdays. For 2027 entry it ran between 2 and 10 September 2026 at primary school centres and 7 to 10 September 2026 at grammar school centres.

Is the Bexley test multiple choice?

Quest says all questions are multiple choice, usually with five options, marked on an answer sheet. Bexley Grammar School says most are. We prepare children for both possibilities.

Can my child bring a calculator or ruler?

The council says no additional equipment is required or allowed.

Do you teach non-verbal reasoning as well?

No. We teach the numerical reasoning, which is maths, and nothing else in the test. We do not advise on school places.

Do you use Quest papers?

No. We write our own questions and do not reproduce familiarisation or test material.

What do lessons cost?

The first lesson is free. After that, USD 100 a month for a group place or USD 150 a month for one to one, with no minimum term.

Also for Bexley

Related pages

Coding in Bexley, the national 11 plus page, and a neighbouring county test.

Coding classes in Bexley

Our coding page for the borough.

11 plus maths tuition

The national page on 11 plus maths.

11 plus maths in Kent

The county next door, with its own test.

11 plus maths in Sutton

A two-stage test elsewhere in south London.

UK competitions calendar

Maths challenges month by month.

All our UK pages

Every UK area we write about.

Start here

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