Lancashire · Lancaster, Clitheroe, Rossendale · Years 5 and 6

11 plus maths tuition in Lancashire

Lancashire has no county-wide 11 plus. Its grammar schools are academies that set their own tests, and the council's 2027/28 booklets simply send families to each school. For September 2027 entry three of them tested on the same Saturday, 26 September 2026, in two quite different ways. Lancaster Royal Grammar School set maths as a paper of its own, beside verbal reasoning and English. Lancaster Girls' Grammar School and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School used FSCE papers in which English and maths questions sit side by side, and half the answers are written rather than chosen. We teach the shared Year 5 maths underneath, live online, to a whole class or to one child; this page explains each test and teaches one habit that serves them all: working backwards.

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From Lancashire County Council's 2027/28 booklets and the schools' admissions pages, read 31 October 2026 · Not connected with any school or the council

Is there maths in the Lancashire 11 plus?

Yes, at every grammar school, but each school sets its own test. Lancaster Royal Grammar School says its 11 plus for 2027 entry, held on Saturday 26 September 2026, was "three tests: Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English", with no non-verbal reasoning. Lancaster Girls' Grammar School and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School both use the Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE) test, which Clitheroe describes as two age-weighted papers of English and maths up to the end of the Year 5 programme of study: Paper 1 multiple choice, Paper 2 short written answers. Both also sat on 26 September 2026. Modern Age Coders, an online school, covers the upper primary maths behind all of them in live lessons, as a class or one to one, in its 11 plus maths preparation course.

Where to start

Courses that fit a Lancashire 11 plus year

Pick by where your child is now: the main preparation course, a number-confidence course if arithmetic wobbles, or secondary-style maths for a child who is already well ahead.

11 Plus Maths Prep course thumbnail

LANCS / 01

Preparing for 11 plus maths

Upper primary number, fractions, measures and story problems, for either a maths paper or an FSCE mixed paper.

Open the syllabus →
Mental Maths for Kids course thumbnail

LANCS / 02

Quick, confident arithmetic

Inverse facts and quick arithmetic until they need no thought, since no calculator is allowed.

Open the syllabus →
Middle School Mathematics Mastery course thumbnail

LANCS / 03

Lower secondary maths

Early algebra, angles and area, for a child who has outgrown primary work.

Open the syllabus →

Who tests whom

Which grammar schools are there in Lancashire?

The council's 2027/28 secondary booklets list four: Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Lancaster Girls' Grammar School in the north, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School in Ribble Valley, and Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School in Rossendale. Each is an academy and runs its own admissions.

Lancashire's grammar schools and their tests for September 2027 entry, from the council booklets and school pages, read 31 October 2026
SchoolTest for 2027 entryPlaces
Lancaster Royal Grammar School (boys)Verbal reasoning, mathematics and English; no non-verbal reasoning; Saturday 26 September 2026Admission number 164, plus 12 boarders
Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (girls)FSCE test of English and maths, multiple choice and written response; Saturday 26 September 2026Admission number 145
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School (mixed)FSCE, two age-weighted English and maths papers; Saturday 26 September 2026Planned admission number 180
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (mixed)An entrance examination; the council says places are ranked by overall markAdmission number 180

What the council says

For each grammar school the council's booklet carries the same line: "This is an Academy. Please contact the academy for full admission details." The council does not set or mark any 11 plus. It runs the common application, and its guidance advises families to list three schools.

Lancashire uses equal preference: every school on the form is considered against its own rules first. But if a child qualifies for more than one school, the offer goes to the highest one named, so the order still matters.

Two registrations, not one

Every grammar school needs its own test registration, separate from the council form. For 2027 entry the deadlines ran close together: Clitheroe closed at noon on Friday 4 September 2026, Lancaster Royal Grammar School's day application on Monday 7 September 2026, and Lancaster Girls' at noon on Wednesday 9 September 2026.

The council form itself opened in September and closed on 31 October 2026, for children with birthdays from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016.

Sources: Lancashire County Council, secondary school booklets 2027/28 and How we allocate school places. We are an independent online school with no tie to the council or to any Lancashire grammar school.

Lancaster boys' school

What is in the Lancaster Royal Grammar School 11 plus?

Three tests, one of them mathematics, on a Saturday at the school. The school says: "We do not use Non-Verbal Reasoning."

Lancaster Royal Grammar School, 11 plus for 2027 entry, from the school's admissions page
ItemWhat the school publishes
TestsVerbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English
Not testedNon-verbal reasoning
Date and placeSaturday 26 September 2026, at the school
Day application deadlineMonday 7 September 2026
ResultsSent to arrive with parents by Tuesday 6 October 2026
Practice the school recommendsthe free familiarisation booklets and online practice papers from GL Assessment
BoardersMay also be tested in January if they apply late

A maths paper of its own

Of the four schools, this is the only one whose published test lists mathematics as a separate test. A boy works on maths alone for the length of that paper, without switching to reading or grammar in between, which makes pacing easier to rehearse.

The school points families to GL Assessment's free materials, and adds: "We advise not to use other practice papers from anywhere other than GL Assessment." It warns that some organisations charge large sums for practice papers and are not associated with the school.

How places are ranked

The council booklet sets out the school's categories. Boys who reach the minimum level in the entrance test are ranked by where they live, priority catchment first, with ties settled by random allocation.

Boys eligible for disadvantage funding through free school meals, and looked after children, are treated as qualifying if they reach the minimum level "or who score up to and including 5% below the minimum level." That widening applies to them alone.

Sources: Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Admissions and Lancashire County Council's Lancaster, Morecambe, Wyre and Fylde North booklet 2027/28, read 31 October 2026.

The FSCE schools

What is the FSCE 11 plus at Lancaster Girls' and Clitheroe like?

Two papers, both mixing English and maths. Clitheroe puts it most plainly: "Paper 1 contains English and Mathematics questions with multiple choice answer options. Paper 2 contains English and Mathematics questions where candidates respond with short written answers."

The FSCE test at the two schools, from their admissions pages and the FSCE parents' guide
QuestionLancaster Girls' Grammar SchoolClitheroe Royal Grammar School
Subjects"only Maths and English"English and mathematics
Answer typesMultiple choice and written responsePaper 1 multiple choice; Paper 2 short written answers
CurriculumKnowledge appropriate to Key Stage 2Up to and including the Year 5 programme of study
ScoringPass mark, with priority for disadvantaged pupils up to 5% below itBoth papers age weighted; ranking by ability within categories
2026 test daySaturday 26 September 2026Saturday 26 September 2026, Chatburn Road site
Registration closedNoon, Wednesday 9 September 2026Noon, Friday 4 September 2026

No authorised practice papers

FSCE's guide for parents says: "There are NO past papers and NO practice papers that have been authorised by FSCE." Its familiarisation guide is the only genuine resource, and it is free.

It changes each year

FSCE says the type of questions, subjects, content and format "will change from year to year", so that nobody can claim to know what the next paper holds.

No calculators

The maths section of the guide expects written and mental methods of calculation, "(no calculators)", with long multiplication and short division listed by name.

Application, not recall

FSCE describes its test as "More focused on application than recall." Where a question needs something a child may not have met, the guide says the necessary information is given in the paper and the child applies it to a new situation.

For maths, that means a child who can only reproduce a method on familiar numbers is less well served than one who can read an unfamiliar set-up and decide what to do. That is the gap our lessons aim at.

What the girls' school says about preparation

"The FSCE Test does not require specialist tutoring, and no specific preparation is necessary." The school encourages wide reading, maths fluency through everyday examples, dinner-table discussion and calm.

We agree with the spirit of that. Our lessons teach the Year 5 curriculum and how to approach an unfamiliar problem; they are not a substitute for a child's primary school, and they do not imitate FSCE questions.

Sources: Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Year 7 admissions; Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Admissions; FSCE Familiarisation Guide, Information for Parents, read 31 October 2026.

Same Saturday, different papers

Does a Lancaster family with a son and a daughter prepare twice?

In part. The maths underneath is the same Year 5 curriculum. What differs is the shape of the paper and the way answers are given, and those are worth a few weeks of attention each.

Our comparison, built from the schools' published formats
FeatureStand-alone maths paper (boys' school)FSCE mixed papers (girls' and Clitheroe)
Where maths appearsIn one test given only to mathsSpread across both papers, between English questions
How answers are givenFollow the familiarisation material the school recommendsOne paper of choices, one of short written answers
Other tests on the dayVerbal reasoning and EnglishEnglish only
Practice the school points toGL Assessment free familiarisationFSCE's free familiarisation guide; no authorised practice papers
What to rehearse (ours)Steady pacing through a block of mathsSwitching between reading and calculating, and writing an exact answer

Both formats reward the same thing in the end: a child who can read a multi-step problem, decide what is being asked, and check an answer by running it the other way. The next section teaches exactly that, with examples we wrote ourselves.

Our lesson family

How does working backwards help with 11 plus word problems?

FSCE's own list of tips for maths includes "Working Backward: Start from the desired answer and trace the steps back." It is also how primary pupils are taught to check a calculation from Year 3 onwards: undo it with the inverse operation. The examples below are ours, not FSCE or GL questions.

Write the steps forwards

List what happened, in order: started with a number, added, halved, took away. A story told in order is easy to reverse.

Undo from the end

Start from the final amount. Each step is undone by its opposite: add becomes subtract, halve becomes double, multiply becomes divide.

Check forwards again

Put the answer back into the original story. If the story ends where the question says, the answer is right. If not, find the step that went wrong.

Four story problems we wrote, solved backwards
Problem (ours)Undo from the endCheck forwards
Priya thinks of a number, multiplies it by 4, then subtracts 7. She gets 29. What was her number?29 + 7 = 36, then 36 divided by 4 = 99 x 4 = 36, and 36 minus 7 = 29
A baker sells half his loaves in the morning and 18 more in the afternoon. He has 22 left. How many did he bake?22 + 18 = 40 left after the morning, so double: 80Half of 80 is 40; 40 minus 18 = 22
Tom gives a quarter of his marbles to his sister and then 3 more to a friend. He has 12 left. How many did he start with?12 + 3 = 15 is three quarters of his marbles, so one quarter is 5 and the whole is 20A quarter of 20 is 5; 20 minus 5 minus 3 = 12
A train leaves the coast, takes 1 hour 35 minutes to reach Lancaster and arrives at 11:10. When did it leave?11:10 back 1 hour is 10:10; back 35 more minutes is 9:359:35 plus 1 hour 35 minutes is 11:10

Our practice set. Work each one backwards, then check forwards. (1) I double a number and add 15 to get 61. (2) A rope is cut in half, then 1.4 m is cut off one half, leaving 2.1 m. How long was the rope? (3) After giving away 125 stickers and then a third of what was left, Ana has 50. How many did she start with? (4) A film ends at 19:05 and lasts 2 hours 20 minutes. When did it start? (5) A number is divided by 6, then 8 is added, giving 15. Answers, ours: (1) 23; (2) 7 m, because one half was 3.5 m; (3) 200, because 50 is two thirds of 75, and 75 + 125 = 200; (4) 16:45; (5) 42.

Why this lesson family

The national curriculum asks pupils in Years 3 and 4 to estimate and use inverse operations to check answers, before Year 5 adds rounding as a check. Working backwards is the same skill turned into a problem-solving strategy, so it builds on what school already teaches.

It also suits both Lancashire formats. With options, a child can test each one forwards. With a blank answer box, the backwards route reaches the exact number, and the forwards check catches a slip before it costs the mark.

Where it goes wrong

The common error is undoing steps in the original order rather than in reverse. In the Priya example, dividing 29 by 4 first gives nonsense. We have children say the steps aloud, last one first, until reversing them is automatic.

Fractions are the second trap: undoing "gave away a quarter" means finding what three quarters is, not adding a quarter back. The Tom example is there for exactly that reason.

Year by year

A Lancashire route from Year 4 to the September test

Lancashire's grammar schools tested in the fourth week of September 2026, a little later than many areas, but still on Year 5 content. Registrations closed in early September.

Our plan for a Lancashire child, built around the schools' 2026 calendar
WhenMaths focus (ours)Secure when
Year 4, final termMultiplication facts to 12 x 12 and the matching division factsEach multiplication fact can be turned into its two division facts at once
Autumn of Year 5Inverse operations and checking, with numbers to a millionEvery answer is checked by undoing it, unprompted
Spring of Year 5Fractions of amounts, measures and time, without a calculatorLong multiplication and short division are set out correctly
Summer of Year 5Multi-step word problems, forwards and backwards; school open eveningsA four-step story problem is solved and checked in a few minutes
Early September of Year 6Register with each school before its deadline; read the familiarisation guideThe child has seen the answer formats for the school's papers

If the outcome disappoints

The council booklets show each Lancaster and Clitheroe grammar school receiving more parental preferences than it has places.

A child who can reverse a problem has a skill every Year 7 class uses.

Beyond Year 6

The GCSE maths page covers the exam every pupil sits at 16.

Children who enjoy hard problems can browse the UK competitions calendar.

All related courses

Maths and coding courses for Lancashire children

By age and aim. Every card links to its syllabus.

I

Primary maths

Years 3 to 6

UK / GAL / 01

Preparing for 11 plus maths

Year 5 maths for both Lancashire test styles.

Open the syllabus

UK / GAL / 02

Mental arithmetic

Inverse facts and calm arithmetic, no calculator.

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UK / GAL / 03

Early primary maths

Sound foundations for younger children.

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UK / GAL / 04

Reasoning and readiness

Patterns and problem solving for ages 6 to 9.

Open the syllabus
II

Into secondary

Years 6 to 8

UK / GAL / 05

Lower secondary maths

The algebra and shape work of the first secondary years.

Open the syllabus

UK / GAL / 06

KS2 SATs maths

For the arithmetic and reasoning papers every Year 6 sits.

Open the syllabus
III

Maths in code

Ages 8 and up

UK / GAL / 07

Maths through coding

Undo a program step by step, in Python.

Open the syllabus

UK / GAL / 08

Scratch for beginners

Sequences and logic, built visually.

Open the syllabus

How lessons run

Live online, from Morecambe Bay to the Pennines

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Our teachers are based in India, which has no daylight saving: the gap to UK time is four hours thirty in British summer and five hours thirty in winter. Your booking shows UK time.

After school

An early-evening slot for Years 5 and 6.

Weekend morning

For families who keep weekday evenings free.

Late summer

Calm practice before the September test.

Curriculum, not tricks

Year 5 maths taught in depth, with checking built into every topic.

Rural or town

The same lesson in Garstang, Clitheroe or Rawtenstall, no driving.

Class or solo

Join 15 to 20 children working at the same stage, or book a teacher of your own.

Problems we wrote

Story problems drafted by our team, never borrowed from a paper.

Brief updates

A short note on progress and the next topic after each block.

No guarantees

Results and places sit with the schools and the council.

Student work

What our students go on to make

Work by children from our classes, many now in secondary school. More on student labs.

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  • A single teacher for a single child
  • Shaped around one school's test format
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Lancashire 11 plus questions

What Lancashire parents ask

Is there a maths paper in the Lancaster Royal Grammar School 11 plus?

Yes. The school says its 11 plus for 2027 entry was three tests: verbal reasoning, mathematics and English. It does not use non-verbal reasoning.

When was the Lancaster Girls' Grammar School 11 plus in 2026?

On Saturday 26 September 2026, testing only maths and English through the FSCE test. Registration for 2027 entry closed at noon on Wednesday 9 September 2026.

What is in the Clitheroe Royal Grammar School entrance exam?

Two age-weighted FSCE papers of English and maths up to the end of the Year 5 programme of study. Paper 1 is multiple choice and Paper 2 asks for short written answers.

Is there a Lancashire 11 plus run by the council?

No. Each grammar school is an academy and sets its own test. Lancashire County Council runs the common application for secondary places, which closed on 31 October 2026 for September 2027 entry.

Are there FSCE past papers?

No. FSCE says there are no past papers and no practice papers that it has authorised, and that its format changes from year to year. Its free familiarisation guide is the genuine resource.

Can calculators be used in the FSCE maths questions?

No. FSCE's guide for parents says the maths uses written and mental methods of calculation, with no calculators.

Does a disadvantaged child need the same score?

The council booklets show Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Lancaster Girls' Grammar School giving priority to eligible disadvantage-funded children who score up to 5 per cent below the minimum level or pass mark. Check each school's policy for the exact rule.

Does my child need a tutor for the Lancashire 11 plus?

Lancaster Girls' Grammar School says the FSCE test does not require specialist tutoring and that no specific preparation is necessary. Our lessons cover school maths in depth, and we make no promise about any result.

How many schools can I list on the Lancashire application?

The council advises listing three schools. All are considered equally, but if a child qualifies for more than one, the offer is for the highest one named.

When are your maths lessons?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Times are always shown in UK time.

Related pages

More for Lancashire families

Nearby coding, other areas' tests, and the UK hub.

11 plus maths tuition

The wider picture across England.

11 plus maths in Gloucestershire

Another county with written maths answers.

Coding classes in Lancashire

Python and Scratch for Lancashire children.

Coding classes in Lancaster

Close to both Lancaster grammar schools.

Coding classes in Preston

For central Lancashire.

Coding classes in the UK

Every UK page in one place.

Related pages in this guide

Part of the guide: UK selective school maths tests: 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+

11+ by area

Tests by provider and entry point

Northern Ireland transfer test

More guides: UK maths exam boards and specification codes · UK maths year by year, Reception to Year 11 · UK university admissions: maths tests and computing applications · UK maths enrichment, competitions and able pupils

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Say which Lancashire school your child is aiming for and what year they are in. The first lesson will use the answer format that school's test uses.

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