Schools near Gainsborough

Primary schools: No single LA-wide rule: some schools prioritise a 'Designated Transport Area' (Lincolnshire's own term, functions like a catchment), others use plain nearest-school distance — varies by individual school. (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Gainsborough straddles a council boundary: the scheme above is Lincolnshire's, and North Lincolnshire also has schools here, applying under its own.

Lincolnshire has two separate 11+ tests depending on the school: 1. Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools (LCGS) test — used by 14 of the 15 grammar schools. Two GL Assessment multiple-choice papers, no English or Maths component: a Verbal Reasoning paper (around 50 minutes, roughly 85 questions) and a Non-Verbal & Spatial Reasoning paper (around 35 minutes, strictly sectioned — children complete each section in order and cannot skip ahead or go back). Registration is done once in Year 5 (deadline set annually by the consortium, historically around 30 June the year before entry) and covers every consortium school the family lists. 2. Caistor Grammar School — NOT part of the LCGS consortium, so a child applying to Caistor as well as another Lincolnshire grammar school sits two different sets of exams. Caistor runs its own two Verbal Reasoning papers in the autumn term of Year 6, with a separate, earlier registration deadline (historically mid-August). A combined score of 220 or more across both papers is needed to be eligible, targeting roughly the top quarter of applicants. For both tests, passing does not itself guarantee a place — a formal school application must still be submitted through the normal coordinated admissions process, and places are then allocated using each school's oversubscription criteria.

14 of Lincolnshire's 15 grammar schools belong to the Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools (LCGS), which shares a single 11+ test — sitting it once makes a child eligible for consideration at any consortium school. Caistor Grammar School is NOT part of the consortium and sets its own separate test and deadline. If you live outside Lincolnshire (or in a non-selective part of the county), you can still register your child for the 11+ test directly — registration is open to all Year 5 children regardless of home address. However, your school application itself must go through YOUR home local authority's Common Application Form, not Lincolnshire County Council's — your home LA decides its own deadline and coordinates passing your preference to Lincolnshire. Two separate deadlines to track: the 11+ test registration deadline (set by the consortium/school, not your home LA) and your home LA's main application deadline (Lincolnshire residents' deadline is 12 noon, 12 December in Year 6 — other LAs may set a different date). Criteria impact: LCGS places are allocated on test score rank (no fixed geographic catchment for most consortium schools), so living outside Lincolnshire does not itself disadvantage you the way it might under a catchment-based system — but check each individual school's own oversubscription criteria, as some give priority to specific feeder areas.