The deadline for access arrangements falls about a fortnight before the registration deadline, not with it. For 2027 entry, schools set it at 4pm on Friday 12 June 2026, against a registration deadline of 4pm on Friday 26 June.
That gap catches families out every year, and it is the single most important thing on this page. A parent who sits down in the last week of June to register has already missed the chance to ask for adjustments.
Two deadlines, a fortnight apart
| Step | 2027 entry deadline | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Access arrangements request | 4pm, Friday 12 June 2026 | No adjustments for that test |
| Test registration | 4pm, Friday 26 June 2026 | No test at all |
Haberdashers' Adams states plainly that all Special Arrangement Forms must be submitted by that June date and that no request can be made after this time. Newport Girls' High School gives the same 12 June date for reasonable adjustments.
Dates move each cycle, so confirm yours on the partnership registration portal and on each school's own admissions page. Treat the earlier one as your real deadline.
Who should apply
If your child has any formal support at school, it is worth a request. That includes:
- An Education, Health and Care Plan.
- Support recorded on the school's SEN register.
- A diagnosis affecting reading, writing, processing speed or concentration, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
- A visual or hearing impairment.
- A temporary difficulty such as a broken writing arm.
- A medical condition needing medication, food or breaks during the test.
Do not rule yourself out because the support at school feels informal. Ask the school's SENCO what is on record, because that record is what the request rests on.
How to make the request
- Speak to the SENCO first, in the spring term of Year 5. They hold the evidence and will have done this before.
- Gather the evidence: the EHCP, SEN records, educational psychologist or medical reports, and the school's account of the support normally given.
- Submit the form by the June deadline, through the registration portal or directly to the school as its arrangements specify.
- Keep a copy and a dated record of what you sent.
- Chase a confirmation. Do not assume silence means agreement.
The principle schools apply is normal way of working: adjustments reflect the support a child already receives day to day, which is exactly why the school's records matter more than a parent's description.
What I am not going to tell you
You will find pages stating how much extra time is granted and how likely a request is to succeed. Neither figure is published by the partnership, and I am not going to invent them for a page aimed at families with a disabled child.
What is published, and what matters, is that the route exists, that it closes in mid June, and that decisions rest on the evidence the school holds. Ask the school directly what it has granted before, because it will know and you are entitled to ask.
Illness on the day is a separate thing
Access arrangements are planned in advance. Illness on the morning is handled differently and the distinction matters.
Wolverhampton Girls' High School arranges for the test to be taken on an alternative date where a child is ill, and requires a medical note within five days. But it also states that it cannot make allowance for test performance affected by illness.
So if your child is unwell on the morning, the decision is whether to sit at all. Telling the school afterwards that they were poorly does not change the result. Phone before the test starts.
Children taught outside their year group
A separate route exists for children educated outside their normal age group, including some summer-born children. Requests go to the admission authority before the test registration closing date, with a letter from the primary school confirming the arrangement and the reasons for it.
Note that a child admitted through that route has only one opportunity to sit the entrance test. See our guide to summer-born children and age standardisation, which applies automatically and needs no request.
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The earlier deadline is the one that matters
The thing I would put in front of every family here is the timing. Access arrangements close before registration closes, by about a fortnight. So a parent who sensibly plans to sort the whole thing out in the last week of June has already lost the chance to ask for adjustments, without ever being told.
The other thing is not to talk yourself out of asking. Parents often think their child's support is too informal to count, or that asking looks like making excuses. It is neither. The whole principle is that the test should reflect what a child can do, not how fast they can handle a format that was never designed around them.
Start with the SENCO in the spring term of Year 5, not in June. They hold the evidence, they have done it before, and they will tell you honestly whether there is a case. That conversation costs nothing and it is the one that decides whether this happens at all.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
When is the deadline for 11+ access arrangements?
About a fortnight before the registration deadline. For 2027 entry schools set it at 4pm on Friday 12 June 2026, against a registration deadline of 4pm on Friday 26 June. Haberdashers' Adams states that no request can be made after that time.
Who can apply for extra time in the 11+?
Any child with formal support recorded at school, including an EHCP, entries on the SEN register, a diagnosis affecting reading, writing, processing speed or concentration such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD or autism, a visual or hearing impairment, a temporary injury, or a medical condition needing medication or breaks.
How do I request access arrangements for the 11+?
Speak to your child's SENCO in the spring term of Year 5, gather the evidence including the EHCP or SEN records and any specialist reports, and submit the form by the June deadline through the registration portal or directly to the school. Keep a dated copy and chase a confirmation.
How much extra time is given in the 11+?
The partnership does not publish this, and nor does it publish how often requests succeed. What is published is that the route exists, that it closes in mid June, and that decisions rest on the evidence the school holds. Ask the school directly what it has granted before.
What happens if my child is ill on 11+ test day?
That is handled separately from access arrangements. Schools arrange an alternative date and Wolverhampton Girls' High School requires a medical note within five days, but schools also state they cannot make allowance for performance affected by illness. Phone before the test rather than afterwards.