FSCE Entrance Test (Future Stories Community Enterprise)
FSCE is a bespoke 11+ developed by Future Stories Community Enterprise (linked to Reading School) and adopted by a small group of grammars across England with the aim of reducing tutoring advantage. It tests only English and Mathematics from the KS2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5, with audio instructions and a deliberately non-tutorable design.
Exam board
FSCE (bespoke; written and marked by FSCE Ltd, linked to Reading School)
Test duration
60 min
Papers
3
Year 7 places
679
Across consortium
Applicants per place
2.0×
Typical competition
Test format
FSCE consortium papers. Max score: 280.
Selection methods used
Subjects tested
- English
- Mathematics
Competition (latest)
1,424 applicants chasing 679 places · 2.0× per place
Paper-by-paper breakdown
Paper 1 — multiple choice
≈ 45 minutesMultiple-choice questions covering English and Mathematics.
Paper 2 — short written response
≈ 35 minutesShort / constrained written-response questions covering English and Mathematics. Some FSCE schools add a third Creative Writing paper.
Annual timeline
Confirm exact dates each year on the council pageRegistration opens
1 June (Lancaster Girls' — varies per school)
Registration deadline
9 September (Lancaster Girls')
Test window
Saturday 26 September (Lancaster Girls')
Results release
17 October (Lancaster Girls')
How to prepare
- Focus on the KS2 curriculum up to end of Year 5 — FSCE deliberately avoids content beyond that.
- Practise arithmetic, fractions, decimals, measurement and reading comprehension — NO verbal or non-verbal reasoning is assessed.
- Familiarise your child with audio-delivered instructions (an FSCE feature so all children hear the same wording and timing).
- Practise short written-response questions as well as multiple-choice.
- FSCE's stated position is that no specific tutoring is necessary — rely on schoolwork.
Important to know
- Only Lancaster Girls' Grammar in Lancashire uses FSCE. Lancaster Royal Grammar, Clitheroe Royal Grammar and Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar continue to use GL Assessment — not FSCE.
- FSCE includes NO verbal reasoning or non-verbal reasoning — only English and Maths.
- Instructions are delivered via pre-recorded audio (timing standardised).
- Content is capped at the end-of-Year-5 KS2 curriculum to reduce the advantage of heavy tutoring.
- Each adopting school sets its own qualifying standard — there is no consortium-wide pass mark.
- Children eligible for Pupil Premium / FSM are often given fee waivers or free practice resources.
- Other FSCE schools nationally (separate dates and arrangements): Reading School, Chelmsford County High for Girls, Colyton, Heckmondwike, North Halifax, Crossley Heath, Skipton Girls'.
About the qualifying score: Each adopting school sets its own required standard after marking — FSCE does not publish a fixed pass mark. Always check the latest threshold on the council's admissions arrangements before applying.
Official links
Sources used on this page
- fsce.co.uk
- lggs.org.uk — admissions
Where to go next
- Each school sets its own qualifying score and oversubscription rules — open a school page above for the per-school detail.
- Use the Chances Calculator with your postcode to see your likelihood at every school in this consortium.
- Council and school admissions pages are the authoritative source for registration deadlines and test dates.