Welcome to Southend High School for Boys. Thank you for taking an interest in this outstanding school.
Reading through this website you will begin to understand why SHSB is such a good school; pupils and teachers have high expectations and pupils achieve in numerous areas. The environment is friendly, welcoming and safe. It is not surprising then that many parents want their son to have the opportunity to attend SHSB.
Please watch our films and read the FAQs at the bottom of this page:
Tour of the school:
Introductory film - watch this first:
Headteacher Presentation:
Come and join us - find out more in this second film:
Entry 2025
Our Open Evening for Year 5 pupils interested in entry in September 2025 will be on Thursday 27th June 2024; classrooms will be open between 4.30 and 8.00 pm.
The Headteacher will speak at 5.45, 6.45 and 8.00 pm.
There is no need to make an appointment; prospectuses will be available on the evening and are available on this website.
Parents must complete a CSSE (Consortium for Selective Schools in Essex) Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and return it to the Consortium Office in order to register their child to sit the 11+ tests. The CSSE online 11+ registration form opens on 14th May 2024 and closes on Friday 28th June 2024. If your child requires special adjustments due to medical or other reasons, your application must also be submitted to the CSSE by 28th June 2024.
The main day of the 11+ tests is Saturday 21st September 2024 (some parents may be offered the alternative date of 1st October 2024).
Details of the arrangements for taking the tests will be sent to parents from the Consortium Office. Candidates for the CSSE procedure sit two written papers, one in mathematics and one in English. Practice papers are available from the CSSE website.
Results of the tests will be sent to parents by the CSSE in mid-October 2024.
Parents must express a preference for this school as a choice on their Local Authority (where they are resident) Single Application Form (SAF) for their child to be considered for a place. Completed application forms for the September 2024 intake must be returned to Essex LA and Southend LA by 31st October 2024. You should check with your own LA for their closure date if your home LA is not Southend or Essex. The Local Authority will allocate you the first school on the list for which you fulfil the criteria. If you put another school as a higher choice than SHSB on your list and you fulfil that school’s criteria, you will be allocated that school, even if your son has passed the 11+ test.
Information on admission to the school will also be found in the Southend Borough Council booklet on Secondary School Admissions (Southend Borough Council information on secondary admissions).
The transition from primary to secondary
Although the move from primary to secondary school is considered by some to be a traumatic time, there is no doubt that it is also a most exciting and important event in your child's life. At Southend High School for Boys we aim to make the move as smooth and easy as possible.
SHSB has a challenge with the transition procedure that is unique to grammar schools; we have a very large number of feeder schools providing us with pupils. Each year there are upwards of 90 primary schools involved in the process and yet, because we understand how important this particular phase of their educational life is, the Leader of Year 7 will endeavour, during that final Summer term, to meet all pupils due to come to the school, either in their own primary school or by invitation to visit SHSB.
The Leader of Year 7 will also liaise with the pupil's primary school teacher in order to better understand the needs of each individual. Those parents currently in receipt of Free School Meals are eligible to receive a uniform bursary of £150.
Each Year 6 pupil will be given access to a Year 7 booklet containing a wealth of useful facts designed to help familiarise them with SHSB, its history and day-to-day running.
Entry 2026
The 11+ tests will be held in September 2025.
Results of the tests will be sent to parents by the CSSE in October 2025.
Parents must express a preference for this school as a choice on their Local Authority (where they are resident) Single Application Form (SAF) for their child to be considered for a place. Completed application forms for the September 2025 intake must be returned to Essex LA and Southend LA by 31st October 2025. You should check with your own LA for their closure date if your home LA is not Southend or Essex. The Local Authority will allocate you the first school on the list for which you fulfil the criteria. If you put another school as a higher choice than SHSB on your list and you fulfil that school’s criteria, you will be allocated that school, even if your son has passed the 11+ test.
Information on admission to the school will also be found in the Southend Borough Council booklet on Secondary School Admissions which will be published online in June (Southend Borough Council information on secondary admissions).