GrammarGirls

Nonsuch High School for Girls

Set in 22 acres on the edge of Nonsuch Park, this historic grammar has filtered for breadth since 1938. The bespoke NWSSEE demands mathematical depth and writing stamina in the same sitting.

Exam board
Bespoke-SET

Entry
Year 7

Founded
1938

Year 7 places
210

Nonsuch High School for Girls

SMA Difficulty

Advanced

Location: Cheam, Sutton

School type: Grammar

Admissions test: Bespoke-SET

Free 11+ Baseline Assessment

LOCATION & GETTING THERE

Where Nonsuch High School for Girls sits — and how to reach it

● Schools● Trains● Buses● School coaches

LOCATION

Nonsuch High School for Girls
Ewell Road, Cheam, Sutton, SM3 8AB

Other selective schools nearby, closest first — useful if you are considering more than one.

Sutton Grammar School

Sutton, South London · 1.8 km away

View guide →

Wallington High School for Girls

Wallington, South London · 4.7 km away

View guide →

Wallington County Grammar School

Wallington, South London · 5.1 km away

View guide →

Wilson's School

Wallington, London · 6.4 km away

View guide →

Nearest railway and Underground stations, with the lines that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.

Cheam

0.5 km from the school — Southern: London Victoria to Epsom and Dorking/Horsham

West Sutton

1.3 km from the school — Thameslink: Sutton loop services via Wimbledon

Sutton (London)

2 km from the school — Southern: London Victoria services; Thameslink: Sutton loop and central London services

Nonsuch Park (Stop K)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Nonsuch Park (Stop L)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Cheam Broadway (Stop A)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Bus stops closest to the school, with the routes that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.

Cheam

0.5 km from the school — Southern: London Victoria to Epsom and Dorking/Horsham

West Sutton

1.3 km from the school — Thameslink: Sutton loop services via Wimbledon

Sutton (London)

2 km from the school — Southern: London Victoria services; Thameslink: Sutton loop and central London services

Nonsuch Park (Stop K)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Nonsuch Park (Stop L)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Cheam Broadway (Stop A)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Coach services run by the school itself, where they exist.

Cheam

0.5 km from the school — Southern: London Victoria to Epsom and Dorking/Horsham

West Sutton

1.3 km from the school — Thameslink: Sutton loop services via Wimbledon

Sutton (London)

2 km from the school — Southern: London Victoria services; Thameslink: Sutton loop and central London services

Nonsuch Park (Stop K)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Nonsuch Park (Stop L)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Cheam Broadway (Stop A)

0.2 km from the school — routes S2

Private coach services are run by local operators — confirm routes and seats directly each September.

ON THIS PAGE

OVERVIEW

How the test is structured

Nonsuch uses the Sutton consortium two-stage process. Stage One is the SET (Sutton Selective Eligibility Test), shared across all six Sutton grammar schools: two multiple-choice papers in Maths and English, each 40–50 minutes, sat in September. Girls who clear the threshold are invited to the NWSSEE (Nonsuch and Wallington Girls’ School Second Stage Entrance Examination), shared with Wallington High School for Girls. Stage Two consists of a 45-minute open-answer Maths paper and a one-hour extended English writing task—neither involves multiple choice. The NWSSEE is sat in late September, approximately two weeks after the SET.

Registration for the SET opens in May and closes in August. The LA Common Application Form is due by 31 October. Nonsuch sits within the London Borough of Sutton and the Borough of Epsom and Ewell; its priority catchment is a 5.25 km radius from the school entrance. The school stands in 22 acres of grounds on the edge of Nonsuch Park, with Cheam station a two-minute walk away.

HISTORY & ETHOS

The school's story

Nonsuch High School for Girls opened its doors on 3 May 1938, named after the Palace of Nonsuch that Henry VIII began building in the 1530s on the grounds where the school now stands. The school’s opening was not without controversy—questions were raised in Parliament in 1935 about whether construction would destroy the historic treeline, and approval came only after considerable debate. The school sits on 22 acres at the edge of Nonsuch Park, giving it one of the most distinctive settings of any grammar school in the London area. It has held academy status and maintained its selective character throughout successive waves of education policy.Girls who thrive at Nonsuch are typically those with a broad intellectual curiosity rather than narrow subject specialism. The extended writing task in the NWSSEE signals the school’s expectation of linguistic confidence alongside mathematical ability. Singapore mastery is well-suited to both: the CPA framework builds genuine conceptual understanding in maths, while the habit of articulating reasoning—central to bar-model work—translates directly into clearer, more structured written expression.

Why the maths is genuinely hard

The NWSSEE maths paper is open-answer and rewards structured working over speed. Combined with a one-hour extended writing task, Stage Two demands stamina across two very different cognitive challenges on the same sitting—girls who have only drilled multiple-choice often find this transition difficult.

SMA DIFFICULTY VERDICT

Our honest take on the difficulty

The SMA Verdict

3.5

Advanced

Nonsuch and Wallington Girls share an identical Stage Two paper, placing them at the same level of difficulty within the Sutton girls’ grammar tier—firmly in the upper-middle of the London landscape. The SET Stage One filters on pace and curriculum breadth; the NWSSEE filters on written mathematical reasoning and sustained written English. This dual-axis filter is harder to prepare for than a single-format test. Girls need genuine depth in both maths and English to convert a Stage One pass into a Stage Two offer.

CATCHMENT & TOWNS

Where families come from

Cheam

Sutton

North Cheam

Worcester Park

Epsom

Ewell

Stoneleigh

Belmont

Carshalton

Banstead

KEY DATES

The 11+ admissions calendar

May 2026SET registration opens

August 2026SET registration closes

September 2026Stage One SET test

September 2026Stage Two NWSSEE

FAQ

Parents' most common questions

Where exactly is Nonsuch located, and does it fall within Sutton or Epsom?

Nonsuch sits on Ewell Road in Cheam, on the boundary between the London Borough of Sutton and the Borough of Epsom and Ewell. It is administered as a Sutton borough grammar school and uses the Sutton SET consortium process.

What is the NWSSEE and which schools share it?

The NWSSEE (Nonsuch and Wallington Girls' School Second Stage Entrance Examination) is a bespoke Stage Two shared exclusively between Nonsuch and Wallington High School for Girls. It consists of a 45-minute open-answer Maths paper and a one-hour extended English writing task.

How close do we need to live to have a realistic chance?

Nonsuch uses a 5.25 km priority radius from its front entrance. Girls outside this area can apply but face long odds in competitive years. In practice, most offers go to girls within the priority zone.

Is Nonsuch more or less competitive than Wallington Girls?

Both schools share the same Stage Two paper. Application volumes and the relative size of each school’s priority catchment affect offer rates, but the academic standard required to pass Stage Two is identical.

The school is described as being in Cheam—is Cheam station the best way to travel?

Yes. Cheam railway station (Southern line) is a two-minute walk from the school entrance, making it the most convenient approach for families travelling by train from Sutton, Epsom, Croydon or beyond.

EXAM PAPERS

Past and sample papers

COMING SOON

We're gathering the sample and familiarisation papers Nonsuch High School for Girls publishes, so you can see the real thing before you prepare. If you'd like them sooner, just ask.

NEARBY SCHOOLS

Other selective schools in the area

Sutton Grammar School

Sutton, South London · 1.8 km

View guide →

Wallington High School for Girls

Wallington, South London · 4.7 km

View guide →

Wallington County Grammar School

Wallington, South London · 5.1 km

View guide →

Wilson's School

Wallington, London · 6.4 km

View guide →

Preparing for Nonsuch High School for Girls?

We teach the reasoning these papers actually reward — not test tricks. Small online groups, qualified teachers, and a Singapore Maths method built on genuine understanding.

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