Reading (with Reading School and Kendrick) and Slough (with four grammars) operate as separate consortia but with significant cross-application from Berkshire and Buckinghamshire families.
The year in shape
Both areas use CEM-style tests with similar but distinct administration. Reading School and Kendrick attract some of the highest cross-Berkshire applicant volumes in the country.
Practical catchment for Reading School and Kendrick is wide but the super-selective effect dominates — top scores from anywhere in commutable Berkshire compete on equal terms.
Term-by-term plan
Autumn term. Through autumn of Year 5, identify whether your realistic targets are Reading-only, Slough-only, or both. Both stretches the practice load; one focused approach is usually wiser.
Spring term. In spring, intensify CEM-style practice. Both Reading and Slough use closely-related CEM-style consortium tests.
Summer term & holiday. Through summer, full timed CEM papers fortnightly. Both test sittings are in mid-September of Year 6.
Topics to prioritise
Highest-leverage topics: CEM vocabulary breadth, comprehension inference, and the harder maths word problems that distinguish the top of the cohort.
Common mistakes parents make this year
The most common parent mistake is registering for all six schools across both consortia without clarifying which are realistic. A focused list of two to three target schools beats a scattered list of six.
Signs to look for
Signs the year is going well: child scores consistently in the qualifying range for the chosen consortium, has clear target schools, and approaches the September test calmly. If these signs are present, the year is going well; if they are absent, the issue is rarely intelligence — it is usually pacing, format unfamiliarity or the wrong tutoring relationship. Identify which and adjust deliberately.
Where to go next
Read the Reading and Slough borough guides for both calendars; read the CEM format guide; consider one local mock in CEM format in late August. Read across the related guides on this site — the guides index groups them by category for easy navigation.