Gloucester Grammar Schools Easily explained
Gloucestershire County Council operate a grammar school system in the county. The local authority has 7 grammar schools available for children who reach the qualifying standard. In this post, we introduce each of the Gloucestershire grammar schools and explain the process of the 11 plus.
There are 7 Gloucestershire grammar schools that offer a secondary school education to children who have taken and passed an entrance test. If you are new to choosing a secondary school start by reading my previous post ‘What is a grammar school?’
The Gloucestershire grammar schools are unique in that there are a number of single-sex and mixed schools available. Admission to grammar schools follows sitting the 11 plus test in September when the pupils are in year six. Gloucestershire has one test sitting that takes place in all the grammar schools at the same time and the student can choose whichever location they want to sit the test.
Parents can also choose to share the results with all the grammar schools in Gloucestershire to choose just one or two to share scores with. The benefit of sharing is that you get a ranking position for each school and can then decide which schools you’d like to apply to on the CAF (common application form). Obviously, girls can only share test results with the girls and co-ed schools and boys only with the boys and co-ed schools.
Gloucestershire is also unique in that there is no location restriction, this means that some students do travel into the county from Wiltshire, Birmingham and Hereford to attend a grammar school. This can make the places even more highly competitive and it has no catchment area like many other counties do.
Children who pass the 11 plus will be ranked in academic order and will then be eligible for a grammar school place. Not all children will secure a place as there are still more children than places so each school will take according to their pupil admission numbers. You can find out what ranking schools have previously gone to which will help you understand if your child is likely to be offered a place on national allocation day. If your child achieves a qualifying score but does not get the place they can be kept on a waiting list in case a space opens up.
The exception to this is pupil premium pupils, who will be guaranteed a place if they have met the qualifying score. The purpose of this is to ensure that disadvantaged children are given the chance of grammar school education if they are of high academic ability. Therefore it is important to make sure that you tick the box to notify the admission team if your child attracts the pupil premium.
Gloucester Grammar Schools Introduced
As we said Gloucestershire has both comprehensive schools and grammar schools. About 5% of the population attend grammar schools after successfully passing the entrance exam.
- Pate’s Grammar School is a highly sought-after school in Cheltenham. Regularly ranked in the top 10 schools in the UK it is a highly competitive mixed-gender school.
- Crypt School is a mixed school based in Gloucester, it became co-ed a few years ago and is very popular.
- Sir Thomas Rich’s School is based in the Longlevens side of the city and is a boy’s school. This highly academic school is very popular.
- Denmark Road High School is a girls’ grammar school based in the city centre not far from town. Like the previous schools, it is highly competitive and has a co-educational sixth form.
- Ribston Hall High School is another girls-only grammar school with a mixed sixth form. This school is close to the Crypt school in location and they often share school transport.
- Marling School is situated in Stroud and is more rural. This is a boy’s grammar school.
- Lastly, Stroud High School is a selective grammar school for girls aged 11-16 with a co-educational Sixth Form.
Each of the selective schools offers an excellent academic curriculum which is why visiting on open days is always recommended. The exam results are often outstanding and deciding which school to apply for is down to parental choice. You may prefer a mixed or single-sex education and there are benefits of both. If you are considering any of the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools make sure you also consider travel arrangements and where you live.
The Gloucestershire Grammar School Test
Gloucestershire has previously utilised the CEM Tests but this is currently under review and we are waiting to see if they move to the GL Assessment route which is widely anticipated. Many students use tutoring to prepare for tests which use a combination of non-verbal reasoning and verbal skills. We used a mix of Atom Learning and face-to-face weekly tutoring and this helped our daughter gain admission to Ribston Hall High School.
Each of the grammar school websites shares cem familiarisation materials or practice papers. This can help you understand the testing process and show worked examples. It is suggested that grammar school pupils are working at greater depth in primary schools and have good mathematical knowledge along with good English skills.
After the 11 plus test
In October parents are told their child’s rank order for each of the schools that they have shared results with. This does not guarantee a place, it means that when you fill in the CAF you can add grammars as your school preferences and you will be notified on allocation day (1st March) by the admissions team of where your child has been placed. There will still be some movement after this day so do read the admissions policy in case you can ask for a reconsideration or even an appeal.
We hope this has helped you identify the Gloucester Grammar Schools and the application process involved. Read my blog post 11 plus tips for success if you are looking at the best way to support your child through the grammar school process.
