Berkshire Grammar Schools 11 plus guide

Which Berkshire grammar schools use the 11 plus test?

The following six schools in Berkshire are all grammar schools. They all admit children into the school based on their performance in the 11 plus exam.

• Herschel Grammar School

• Kendrick School

• Langley Grammar School

• Reading School

• St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School

• Upton Court Grammar School

Herschel Grammar School, Langley Grammar School, St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School and Upton Court Grammar School are all located in the Slough area and belong to the Slough Grammar School Consortium. They all share the same 11 plus test paper and admissions process. Take a look at our guide to the Slough Consortium for more information about applying to these schools.

Slough Consortium 11 plus guide

Reading School and Kendrick School are located in Reading and have different testing processes. You can find more information about admissions for these schools below.

There is one partially-selective grammar school in Berkshire. Reading Girls' School provides up to 42 places to girls based on their ability by means of selection tests. The remaining places in Year 7 (up to 180 total) are allocated according to other (non-academic) criteria.

Kendrick School 11 plus test

The Kendrick School 11 plus test is delivered by GL Assessment. Children applying to the school will take two tests in mid-September in Year 6. Both tests have a one-hour time limit and are taken on the same day. There will be a short break between the two papers.

Both papers will consist of multiple-choice questions. The raw scores will be age-standardised, then each child will be ranked according to the aggregate of the age-standardised score of both papers.

The questions on both papers will cover three subjects:

Verbal reasoning

These questions assess the knowledge of words and their meanings in context, vocabulary depth, and how words relate to each other. Children will be tested on a range of skills, including their reading fluency and comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, phonological awareness, ability to discover and apply rules, logic and problem-solving, and attention to detail.

Non-verbal reasoning

Linked with mathematical and scientific skills, these shape puzzles are designed to test problem-solving skills. 11 plus non-verbal reasoning tests are designed to assess your child's maths skills, spatial awareness, ability to identify patterns and rules, logic and problem-solving, and overall general intelligence.

English

Children are assessed on their knowledge of the Key Stage 2 English curriculum. The questions cover reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar. There is no creative writing element.

Maths

Children are assessed on their knowledge of the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum. The main topics are number (number and place value, operations and fractions), measurement, geometry (properties of shape, position and direction) and statistics).

Reading School 11 plus test

The 11 plus test at Reading School is provided by the Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE).

The exam consists of three separate papers. For each of the three papers, children will be given a separate question booklet and answer booklet.

Children are tested on three subjects:

English

There are three smaller sections within the English paper:

• Reading comprehension: children will read a passage of text and answer questions to demonstrate their understanding

• Vocabulary: your child will be tested on the meaning of different words

• Missing letters: questions will assess your child's ability to place words in context and spell them correctly

Maths

Following the national curriculum, these questions will work above the Year 5 content your child will be taught in school. Children will need to use addition, subtraction, division and multiplication skills, and they may also be asked to solve worded number problems. The questions will be a combination of multiple choice and free response.

Creative writing

Paper 3 is a creative writing test. Children will be given a prompt and asked to complete a piece of creative writing based on that prompt. They will be given time to plan their answer and told when to start writing.

The creative element is only marked if the eligibility score has been reached through the maths and English papers, showing the need for ‘all-round’ competency. If the standardised scores for the English and maths tests are tied for two or more candidates – and if the admission would exceed the PAN (Planned Admission Number), the creative writing result will be used to determine the final rank order.

Reading Girls' School 11 plus test

Girls applying for one of the 42 places available on the selective stream at Reading Girls' School take the CEM Select assessment. This is an online test, taken on a computer, lasting approximately one hour.

Children will be tested on:

English comprehension and verbal reasoning

Children will read a passage of fiction or non-fiction and answer questions which assess their understanding of the text and the extent of their vocabulary. They will also have verbal reasoning questions in the following formats:

• Anagrams

• Missing words

• Shuffled sentences

Maths

Children will work through around 30 questions which assess numerical ability. These questions are mapped to the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum.

Non-verbal reasoning

The final section of the CEM Select test assesses non-verbal reasoning – the ability to analyse visual information and solve problems. For each question, children will need to select a picture (from a range of options) that best fits a set, based on particular qualities and patterns.

What is the pass mark for the 11 plus in Berkshire?

The pass mark for Kendrick School may vary year on year depending on the success rate of the previous cohort. If a cohort finds the questions exceptionally challenging, the pass mark may be lower than it was the previous year.

Reading School and Reading Girls' School do not have set pass marks. Instead, pupils are ranked in order of success, and the highest-ranking pupils are eligible to be considered for a place.

Each school’s individual admissions policy will need to be considered: schools are more likely to admit a lower-scoring pupil within their priority zones and admission criteria than a child who lives outside the area. Both Kendrick School and Reading School have designated catchment areas.

All-in-one platform for 11 plus prep

Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!

Atom Nucleus is an online learning platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for the 11 plus.

Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.

Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.