Atom Learning logo
Back to blog

Beths Grammar School 11+ guide

By Atom | Feb 9, 2024, 2:50 PM

Beths Grammar School 11 plus entry guide

Thinking about applying to Beths Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus.

Key information about Beths Grammar School

  • Address: Beths Grammar School, Hartford Road, Bexley, Kent, DA5 1NE

  • Number of pupils: 1,700+

  • Admissions contact: [email protected]

  • Number of places in Year 7: 192

  • 11+ exam: Bexley Selection Test

  • Catchment area: no

Dates for your diary

  • 11+ registration opens: Wednesday 1st May 2024

  • 11+ registration closes: Friday 31st May 2024

  • 11+ exam date: Monday 9th to Thursday 12th September 2024

  • 11+ results released: mid-October 2024

  • Secondary school application deadline: 31st October 2024

  • School allocations: 3rd March 2025

About Beths Grammar School

Beths Grammar School is a boys' grammar school in Bexley, southeast London. It has a vibrant and purposeful community that challenges and supports students to fulfil their potential.

The school specialises in modern languages. As well as French, German and Spanish, Mandarin Chinese is available to study. Facilities are also excellent, with purpose-built labs for electronics, graphics, product design and coding.

How to apply to Beths Grammar School

Beths Grammar School is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place.

The deadline to register for the 11 plus exam at Beths Grammar School is 31st May 2024. The exam will take place between Monday 9th and Thursday 12th September 2024 and you’ll receive your child’s results in mid-October 2024. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Beths Grammar School.

To apply, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Beths Grammar School below.

What subjects are on the entrance exam?

Children applying to Beths Grammar School take the Bexley Selection Test. This consists of two one-hour papers which assess English comprehension, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. All of the questions are multiple-choice.

Guide to the Bexley Selection Test

Find out everything you need to know in our complete guide to the Bexley Selection Test. Plus, get access to free 11 plus resources to help your child feel confident for their exam!

Learn more
Verbal reasoning paper

How does place allocation work at Beths Grammar School?

There is no specified pass mark for the Bexley Selection Test. Each of the four grammar schools has 180 places available in Year 7. The 180 children with the highest scores applying to each grammar school will be eligible for a place at that school.

The Bexley Selection Test is competitive. Around 30% of children who take the test achieve a mark high enough to be considered for a grammar school place in the borough.

If the number of children who have met the qualifying standard for entry to the school exceeds the number of places available, the Beths Grammar School applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:

  1. Looked after or previously looked after children

  2. Children who have achieved one of the highest 180 scores in the selection tests

  3. Children who have a sibling currently attending Beths Grammar School

  4. Children with a parent or registered carer permanently employed by Beths Grammar School

  5. Up to 12 places for boys who are eligible for Pupil Premium and/or Free School Meals, in rank order of their distance from the school

  6. On the basis of proximity by the school, measured by a direct line distance from home to school

  7. If the distance is identical to 0.001 of a mile, the Bexley Selection Test scores are used as a tie-breaker

  8. If none of the above apply and the child has not been deemed selective in the Bexley Selection Test, but they have in the Kent Test, and can supply the school with confirmation of this

There is no catchment area at Beths Grammar School. However, places are prioritised for children who live closer to the school.

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the country. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

A maths learning journey on Atom Home

Read widely

11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

A non-verbal reasoning question in a Bexley Selection mock test on Atom Home

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.

Tailored preparation for the Bexley Selection Test

Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the Bexley Selection Test? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.

You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.

  • Online and printable 11 plus practice papers

  • 90,000+ adaptive questions

  • 500+ hours of on-demand video lessons

  • Automatic marking and instant progress data

Navigate the Bexley Selection Test with confidence.

Start your free trial today. Our local admissions specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, Bexley Selection Test prep is sorted.

Try Atom for free
Georgie's weekly exam prep plan on Atom Home

Atom Learning Ltd. is registered and incorporated in England and Wales. Company Registration Number: 10867907 VAT number: 316903508 Copyright Atom Learning Ltd. All rights reserved.