Bishop Wordsworth's School 11 plus guide

About Bishop Wordsworth's School

Bishop Wordsworth’s School is the only grammar school for boys in Wiltshire. Originally known as The Bishop’s School, it was founded in 1890 by the Bishop of Salisbury as an institution for 45 boys. Girls were welcomed from 1902 until 1927, at which point the school split and the girls joined the newly formed South Wilts Grammar School in the city suburbs. The two schools have maintained a close partnership since.

The school occupies a unique position in Salisbury’s iconic medieval Cathedral Close. Notable alumni and previous staff include the actor Ralph Fiennes and novelist and Nobel Prize Winner Sir William Golding.

Bishop Wordsworth's School is consistently strong; in 2022, over 81% of A level grades were A*, A or B. The school is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

• Address: Bishop Wordsworth’s School, Exeter Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2ED

• Local authority: Wiltshire Council

• School type: boys' grammar with mixed sixth form

• Headteacher: Stuart Smallwood

• Number of pupils: 1,150+

• National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 69

• A level results: 81.3% A*–B

• GCSE results: 75.7% 9/8/7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

• Admissions contact: Mrs Ruth Cliffe – [email protected], 01722 333851

• Number of places in Year 7: 160

• Year 5 open session: Friday 17th March 2023. A virtual tour is also available online

• 11 plus registration opens: 18th April 2023

• 11 plus registration closes: 7th July 2023

• Exam date: 16th September 2023

• Exam type: GL Assessment

• Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023

• National school offer day: 1st March 2024

How to apply to Bishop Wordsworth's School

1. Register for the 11 plus

Before registering, speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus and grammar school is right for them. The 11 plus exam is a challenging exam, designed to select the children working within the top 25% of their year group.

You will need to complete a test registration form to register your son for the 11 plus test. The application form will be available on the school website from 9am 18th April 2023. The deadline for submission is 7th July 2023.

2. Apply for school places

You will receive your son's results in the 11 plus in a letter posted by the school in mid-October 2023. You can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority secondary application form. You must complete the form for your home local authority:

• Wiltshire residents: Wiltshire Council

• Hampshire residents: Hampshire County Council

• Dorset residents: Dorset Council

If your son has met the score necessary to be eligible for a place at Bishop Wordsworth's School, you will be able to name the school as a preference on the form. However, make sure to check the school's oversubscription criteria first; in the likely event that more children achieve the qualifying score than there are places available, the school will need to apply oversubscription criteria to prioritise places.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.

What is the pass mark for Bishop Wordsworth's School?

Your child's scores in the two tests are age-standardised by statisticians at GL Assessment to even out age disadvantage and to give the three tests equal weighting. The two standardised scores will then be added together to give a final mark.

There is no specific pass mark for entry to Bishop Wordsworth's School, but it has historically been in the region of 71% to 74%. Children whose combined scores in the tests reach this pass mark will be regarded as having passed the test. A letter with your child's scores will be posted to you in mid-October 2023, giving details of the score and whether your son has met the required standard.

The pass mark for children who qualify for Pupil Premium will be 3% lower than the standard pass mark, and 10 places will be reserved specifically for these children. If fewer than 10 children who qualify for Pupil Premium pass at the reduced pass mark, then the places will be allocated to standard pass mark applicants.

Achieving a particular score doesn't guarantee a place at the school, as it is likely to be oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area.

Bishops Wordsworth's School admissions criteria

The planned admission number (PAN) for Year 7 is 160. It's very likely that more children will be eligible for a place than there are places available; in the last five years, the number of children who applied for a place was as follows:

• 2022: 355

• 2021: 348

• 2020: 313

• 2019: 349

• 2018: 281

When more children meet the pass mark than there are places available, oversubscription criteria will be applied to allocate places in priority order:

1. Looked After or previously Looked After Children

2. Children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium (Free School Meals)

3. Children whose permanent home is within the school catchment area

4. Children who live with a sibling currently at the school

5. Children who live with a parent employed by the school for at least two years

6. Children who qualify for the Service Premium, have been a Service Child in any of the last three years, or are in receipt of a child pension from the Ministry of Defence

Bishop Wordsworth's School catchment area

The catchment area for Bishop Wordsworth's School extends to Winterbourne Stoke in the north, Middle Winterslow in the east, Downton in the south and Teffont Magna in the west. The south and east borders of the catchment area are the Wiltshire/Hampshire county borders.

A catchment map is available on the school website.

Personalised 11 plus prep for your child

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 the award-winning online 11 plus practice platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for grammar school exams.

Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in English, maths and 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.