Are you thinking about registering your child for a place at Boston Grammar School? We've collated everything you need to know about applying for Year 7 entry in 2024, including the content of the 11 plus exam and how to help your child prepare.
Contents
About Boston Grammar School
Boston Grammar School is a selective grammar school for boys aged 11-18 in Boston, Lincolnshire. The sixth form is also open to girls.
Boston Grammar School received a Royal Charter in 1555 and has remained at the same location in Boston since 1568. The school strives for academic excellence and prides itself on the excellent pastoral care offered to its students.
Address: Boston Grammar School, Rowley Road, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 6JY
Local authority: Lincolnshire County Council
School type: boys' grammar with a mixed sixth form
Headteacher: John McHenry
Number of pupils: 800+
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected], 01205 366444
Number of places in Year 7: 120
Open day date: normally in October. Virtual tours are available on the school website
11 plus registration opens: January 2023
11 plus registration closes: 31st March 2023
Exam date: 16th and 23rd September 2023
Exam type: Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: GL Assessment
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Boston Grammar School term dates
The term dates at Boston Grammar School in 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 6th September – 20th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–30th October 2023
Spring term: 3rd January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 16th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 24th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Boston Grammar School
If you would like your child to be considered for a place at Boston Grammar School, you will have to register them to take the 11 plus and register for a school place separately. There are two forms to complete:
Register for the 11 plus: you will need to register your child to take the 11 plus exam at Boston Grammar School before 31st March 2023. The registration form is available to complete on the school website.
Register for a school place: you will need to submit your local authority common application form (CAF) and name Boston Grammar School as your preferred school of choice. If you're applying from within Lincolnshire, you will be able to complete this form on the Lincolnshire County Council website between 1st September and 31st October 2023.
The 11 plus at Boston Grammar School
The 11 plus exam for entry to Boston Grammar School will take place in mid-September. 15 of the grammar schools in Lincolnshire take the same exam, so your child will only need to take the exam once if they're applying to more than one grammar school in the area.
Boston Grammar School prefers that boys take the test in the familiar environment of their own primary school classroom. However, if your child lives outside of the local area, they will be able to take the exam at Boston Grammar School on two consecutive Saturday mornings in September.
The Lincolnshire 11 plus exam consists of two multiple-choice papers, each lasting around 50 minutes. One paper tests verbal reasoning (16th September 2023) and the other tests non-verbal reasoning (23rd September 2023). These tests require children to think laterally, look for patterns, and apply knowledge of vocabulary, word construction and geometry.
Find out more in our guide to the Lincolnshire 11 plus and access free resources to help your child prepare.
What is the pass mark for Boston Grammar School?
After your child takes the 11 plus exam, a team of independent professional markers will double-mark and check the papers. Some scores will be age-standardised and then the results for the school will be ranked in order.
The qualifying level (pass mark) is a total standardised score of at least 220 on both papers. Children who meet and exceed this pass mark are normally working within the top 25% of their cohort.
Boston Grammar School oversubscription criteria
There are 120 places available in Year 7 at Boston Grammar School. If the number of children who meet the qualifying score exceeds 120, the school will apply oversubscription criteria to decide which children should be offered places.
Children who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan which names the school, and are within the top 25% of the cohort, will take priority. If any children who meet these requirements are offered a place, then the planned admissions number (120) will be reduced accordingly and priority will be determined in this order:
Looked After and previously Looked After children
Children who have siblings already attending the school
Children living closest to the school, calculated in a straight line distance from the home to the school
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Lincolnshire 11 plus.
Cover all the content
The Lincolnshire 11 plus assesses a variety of skills in verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Neither of these subjects is taught on the school curriculum.
We recommend that your child starts revising content at least one year before the test. Setting aside study periods using a 'little and often' approach will give them time to build the skills and knowledge they need. When preparing, avoid falling into the trap of over-focusing on either the topics your child enjoys or the topics they find hardest.
Atom Nucleus is an adaptive 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey. They'll be able to cover all elements of 11 plus verbal and non-verbal reasoning at the pace that's right for them.
No surprises
Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions in the 11 plus exam. Building exam technique with 11 plus test papers will help your child to feel fully confident with the styles of questions they'll encounter in the exam, reducing the potential for stress on the day.
Celebrate their progress
Setting regular goals and celebrating achievements will help keep motivation high. Atom Nucleus offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress towards mastering the 11 plus curriculum, making it easy to see where they need to focus next.
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.
Lincolnshire 11 plus practice papers
Atom Nucleus gives children access to unlimited online practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Lincolnshire 11 plus, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.
And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.
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Personalised 11 plus support for you
We know how keen you are for your child to do well in the 11 plus, to give them every chance of securing a place at their school of choice. Our dedicated team of Education Experts are on hand to support you and your family every step of the way:
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We're happy to help with any questions you may have about admissions processes and helping your child prepare for entry to Lincolnshire grammar schools.
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