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Are you thinking about registering your child for a place at Bourne 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.
About Bourne Grammar School
Bourne Grammar School is a large grammar school for boys and girls in Bourne, Lincolnshire. A grammar school has existed in Bourne since the 14th century and the current school was founded in 1636, moving to its present-day location in 1921.
The school has grown quickly in the last 10 years and this increase in student numbers has been matched by the site’s development. In recent years, a number of spectacular, well-appointed buildings have opened, including a new £4 million science block with 15 state-of-the-art laboratories for teaching biology, chemistry and physics.
Address: Bourne Grammar School, South Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9JE
Local authority: Lincolnshire County Council
School type: mixed grammar
Headteacher: Alastair Anderson
Number of pupils: 1,700+
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 142
A level results: 75.2% A*–B
GCSE results: 62.6% A*/A/9/8/7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: Mrs Lawrence – [email protected], 01778 422288
Number of places in Year 7: 240
Open day date: TBC
11 plus registration opens: January 2023
11 plus registration closes: 30th June 2023
Familiarisation session: 9th September 2023
Exam date: 16th and 23rd September 2023
Exam type: Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: GL Assessment
Exam results: 13th October 2023
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Bourne Grammar School term dates
The term dates at Bourne Grammar School in 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 4th September – 20th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 3rd January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 12th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Bourne Grammar School
If you would like your child to be considered for a place at Bourne Grammar School, you will need to register for them to take the 11 plus exam and apply for a school place separately:
Register for the 11 plus: you will need to register for your child to take the Lincolnshire 11 plus exam via the Bourne Grammar School registration portal. The deadline for this is 30th June 2023, but it's advised to register as soon as possible to support the school with the planning and administration of the test process.
Apply for a school place: you will need to submit your local authority common application form (CAF) and name Bourne 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 Bourne Grammar School
Once you've registered for the exam, you will be sent information about the test procedures in the week beginning 4th September 2023. A familiarisation session is planned for 9th September at Bourne Grammar School. This is not mandatory, although it is recommended to help your child get used to exam conditions. Some children will take the familiarisation session at their own primary school.
The 11 plus exam for entry to Bourne Grammar School is spread out over two dates in September. 15 of the grammar schools in Lincolnshire take the same exam, so your child will only need to take these papers once if they're applying to more than one grammar school in the area.
If your child attends a primary school in Lincolnshire, they may take the 11 plus exams at their own school on Friday 15th and Friday 22nd September 2023. If you're applying from outside Lincolnshire, your child can take the tests at Bourne Grammar School on Saturday 16th and Saturday 23rd September 2023.
The Lincolnshire 11 plus exam consists of two multiple-choice papers:
Verbal reasoning: 50 minutes (Saturday 16th September)
Non-verbal reasoning: 50 minutes (Saturday 23rd September)
Children in feeder Lincolnshire primary schools will be given familiarisation materials for verbal and non-verbal reasoning in June 2023.
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 Bourne 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.
You will receive your child's results in the 11 plus by email on Friday 13th October 2023. However, passing the 11 plus does not guarantee that your child will receive a place at the school, as more children normally qualify for a place than there are places available. See more information about this below.
Bourne Grammar School oversubscription criteria
There are 240 places available in Year 7 at Bourne Grammar School. If the number of children who meet the qualifying score exceeds 240, the school will apply oversubscription criteria to decide which children should be offered places.
Year 7 places are offered to students who have achieved the qualifying score in the following order:
Any child with a statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
Any child in public care or who has previously been in public care (known as a Looked After or previously Looked After child)
Any child who has a sibling currently studying at the school at the time of application
A child who has a parent currently employed by Bourne Grammar School
The distance from the child's main home address to the school
There is no defined catchment area at Bourne Grammar 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.
Try Atom Nucleus free for 5 days
Begin your child's journey to grammar school today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
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:
Ask us anything
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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