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Thinking about applying to Chelmsford County High School for Girls? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus.
Key information about Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Address: Chelmsford County High School, Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1RW
Number of pupils: 1,100+
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 180
Catchment area: yes
Dates for your diary
11+ registration opens: Wednesday 24th April 2024 at 9am
CCHS open day: Thursday 25th April 2024, 4.30pm–7pm
11+ registration closes: Friday 21st June 2024 at 4pm
11+ exam date: Friday 13th September 2024
11+ results released: mid-October 2024
Secondary school application deadline: Thursday 31st October 2024
School allocations: 1st March 2025
About Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Chelmsford County High School (CCHS) is a girls' grammar school in Chelmsford, Essex. It's highly selective and students achieve some of the best exam results in the country.
Students at CCHS are passionate about learning and study a dynamic and progressive education. The academic pace is fast and standards are high. Students are particularly active in the sciences, engineering and debating.
There's a broad enrichment programme for students to learn beyond their subjects. Activities include sports, creative arts, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, charity work, and friendly but fierce house competitions.
How to apply to Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Chelmsford County High School for Girls is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place.
To register your child for the exam, complete the application form on the school website. This will open at 9am on Wednesday 24th April 2024 and will close at 4pm on Friday 21st June 2024. You will need to register for a passcode here to complete your child’s application form.
Unlike the 10 other grammar schools in Essex, CCHS is not a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE). If you are also considering other grammar schools in Essex, you will need to register your child for the exam at these schools separately through the CSSE website. Your child will then need to take the CSSE exam in addition to the Chelmsford County High School exam.
The CCHS entrance test will take place on Friday 13th September 2024 and you’ll receive your child’s results in mid-October. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Chelmsford County High School for Girls. 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 Thursday 31st October 2024.
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 Chelmsford County High School for Girls below.
What subjects are on the entrance exam?
Girls applying to Chelmsford County High School take an 11 plus exam created by Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE). There are three papers:
English. This tests reading comprehension, vocabulary, and missing letters
Maths. This tests the core topics on the Key Stage 2 maths national curriculum
Creative writing. Your child will need to write a piece of original writing in response to a prompt.
Guide to the FSCE 11 plus
Find out everything you need to know in our complete guide to the FSCE 11 plus. Plus, get access to free 11 plus resources to help your child feel confident for their exam!
How does place allocation work at Chelmsford County High School for Girls?
Your child’s English and maths tests will be marked by computer. The raw marks from each test will be age- standardised to ensure that children born later in the school year aren't disadvantaged by their age. Children who have performed well in these tests and met an 'eligible score' will then have their creative writing test assessed. This will be marked by examiners.
When you receive your child’s results in mid-October, you will find out whether she has achieved an ‘eligible score’. This is not a pre-defined pass mark, but indicates where your child has positioned in the rank order of standardised scores in the English and maths tests, once the minimum standard for creative writing has been achieved.
If the number of children who have applied for a place at CCHS exceeds 180, places are allocated in descending order from the ranked list (starting with the highest score) in this priority order:
‘Looked after’ and ‘previously looked after’ children who have achieved a score up to 5 marks below an eligible score
Children with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHC) who have achieved an eligible score
Of the next 144 places, up to 30 are prioritised for children who receive Pupil or Service Premium, have achieved a score up to 5 marks below an eligible score, and who live within the school priority area
The remaining places of the 144 above are then allocated to children who have achieved an eligible score and live within the priority area
All remaining places (up to 36) are allocated to children in descending order from the ranked list of scores
What is the catchment area for Chelmsford County High School for Girls?
Chelmsford County High School for Girls has a priority area which covers a 12.5 mile radius (measured in a straight line) from the school.
Children who live within this area are prioritised for places in the oversubscription criteria.
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.
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.
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 11 plus
Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the 11 plus? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
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Navigate the 11 plus with confidence.
Start your free trial today. Our local admissions specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, 11 plus prep is sorted.
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