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Are you considering applying to Chelmsford County High School? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7. Keep reading to learn about key dates, the admissions process, and how to help your daughter excel in the 11 plus!
Chelmsford County High School (CCHS) is a grammar school for girls aged 11–18 in Chelmsford, Essex, about 25 miles from London. The school is highly selective and consistently high-achieving, with students' exam results placing it within the top 20 grammar schools in the country.
Students at CCHS study a dynamic and progressive education distinguished by breadth, balance and challenge. The academic pace is fast and standards are high, resulting in ambitious young women who are passionate about learning. Students are particularly active in the sciences, engineering and debating, competing in regional and national competitions.
The school prides itself on offering a broad enrichment programme for students to extend learning beyond the classroom. There are plenty of opportunities in sports and the creative arts, in addition to the popular Duke of Edinburgh's Award, charity work, a variety of student-led societies and friendly but fierce house competitions.
Address: Chelmsford County High School, Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1RW
Local authority: Essex County Council
School type: girls' grammar
Headteacher: Stephen Lawlor
Number of pupils: 1,100+
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 17
A level results: 87.5%
GCSE results: 95.4% A*/A/9/8/7
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 180
Open events: Thursday 27th April 2023
11 plus registration opens: Wednesday 26th April 2023
11 plus registration closes: Friday 23rd June 2023
11 plus exam date: Friday 22nd September 2023
11 plus exam type: FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise)
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2023
The term dates at Chelmsford County High School for 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 6th September – 21st December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 8th January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 19th–23rd February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
Chelmsford County High School for Girls is a selective school and its own admission authority. It's the only grammar school in Essex which is not a member of the CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex). If you're thinking about applying to other grammar schools in the area, you will need to register for the CSSE exam separately.
Girls applying for a place at Chelmsford County High School take an 11 plus exam supplied by FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise). This is an academic test, designed to select the 25% of children working at the top ability range in their year group.
You will need to register for a passcode for the CCHS entrance test before completing the registration form. The registration window will be open from 9am on Wednesday 26th April 2023 and will close at 4pm on Friday 23rd June 2023.
Girls applying for a place in Year 7 at Chelmsford County High School will take the entrance test on Friday 22nd September 2023.
Chelmsford County High School uses test papers created by Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE). The exam consists of three separate tests:
English: reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling
Maths: Key Stage 2 maths
Creative writing: original writing based on a prompt
Find out more in our comprehensive guide to the FSCE 11 plus and get free resources to help your child prepare.
Chelmsford County High School will let you know if your child is eligible for a place at the school, based on their results in the exam, in mid-October 2023. You can use this information to decide whether to name CCHS as one of your preferred schools on your local authority common application form.
Make sure to check the admissions policy for the school before you complete your common application form. Chelmsford County High School is a top choice in the area; each year, more children achieve an eligible score than there are places available. We've summarised the key points in the school admission policy below.
Your common application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023. The form must be completed for your home local authority – i.e. if you live in Essex, you will need to complete the form on the Essex County Council website. If you live in a different local authority, make sure to apply through the relevant website for that council.
Find out what's assessed, look at example questions, and get free resources to help your child prepare.
The English and maths tests will be marked by computer. The raw marks from each test will be 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.
There is no set pass mark for the Chelmsford County High School 11 plus test. Children will need to meet an eligible score to pass, but this cannot be set until after the exam has been taken. The school admissions team will determine an appropriate eligible score based on how the year group has performed as a whole and a rank order of children who should be offered a place.
However, achieving a particular score cannot guarantee that your child will be offered a place at the school; Chelmsford County High School is consistently oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area. We've included the admission criteria for Chelmsford County High School below.
There are 180 places available in Year 7 at Chelmsford County High School. If the number of children who have met the eligible score and applied for the school exceeds the number of places available, CCHS will offer places to successful candidates in the following order of priority:
Looked after and previously looked after children
Children with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)
Up to 30 places will be offered to children who receive pupil premium and live within the priority area
Up to 114 places will be allocated to children who live within the priority area
All remaining places (up to 36) will be offered to children in descending score order from the ranked list, irrespective of where they live, until all 180 places are filled
Chelmsford County High School has a priority area (catchment area) which covers a distance of 12.5 miles from the school. This is measured in a straight line from the school address to the home address.
You can check to see if your postcode is within 12.5 miles of the school on the Essex County Council website.
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Chelmsford County High School 11 plus.
The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 national 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 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey to cover all elements of the CCHS 11 plus at the right pace for them.
Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of 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.
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.
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.
Atom Nucleus gives children access to online 11 plus practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real 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.
Begin your child's journey to Chelmsford County High School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
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:
We're happy to help with any questions you may have about admissions processes and helping your child prepare for entry to Essex grammar schools.
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