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Thinking about applying to Dr Challoner's Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.
Key information about Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Address: Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, Chesham Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 5HA
Number of pupils: 1,300+
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 180
11+ exam: Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
Catchment area: Yes
Dates for your diary
11+ registration opens: Friday 3rd May 2024
11+ registration closes: Friday 14th June 2024
11+ exam date: Thursday 12th September 2024
11+ results released: Friday 11th October 2024
Secondary school application deadline: 31st October 2024
School allocations: 3rd March 2025
About Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Dr Challoner's Grammar School is a selective state school for boys aged 11 to 18 with a mixed sixth form in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. It has a well-established reputation dating back to the early 17th century. It is widely recognised as one of the leading state grammar schools in the country. It is the highest-performing state school in Buckinghamshire.
Students are encouraged to become kind, caring, comfortable and open-minded young adults. They learn in an environment full of energy, life and vigour from the best teachers in the area. Beyond the classroom, students get involved in a wide range of co-curricular opportunities. These include sports – for which the school is well-known – music, drama, house competitions, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, student leadership, and much more.
Dr Challoner's Grammar School is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted. It has an impressive collection of accolades. Among these the gold award in the Mind Workplace Wellbeing Awards and the ACE 'School of Character' kitemark. The School Sport magazine has also given the 'best sporting state school in the country' award to it.
How to apply to Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Dr Challoner's Grammar School is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place. In Buckinghamshire, the 11 plus is known as the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.
All children who go to a primary school in Buckinghamshire are entered to take the test. This means that you will not need to register your child separately.
If your child goes to a primary school outside of Buckinghamshire, you’ll need to register them to take the test. Registration for the 2024 exam opens on Friday 3rd May 2024 and closes on Friday 14th June 2024.
The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test will take place on Thursday 12th September 2024. You’ll receive your child’s results on Friday 11th October 2024. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Dr Challoner's Grammar School.
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 entrance exam 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 Dr Challoner's Grammar School below.
What subjects are on the Secondary Transfer Test?
The Secondary Transfer Test consists of two one-hour papers supplied by GL Assessment.
One paper tests verbal skills. This includes English comprehension, technical English, and verbal reasoning.
The other paper tests maths and non-verbal skills. This includes Key Stage 2 maths, non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning.
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How does place allocation work at Dr Challoner's Grammar School?
Your child’s total score in the entrance exam will be age-standardised and weighted. Find out how this mark is worked out in our guide to the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test.
The qualifying mark for entry to Buckinghamshire grammar schools is 121. Children are not ranked beyond this point – places are then based on your target school’s admissions criteria.
If more than 180 children applying to Dr Challoner's Grammar School achieve a score of 121 or higher, the school applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:
Boys who are looked after children or previously looked after children Boys living in the catchment area of the school and who are in receipt of pupil premium Siblings of students currently at Dr Challoner's Grammar School and who live in the catchment area Up to 12 places within the 180 places available will be allocated to boys living in the catchment area, who are in receipt of pupil premium or are looked after/previously looked after children, and who have achieved a standardised score of at least 115 Sons of staff at Dr Challoner's Grammar School Boys living in the catchment area, prioritised by closeness to the school Siblings of students currently at Dr Challoner's Grammar School who live outside the catchment area All other places are then offered in distance order
Dr Challoner's Grammar School operates a catchment area to prioritise eligible children living close to the school. This includes the areas of Amersham, Chesham, Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont Common, Gerrards Cross, Great Missenden and Prestwood.
How can I help my child prepare for the Buckinghamshire Test?
The Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the exam in September 2024.
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 Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test
Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the Secondary Transfer Test? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.
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Navigate the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test with confidence.
Start your free trial today. Our local admissions specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, Secondary Transfer Test prep is sorted.
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