Atom Learning logo
Back to blog

Gloucestershire grammar schools 11 plus guide

By Atom | Apr 2, 2024, 4:03 PM

Gloucestershire grammar schools 11 plus

Are you considering a grammar school in Gloucestershire for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about admissions in 2024–2025. Keep reading to:

  • Find out more about grammar schools in Gloucestershire

  • Learn about the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test (11 plus)

  • Discover which subjects your child will be tested on

  • Plus, get exclusive resources to help your child prepare!

Which schools use the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test?

There are seven grammar schools in Gloucestershire, and they all use the same 11 plus entrance exam. These schools are:

Dates for your diary

  • Monday 20th May 2024: Gloucestershire 11 plus registration opens at midday

  • Friday 28th June 2024: Gloucestershire 11 plus registration closes at midday

  • Monday 9th September 2024: parents receive test centre arrangements by this date

  • Saturday 14th September 2024: Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test

  • Mid-October 2024: parents receive 11 plus results

  • Thursday 31st October 2024: secondary school applications close at 5pm

  • Monday 3rd March 2025: secondary school national offers day

Dates can vary, so always check with your target schools!

What is the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test?

The Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test is an 11 plus exam used by the seven grammar schools in Gloucestershire. If you’re interested in more than one grammar school in Gloucestershire, your child will only have to take the exam once.

The Gloucestershire 11 plus takes place in September in Year 6. Children who were born between 1st September 2013 and 31st August 2014 will take the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test on Saturday 14th September 2024 for Year 7 entry in September 2025.

The test is designed to be challenging. Grammar schools use the 11 plus to select children working in the top ability range in their year group. Children who are within the top 25% of their year group are normally well-suited for grammar school.

What's on the Gloucestershire 11 plus?

The Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test consists of two papers provided by GL Assessment. Most grammar schools in the UK use 11 plus papers provided by GL Assessment.

Each test lasts around one hour. This includes time for instructions, some worked (unmarked) example questions, and the real test questions. Your child will take both tests on Saturday 14th September 2024 if they’re applying for entry in 2025. There is a short break between the two papers.

One paper assesses verbal skills. This includes reading comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning. The other paper assesses non-verbal reasoning and maths skills. All of the questions in both papers are multiple-choice.

Verbal paper

In the verbal skills paper, your child will have questions on reading comprehension, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning. Verbal reasoning is not taught at primary school, so your child might be unfamiliar with these types of questions. It assesses how well they can apply logic and solve problems with written information, such as words, letters, symbols and numbers.

The questions in this paper will require your child to:

  • process verbal information

  • spot similarities and differences between words

  • use logical thinking to solve problems

  • identify patterns

  • understand rules, such as word choice and grammar

  • answer questions to show their understanding of a text

  • use accurate capital letters, punctuation and spelling

Non-verbal and maths paper

In the non-verbal and maths skills paper, your child will be tested on their knowledge of the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum. They will also be assessed on their non-verbal reasoning ability, which is not a subject taught at school. This tests how well they can apply logic and solve problems with visual information, such as shapes, diagrams and pictures.

Your child will need to:

  • process graphic information

  • follow visual patterns and rules

  • apply the maths skills they have learned at school

  • use spatial awareness

  • use logical thinking to solve problems

  • use quick mental arithmetic

  • understand shapes, space and measures

Free 11+ prep

11+ master course

Help your child prepare for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test with Atom’s free 11+ course.

Get four GL Assessment style practice papers (English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning), marking guidance, and video lessons sent straight to your inbox!

Get started today!
Verbal reasoning paper

How is the Gloucestershire 11 plus scored?

After the test, your child’s answer sheets are marked using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). This technology picks up the marks your child has made to indicate which answers they think are correct. Your child receives a mark for every correct answer.

These marks are then age-standardised. Age-standardisation is a common practice in 11 plus scoring and ensures younger children aren’t disadvantaged.

Your child’s results will be emailed to you in mid-October 2024. You’ll receive a different email from each school that you chose to share with on your registration form.

If your child meets your target school’s qualifying standard, you can then apply for a place on your common application form (CAF).

What's the pass mark for the Gloucestershire 11 plus?

There is no single pass mark for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test. All children’s standardised scores are placed in rank order, and each school will decide on a ‘qualifying standard’. ‘Looked after children’ and ‘previously looked after children’, along with children who are eligible for Pupil Premium, tend to be prioritised for places and might need to achieve a slightly lower qualifying score to get offered a place at a Gloucestershire grammar school.

Every grammar school has different admissions criteria. We’ve included the admissions criteria for each Gloucestershire grammar school below:

How to apply to Gloucestershire grammar schools

If you're considering a grammar school in Gloucestershire for your child, it's a good idea to speak to your child's teacher first.

Grammar schools are academically-selective and select children working towards the top of their year group. Your child's teacher will be able to indicate whether they think your child will be able to keep up with the pace in a grammar school.

1. Register for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test

If you would like your child to be considered for a place at one of the seven Gloucestershire Grammar Schools, you’ll need to register them to take the local 11 plus.

Registration for the 2024 exam opens at midday on Monday 20th May 2024 on the participating schools’ websites. You’ll need to complete your child’s application before midday on Friday 28th June 2024.

2. Apply for school places

Your child’s test results will be sent to you in mid-October 2024. You’ll find out if your child has achieved the minimum score necessary for admission to the school.

You can use these results to decide which schools to name on your secondary school common application form. Before listing a school on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 5pm on Tuesday 31st October 2024.

3. National school offer day

On 3rd March 2025, you will find out which school your child has been allocated a place at. They will be allocated a place at your highest-preferred school for which they meet the entry criteria and which has places available.

If no places are available at your preferred schools, they will be offered a place at another school in your area. You can appeal via an independent panel. Information about how to appeal will be sent to you by your local authority along with your school offer on National Offers Day.

How can I help my child prepare for the Gloucestershire 11 plus?

The 11 plus exam is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools’ Entrance Test 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.

A maths learning journey on Atom Home

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.

A non-verbal reasoning question on a Gloucestershire 11 plus mock test on Atom Home

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 Gloucestershire 11 plus

Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the Gloucestershire 11 plus? 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.

  • Online and printable Gloucestershire 11 plus practice papers

  • 90,000+ adaptive questions

  • 500+ hours of on-demand video lessons

  • Automatic marking and instant progress data

Atom Home

Navigate the Gloucestershire 11+ with confidence.

Start your free trial today. Our local admissions specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, Gloucestershire 11 plus prep is sorted.

Try Atom for free
Mock tests for Pate's Grammar School on Atom Home

Atom Learning Ltd. is registered and incorporated in England and Wales. Company Registration Number: 10867907 VAT number: 316903508 Copyright Atom Learning Ltd. All rights reserved.