King Edward VI Grammar School 11 plus: 2024 entry guide
School guideFeb 14, 2023, 11:17 AM
Are you considering King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford for your child's secondary education? We've collated everything you need to know about the 11 plus process for entry in 2024, including key dates, how to register your child and what's on the CSSE 11 plus exam.
Contents
About King Edward VI Grammar School
King Edward VI Grammar School was founded in 1551 through a royal warrant from King Edward VI - although the school's history dates even further back to the 13th century. The school is boys-only until the age of 16, after which girls are accepted into the sixth form.
The school has an excellent academic reputation. Recently inspected by Ofsted in December 2021 and rating ‘outstanding’, King Edward VI Grammar School is currently ranked 8th out of all grammar schools in the country, based on 2022 exam results, and is a top choice for Essex families aiming for a strong, broad curriculum and superb university preparation.
Address: King Edward VI Grammar School, Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3SX
Local authority: Essex County Council
School type: boys' grammar with a mixed sixth form
Headteacher: Tom Carter
Number of pupils: 1,100+
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 8
A level results: 93.3% A*–B
GCSE results: 93.8% A*/A/9/8/7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 150
Open day date: several events throughout March and July – see more details on the KEGS website
11 plus registration opens: Thursday 16th May 2023
11 plus registration closes: 30th June 2023
Exam date: Saturday 23rd September 2023
Exam type: CSSE 11 plus
Results posted: 16th October 2023
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
King Edward VI Grammar School term dates
The term dates for King Edward VI Grammar School in 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 4th September – 20th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 4th January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 19th–23rd February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to King Edward VI Grammar School
King Edward VI Grammar School is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE). You will need to complete two forms to register your child for a place:
Register for the 11 plus: firstly, you will need to register your child to take the CSSE 11 plus exam on the CSSE website. Registration opens on Thursday 16th May 2023 and closes on 30th June 2023.
Register for a school place: you will need to submit the common application form (CAF) and name KEGS as your preferred school of choice. You will be able to complete the form on the Essex County Council website between 1st September and 31st October 2023.
The 11 plus at King Edward VI Grammar School
The 11 plus exam takes place on Saturday 23rd September 2023. All of the grammar schools in the CSSE take the same exam, which is created and administered by the CSSE itself.
The CSSE 11 plus consists of two papers:
English: one hour, with some additional reading time. It comprises questions that test reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and applied literacy and verbal reasoning. There will also be two pieces of creative writing.
Maths: one hour. Children will be tested on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum, with additional non-verbal and mathematical reasoning questions.
Find out more in our comprehensive guide to the CSSE 11 plus and access free resources to help your child prepare.
What is the pass mark for King Edward VI Grammar School?
After your child takes the CSSE 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 each school will be ranked in order.
The cut-off score can also change between the national offers day (1st March 2024) and the start of the school year; if a child is offered a place on 1st March but then declines this, it will be offered to the next person on the waiting list – therefore changing the cut-off mark. Example scenarios of this are available on the KEGS website.
In 2022, the pass mark at King Edward VI Grammar School was 345 for children living within the priority area, and 366 for children living outside the priority area. This was the highest pass mark of all grammar schools in Essex.
The CSSE does not normally make secondary school offers to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303. However, some appeals outside of this criteria are successful.
King Edward VI Grammar School oversubscription criteria
There are 150 places available in Year 7 at King Edward VI Grammar School. These places are available for children who have qualified for a place (based on their CSSE exam results), have named the school as a preference on the common application form, and have not been offered a place at another school for which they expressed a higher preference on the form.
If the number of children who meet these criteria exceeds the 150 places available, then the school will offer places in rank order using standardised scores from the test.
120 places are reserved for boys who have been continuously living within the priority are (see below) since 31st October in Year 6. Of these 120 places:
Up to 8 places are available to the top performing boys who are either in receipt of Pupil Premium or classified as Looked After or previously Looked After children, and achieve a final standardised score of at least 340.
The remaining places will be offered in descending rank order of marks until 120 places have been awarded to priority area applicants.
The remaining 30 places will be allocated to boys regardless of where they live:
Up to 2 places are available to the top performing boys who, at the time of test registration, are either in receipt of Pupil Premium or are classified as Looked After or previously Looked After children, and achieve a final standardised score of at least 368.
The remaining places will be offered in descending rank order of marks until all 30 places have been filled.
King Edward VI Grammar School priority area
The priority area for King Edward VI Grammar School covers a distance of 12.5 miles from the school. Pupils whose primary home address is within 12.5 miles of the school address, and who have been living at that address since 31st October when they were in Year 6, are classed as living within the priority area.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the CSSE 11 plus.
Cover all the content
The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and beyond.
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 CSSE at the right pace for them.
No surprises
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.
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.
CSSE 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 CSSE 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
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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 Essex grammar schools.
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