Oakwood Park Grammar School 11 plus: a parents' guide for 2022

Oakwood Park Grammar School (OPGS) is a grammar school accepting boys from Years 7-11 and girls and boys at sixth form.

When boys enter Year 7 they are sorted into one of five houses, each with a historical link to the school’s hometown of Maidstone or the school itself. Oakwood Park Grammar School (OPGS) boasts a wide extra-curricular programme including sports, music and charitable outreach. OPGS has also been noted for exemplary pastoral care.

Oakwood Park Grammar School is academically selective at 11 plus. Exam results are impressive, with 92% of boys achieving 5 or above in maths and English at GCSE. Oakwood Park Grammar School received a ‘good’ status in its last Ofsted report, although it notably achieved ‘outstanding’ for its personal development, behaviour and welfare.

11 plus information for Oakwood Park Grammar School

• Address: Oakwood Park Grammar School, Oakwood Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8AH

• County: Kent

• Admissions info: [email protected], 01622 726683

• School type: boys’ grammar (co-ed sixth form)

• Number of pupils: 1,000

• Number of places in Year 7: 160

• Open day date: not yet available for 2023 admission

• Exam date: 8th September 2022 (for children in Kent primary schools) and 10th September 2022 (other children outside of Kent)

• Exam board type: Kent Test (GL)

Oakwood Park Grammar School term dates

The Oakwood Park Grammar School term dates for 2022-2023 are:

• Autumn term: 5th September - 20th December

• Half term: 21st October - 1st November

• Spring term: 4th January - 31st March

• Half term: 13th - 17th February

• Summer term: 17th April - 18th July

• Half term: 29th May - 2nd June

How and when to apply to Oakwood Park Grammar School

Oakwood Park Grammar School complies with Kent’s Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme. To apply to the school, your child will need to register for the Kent Test and complete the Kent Secondary Common Application Form in the year before they start school.

Registration for the Kent Test is usually open from 1st June to 1st July, and you can find more details on the registration process at kent.gov.uk. To apply to Oakwood Park Grammar School, you will need to put the school’s name on the Kent Test application form.

Oakwood Park Grammar School 11 plus admissions process

Oakwood Park Grammar School’s admissions are selective. Applicants will need to score highly in the Kent 11 plus exam, known as the Kent Test, to secure a place at the school. The Kent Test is held in September, a year before your child would enter Year 7.

Oakwood Park Grammar School’s catchment area encompasses a range of approximately 8 miles from the school site.

The Kent Test 11 plus format and content

Applicants to Oakwood Park Grammar School take the Kent Test. This includes three papers:

• Section 1: English and maths - a five-minute practise exercise followed by a 25-minute test for each subject (one hour total)

• Section 2: Reasoning - consisting of verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning (one hour total)

• Section 3: Writing - a 40-minute exercise plus ten minutes’ planning time

Sections 1 and 2 consist of multiple-choice questions. Section 3 is a creative writing exercise, but it isn’t marked as part of the Kent Test and is only used by headteachers in ‘borderline’ cases.

For more information on what to expect from the exam, take a look at our guide to the Kent Test.

How to prepare for the Oakwood Park Grammar School 11 plus exam

As Oakwood Park Grammar School is academically selective, we recommend that your child starts revising comfortably in advance of the 11 plus test to ensure the best chance of scoring well, feeling confident and securing a place at the school. Encourage your child to try a range of exercises, celebrate their progress and work together to identify and improve weaker areas.

Mock tests, such as those provided on the Atom platform, or additionally the reasoning paper available from kent.gov.uk, are a great resource for practising time management as the exam day gets closer. You may also wish to consider booking a one-to-one tutoring session through the Atom platform to help your son excel and to receive targeted help in any areas he finds challenging.

Atom Learning can help you and your child prepare for Oakwood Park Grammar School 11 plus

At Atom Learning, we have over 90,000 teacher-written practice questions and unlimited mock tests that mirror the format and structure of the Kent Test. We also offer live exam prep courses and lessons to help build their skills in a friendly, encouraging, and interactive way.

You can start your 5-day free trial of Nucleus today to ensure your son is fully confident and prepared for the 11 plus.

We know how crucial this time is, so our team is on hand to support you and your family every step of the way. You can book a call with one of our Education Experts to ask any questions you may have about the Kent Test or preparing for Oakwood Park Grammar School:

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