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Are you considering Poole Grammar School for your son? 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 excel in the 11 plus exam.
About Poole Grammar School
Poole Grammar School was founded in 1904 and provides a selective grammar school education to boys aged 11 to 18 in Poole, Dorset. The school prides itself on its outstanding pastoral system and the excellent all-round education offered to its students. It's currently rated 'good' by Ofsted.
Boys at Poole Grammar School learn in a culture where success is celebrated and different talents are valued as part of a vibrant community. Many pupils get involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award programme and enjoy a variety of sports on the school site, including football, rugby, tennis and cricket.
Address: Poole Grammar School, Gravel Hill, Poole, Dorset, BH17 9JU
Local authority: Dorset Council
School type: boys' grammar
Headteacher: Amanda Smith
Number of pupils: 1,200+
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected], 01202 692132
Number of places in Year 7: 180
Open evening: TBC
11 plus registration opens: 17th April 2023
11 plus registration closes: 8th September 2023
Exam date: 23rd September 2023
Exam type: Dorset Consortium – GL Assessment
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Poole Grammar School term dates
The 2023–2024 term dates at Poole Grammar School are:
Autumn term: 5th September – 15th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 3rd January – 29th March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Poole Grammar School
1. Register for the 11 plus
Before registering, speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus and grammar school is right for them. The 11 plus exam is a challenging exam, designed to select the children working within the top 25% of their year group.
You will need to complete a test registration form to register your son for the 11 plus test. This will be available to complete on the school website between 17th April and 8th September 2023.
2. Apply for school places
You will receive your son's results in the 11 plus in a letter posted by the school on 13th October 2023. You can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority secondary application form. You must complete the form for your home local authority:
Dorset residents: Dorset Council
Hampshire residents: Hampshire County Council
Wiltshire residents: Wiltshire Council
If your son has met the score necessary to be eligible for a place at Poole Grammar School, you will be able to name the school as a preference on the form. However, make sure to check the school's oversubscription criteria first; in the likely event that more children achieve the qualifying score than there are places available, the school will need to apply oversubscription criteria to prioritise places.
The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.
What's on the Poole Grammar School 11 plus exam?
Poole Grammar School is one of four schools within the Dorset Consortium. Children applying to any of these schools will take the same 11 plus exam in September in Year 6.
For entry in 2024, children will take three multiple-choice papers on Saturday 23rd September 2023:
Maths: 50 minutes
English: 45 minutes
Verbal reasoning: 50 minutes
Learn more and get free 11 plus preparation resources in our guide to the 11 plus in Dorset:
What is the pass mark for Poole Grammar School?
Your son's raw scores for the three papers will be standardised according to his age in years and months. This is to ensure that children born later in the school year aren't disadvantaged by being younger. The scores will then be shared with the other three schools in the Dorset Consortium.
All candidates' marks will then be ranked in order of success. There is no set pass mark, as the qualifying standard will be determined by the number of children who have taken the test, and how well the particular cohort has performed.
Achieving the qualifying score doesn't guarantee a place at the school of your choice, as schools are oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area.
Poole Grammar School admissions criteria
Oversubscription criteria
The planned admission number (PAN) for Year 7 is 180. If more children reach the standardised pass mark than there are places available, places are allocated in this order:
Children who are classed as 'Looked After' or 'Previously Looked After'
Children who appear to have been in state care outside of England, and have ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted
Children who live within the school catchment area and who currently receive Pupil Premium
Children who live within the school catchment area and do not receive Pupil Premium
The sons of current members of staff, who have been employed at the school for more than two years
Children who live outside the school catchment area and who receive Pupil Premium
Children who live outside the school catchment area
Catchment area
The priority area, or catchment area, for Poole Grammar School covers the historic Borough of Poole and the following postcodes:
BH12, BH13, BH14, BH15, BH16, BH17 and BH18
BH21 3
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Dorset 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 Dorset 11 plus 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.
Dorset 11 plus practice papers
Atom Nucleus gives children access to online practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Dorset 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
Begin your child's journey to Poole Grammar School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
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 Dorset grammar schools.
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