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Are you considering Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith for your child? We've collated all the information you need to know about entry to Year 7 in 2024. Keep reading to find out key admission dates, the content of the 11 plus exam and how to help your child excel.
About Queen Elizabeth Grammar School
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) is a selective secondary school in Penrith, Cumbria for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It was established in 1564 by a royal charter and originally set up by Sir Thomas Smith, the dean of Carlisle, who wished to create a school dedicated to teaching Greek and Latin. QEGS is the only grammar school in Cumbria and the northernmost grammar school in England.
Pupils at QEGS learn within a disciplined environment with high regard for the community, honesty and mutual respect. While tradition remains at the core of the school's ethos, teachers make use of the latest technology and the school is constantly innovating to include new learning resources and pedagogy.
Academic outcomes at both GCSE and A level are consistently above the national average and school is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted.
Address: Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Ullswater Road, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7EG
Local authority: Cumbria County Council
School type: mixed grammar
Headteacher: David Marchant
Number of pupils: 1,000+
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 183
A level results: 75.4% A*–B
GCSE results: 49.5% 9/8/7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: Sue Denyer – [email protected], 01768 864621
Number of places in Year 7: 160
Open evening: 27th June 2023
School tours: 7th and 10th July 2023 (booking required)
11 plus registration opens: 17th April 2023
11 plus registration closes: 17th July 2023
Exam date: 16th September 2023
Exam type: GL Assessment
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School term dates
The 2023–2024 term dates at QEGS Penrith are:
Autumn term: 5th September – 15th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 3rd January – 28th 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 Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
1. Register for the 11 plus
QEGS Penrith is an academically-selective school. This means that children applying for Year 7 entry will need to take the 11 plus to be considered for a place.
The 11 plus is a challenging exam designed to select children working within the top academic ability range for their year group. Before registering for the exam, speak to your child's teacher to see if the 11 plus and a grammar school education is right for them.
Registration for the 11 plus at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School opens on 17th April and closes on 17th July 2023. You can apply via an online form on the school website.
2. Apply for a school place
You will receive your child's results in the 11 plus in mid-October 2023. You can use the results to decide whether to name QEGS Penrith as a preferred school on your common application form.
The common application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023. The form needs to be completed for your home local authority – i.e. if you live in Cumbria you will need to complete the form on the Cumbria County Council website. If you live in a different local authority, make sure to apply through the relevant website for that council.
What's on the QEGS Penrith 11 plus?
Children who are registered for the 11 plus will take the exam on the school site on 16th September 2023. The exam provider for QEGS Penrith is GL Assessment.
There are two papers, each 50 minutes in length. The papers consist of multiple-choice questions spanning four subjects:
English and maths: questions are based on the content covered in the Key Stage 2 national curriculum
Verbal reasoning: assesses your child's ability to connect, spot patterns with, and manipulate written information
Non-verbal reasoning: tests your child's ability to analyse visual information and solve problems using shapes, diagrams and pictures
Free 11+ resources
What is the pass mark for Queen Elizabeth Grammar School?
Your child's marks in each of the three subjects will be added together and combined to create an aggregate score. In order to reach the required standard for entry to the school, your child will need to achieve a minimum score in each of the areas and achieve a minimum overall score.
The pass mark for QEGS Penrith will not be set until after the exam, as it depends on the performance of the year group as a whole.
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School admissions criteria
There are 160 places available in Year 7 at QEGS Penrith. Children who have reached the required standard and who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will be admitted, as will the 32 children who achieved the highest ranked aggregate scores in the exam. The remaining places will then be reduced accordingly.
If the number of children who have met the required standard exceeds the number of available places, the school will apply oversubscription criteria to prioritise places:
Children in Local Authority Care or Previously in Local Authority Care (also known as 'looked after' or 'previously looked after' children)
Children with a sibling currently attending the school
Up to 10 places will be allocated to children who are eligible for the pupil premium or service premium
Children of current staff (if they have been employed for at least two years)
Children living with the school's designated catchment area
Children living outside the catchment area, with priority given to those living closest to the school
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School catchment area
The catchment area for Queen Elizabeth Grammar School covers Penrith and the surrounding areas. It extends to Scale Houses in the north, Kirkland in the east, Hartsop in the south and Mosedale in the west.
A map is included in the school admission policy.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the QEGS Penrith 11 plus.
Cover all the content
The Queen Elizabeth Grammar School 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 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 QEGS 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.
QEGS 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 11 plus in Cumbria, 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 Queen Elizabeth 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 grammar school.
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