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Are you considering Reading Girls' School for your daughter? We've collated everything you need to know about entry in 2024. Keep reading to find out about key dates, how to register, what's assessed on the selective stream test and how to help your child excel.
Reading Girls' School is a partially-selective state school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Reading, Berkshire. The school is focused on developing thoughtful and mindful citizens and celebrates its multicultural student body, consisting of 17 different ethnic groups and over 50 spoken languages.
Students at Reading Girls' School receive high-quality teaching that helps them transfer their academic knowledge and skills between different contexts. Once a fortnight, students in Years 7 and 8 have a day dedicated entirely to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), with past activities including visits to the University of Reading, a project management challenge with Fujitsu, and a workshop with the InterClimate Network.
Ofsted has rated Reading Girls' School as 'good', with 'outstanding' behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. Ofsted reported that "pupils treat each other with kindness and care" and that they are "keen to raise awareness of different issues that affect their friends as well as making a difference in their local community".
Address: Reading Girls' School, Northumberland Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 7PY
Local authority: Reading Borough Council
School type: partially-selective girls' school
Headteacher: Marika Farrugia
Number of pupils: 650+
Admissions contact: [email protected], 0118 9015859
Number of places in Year 7: 180 (of which 42 are selective)
Open events: visits are welcome year-round – email [email protected] to book
11 plus registration opens: April 2023
11 plus exam date: Saturday 14th October 2023
11 plus exam type: CEM Select
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
The term dates at Reading Girls' School for 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 5th September – 19th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–31st 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
Reading Girls' School is a partially-selective school. This means a small proportion of the year group will be allocated places based on academic criteria and will go on to study the selective stream at the school. This provides a more intensive academic education designed to enable intelligent and adaptable girls to progress through the national curriculum and achieve the highest exam grades possible.
Girls applying for a place on the selective stream will take the 11 plus exam, known at Reading Girls' School as the selective stream test, in Year 6.
If you would like your daughter to be considered for a place on the selective stream, you will need to register for the exam via the school website. Registration opens in April 2023 and you will be sent an invitation letter to the exam after 12th September.
You will receive your child's results in mid-October 2023, indicating whether your daughter is eligible for a place on the selective stream. You can use these results to decide whether to name Reading Girls' School as one of your preferred schools on your common application form.
Before listing the school as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. Passing the exam will not be a guarantee of a place as more children reach the qualifying standard each year than there are places available.
The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023. The form must be completed for your home local authority – i.e. if Reading Borough Council is your local authority, you will need to complete the common application form on the Reading Council website. If you live in a different local authority, make sure to apply through the relevant website for that council.
Girls applying for a selective place at Reading Girls' School will take the CEM Select assessment on Saturday 14th October 2023. This is an online test which takes about an hour to complete and consists entirely of multiple-choice questions.
Students will be tested in English comprehension, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths. There are six sections in the test:
Comprehension
Anagrams
Missing words
Shuffled sentences
General maths
Pictures
Find out more about CEM Select and download free practice questions in our comprehensive guide:
Your daughter's scores in the CEM Select test will be age-standardised, resulting in a score which takes into account how well she has performed on the test and her date of birth at the time of the exam.
All candidates' standardised scores will then be put in rank order. There is no specific pass mark for the selective stream at Reading Girls' School; the girls with the highest ranked scores will be most eligible for a place.
There are 180 places available in Year 7 at Reading Girls' School, of which up to 42 places can be allocated based on academic ability. All children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will automatically be allocated a place. If the number of children who have applied for the school exceeds the number of places available, the school will apply oversubscription criteria:
Looked after and previously looked after children
Up to 42 places are available for girls who have performed well in the selective stream test
Children who have a specific social or medical need for attending Reading Girls' School
Girls who have siblings at the school
Girls who live nearest the school, measured in a straight line distance between their home and the school address
Daughters of staff at Reading Girls' School
Girls who attend the feeder primary school, Battle Primary Academy
There is no designated catchment area for Reading Girls' School.
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Reading Girls' School selective stream test.
The 11 plus test 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 selective stream test at the right pace for them.
Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of questions in the 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.
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.
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.
Atom Nucleus gives children access to online 11 plus practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Reading Girls' School selective stream test, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.
And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.
Begin your child's journey to Reading Girls' School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
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:
We're happy to help with any questions you may have about admissions processes and helping your child prepare for entry to grammar and partially-selective schools.
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