Saint Ambrose College 11 plus: 2024 entry guide

School guide

Feb 20, 2023, 2:28 PM

Are you considering Saint Ambrose College for your child? 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 prepare for the Saint Ambrose College 11 plus exam.

About Saint Ambrose College

Saint Ambrose College is a Catholic boys’ grammar school founded in 1946, with specialist status in maths and computing. It is one of eleven schools in England in the Edmund Rice Schools Network.

The school's onsite facilities include a state-of-the-art sports hall, a full 4G pitch and swimming pool. Students are actively involved in the liturgical life of the college and develop their faith and spirituality through liturgical celebration.

Address: Hale Road, Hale Barns, Altrincham, WA15 0HE
Local authority: Trafford Council
School type: boys' grammar
Headteacher: Dermot Rainey
Number of pupils: 1,082
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 85
A level results: 81.7% A*–B
GCSE results: 65.8% 9/8/7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 140
Open day: 1st July 2023, 9.30am–12.30pm
11 plus registration opens: 18th April 2023
11 plus registration closes: 14th July 2023
Exam date: 22nd September 2023
Exam type: school's own and GL Assessment
Exam results: by 20th October 2023
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024

Saint Ambrose College term dates

The 2023–2024 term dates at Saint Ambrose College are:

Michaelmas (autumn) term: 5th September – 20th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Lent (spring) term: 8th January – 22nd March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 8th April – 18th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024

How to apply to Saint Ambrose College

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.

While your child is in Year 5, register them to take the Saint Ambrose College 11 plus exam on the school website. Registration opens on 18th April and closes on 14th July 2023.

The other grammar schools in Trafford use a different 11 plus test so if you are considering those schools too you'll need to register separately. Most of the other local grammar schools belong to the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium – learn more here.

2. Apply for school places

Once your child has taken the exam, you will get their results by 20th October. You can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority application form. Before listing Saint Ambrose College as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.

What's on the Saint Ambrose College 11 plus exam?

The 11 plus exam for Saint Ambrose College takes place in mid-September 2023. It includes three elements, each in multiple-choice format:

Verbal reasoning
Maths
English

The maths and English questions are written by the school themselves. They assess your child's understanding of Key Stage 2 national curriculum content and test their ability to reason and apply knowledge accurately.

The verbal reasoning questions are administered by GL Assessment and are designed to test your child’s logic and problem-solving ability. This subject is not typically taught at school. It measures how well children can spot patterns with, connect and manipulate written information.

Learn about each subject in more detail and get free preparation resources:

11 plus exam guide

What is the pass mark for Saint Ambrose College?

The qualifying score for Saint Ambrose College is 320. After your child takes the exam, their scores are age-standardised and combined to give them a total score across both papers. Children whose total standardised score is 320 or above are eligible to be considered for a place.

Achieving this score doesn't guarantee a place at the school, as it is likely to be oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area.

Saint Ambrose College oversubscription criteria

The planned admission number (PAN) for the school is 140. When there are more eligible applicants than there are places available, places are allocated in this order:

Baptised Roman Catholic boys who are Looked After or previously Looked After Children.
Baptised Roman Catholic boys who get free school meals and live in a Local Pastoral Area.
Baptised Roman Catholic boys who have a brother attending the school.
Baptised Roman Catholic boys who live in a Local Pastoral Area.
Baptised Roman Catholic boys who get free school meals.
Other Baptised Roman Catholic boys.
Other boys who are Looked After or previously Looked After Children.
Baptised Christian boys who have a brother attending the school.
Other boys who get free school meals.
Christian boys practising in other Christian denominations supported by a minister’s reference confirming that they are an active member of the Church.
Other boys.

If any of these categories are oversubscribed, boys will be prioritised in order of their score in the entrance exam, and then in order of how close they live to Saint Ambrose College.

Saint Ambrose College Local Pastoral Areas

Saint Ambrose Deanery (Diocese of Shrewsbury):

Postcodes: WA14, WA15, M31 and M33.

St Hugh and St John, West Timperley
St Vincent de Paul’s, Altrincham
All Saints, Ashton-on-Mersey
St Margaret Ward, Sale
St Joseph’s, Sale
Holy Angels, Hale Barns
Our Lady of Lourdes, Partington
Holy Family, Sale Moor

Saint Ambrose Barlow Deanery (Diocese of Salford):

Postcodes: M16, M21, M32 and M41.

Our Lady’s & St Alphonsus, Moss Side/Old Trafford
St Ann’s & St Hugh of Lincoln, Stretford
Our Lady and the English Martyrs’, Davyhulme/Urmston
St Monica’s, Flixton
St John’s and St Teresa’s, Firswood/Chorlton

How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus

Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Saint Ambrose College 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 Saint Ambrose College 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.

Test your knowledge

Try answering some 11+ questions

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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.

Saint Ambrose College 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 Saint Ambrose College 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 Saint Ambrose College today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.

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Personalised support for you

We understand how important this next step is for them, and for you. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have about the 11 plus or your local grammar schools.

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