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Are you considering Sale Grammar School 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 Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium 11 plus exam.
About Sale Grammar School
Sale Grammar School is a mixed (girls and boys) selective school and a member of the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium. Founded in 1991, the school was rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in its most recent inspection and has specialist status in the visual arts and science with maths.
The school has a high reputation for pastoral care, priding itself as a ‘happy and vibrant place to be.’ With impressive exam results and leavers’ destinations, Sale Grammar School creates an environment in which students are ‘equipped to lead happy and successful lives.’
Address: Marsland Road, Sale, M33 3NH
Local authority: Trafford Council
School type: mixed grammar
Headteacher: Rebecca Smith
Number of pupils: 1,304
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 41
A level results: 87% A*–B
GCSE results: 80% 9/8/7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 190
11 plus registration opens: 21st April 2023
11 plus registration closes: 12th June 2023 (12 noon)
Exam date: 5th September 2023
Exam type: Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium 11 plus
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Sale Grammar School term dates
The 2023–2024 term dates at Sale Grammar School are:
Autumn term: 5th September – 22nd December 2023
Half term: 20th–30th October 2023
Spring term: 8th January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 9th–18th February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th May – 2nd June 2024
How to apply to Sale Grammar School
Sale Grammar School shares an entrance test with the four other schools in the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium. This means that your child only needs to take one exam to apply for these schools.
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 Trafford 11 plus exam on the school website. Registration opens on 21st April and closes on 12th June 2023 at 12 noon.
2. Apply for school places
Once your child has taken the exam, you will get their results in mid-October. You can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority application form.
Before listing Sale Grammar School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. How close you live to a school is very important as schools have priority areas which change based on the demand for places.
The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.
What's on the Sale Grammar School 11 plus exam?
The 11 plus exam for Trafford Grammar Schools takes place in mid-September 2023.
It consists of two papers, each lasting about 60 minutes. Both papers are divided into smaller, individually-timed sections that assess:
Verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning
Maths
Learn about the exam in more detail in our full guide to the Trafford 11 plus:
What is the pass mark for Sale Grammar School?
The qualifying score for Sale Grammar School is 334. After your child takes the exam, their scores are age-standardised and combined to give them a total score across both papers. All children with a total standardised score of 334 or above are eligible to be considered for a place.
Achieving a particular 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.
Sale Grammar School oversubscription criteria
The planned admission number (PAN) for the school is 190. When there are more eligible applicants than there are places available, places are allocated in this order:
Looked-After or Previously Looked-After Children.
Up to 15 children who get free school meals. In this category, the first priority is children who live in the priority admission area, in order of how close they live to the school. The second priority is children who attend a Trafford state primary school but do not live in the priority admissions area, in order of their test scores.
Children who live in the priority admission area, in order of how close they live to the school.
Children from outside the priority admission area, in order of their test scores and then in order of how close they live to the school.
Sale Grammar School priority admission area
The priority admission area for Sale Grammar School is the postcode M33, plus Trafford Authority residents in the M23, WA14, and WA15 postcodes. Distances to the school are measured in a straight line.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Trafford 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 Trafford 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.
Trafford 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 Sale Grammar School 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 Sale Grammar School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
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 Trafford grammar schools.
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