South Wilts Grammar School 11 plus guide

About South Wilts Grammar School

South Wilts Grammar School is the only selective school for girls in Wiltshire. Founded in 1927 as the girls’ equivalent to Bishops Wordsworth's School (with which South Wilts Grammar School maintains close links), the school was girls-only until 2020, at which point male students were welcomed into the sixth form.

South Wilts Grammar School has specialist status in mathematics and computing and won the International School Award in 2010. There is an extensive curriculum at A level, with an offering of 26 subjects including Computer Science, Environmental Science, Psychology and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).

The school is located in the medieval cathedral city of Salisbury. Situated in the city’s leafy suburbs, pupils enjoy extensive facilities that include a learning resources centre, a theatre and drama studio, and an all-weather running track.

• Address: South Wilts Grammar School, Stratford Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3JJ

• Local authority: Wiltshire Council

• School type: girls' grammar with mixed sixth form

• Headteacher: Michele Chilcott

• Number of pupils: 1,100+

• National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 108

• A level results: 71.7% A*–B

• GCSE results: 78.5% A*/A/9/8/7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

• Admissions contact: [email protected], 01722 323326

• Number of places in Year 7: 160

• Year 5 open afternoons: 26th June, 3rd July, 6th July, 7th July and 12th July 2023

• 11 plus registration opens: June 2023

• 11 plus registration closes: 1st September 2023

• Exam date: 23rd September 2023

• Exam type: GL Assessment

• Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023

• National school offer day: 1st March 2024

How to apply to South Wilts 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 daughter for the 11 plus test. This is essential for the school's administration of the test and will be used for oversubscription criteria (see below).

The registration form will be available to complete online or download from the school website in June 2023.

2. Apply for school places

You will receive your daughter's results in the 11 plus in a letter posted by the school on 6th 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:

• Wiltshire residents: Wiltshire Council

• Hampshire residents: Hampshire County Council

• Dorset residents: Dorset Council

If your daughter has met the score necessary to be eligible for a place at South Wilts 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 is the pass mark for South Wilts Grammar School?

Your daughter's scores in the English, maths and verbal reasoning tests are age-standardised by statisticians at GL Assessment to even out age disadvantage and to give the three tests equal weighting. The three standardised scores will then be added together to give a final mark.

The pass mark is usually set at 71%. Children whose combined scores in the three tests reach the standardised pass mark will be regarded as having passed the test. A letter with your child's scores will be posted to you on Friday 6th October 2023, giving details of the score and whether your daughter has met the required standard.

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.

South Wilts Grammar School admissions criteria

The planned admission number (PAN) for Year 7 is 160. If more children reach the standardised pass mark than there are places available, places are allocated in this order:

1. Looked After or previously Looked After Children

2. Children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium or Service Premium

3. Children who live within the school's catchment area

4. Children who live with at least one parent who has been employed by the school for a minimum of two years

5. Children who have a sibling at the school and who live closest to the school (ranked in order by a straight line distance)

6. Children who live closest to the school (ranked in order by a straight line distance)

South Wilts Grammar School catchment area

The catchment area for South Wilts Grammar School extends to Winterbourne Stoke in the north, Middle Winterslow in the east, Downton in the south and Teffont Magna in the west. The south and east borders of the catchment area are the Wiltshire/Hampshire county borders.

A catchment map is available on the school website.

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.