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Is Southend High School for Girls one of your preferred secondary schools for your child? Find out everything you need to know about applying for entry in 2024, including key dates, the content of the CSSE 11 plus exam and how to help your child prepare.
About Southend High School for Girls
Southend High School for Girls is a girls' grammar school, with a mixed sixth form, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. For over a century, the school has been dedicated to educating and inspiring young women to become the leaders of tomorrow. Offering a broad curriculum and expert teaching, girls have access to staff and facilities of the highest quality as they prepare for university and beyond.
The school helps pupils to secure excellent GCSE and A level results, with many progressing to Oxbridge, Russell Group institutions and other top colleges and universities around the world.
Address: Southend High School for Girls, Southchurch Boulevard, Southend-on-Sea SS2 4UZ
Local authority: Essex County Council
School type: girls' grammar with a mixed sixth form
Headteacher: Jason Carey
Number of pupils: 1,200+
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 74
A level results: 79.6% A*–B
GCSE results: 75.3% A*/A/9/8/7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 180
Open evening: Thursday 6th July 2023
11 plus registration opens: Thursday 16th May 2023
11 plus registration closes: 30th June 2023
11 plus exam date: Saturday 23rd September 2023
11 plus exam type: CSSE 11 plus
Results posted: 16th October 2023
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Southend High School for Girls term dates
The term dates for Southend High School for Girls in 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 6th September – 20th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 4th January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 19th–23rd February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Southend High School for Girls
Southend High School for Girls is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE). This means that the admissions arrangements are similar at all the grammar schools within the consortium, and all children applying to one of the 10 schools take the same 11 plus test.
If you would like your child to be considered for a place at Southend High School for Girls you will need to apply by completing two forms:
Register for the 11 plus: you will need to register your child to take the CSSE 11 plus exam on the CSSE website. Registration opens on Thursday 16th May 2023 and closes on 30th June 2023.
Register for a school place: you will need to submit the common application form (CAF) and name Southend High School for Girls as your preferred school of choice. You will be able to complete the form on the Essex County Council website between 1st September and 31st October 2023.
The 11 plus at Southend High School for Girls
The 11 plus exam takes place on Saturday 23rd September 2023. All of the grammar schools in the CSSE take the same exam, which is created and administered by the CSSE itself.
The CSSE 11 plus consists of two papers:
English: one hour, with some additional reading time. It comprises questions that test reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and applied literacy and verbal reasoning. There will also be two pieces of creative writing.
Maths: one hour. Children will be tested on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum, with additional non-verbal and mathematical reasoning questions.
Find out more in our comprehensive guide to the CSSE 11 plus and access free resources to help your child prepare.
What is the pass mark for Southend High School for Girls?
After your child takes the CSSE exam, a team of independent professional markers will double-mark and check the papers. Some scores will be age-standardised and then the results for each school will be ranked in order.
The pass mark can vary from year to year. In 2022, the pass mark at Southend High School for Girls was 303 for children living within the priority area, and 311 for children living outside the priority area.
The CSSE does not normally make secondary school offers to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303. However, some appeals outside of this criteria are successful.
How are places prioritised?
Any child who has passed the CSSE 11 plus and who has an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) that names Southend High School for Girls as their preferred choice, will be prioritised for a place at the school. If this happens, then the number of places available to other children will be reduced accordingly.
The school will then allocate places for children in the following order, until 180 places have been filled:
Looked After and previously Looked After children who have exceeded the pass mark
Children who have exceeded the pass mark, and live within postcodes SS0 to SS9, and are entitled to preferential consideration
Other children who live within postcodes SS0 to SS9, who have exceeded the pass mark
Children who live outside postcodes SS0 to SS9, and are entitled to preferential consideration, who have exceeded the pass mark
Other children who live outside postcodes SS0 to SS9, who have exceeded the pass mark
Preferential consideration is always given to Looked After and previously Looked After Children, and children who are in receipt of the Pupil Premium or Free School Meals.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the CSSE 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 CSSE 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.
CSSE 11 plus practice papers
Atom Nucleus gives children access to unlimited online practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real CSSE 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 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 Essex grammar schools.
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