Southend High School for Girls 11 plus: 2024 entry guide

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

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.

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:

1. Looked After and previously Looked After children who have exceeded the pass mark

2. Children who have exceeded the pass mark, and live within postcodes SS0 to SS9, and are entitled to preferential consideration

3. Other children who live within postcodes SS0 to SS9, who have exceeded the pass mark

4. Children who live outside postcodes SS0 to SS9, and are entitled to preferential consideration, who have exceeded the pass mark

5. 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.

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