St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School 11 Plus: 2024 entry guide

School guide

Feb 27, 2023, 4:53 PM

St Michael's Catholic Grammar School 11 plus entry guide

Are you considering St Michael's Catholic Grammar School for your child? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7, including key dates, how to register and what's on the 11 plus exam for Barnet grammar schools.

About St Michael's Catholic Grammar School

St Michael's Catholic Grammar School is a girls' selective school in the London Borough of Barnet. Originally founded as a boarding school in 1909 by the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus, the staff remain committed to enabling students to become the person God intended them to be and seek out their unique purpose in life.

Recognised as Outstanding by Ofsted, St Michaels is a place of intellectual exploration and achievement, notable for its calm atmosphere and considerate and hardworking students.

Address: Nether Street, North Finchley, London, N12 7NJ
Local authority: London Borough of Barnet
School type: girls' grammar
Headteacher: Michael Stimpson
Number of pupils: 847
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 50
A level results: 81.9% A*–B
GCSE results: 85.4% 9/8/7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 128
11 plus registration opens: April 2023
Open day: 26th June 2023
11 plus registration closes: 4th July 2023, 4pm
Exam type: GL Assessment
Exam date: 15th September 2023
Local authority application form deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024

St Michael's Catholic Grammar School term dates

The 2023–2024 term dates at St Michael's Catholic Grammar School are:

Autumn term: 5th September – 21st December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 8th January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024

How to apply to St Michael's Catholic Grammar School

1. Register for the 11 plus

Before you register you should speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus is right for them.

Register your child to take the 11 plus by completing the application form which is available from April 2023 and closes at 4pm on 4th July 2023.

If you're applying under the Practising Catholic criterion, you will also need to submit your daughter's Certificate of Catholic Practice and evidence of First Holy Communion by the 4th July closing date.

If you're applying for the other girls' grammar school in Barnet (The Henrietta Barnett School), you will need to register for their exam separately. The grammar schools in Barnet use the same 11 plus test provider, but the schools have chosen to use different combinations of papers and have separate processes.

Some parents also register for grammar schools further afield such as Latymer or South West Herts grammar schools.

2. Apply for school places

Once your child has taken the 11 plus, 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 St Michael's as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. As well as performance in the entrance tests, how close you live to a school is another factor in whether you are likely to be offered a place.

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

What's on the St Michael's Catholic Grammar School 11 plus exam?

The 11 plus exam for St Michael's takes place on Friday 15th September 2023. It is provided by GL Assessment, similar to the other Barnet grammar schools. Children are tested in:

English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning

All questions are multiple-choice. Children record their answers in a separate answer booklet which is marked electronically. The school publishes some familiarisation booklets here.

The English and maths questions assess children's literacy and numeracy at a Key Stage 2 level, which is likely to include both Year 5 and Year 6 national curriculum objectives. Candidates are asked to apply their skills and knowledge to new situations.

The reasoning questions are designed to assess children's ability to solve problems and analyse written and visual information.

Learn about each subject in depth and get free resources in our full guide to the 11 plus:

11+ preparation guide

What is the pass mark for St Michael's School?

St Michael's Catholic Grammar School does not name a specific pass mark. Instead, scores are standardised and ranked in order, and the top 200 candidates are considered for a place. Other criteria are applied, below.

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.

St Michael's School admissions criteria

The planned admission number (PAN) for the school is 128. Children are selected for entry to the school in this order:

Baptised Catholic girls from a Practicing Catholic family who have made their First Holy Communion and who are Looked After or previously Looked After children, and have scored among the top 200 places in the entrance test.
Up to 32 children who are Baptised Catholic girls from a Practicing Catholic family who have made their First Holy Communion and who get free school meals, and have scored among the top 200 places in the entrance test. These places are allocated in order of entrance test scores if more than 32 children meet these criteria.
Baptised Catholic girls from a Practicing Catholic family who have made their First Holy Communion, in order of their entrance test scores, beginning with the highest.

If two or more children are of equal ranking under the criteria, then the verbal reasoning test scores are given the highest weighting, followed by non-verbal reasoning, then English, then maths. If applicants are still equally ranked, priority is given to the child who lives closest to the school.

Within living memory, St Michael's School has always been oversubscribed with candidates who meet the criteria above. In the unlikely event that this is not the case, the remaining places are allocated in this order:

a. Baptised Catholic girls in rank order of entrance test score, beginning with the highest.
b. Girls of other Christian denominations in rank order of entrance test score, beginning with the highest.
c. Other Looked After girls not falling into a. or b. above.
d. Other girls who get free school meals not falling into a. or b. above.
e. Any other girls.

St Michael's School catchment area

St Michael's Catholic Grammar School does not have a defined catchment area. Children are only prioritised based on how close they live to the school when their test scores and all other criteria are equal.

How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus

Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the St Michael's Catholic Grammar School 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 St Michael's School 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.

Barnet 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 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 St Michael's Grammar School 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 Barnet grammar schools.

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