At the Richard Pate School, we successfully prepare children for Year 7 entry into the seven Gloucestershire grammars: Pate’s Grammar, Denmark Road High School for Girls, Sir Thomas Rich’s School, The Crypt, Ribston Hall, Marling and Stroud High School.
Please find to follow our top tips for parents and students on how to prepare your child for grammar school entry:
- You can find the timeline for the Gloucestershire Grammar Test (the 11+) at https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions/grammar-schools/
Parents of our Year 5 children will receive regular updates and reminders about the application window during the Spring and Summer terms.
- Reading is the key that unlocks everything! Encourage your child to read quality literature frequently; audio books count too! Reading boosts children’s vocabulary and comprehension and helps them develop the vital inference skills necessary for success at 11+.
- Times tables are the building blocks to all mathematical concepts. Once your child can recall the basics, get them to practise the questions in a missing number format, as division questions, as multiples of 10, 100, 1000 and beyond, and as decimals. Don’t forget to include a variety of units as well, for example money, length or time.
The 11+ comprises four academic strands:
Maths
Content includes the Year 5 curriculum, as well as some elements of the Year 6 curriculum. At Richard Pate, we cover those additional aspects (eg Algebra and Ratio) as part of our teaching, ensuring that our children are fully prepared for the test.
English
The test includes Comprehension passages, plus Grammar and Spelling. Our focus on teaching the full range of comprehension domains gives children experience of all question types (Retrieval, Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Summary, Compare and Contrast, Author’s Use Of Language and Contribution to Text).
Verbal Reasoning & Non-Verbal Reasoning
Synonyms and Antonyms, Word Analogies, Letter Sequences, Matrices, Series, Similarities, Reflection, Rotation, 2D and 3D plans, Nets, Horizontal Code, Vertical Code, Odd One Out etc are all taught in timetabled specialist 11+ lessons during Year 5. This work is consolidated through bespoke homework tasks, helping to give you a good understanding of your child’s progress.
- Real-life experience is a brilliant way to boost your child’s 11+ skills. From following the instructions to build flatpack furniture, to working on jigsaws, from calculating how many fencing panels are needed, to packing the car boot before a journey, there are lots of ways to help develop reasoning and logic. Send your child along to our lunchtime Academic Club for more ideas!
- Mock tests
Experience of exam conditions and time management will help your child enter the Grammar test with confidence. Opting in to our in-school Mock Test Programme will give you peace of mind, knowing that your child has practised the multiple-choice format of the 11+. You will receive bespoke feedback and cohort scores, and class teachers and the Transition Lead will work with you to ensure your child receives additional input on any areas for development.
For further information on how we can support your child for grammar school entry or to speak with our Transition Lead, Mrs Kirby, please email admissions@richardpate.co.uk or call 01242 522086