Pate’s Grammar 11 Plus Guide
It might be difficult to find your way around the 11 Plus the first time as a parent. How do you aid your kid in getting ready for the Pate’s Grammar 11 Plus Exam? What kind of exam structure is it? What stores sell test papers? We’ve provided parents with a “Pate’s Grammar 11 Plus Tips” in this article that seeks to address all of your concerns.
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Pate’s Grammar School, Cheltenham
Pate’s Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school with academy status in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The school has been named ‘State Secondary School of the Year’ twice by The Sunday Times: once in 2012 and again in 2020. This page has everything you need to know about Pate’s Grammar School and can help you get started with the admissions process. You can also find helpful information about the 11 plus exam, such as exam practice resources, information about exam boards and key dates in the calendar.
School details:
Address: Pate’s Grammar School, Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 0HG
County: Gloucestershire
Type of school: Co-educational grammar school
Age range: 11-18
Ofsted rating: Outstanding
Number of pupils: 1102
Admissions to Year 7: 150
Open mornings (2024 entry): Tuesday 28th February, Tuesday 28th March, Monday 26th June and Thursday 29th June 2023
11+ exam date (2024 entry): 11th September 2023
Exam board: GL
Admissions phone number: 01242 523169
Admissions email address: office@patesgs.org
A Brief Overview of Pate’s Grammar School and its Performance
The school was originally founded in 1574 and became co-educational in 1986 when Pate’s Grammar School merged with Cheltenham Grammar School. The school is known for academic excellence, particularly in the sciences: its Physics Department was named best in the country by The Observer in 2006. In terms of student make up, approximately 7% of pupils speak English as a second language, 2% are on free school meals and 4% have some support for special educational needs.
The schools’ results are excellent: for grades 9 at GCSE they are the highest achieving school in the South West and ranked in the top 10 of many national league tables. Furthermore, last year each Pate’s student achieved (on average) 0.79 of a grade higher than their target in every GCSE they took, placing them in the top 5% of all schools nationally. You can see a full break-down of GCSE and A-level results for 2019 here, but the main headlines are as follows: 33% of A-level grades were awarded A*, 77% were A*-A and 96% were A*-B; at GCSE, 42% of grades were awarded level 9, 72% were 9-8, and 88% were 9-7. Unsurprisingly, many students go on to study at top universities – last year 28 pupils received Oxbridge offers, 23 students went on to study Medicine, Veterinary Medicine or Dentistry and 15 read Law. A full list of destinations for 2020 leavers can be found here.
In 2022, 99% of pupils achieved grade 5 or more at GCSE. 97.90% of pupils completing their main study programme. 2022 also had record breaking A-Level results. 95% A*- B with 43% A* grades.
Pate’s Grammar 11 Plus Admissions Process: 2024 Entry
Below you can find the key dates in the calendar for the 2024 entry. Most of the exact dates are yet to be confirmed.
Preparing for Pate’s Grammar 11 Plus Exam
All seven grammar schools in Gloucestershire sit the same entrance exam which is based on the GL exam board. You can find a familiarisation booklet here which outlines the format of the exam in detail. Students can expect to sit two exams, both of which will be around an hour long, which will test Verbal ability, Non-Verbal ability, and Maths. On the school’s website you can find examples of comprehension questions, non-verbal reasoning, word choice questions and Maths papers.
You can find a breakdown of the difference between GL exam boards here, but one of the main things to note is that GL exams tend to be very time pressured. For example, one past paper GL test only gave pupils 15 minutes to answer 25 maths questions and 15 minutes to answer 60 verbal reasoning questions. As a result, it’s important for students to complete lots of practice papers under timed conditions so that they can familiarise themselves with the format of the exam and get a sense of how much time they have to spend on each question. For a good starting point, you might want to check out this site, which offers lots of free downloadable resources for GL.
While much of the test is like KS2 Maths and English questions that candidates are familiar with from school, Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning may be new and this may be where your child should start with revision. This helpful 11 Plus Exam Guide to the Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests can help you to better understand how to prepare your child for these elements of the entrance exam, and it’s also worth checking out the GL AssetTment page, which has lots of handy resources.
As the exam is scheduled for mid-September, your child should already be getting prepared. However, if they have not started revising yet, it is not too late. Discover Help your Child Become 11 Plus-Ready in the Six-Month Countdown to the exam for support in approaching exam readiness and preparation, and for parents who are unsure where to begin, you might like to check out this Top 10 Tips to Pass the 11+ Exam guide.
You may also want to invest in some CGP resources which are specifically designed for the GL paper – they have everything from exercise books, flashcards, 10 minute tests and practice exams to choose from.
Pate’s Grammar 11 Plus Sample Test Papers and Resources
There are past papers available online, but it’s important to remember that it does vary slightly from year to year in order to make it harder for students to prepare. As their entrance exam uses the GL exam board there are lots of resources and past papers available online; you can find a selection of these below.
English and Verbal Reasoning
11+ English and Verbal Reasoning Book 1 | Answer 1
Maths
11+ Maths Test Book 1 | Answer Sheet 1
Non-Verbal Reasoning
11+ Non Verbal Reasoning Book 1 | Answer Sheet 1
11+ Non Verbal Reasoning Book 2 | Answer Sheet 2
Additional Information about Pate’s Grammar School
According to The Good School’s Guide, the school allows ‘masses of time for enrichment; Tuesday afternoons are generally free for extracurricular activities, most of which are Sixth form led.’ There are over 30 student-led societies, and for two weeks each summer, ‘Activities Fortnight’ allows students in years 7 – 10 to participate in an additional myriad of exciting opportunities. The school also has an excellent reputation for sport, and the school also offers lots of sports fixtures on Saturday mornings. They are particularly known for their rugby provision – they have four rugby teams in Year 7, meaning that everyone has a chance to be involved – and their senior rugby team used to be coached by ex-England scrum-half Peter Kingston, who led them to an unbeaten season for the first time in 21 years. The school also offers lots of exciting trips including a South Africa rugby tour and a Europe ski trip. You can see a full online prospectus for the school here.
Pate’s Grammar School FAQs
What is Pate’s Grammar School’s Ofsted rating?
Pate’s Grammar School’s Ofsted rating is ‘Outstanding’. You can find all the previous reports and ratings here.
Does Pate’s Grammar School have a catchment area?
You can see a full breakdown of the school’s admission policy here, which explains the catchment area policy in detail. The 400 children who live closest to the school will take the test at Pate’s Grammar School on the exam date, and all other pupils will take the test at a Gloucestershire grammar school closer to them.
What happens if Pate’s Grammar School is oversubscribed?
In the event that more students pass the entrance exams than there are places, then priority will be given to looked-after or previously looked-after children, children in receipt of Pupil Premium, and then children in rank order of test score. Again, you can find out more about their Admissions Policy here.
What is the pass mark for the exam?
There is no pre-defined pass mark for the exam. Instead, students must achieve something called the ‘Qualifying Standard, which reflects a child’s position in the rank order of standardised scores in the Admissions Test. Specifically, their standard ‘Qualifying Group’ will be the highest ranking 230 students. You can find more detail about this here.
Is there a waiting list?
Yes, for students who have achieved the Qualifying Standard but have not been offered a place due to oversubscription. The waiting list will be maintained until 31st December 2024 unless a parent chooses to withdraw their child.
Does the school have a uniform?
Yes – you can find more details here.
You can also access further 11 plus exam resources below:
A Guide to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests
Best Private Schools in the UK: Top 100 in 2022
11+ Maths Exam: Helping Your Child to Prepare and Pass in 2021
Meet the 11+ Online Tutors Delivering Results
When Should you Start to Prepare Your Child for the 11 Plus Exam
King Edward Five Ways 11 Plus Exam