Gloucestershire is one of the few remaining counties in England to run a fully selective secondary system, with seven grammar schools admitting pupils each September on the basis of a shared entrance test. Families researching the 11+ locally need to understand where these schools are and how the joint testing arrangement works, since a single test result can be shared with more than one school and the Local Authority then allocates places centrally.
This guide draws on the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' own admissions information booklet, Gloucestershire County Council's school admissions pages, and the individual schools' own websites, and sets out which schools exist, how the test is run, the usual yearly timetable, how places and appeals work, and what the schools themselves say about preparation.
The seven grammar schools in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire's grammar schools sit in three towns and together form what the schools' own joint admissions booklet calls simply "the seven Grammar Schools in Gloucestershire". Each is its own admissions authority with its own published admissions policy, even though the entrance test itself is shared.
- Pate's Grammar School, Cheltenham: mixed, ages 11 to 18
- Denmark Road High School, Gloucester: girls, ages 11 to 16, with a mixed sixth form
- Ribston Hall High School, Gloucester: girls, ages 11 to 16, with a mixed sixth form
- Sir Thomas Rich's School, Gloucester: boys, ages 11 to 16, with a mixed sixth form
- The Crypt School, Gloucester: mixed, ages 11 to 18
- Marling School, Stroud: boys, ages 11 to 16, with a mixed sixth form
- Stroud High School, Stroud: girls, ages 11 to 16, with a mixed sixth form
Who runs the test, and what it currently covers
For entry to Year 7 in September in the current round, the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test is set by GL Assessment, as confirmed on Pate's, Marling's and The Crypt's own admissions pages, and is identical for all seven schools, with all candidates sitting it on the same day instead of at separate school sittings. The test comprises two papers of around 45 to 50 minutes each, sat on the same day with a short break between them, with additional time allowed at the start of each session for instructions and worked examples.
One paper assesses verbal skills, covering comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning; the other covers non-verbal reasoning together with mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding. Questions are multiple choice, answers are recorded on separate answer sheets, and marking is carried out electronically by an independent company appointed by the seven schools, which the consortium describes as accurate, with results age-standardised so that younger children in the year group are not disadvantaged.
A change is already confirmed for later cohorts: from the next round, with the test sat in the summer and first entry into Year 7 the following September, the seven schools move to a new provider, Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE), a not-for-profit founded by Reading School. The test also moves from September of Year 6 to the latter part of the summer term of Year 5. Denmark Road's own announcement confirms the new FSCE test draws heavily on Key Stage 2 curriculum content and removes the non-verbal reasoning element that features in the current GL Assessment papers. Families whose children sit the test in September of Year 6 for the current round are unaffected and continue to sit the existing GL Assessment-style papers.
11+ tutors
Hannah S.
Master TutorI am a UK-qualified teacher with 15+ years across private and state schools in the UK and abroad, and hold a BSc from LSE and a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, 11+ and Common Entrance preparation. My approach is personalised, confidence-building and rigorous.
Enquire about this tutor
Sochima N.
Master TutorI'm a qualified teacher in a London classroom every day, with a BSc in Computer Science from Brunel and a PGCE with QTS. I teach Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science to A-Level, plus 11+ preparation, through project-based work that suits SEND learners well.
Enquire about this tutor
Ariana G.
Master TutorI have taught English in London schools for twelve years, including Tiffin Girls' School, and hold a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, English Literature, English Language and 11+ preparation across KS3 to A-Level and IB. I get to know each tutee and plan creative lessons around their goals.
Enquire about this tutorRegistration and the yearly timetable
Registration for, and administration of, the entrance test is carried out by the seven grammar schools themselves, with no role for the council, via an online registration form linked from any of the schools' websites (paper copies are available on request). In the most recent round, registration ran from 12 noon on 18 May to 12 noon on 26 June, with the test sat on 12 September.
At registration, parents nominate an Allocated Test Centre and can choose to share their child's result with as many of the seven schools as they wish; a result is only sent to a school if it has been nominated as a "share school". Families are notified of their Allocated Test Centre and the detailed testing arrangements by 8 September. Results are issued in time for parents to complete the council's Common Application Form (CAF), which lists up to five secondary school preferences and must reach the Local Authority by 31 October, and a child not listed on the CAF for a grammar school will not be offered a place there even if they met the qualifying standard.
Children are expected to have a date of birth between 1 September and 31 August of the year group due to start Year 7 in that entry round; outside that range, written consent from each nominated school is required before registration. Any need for extra time or other access arrangements, on the grounds of an EHC Plan, a Statement of Special Educational Needs, or SEN Support, must be evidenced by the same 26 June deadline, and a joint panel drawn from all seven schools agrees arrangements consistently across the consortium.
Catchment, priority places and how places are allocated
None of the seven schools operates a fixed catchment area in the way a comprehensive school might; a child's home address does not, on its own, determine test-centre allocation or eligibility. Each school sets its own oversubscription criteria within its own admissions policy, applied only once a child has met that school's qualifying standard, which is determined after the test is marked instead of being a fixed pass mark.
Ribston Hall High School's determined admissions policy illustrates the pattern used elsewhere in the consortium: priority for oversubscribed places goes first to children in care or previously in care, then to a fixed allocation of places (30 at Ribston Hall) for children eligible for Pupil Premium funding, split by priority between those living inside and outside Gloucester City, and only then to remaining places in strict rank order of test score; ties are broken by straight-line distance to the school. Other schools publish their own versions of this order in their determined admissions policies, so it is worth checking the specific policy for each school under consideration.
Once schools have ranked their qualifying applicants, they pass these lists to Gloucestershire County Council, which allocates places under the Local Authority Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme on National Allocation Day, 1 March. Meeting the qualifying standard is not the same as being offered a place: places still depend on rank order, preference order on the CAF, and each school's own criteria.
Waiting lists and appeals
Parents unhappy with the outcome on National Allocation Day can ask to be added to a school's waiting list, a process the council calls Reconsideration; requests must reach the Local Authority by the date on the Allocation Day letter, which for Gloucestershire is normally 15 March, with outcomes normally advised after 5 April. Waiting lists are re-ranked each time a child is added, using the same published oversubscription criteria, so a child's position can move up or down over time.
Separately, parents have a statutory right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel if a place is refused. Each school administers its own appeals, and a written request must go to the Clerk to the Appeals Panel at the relevant school; the consortium's own glossary notes that hearings normally take place between May and July and need to be lodged by mid-April. An appeal can be brought where a child met the qualifying standard yet there were insufficient places, or where a child did not meet the standard and parents believe there are extenuating circumstances.
How to prepare
Each of the seven schools publishes free familiarisation material on its own website, and the consortium's admissions booklet directs families to these individual pages, without a single central resource; The Crypt School's own page notes that GL Assessment's familiarisation material is generic and may differ from the exact specification, length or difficulty of the real papers. Because the current test covers verbal reasoning, comprehension and vocabulary in one paper and non-verbal reasoning and mathematics in the other, preparation that builds familiarity with all four areas, and with sitting timed, multiple-choice papers under exam conditions, reflects what children actually face on the day.
The Crypt School also offers free 11+ familiarisation resources, developed with Atom Learning, to children eligible for Pupil Premium funding, and Sir Thomas Rich's School offers free access to the same platform to children who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years; both are worth checking directly by families who may qualify. Families preparing for entry in the following round onwards should watch each school's website for the new FSCE specification, expected to be published from September, since the content and format will differ from the current GL Assessment papers, in particular through the removal of non-verbal reasoning.
Preparing for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools 11+ with Taylor Tuition
The Gloucestershire Grammar Schools 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.
Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.
Families in the West Midlands and the Cotswolds and further afield work with us online, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact.
Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- How many grammar schools are there in Gloucestershire, and can a family apply to more than one?
- There are seven: Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham; Denmark Road High School, Ribston Hall High School, Sir Thomas Rich's School and The Crypt School in Gloucester; and Marling School and Stroud High School in Stroud. A child sits the entrance test once, and parents can choose at registration to share the result with as many of the seven as they wish.
- Do we need to live in a particular catchment area to apply?
- No fixed catchment area applies; a child's home address does not determine eligibility to sit the test or apply. Some schools give priority within their own oversubscription criteria to children living in a defined area, such as Ribston Hall's sub-priority for Pupil Premium children living inside Gloucester City, so it is worth checking each school's own published admissions policy.
- What does the entrance test actually cover?
- For entry in September in the current round, the test is set by GL Assessment and comprises two multiple-choice papers of around 45 to 50 minutes each, sat on the same day. One paper covers verbal skills (comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning); the other covers non-verbal reasoning and mathematics. From the next round, for entry the following September, the test moves to a new provider, FSCE, sat in the summer term of Year 5, and drops the non-verbal reasoning element.
- Does meeting the qualifying standard guarantee a place?
- No. The qualifying standard confirms a child is eligible to be considered, but places are then allocated by Gloucestershire County Council in rank order against each school's own oversubscription criteria and the preferences listed on the Common Application Form, which must be submitted by 31 October regardless of the test result.
- What happens if we're unhappy with the outcome on Allocation Day?
- Parents can ask the Local Authority to add their child to a school's waiting list, known as Reconsideration, by the date on the Allocation Day letter, normally 15 March in Gloucestershire. Parents also have a statutory right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel; the request goes in writing to the Clerk to the Appeals Panel at the relevant school, with hearings normally held between May and July.
Enquire about 11+ preparation
Start your enquiryHow Taylor Tuition can help
Expert, one-to-one support from specialist tutors.
Editorial Notice
We use automated research tools to help collate and maintain information across our website. While each post is reviewed before publication, some details may be incomplete or inaccurate.
Free 11+ familiarisation pack
English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with mark schemes.
Taylor Tuition
Educational Consultancy
Contributing expert insights on education, exam preparation, and effective learning strategies to help students reach their full potential.