Pate’s Grammar School has consistently been one of the top performing schools in Gloucestershire. Based in Cheltenham, Pate’s is a selective grammar school with academy status that accepts boys and girls from Year 7 to 13, after Pate’s Grammar School for Girls and Cheltenham Grammar School merged in 1986 — over 400 years after Cheltenham Grammar was founded.
One of seven grammar schools in Gloucestershire, Pate’s places a strong emphasis on academia. This year, 93% of students achieved A* to B grades at A level, with 90% of students accepting places at their top choice university, including Oxford, Cambridge and many other Russell Group universities.
Extracurricular activities are also prioritised at Pate’s. A wide range of clubs and societies are offered at lunchtimes and after school, including Robotics Society, Philosophy Club and Sewing Club. Additionally, the school has many acres of fields and top-class facilities on site; sports offered include football, hockey and athletics. The arts are also encouraged, with a large number of choirs, orchestras and bands actively performing and rehearsing on a weekly basis, as well as various theatrical productions which are very popular with students.
Entry Points
As is often the case, there are two main entry points for Pate’s Grammar School: the 11+ entry in Year 7, and the 16+ entry in Year 12. Occasionally, there are places available in other year groups, however this is rare and usually only occurs when a student leaves the school.
The 11+ typically offers 150 places, though it is hugely oversubscribed, with over 2500 applications every year.
At 16+, Pate’s offers at least 220 places every year, usually with 140 existing students being offered a place, along with 80 external applications.
Admission Requirements for 11+ Entry
In order for a child to win a place at Pate’s Grammar School, they must first take the Grammar School Entrance Test and achieve a qualifying score.
The test contains two papers, the first of which assessing children’s verbal skills (such as verbal reasoning and text-based work) and the second assessing non-verbal reasoning and mathematics. Both tests are one hour, with a short break in between them. The questions are multiple-choice, meaning that a child picks one of four or five answers for each question.
GL Assessment provides the test, as it does to most of the grammar schools in the UK, providing familiarisation materials on their website.
The 11+ test is usually taken in September of Year 6, with registration in the Summer Term of Year 5 via an application form through Gloucestershire County Council. If you live outside of Gloucestershire, you must apply to the local council in which you reside.
Up to 460 applicants who live nearest to Pate’s Grammar School will take the test on the confirmed date of the test, and all other applications will be granted test places at another Gloucestershire grammar school, though all tests will be the same.
Oversubscription & Waiting List for Year 7 Entry
There is not a pre-defined pass mark for this test; the ‘qualifying group’ consists of the 250 highest-scoring students. However, students who receive pupil premium, are ‘looked after’ or ‘previously looked after’ must place within the top 500 scores.
For students who achieve the qualifying score, Pate’s Grammar School prioritises students in this order:
- ‘Looked After’ or ’Previously Looked After’ children.
- Children who are eligible for Pupil Premium.
- Other children in test rank order - until all 150 places have been allocated.
If more than one child achieves the same score, their position in the rank order is determined by proximity to the school.
Students who achieve the necessary standard but are not given a place are put on a waiting list in the same order as achieved in the exam. Any place that becomes vacant by January 1st of Year 7 will be offered to a child at the top of the waiting list. However, there is no waiting list for any other year group.
Example questions in Paper 1
In the first paper, which tests verbal skills, students are generally given a comprehension to read, followed by questions on said text. There are also questions that test students’ understanding of spelling, grammar, and verbal reasoning.
Comprehension Questions
Here is an example of some questions that may be asked, taken from the GL Assessment Familiarisation Materials:
“The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring.”
Q: The father compares himself and his family to prisoners set free. Why?
A: They had been held hostage by pirates.
B: They had been trapped in their cave.
C: They had been trapped in their house due to stormy weather.
D: They had been caught in heavy rain which had finally stopped.
E: They had been unfairly accused of crimes but the accusations had been dropped.
Why might the author have decided to include water references in the first paragraph? (lines 1–5)
A: The heavy rain had recently stopped.
B: Rain was still falling heavily.
C: Water makes the setting seem more peaceful.
D: The family hadn’t had a drink for a long time.
E: The family have found themselves on an island surrounded by water.
Source: GL Assessment Familiarisation Materials
Choose the correct word
These questions ask you to choose the most appropriate word to complete a sentence.
Q: Waiting in the wings, the pupils’ nerves soared as they listened to the ____ whispers from the audience.
A: Excitement
B: Excite
C: Exciting
D: Excited
E: Excites
Q: What they were about to watch was not what you _____ a normal show.
A: Considered
B: Would consider
C: Are considering
D: Considering
E: Wouldn’t consider
Source: GL Assessment Familiarisation Materials
Example questions in Paper 2
Paper 2 tests students’ mathematical and non-verbal skills. Students must be familiar with the entire KS2 curriculum, as a wide range of topics may be asked.
Arithmetic Sequences
These questions ask you to fill in the gaps in a sequence.
What number would fill in the question marks below?
Q: 393, 384, 375, ?, 357
Q: 4.2, ___, ___, ?, ___, 4.4
Working Backwards
These questions ask you to work backwards to find the original number.
Q: Matthew thinks of a number. He multiplies his number by 2. Then he subtracts 4. The answer is 10. What number did Matthew first think of?
Non-Verbal Reasoning
These questions are generally concerned with shapes - questions have included asking students to find the odd one out in a pattern, to pick the correct shape within a sequence, or to pick the correct net that represents a given 3D shape.
16+ (Sixth Form) Admission Requirements
Sixth form places are awarded based on each student’s GCSE results. Following application, conditional offers are sent out by April, outlining these minimum requirements a student must achieve in order to be awarded a place:
- A minimum points score across students’ best 8 GCSEs must be 57
- In both English and mathematics, you must score at least a 6
- You must score a 7 in any subject you are studying at A Level
If the number of applicants who have reached the standard is higher than the number of places available, Pate’s Grammar School prioritises students using the following criteria:
- ‘Looked After’ or ’Previously Looked After’ children.
- Children who are eligible for Pupil Premium.
- ‘Best 8’ GCSE points score - until all places have been awarded.
In-Year Applications
Although places are rare between Year 7 and 12, they occasionally become available; parents must contact Pate’s Admissions Officer if they would like their child to be considered for a place at the school.
If there are no available spaces, the school will place the child on the ‘Register of Interest’. As soon as a place becomes available, the student will be invited to sit an in-year test, in which they must show that they are of an appropriate standard academically.
Appeals
Parents whose child has not been awarded a place at the school, either in year 7 or in any year, are able to appeal, under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. An appeals form must be submitted to an independent panel, the information for which can be found on the school’s website.
Preparation Tips for the Entrance Test for Pate’s Grammar School
Preparation is hugely important for admission to Pate’s Grammar School, especially as the school seems to prioritise academic scores over proximity to the school more than many other grammar schools, which gives well-prepared students a significant advantage.
Candidates should possess a thorough understanding of the KS2 curriculum in English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and should have experience in completing past papers under timed conditions. Keystone have provided specialist tutors for these exams for over a decade, who are experienced and can guide candidates through the entire process.
For more details on how Keystone can help with preparation for the Pate’s Grammar School exam, feel free to call the office for a chat with one of our client managers, or contact us via our request a tutor form.