Getting your head around the grammar school test in BCP

In Bournemouth and Poole, there are four excellent grammar schools: Bournemouth School (which is for boys only, although girls can join in the sixth form), Bournemouth School for Girls, Parkstone Grammar School (which is only for girls), and Poole Grammar School (which is only for boys).

All four of these schools are heavily over-subscribed and are selective, meaning that they choose which students to take based on how well they have performed in the 11 Plus test - but we’ll talk a bit more about the 11 Plus test later on.

For the purposes of the entry test, these four schools have come together to form a consortium, which means that all four schools use the same test, which takes place at all four schools, all on the same day. It doesn’t matter which school your child takes the test at, though boys should only apply to take the test at one of the boys’ schools, and girls at one of the girls’ schools. Because of the way the consortium works, if you want to apply for more than one grammar school, your child still only needs to take one test.

Registering for the Test

The window for registering your child for the 11 Plus test opens at roughly the end of April of Year 5 and runs through to the beginning of September. Exact dates will be given on each of the grammar schools’ websites, along with full details on how to register your child, which you do via the school website, not via the council website. There’s no advantage to applying early, other than your own peace of mind, but make sure you don’t miss the deadline!

In the summer term of Year 5, all the secondary schools in the area will hold open days, which are well worth attending. These open days are advertised on the school websites, and they really are very useful – walking around a school, listening to the headteacher’s welcoming speech, and talking to some of the students and staff, will give you and your child a really good feel for the place – and don’t just visit the grammar schools - even if you’re feeling confident that your child will pass the 11 Plus test, the secondary schools in the Bournemouth and Poole area vary a lot in terms of atmosphere and ethos, and the one you end up feeling is best suited to your child might not be the one you expected!


Sitting the Test

Your child will sit the test in mid-September of Year 6. Full details of the date of the test, what your child should take with them, and anything else you need to know, will be sent to you by the school in advance (and if you’re anything like most of us Club 11 Plus boffins, you’ll be far more nervous than your son or daughter on the day!).

In mid-October of Year 6, you’ll get an email with the results of your child’s test. You won’t be told if your child has secured a place at a school, but you will be told what score your child achieved and what the pass mark was. If your child has passed the 11 Plus test and is in catchment, you can feel confident that they will be offered a place at their catchment grammar school.

In October of Year 6, after you’ve received your child’s 11 Plus test results, you then apply for a place at your preferred school. You do this via the BCP Council website, rather than via the school itself. Full details will be given on the BCP Council website, so check it out in advance to make sure you don’t miss the deadline.

If you live in the catchment area for a grammar school, your child will get priority for a place at that school, but even if you live outside the catchment area, you can still apply, and plenty of children who are out of catchment do get in to all four of the grammar schools. Each school will set the pass mark for the test based on how many children in catchment have reached what they deem to be the required standard, and any remaining spaces will be offered to out-of-catchment children with the highest test scores.

The catchment area for Poole and Parkstone grammar schools covers the postcodes: BH12, BH13, BH14, BH15, BH16, BH17, BH18 and BH21 3**; and the catchment area for the two Bournemouth grammar schools covers the postcodes: BH1, BH2, BH3, BH4, BH5, BH6, BH7, BH8, BH9, BH10, BH11, BH12 5, BH23 1, BH23 2** and BH23 3**.

If you are in catchment for one grammar school but would prefer your child to go to the other, you can apply for both, putting the out-of-catchment grammar school as the higher priority. For example, if you live in Poole but would prefer your daughter to go to Bournemouth School for Girls, maybe because you work in Bournemouth so it would be more convenient for drop-offs and pick-ups, you could put Bournemouth School for Girls as your first choice on the application form, and Parkstone Grammar School as your second choice. If your child has a high enough test score, they will be offered a place at Bournemouth School for Girls, but if they don’t, putting Parkstone Grammar School second on your list of options in no way lessens your daughter’s chances of getting a place there.

Unfortunately, if your child hasn’t passed the 11 Plus test, however close they came to reaching the pass mark, there really is no point in applying for a place at a grammar school.

In March of Year 6, BCP Council will let you know which school your child has been offered a place at, and the excitement of preparing for the next chapter begins!

As we’ve already mentioned, all four of the Bournemouth and Poole grammar schools use the same 11 Plus test. The test itself consists of three separate papers: maths, English and verbal reasoning. The papers are all GL-based, which means that they will have been set by a specialist 11 Plus company called GL. Each paper lasts for 50 minutes, and your child will have short breaks in between each one.

We don’t want to do anything to raise your stress levels, but we have to admit that 11 Plus tests are pretty tough! The content of the maths and English tests is more challenging than what your child will have been used to seeing in school, and they probably won’t have come across anything like the verbal reasoning test before. Because of this, in our opinion, even the brightest of children will need a bit of preparation, but there really is no need to panic - with the right approach, your child can tackle it confidently and do themselves justice.

There are of course various options available when it comes to helping your child prepare for the 11 Plus test. One-to-one tutoring is undoubtedly pricey, but if you pick the right tutor, the classes should be well tailored to your child’s needs. Club 11 Plus offers a limited number of online one-to-one tutoring slots, details of which can be found here. But if you’re interested in our in-person one-to-one tutoring slots, which take place in Parkstone, please email enquiries@club11plus.co.uk, and we can let you know of any time slots that are currently available. All our one-to-one tutoring options come with full access to our online school, and daily homework set by their tutor.

A more affordable option is our online school! Club 11 Plus specialises in the GL-based tests used by all four Bournemouth and Poole grammar schools, and our boffins all share a mission to provide affordable 11 Plus preparation to any child who would like to fulfil their potential in the 11 Plus test, regardless of their parents’ disposable income. If your child works through all the lessons and quizzes available in the Club 11 Plus online school, you can feel confident that they will have done everything they need to prepare for the Bournemouth and Poole 11 Plus tests.

You can explore the Club 11 Plus online school for free, with plenty of free lessons and quizzes available to try – and if you do choose to subscribe, you’ll only pay £19.99 per month, with no minimum term and no registration fee. Click here for more details.

(When you explore our school, you might spot that Club 11 Plus also offers non-verbal reasoning lessons and quizzes. While your child might enjoy doing these as well, please bear in mind that your child won’t have to take a non-verbal reasoning test for any of the BCP grammar schools.)

The run-up to the 11 Plus test can be a stressful time for both parents and children, but it’s important to remember that only around 17% of children in Bournemouth and Poole get into grammar school. That means that if your child is currently in a class of 30, only about 5 students are likely to be offered a place. That might make you feel even more stressed, but what we’re trying to say is that, even if your child doesn’t get into grammar school, that’s okay – it certainly doesn’t mean that they’re a failure, and it’s really important that they know that!

Make sure your child understands that working hard is the key, whether they pass or not, and that you’ll love them unconditionally, regardless of the outcome. Many children who don’t pass the 11 Plus thrive wonderfully well in other schools, which often turn out to be a better fit. Put simply, while the 11 Plus test might feel massively important at the time, it’s just one step on the road to success, but there are plenty of other equally awesome routes available!