Pates grammar school

[Mumnemumm]

Hi everyone, thanks a lot for your time.
Does anyone know what kind of competition it is to get into Pates grammar school? Like how many children apply for the 150 seats?
Do they have any catchment area? Or anyone can apply and it's only marks based? Also, which would be the next best grammar school for girls in the area?
Just started looking for our daughter. And not familiar with the system at all.

Extremely competitive. Out of the 7 grammars in the county it's the toughest to get in to- made more competitive by the fact that there is no catchment so many people from Swindon & even as far as Bristol or Oxford going for places
Marked slightly differently to the other county grammars in that you need a minimum mark on both papers rather than average over the two.
The test provider is changing for the 2023 test.
Girls grammars in the area are ribston, Denmark road (both Glos), Stroud high & crypt (mixed / Glos)
My daughter qualified for the 3 girls but not pates or crypt. We're awaiting offer day & hoping she has ribston (1st choice) - for us it is closer & felt sportier & more modern than DR but would be happy with any of the three girls schools.
We didn't tutor but had apps on tablet / past papers & a very driven daughter, I know lots do tutor but no guarantee as several we know were tutored but didn't qualify.
Go & look round them all & get a feel for them.
Also may not be relevant now but previous years tests covered whole yr6 maths curriculum but test is at start of yr6!

Hello,
My daughter just started year 7 in September and goes to Denmark Road.She was in top 150 for all girls grammar schools in Gloucestershire but didn’t get into Pates.Pates by far is the most competitive and last year 1900 children did the grammar test and 900 passed but I am not sure how many applied for Pates.No catchment area many children come from as far as Bristol and Swindon.DR is a an older building than RH but both are lovely schools.Buses are also available if you live far away and many girls take trains.
Good Luck xx

Yeah, I think it's right to say that distance/catchment plays no part whatsoever in allocating places, nor does having a sibling etc etc etc, it all goes on test scores.

A few years ago there was a bit of a fuss about the number of non-local kids travelling from Swindon & so on [someone did an FOI request to get the precise numbers] & certainly a fair number of [mostly Indian] families apply from relatively far afield with a view to moving the family more locally if the eldest sibling gets in.

PP right, it's around 1900 applicants for 150 places and allocation is solely on test result. AFAIK all the Glos grammars are really good, know people at all of them and everyone is happy. Crypt is increasingly popular if you prefer co-ed. Consider journey time and access to extra curricular too. There are also some incredible non selective schools in the area. One thing worth noting re Pates is that they are the only school who require a pass on all the elements of the test so it can be more difficult for someone who is a complete Maths wizz but weak in e.g. English to get in, if they did particularly badly in the verbal reasoning part of the test.
Personally I think the 11+ tourist thing is a bit overstated. There have always been a lot of kids from Swindon area but most of my child's friends have been at primary school in Glos or the surrounding areas.

Belfastbird, you mentioned minimum marks on both papers - what would you say that minimum was?

Would anyone be willing to share what is the pass score for 2023 entry? We are having some mock tests coming soon and I wish I could have a better understanding of whether we have any chance for Pates or refocus elsewhere. Thank you!

My nephew went to Pates for A levels. You might want to consider that if you don't get in at 11+. He did well in his A levels but nothing amazing.

hi Belfastbird I wonder if you could share what apps and resources you used for your daughter please. How early did she start working and how much did she do?
My son would like to try for grammar school and for various reasons I prefer to home tutor than find a tutor so would welcome any hints / tips / pitfalls. Thankyou.