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Secondary education

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Original poster

Gloucestershire grammar system

26 replies

Muddymiddle · 14/04/2025 18:02

We're currently planning a move to Gloucestershire, and I've just realised this means we'll be negotiating the 11+ grammar system (we don'y have that in sussex, we're I'm from!)

Our kids are 5 and 8 so we have a few years to plan, but I'm a bit worried about it.. The 8 year old is youngest in her year (august born) and while bright, understandably is not near the top of the class.

The pressure of putting them under such big exams so young worries me, but also I suspect they'd thrive at grammar (my husband went to one and said it was the making of him)

Can anyone share advice on how best to prepare, what to expect?

Are the secondary schools bad because the brightest kids get hauled off to the grammars?

OP posts:
Original poster
Muddymiddle · 20/04/2025 22:34

MarioLink · 19/04/2025 15:31

I think on Kent most kids take the 11+ and a quarter of kids go to grammar. In Glos it's more like 5% go and from some primary schools hardly any kids even take the test. The competition is fierce and tutoring is very common. There are private schools that stop at year 6 and prep for the 11+. There are a lot of kids from our of county; Bristol, Swindon etc but a couple of the grammars have very recently introduced catchments on some of their places.

This doesn't really effect the comps as so few kids are taken out. The comprehensives range from best in the country to dire mainly based on how affluent the area is. Cheltenham and Cotswolds have better performing comps than Gloucester or the Forest. A lot of kids in the catchments of the very best comps don't bother with the 11+.

Thank you, another immensely helpful message :)

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