Skip to main content

Entry into Year 7 (September 2025)

For Year 7 admissions prior to September 2025, please see the relevant policy on the School Policies page.

Please note that the School is responsible for organising testing arrangements and all applicants need to register to be tested. No applicants will be entered automatically.

Test registration opens at 12:00 pm (noon) on Monday, 8 April 2024 and closes at 12:00 pm (noon) on Monday, 2 September 2024. If you do not register your child to be tested by the deadline, any application to join the School will only be considered after the date in March 2025 when school places are allocated.

Parents are advised to read all documents carefully.

The full details of admissions into Year 7 can be found in the School’s Admissions Policy. Key points are summarised below, but this should not be considered a substitute for reading the policy in full.

Admissions FAQ

Who is the Admissions Authority?

The Governing Body of Ermysted’s Grammar School (the ‘School’) is the Admissions Authority.

How many places are available?

The School has a Published Admission Number (‘PAN’) of 128 places in Year 7.

Who is eligible to sit the Entrance Test?

To be eligible to sit the Entrance Test and be considered for a place at the School in September 2025, an applicant must have been born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014. For admissions outside of a child’s normal age group, parents should refer to the relevant section of the Admissions Policy. Please note, as a single sex boys’ school, eligibility will be based on the child’s gender being male. An applicant may only sit the Entrance Test once.

Do I need to register my child to sit the Entrance Test?

Yes.

Everyone, including those residing in the catchment area, needs to register.

How do I register for the Entrance Test?

Parents can submit the Entrance Test Registrations Form from 8 April 2024. Forms must be submitted via this website www.ermysteds.uk/admissions/entrance-test-registration-form-for-year-7-entry-september-2025/ or submitted in hardcopy to the School Office. The deadline for registrations for the main testing session is 12:00 pm (noon) on 2 September 2024. All registrations received after this deadline will be considered as late and will not be considered in the first round of offers.

What if my child requires special arrangements?

For candidates who have a disability and/or require special resources to complete the Entrance Test, parents may request special arrangements be made by completing the relevant section of the Entrance Test Registration Form. Parents making such an application will be informed in writing by 18 September 2024 whether their request has been agreed. The deadline for registrations for the main testing session is 12:00 pm (noon) on 2 September 2024. All registrations received after this deadline will be considered as late and will not be considered in the first round of offers.

What is the format of the Entrance Test?

The Entrance Test consists of two multiple-choice papers, each of approximately 50 minutes in length. The papers are provided by GL Assessment. The papers assess a candidate’s aptitude in English and mathematics and their ability in verbal and non-verbal reasoning. One paper contains a mixture of questions on mathematics and non-verbal reasoning; the other, a mixture of questions on verbal reasoning and English. Both papers contain timed sections.

How can I help my child prepare for the Entrance Test?

Familiarisation materials are available free-of-charge on the GL Assessment website. See 11+ Familiarisation Materials (gl-assessment.co.uk). These materials include exemplar questions on English, mathematics, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. They will allow candidates to become familiar with the type of questions likely to be asked in the Entrance Test, the layout of the test booklets and answer sheet, and provide information about how to write their answers on the answer sheet. For those candidates without access to the internet, paper copies will be supplied on request from the School Office.

Additional familiarisation support is available for applicants in receipt of the Pupil Premium – please contact the School for details.

When will the Entrance Test be held?

The published date for the main testing session is Saturday, 28 September 2024.

How is the ‘required standard’ determined?

The required standard is defined as the score achieved by the 150th candidate when the scores of all candidates in the main Entrance Test cohort are placed in descending rank order.

When will I know whether my child has reached the required standard?

To allow time in which to complete the Common Application Form (‘CAF’), parents will be informed whether their child has met the required standard in the week commencing 14 October 2024.

Please note that achieving the required standard does not equate to the offer of a place at the School.

Scores will be released on request to parents of candidates who have not reached the required standard. The School will not release the scores achieved by candidates who have achieved the required standard to ensure all potential pupils start at the School on an equal footing.

If my child has reached the required standard, does that guarantee admission to the School?

No.

Attaining the required standard does not guarantee admission to the School. If the School is oversubscribed by applicants who have reached the required standard, it will apply its oversubscription criteria until the PAN of 128 has been achieved.

What are the oversubscription criteria? (All terms are fully defined in the Admissions Policy)

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming the School will be admitted. Should this occur it will reduce the number of places available. For other applicants achieving the required standard, there is no guarantee of a place at the School being available. If more applicants reach the required standard than there are places available, the following oversubscription criteria will apply:

First to children who have achieved the required standard and who are Looked-After or are Previously Looked-After, second to children who have achieved the required standard and whose home address lies within the catchment area at the time of application, third to children who have achieved the required standard and whose home address lies outside the catchment area at the time of application.

Preference to children in the second and third priority will be applied in the following order. First to children who are registered as in receipt of the Pupil Premium at the time of application, then to children who have a brother at the School in September of the year of entry, then to children who live closest to the School.

If two or more applicants fulfil the relevant criteria and live equidistant to the School, but there are not enough spaces remaining to accommodate them all, the available place(s) will be allocated at random. The process will be conducted in the presence of a witness who is independent of the School and its admissions process.

Do I need to apply for a place at the School?

Yes.

Registering for and sitting the Entrance Test is not an application for a place at the School. The parent must name the School on the Common Application Form (‘CAF’) and submit the CAF on time to the home local authority. The closing date for submitting the CAF is usually 31 October 2024 but it is the parent’s responsibility to contact their home local authority directly for further details.

Do I need to supply more information to the School?

In order to be able to apply the oversubscription criteria, the School must be informed of applicants who qualify for priority. This is achieved by the parents concerned submitting a Supplementary Information Form (‘SIF’) and including the necessary information and supporting evidence. The SIF needs only to be completed by parents who believe their child qualifies for priority under one of the oversubscription criteria.

When will I know if my child has been allocated a place at the School?

The Local Authority will notify the parents whether or not their child has been allocated a place at the School on 1 March 2025 and provide instructions on how parents can confirm whether they wish to accept the place or not. Failure to confirm the place within the indicated timeframe may lead to the offer being withdrawn.

At Ermysted’s

532
years

Established circa 1492

825
pupils

on roll

59
weekly

enrichment activities