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Are you considering a grammar school in Devon for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about admissions in 2024–2025. Keep reading to:
Find out more about grammar schools in Devon, including Plymouth and Torquay
Learn about local 11+ exams
Discover which subjects your child will be tested on
Plus, get exclusive resources to help your child prepare!
Which schools in Devon use the 11 plus?
There are seven grammar schools in Devon:
East Devon
Colyton Grammar School (boys and girls)
Plymouth
Devonport High School for Girls (girls)
Plymouth High School for Girls (girls)
Torquay
Churston Ferrers Grammar School (boys and girls)
Torquay Boys’ Grammar School (boys)
Torquay Girls’ Grammar School (girls)
Dates for your diary
March 2024: 11+ registration opens for the Torquay grammar schools
April 2024: 11+ registration opens for the Plymouth grammar schools and Colyton Grammar School
Wednesday 17th July 2024: 11+ registration deadline for Churston Ferrers Grammar School and Torquay Girls’ Grammar School
Friday 19th July 2024: 11+ registration deadline for Torquay Boys’ Grammar School
Saturday 31st August 2024: 11+ registration for the Plymouth grammar schools
Friday 6th September 2024: 11+ registration deadline for Colyton Grammar School
Saturday 14th September 2024: 11+ exam at the Torquay grammar schools, and the first 11+ exam at the Plymouth grammar schools
Saturday 21st September 2024: 11+ exam at Colyton Grammar School and the second 11+ exam at the Plymouth grammar schools
Monday 14th October 2024: 11+ results released for Torquay grammar schools
Mid-October 2024: 11+ results released for all other Devon grammar schools
Thursday 31st October 2024: secondary school applications close at 5pm
Monday 3rd March 2025: secondary school national offers day
Dates can vary, so always check with your target schools!
What is the 11 plus?
The 11 plus is an academic entrance test used by grammar schools. Children who pass the test or meet a qualifying standard are eligible for a place at a grammar school. Children who are working within the top 25% of their year group are normally well-suited for grammar school.
The 11 plus exam takes place in September, when your child is in Year 6. Children who were born between 1st September 2013 and 31st August 2014 will take the 11 plus in September 2024 for school places in 2025.
What's on the 11 plus in Devon?
There is no set 11 plus exam in Devon. The seven grammar schools have their own 11 plus exams, or shared exams with other local grammar schools.
Colyton Grammar School
Colyton Grammar School uses 11 plus papers provided by FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise).
The exam consists of three papers:
English: multiple-choice questions which assess reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling.
Maths: a mixture of multiple-choice and free-form questions. These are based on the content your child will have learned in Year 5 maths.
Creative writing: your child will need to write a creative response to a prompt. They will have different options to base their piece on.
Plymouth grammar schools
Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls use 11 plus papers provided by GL Assessment. This is the largest provider of 11 plus grammar school exams in England.
Children applying to these schools take two papers, each lasting approximately one hour:
English: multiple-choice questions which assess reading comprehension, spelling and grammar
Maths: multiple-choice questions based on the content your child will have learned in Year 5 maths
The papers are taken a week apart. Children applying for Year 7 entry in 2025 will sit the English paper on Saturday 14th September 2024, and the maths paper on Saturday 21st September 2024.
Devonport High School for Boys also sets a creative writing paper. This is created internally by school staff. The creative writing task assesses effect, organisation and accuracy of writing.
Torquay grammar schools
Churston Ferrers Grammar School, Torquay Boys’ Grammar School and Torquay Girls’ Grammar School also use 11 plus papers provided by GL Assessment.
There are two one-hour tests, which children will take on the same day:
English: multiple-choice questions which assess reading comprehension, spelling and grammar
Maths: multiple-choice questions based on the content your child will have learned in Year 5 maths
11+ master course
Help your child prepare for GL Assessment 11 plus exams with Atom’s free 11+ course.
Get four GL Assessment style practice papers (including English and maths), marking guidance, and video lessons sent straight to your inbox!
How is the 11 plus scored?
FSCE 11 plus exams (used by Colyton Grammar School) and GL Assessment 11 plus exams are marked slightly differently.
FSCE scoring
Papers 1 and 2 (English and maths) are marked electronically. OMR (Optical Mark Readers) scan the answer sheets and detect the marks your child has made in the boxes. Answer sheets are printed with a unique barcode for each candidate.
Your child’s raw scores from the English and maths papers are age-standardised. This is a statistical process that takes into account your child’s age at the time of taking the test, and the number of correct marks. The standardised age score (SAS) is the final score which schools use to rank candidates.
Children who have achieved an eligible score have their creative writing paper marked by examiners. The eligible score is usually set by the school itself.
GL Assessment scoring
After the test, your child’s answer sheets are marked using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR). This technology scans the answer sheets and detects the marks your child has made in the boxes. Answer sheets are printed with a unique barcode for each candidate.
Your child’s raw scores are then age-standardised and added together for both papers. This total standardised score is your child’s final 11 plus score.
The creative writing paper taken for entry to Devonport High School for Boys is marked internally.
What's the pass mark for the 11 plus?
There is no set pass mark for the 11 plus in Devon. The number of children who will be eligible for entry to the school usually depends on the rank order of children’s scores and the number of places available.
Schools use oversubscription criteria to decide which children to offer places to. We’ve included this information in each of our school guides:
Churston Ferrers Grammar School (mixed)
Colyton Grammar School (boys and girls)
Devonport High School for Girls (girls)
Plymouth High School for Girls (girls)
Torquay Boys’ Grammar School (boys)
Torquay Girls’ Grammar School (girls)
How to apply to grammar schools in Devon
If you're considering a grammar school in Devon for your child, it's a good idea to speak to your child's teacher first.
Grammar schools are academically-selective and select children working towards the top of their year group. Children who are working above the expected standard in core subjects (English, maths and science) at primary school are normally well-suited for grammar school. Your child’s teacher will be able to indicate whether this applies to your child.
1. Register for the 11 plus
If you would like your child to be considered for a place at a grammar school in Devon, you’ll need to register them to take the school’s 11 plus exam.
To register your child, visit the admissions page of your target school’s website and complete the registration form. Make sure to read the instructions carefully, as you may need to register your child for different exams depending on how many grammar schools you’re applying to.
2. Apply for school places
In October 2024, you’ll find out if your child has achieved the minimum score necessary for admission to your target school(s).
You can use these results to decide which schools to name on your secondary school common application form. You should only name grammar schools for which your child has met the eligible score. Before listing a school on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible.
The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 5pm on Tuesday 31st October 2024.
3. National school offer day
On 3rd March 2025, you will find out which school your child has been allocated a place at. They will be allocated a place at your highest-preferred school for which they meet the entry criteria and which has places available.
If no places are available at your preferred schools, they will be offered a place at another school in your area. You can appeal via an independent panel. Information about how to appeal will be sent to you by your local authority along with your school offer on National Offers Day.
How can I help my child prepare for the 11 plus?
The 11 plus exam is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the 11 plus in September 2024.
Bitesize learning
It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the exam. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.
Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.
Read widely
11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.
Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.
Refine exam technique
When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.
Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.
With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers for 11 plus exams in Devon. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.
Celebrate progress
Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.
Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.
Tailored preparation for the 11 plus
Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the 11 plus? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.
Online and printable 11 plus practice papers
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Navigate the 11 plus with confidence.
In 2024, 91% of Atom users got offered a place at their top-choice school.
Start your free trial today. Our specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, 11 plus prep is sorted.
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