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Ermysted's Grammar School 11 plus guide

By Atom | Jun 20, 2023, 4:00 PM

Ermysted's Grammar School 11 plus entry guide

Are you considering Ermysted’s Grammar School for your child? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7. Keep reading to learn about the grammar school admissions process in North Yorkshire and how to help your child excel in the 11 plus exam.

About Ermysted’s Grammar School

Ermysted’s Grammar School is a selective school for boys in Skipton, North Yorkshire. Founded circa 1492, it's the seventh-oldest state school in Britain. An annual Founders' Day is held each autumn to celebrate the school’s history.

Ermysted’s Grammar is rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Students have access to a wide range of extracurricular activities (nearly 60 each week), including involvement in ‘The Reason’ – the school’s national-award-winning newspaper. The school’s extensive list of notable alumni includes authors, sportsmen, actors and politicians.

  • Address: Gargrave Road, Skipton, BD23 1PL

  • Local authority: North Yorkshire County Council

  • School type: boys' grammar

  • Headteacher: Michael Evans

  • Number of pupils: 840

Key info for Year 7 admissions

  • Admissions contact: [email protected]

  • Number of places in Year 7: 124

  • 11 plus registration opens: 24th April 2023

  • 11 plus registration closes: 4th September 2023 (12 noon)

  • Open day: July 2023. (Virtual tour here)

  • Exam date: 23rd September 2023

  • Exam type: GL Assessment

  • Local authority application form deadline: 31st October 2023

  • National school offer day: 1st March 2024

Ermysted’s Grammar School term dates

The 2023–2024 term dates at Ermysted’s Grammar School are:

  • Autumn term: 5th September – 22nd December 2023

  • Half term: 27th October – 3rd November 2023

  • Spring term: 9th January – 22nd March 2024

  • Half term: 12th–16th February 2024

  • Summer term: 8th April – 18th July 2024

  • Half term: 27th–31st May 2024

How to apply to Ermysted’s Grammar School

1. Register for the 11 plus

Before registering, speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus and grammar school is right for them.

While your child is in Year 5, register them for the 11 plus test on the school's website. Registration opens on 24th April 2023 and closes on 4th September 2023.

2. Apply for school places

Once your child has taken the exam, you will get their results during the week commencing 9th October 2023. You can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority application form.

Before listing Ermysted’s Grammar School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. As well as your child's exam score, how close you live to a school is a factor in whether your child is likely to be offered a place.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.

Supplementary information form

If you believe your child qualifies for priority under one of the oversubscription criteria (below), you should also complete a supplementary information form (SIF) on the school's website. The deadline for the SIF is 30th November. This is only needed if your child:

  • Is a Looked After or previously Looked After child

  • Gets free school meals

  • Has a brother at the school in September of their year of entry, or

  • Lives in the catchment area

What's on the Ermysted’s Grammar School 11 plus exam?

The 11 plus exam for Ermysted’s Grammar School will take place on Saturday 23rd September 2023.

The exam is provided by GL Assessment. It's in multiple-choice format and consists of two papers. For each paper, children are given a question book and a separate answer sheet which is marked electronically.

The papers each contain two separately-timed sections:

  • Paper 1 (50 minutes): English and verbal reasoning. Children are tested on their reading comprehension skills and accuracy in spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary.

  • Paper 2 (50 minutes): maths and non-verbal reasoning. Children are tested on their ability to analyse visual information and solve problems using shapes, diagrams and pictures, as well as content covered in the Key Stage 2 national curriculum for maths.

Learn about each subject in depth and get free preparation resources in our full guide to the 11 plus:

11+ preparation guide

What is the pass mark for Ermysted’s Grammar School?

There is no specific pass mark for Ermysted’s Grammar School. After your child takes the exam, their scores are age-standardised and combined to give them a total score across both papers. The total scores are ranked in order.

The 'required standard' is the score achieved by the 140th candidate. As a result, the required standard varies each year depending on the performance of the cohort, and can only be decided after the tests have been marked.

Achieving the required standard score doesn't guarantee a place at the school, as it is likely to be oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools and looking at their oversubscription criteria.

Ermysted’s Grammar School oversubscription criteria

The usual planned admission number (PAN) is 124. This was increased to 128 for 2023 admission, although the school has yet to confirm the PAN for 2024.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming Ermysted's School will be offered a place first. When there are more eligible applicants than there are places remaining, places are allocated in this order:

  1. Looked-After or previously Looked-After Children who achieve the required standard.

  2. Children who achieve the required standard and live in the catchment area.

  3. Children who achieve the required standard and live outside the catchment area.

Children in categories 2 and 3 are prioritised in this order:

  1. Children who get free school meals.

  2. Children who have a brother at the school.

  3. Children who live closest to the school in a straight line.

Ermysted’s Grammar School catchment area

Ermysted Grammar School has a catchment area which consists of the areas served by the primary schools in Beamsley, Bradley, Burnsall, Carleton, Cracoe, Embsay, Gargrave, Grassington, Kettlewell, Kirkby-in-Malhamdale, Skipton, Thornton-in-Craven and Threshfield.

How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus

Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for Ermysted’s Grammar School 11 plus.

Cover all the content

The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and beyond.

We recommend that your child starts revising content at least one year before the test. Setting aside study periods using a 'little and often' approach will give them time to build the skills and knowledge they need. When preparing, avoid falling into the trap of over-focusing on either the topics your child enjoys or the topics they find hardest.

Atom Home is an 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey to cover all elements of Ermysted’s Grammar School 11 plus at the right pace for them.

No surprises

Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of questions in the 11 plus exam. Building exam technique with 11 plus test papers will help your child to feel fully confident with the styles of questions they'll encounter in the exam, reducing the potential for stress on the day.

Celebrate their progress

Setting regular goals and celebrating achievements will help keep motivation high. Atom Home offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress towards mastering the 11 plus curriculum, making it easy to see where they need to focus next.

Test your knowledge

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Personalised 11 plus prep for your child

Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!

Atom Home is the award-winning online 11 plus practice platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for grammar school exams.

Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.

Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.

Ermysted’s Grammar School 11 plus practice papers

Atom Home gives children access to online practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Ermysted’s 11 plus, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.

And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.

Try Atom Home free for 5 days

Begin your child's journey to Ermysted’s Grammar School today. Use the full features of Atom Home free for 5 days – cancel anytime.

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Personalised support for you

We understand how important this next step is for them, and for you. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have about the 11 plus or Yorkshire grammar schools.

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