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Are you considering Lawrence Sheriff School for your child? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7, including key dates, how to register your child and what's on the 11 plus exam.
About Lawrence Sheriff School
Lawrence Sheriff School is a boys' grammar school in Rugby which gained academy status in 2014. It has a mixed sixth form centre, and is one of three selective schools in Rugby, alongside Rugby High and Ashlawn.
The school has a history of excellent academic performance and emphasises an ethos of fairness, inclusivity, and respect. Lawrence Sheriff has a vertical tutoring policy, which allows students to progress according to performance rather than age – with some taking GCSEs in Year 9, or A Levels in Year 11.
Address: Clifton Road, Rugby, CV21 3AG
Local authority: Warwickshire County Council
School type: boys' grammar
Headteacher: Teresa Mpofu
Number of pupils: 1,031
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 54
A level results: 85.3% A*–B
GCSE results: 76.8% 9/8/7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 150
11 plus registration opens: 9th May 2023
11 plus registration closes: 30th June 2023
Exam date: 16th–18th September 2023
Exam results: mid-October 2023
Exam type: GL Assessment (West Midlands 11 plus)
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Lawrence Sheriff School term dates
The 2023–2024 term dates at Lawrence Sheriff School are:
Autumn term: 5th September – 22nd December 2023
Half term: 30th October – 3rd November 2023
Spring term: 8th January – 22nd March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 8th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Lawrence Sheriff School
Lawrence Sheriff School shares a testing process with the four other grammar schools in Warwickshire, as well as the grammar schools in Birmingham, Shropshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
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.
When your child is in Year 5, register them for the 11 plus on the West Midlands Grammar Schools portal. Registration opens at 9am on 9th May 2023 and closes at 4pm on 30th June 2023.
2. Apply for school places
Once your child has taken the exam, you will get their results in mid-October. You can use the results to decide which schools to include on your local authority application form.
Before listing Lawrence Sheriff School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. How close you live to a school is very important as schools have priority areas which change based on the demand for places.
The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.
What's on the Lawrence Sheriff School 11 plus exam?
The 11 plus exam for Lawrence Sheriff School takes place in mid-September 2023.
It consists of two papers, each lasting about 60 minutes. Both papers are divided into smaller, individually-timed sections that assess:
English comprehension
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning
Learn more details about the exam in our full guide to the Warwickshire 11 plus:
What is the pass mark for Lawrence Sheriff School?
After your child takes the exam, their scores are age-standardised and combined to give them a total score across both papers. Scores are ranked in order and the highest-scoring children are offered a place, with oversubscription criteria applied.
The school sets an automatic qualifying score and a minimum academic standard each year once the papers have been marked. This will depend on the size and performance of the year group.
Achieving a particular score doesn't guarantee a place at the school, as it is usually oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area.
Lawrence Sheriff School oversubscription criteria
The planned admission number (PAN) for the school is 150. Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names Lawrence Sheriff School are offered places first, as long as they achieve the required minimum academic standard or above. Places are then allocated to children in this order:
Category 1: Looked-After or Previously Looked-After Children who achieve the automatic qualifying score or up to 20 marks below it.
Category 2: Up to 30 places are offered to children living in the catchment area who are eligible for Free School Meals and who achieve the automatic qualifying score or up to 20 marks below it.
Category 3: Up to 5 places are offered to children living in the catchment area who are eligible for Service Premium and who achieve the automatic qualifying score or up to 20 marks below it.
Category 4: Children living in the catchment area who achieve the automatic qualifying score or above.
Category 5: Children living in the priority circle who achieve the automatic qualifying score or above.
Those with the highest scores in each category are given highest priority for a place. In the case of children with the same score in any of these categories, the child living nearest the school in a straight line is given highest priority.
Lawrence Sheriff School catchment area and priority circle
Priority circle: a radius of 10.004 miles from the Rugby Water Tower.
Catchment area: Rugby plus the parishes of Dunchurch, Cawston, Thurlaston, Leamington Hastings, Birdingbury, Grandborough, Wolfhamcote, Willoughby, Binley Woods, Brinklow, Brandon and Bretford, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Bubbenhall, Wolston, Church Lawford, Long Lawford, Stretton-on-Dunsmore, Princethorpe, Frankton, Marton, Bourton and Draycote, Churchover, Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, Combe Fields, Cosford, Easenhall, Harborough Magna, Kings Newnham, Little Lawford, Monks Kirby, Newton and Biggin, Pailton, Stretton-under-Fosse, Wibtoft, Willey, and Withybrook.
You'll need to submit evidence to prove that your child lives within the catchment area by the end of December 2023.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Warwickshire 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 the Warwickshire 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.
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 and 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.
Warwickshire 11 plus practice papers
Atom Home gives children access to unlimited online practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Lawrence Sheriff School 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 Lawrence Sheriff School today. Use the full features of Atom Home free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
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 Warwickshire grammar schools.
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