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If you're considering Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford for your child's secondary education, look no further. We've gathered all the information you need to know about Year 7 entry in 2024, including details of how to apply, the content of the 11 plus exam, and tips to help your child prepare.
About Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar, Alford is a grammar school for boys and girls established in 1566.
The school was formerly a Business & Enterprise College and students are encouraged to set up their own businesses and trade in school (with a venture fund to support them). The school also provides an extensive range of extra-curricular activities, including a biannual World Challenge Expedition (held in Ecuador in 2020), the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and a bespoke Leadership Award Scheme.
The school is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Address: Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar, Station Road, Alford, Lincolnshire LN13 9HY
Local authority: Lincolnshire County Council
School type: mixed grammar
Headteacher: Glen Thompson
Number of pupils: 500+
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected], 01507 462403
Number of places in Year 7: 84
Open day date: every year on the first Thursday in October
11 plus registration opens: January 2023
11 plus registration closes: 31st March 2023
Exam date: 16th and 23rd September 2023
Exam type: Lincolnshire Consortium of Grammar Schools: GL Assessment
Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023
National school offer day: 1st March 2024
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford term dates
The term dates at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford in 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 6th September – 20th December 2023
Half term: 23rd–27th October 2023
Spring term: 3rd January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford
If you would like your child to be considered for a place at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford, you will need to register for them to take the 11 plus exam and apply for a school place separately:
Register for the 11 plus: you will need to register for your child to take the Lincolnshire 11 plus exam before 31st March 2023.
Apply for a school place: you will need to submit your local authority common application form (CAF) and name Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford as your preferred school of choice. If you're applying from within Lincolnshire, you will be able to complete this form on the Lincolnshire County Council website between 1st September and 31st October 2023.
The 11 plus at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford
The 11 plus exam for entry to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar is spread out over two dates in September. 15 of the grammar schools in Lincolnshire take the same exam, so your child will only need to take these papers once if they're applying to more than one grammar school in the area.
Children attending primary schools in the catchment area for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford will be administering the 11 plus at their own schools. If your child does not attend a local primary school, they will be able to take the exams at their nearest grammar school or at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School on the following dates:
Verbal reasoning: Saturday 16th September 2023
Non-verbal/spatial reasoning: Saturday 23rd September 2023
Find out more about the content of the exam in our guide to the Lincolnshire 11 plus and access free resources to help your child prepare.
What is the pass mark for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford?
After your child takes the 11 plus exam, a team of independent professional markers will double-mark and check the papers. Some scores will be age-standardised and then the results for the school will be ranked in order.
The qualifying level (pass mark) is a total standardised score of at least 220 on both papers. Children who meet and exceed this pass mark are normally working within the top 25% of their cohort.
The results of the exam will be emailed to you on Friday 13th October 2023. However, passing the 11 plus does not guarantee that your child will receive a place at the school, as more children normally qualify for a place than there are places available. See more information about this below.
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford oversubscription criteria
There are 84 places available in Year 7 at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford. If the number of children who meet the qualifying score exceeds 84, the school will apply oversubscription criteria to decide which children should be offered places.
Children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school, and who have met the qualifying score, will be prioritised before the remaining oversubscription criteria are applied to children who have reached the qualifying score:
Pupils who are or have previously been in public care
Pupils living within the school's designated free transport area (catchment area) and who have a sibling currently attending the school
Pupils living within the school's designated free transport area (catchment area)
Pupils who do not live within the designated free transport area, but do attend a primary school within it, and have a sibling currently attending the school
Pupils who do not live within the designated free transport area, but do attend a primary school within it
Pupils who do not live in the designated free transport area or attend a primary school in the area
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford catchment area
The catchment area for Queen Elizabeth's Grammar, Alford is aligned with the designated transport area. This covers the areas of Alford, Huttoft, Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-Sea, Theddlethorpe, Willoughby and Withern.
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Lincolnshire 11 plus.
Cover all the content
The Lincolnshire 11 plus assesses a variety of skills in verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Neither of these subjects is taught on the school curriculum.
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 adaptive 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey. They'll be able to cover all elements of 11 plus verbal and non-verbal reasoning at the pace that's right for them.
No surprises
Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of verbal and non-verbal reasoning 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.
Lincolnshire 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 Lincolnshire 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 grammar school today. Use the full features of Atom Home free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
Personalised 11 plus support for you
We know how keen you are for your child to do well in the 11 plus, to give them every chance of securing a place at their school of choice. Our dedicated team of Education Experts are on hand to support you and your family every step of the way:
Ask us anything
We're happy to help with any questions you may have about admissions processes and helping your child prepare for entry to Lincolnshire grammar schools.
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