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ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE FOR ENTRY IN SEPTEMBER 2009

One of our stated aims is "to provide a grammar school education to pupils (boys aged 11 - 18 years and girls 16 - 18) who come within the top 25% of the population academically". As a state school educational tuition is free to all pupils.

For entry to Year 7 boys should have passed, or be approaching, their eleventh birthday on 31st August 2008.
There are on average 3 applications for every available place in Year 7.

The examinations for entry to the school at age 11+ will be held at school on the morning of Monday 5th January 2009. The examinations for boarding applicants will take place on the same day, Monday 5th January 2009, at Longford Hall, our Junior Boarding House.

Year 7 applicants will sit 3 tests: Verbal Reasoning, Non Verbal Reasoning and Mathematics.
Multi-Choice Practice papers by NFER-Nelson for Secondary Selection can be purchased from W H Smith or most other book shops. ISBN numbers:

Those who cannot come on the appointed day, through illness or some other good reason, will be invited to come to the school on another day in school time. Parents have the right to apply to Adams’ Grammar School irrespective of their address in the United Kingdom. Applicants from overseas must hold a full British or EU passport and have a guardian in this country.

In addition to the School's own application form you are required to complete the application form which is obtainable from your LEA. This should be returned directly to your LEA. If Adams' Grammar School is your first choice of school and your son is not offered a place, your second choice of school will be considered as your first choice by your LEA.

To apply for a day or boarding place you should complete an Admission Request Form which can be printed from this website or obtained from the school office. It should be returned to the school office by Friday 7th November 2008. You should also complete the Application form provided by your Local Education Authority and return this directly to them. Applications received after that date will be considered, but candidates may have to be tested at a later date. Sixth Form applicants should obtain the separate Sixth Form Prospectus from School and complete the Sixth Form Application Form.

To apply for a boarding place in a year group other than year 7 you should complete the separate Admission Request Form (Years 8/9/10) and return it directly to Adams' Grammar School.

ENTRANCE PROCEDURE YEARS 7 - 9

A) One main entrance examination is held at the school in January for admission the following September.

B) Candidates are tested in groups of around 16 in classrooms, invigilated by a member of the school teaching staff. School Prefects provide back up support (Reception, guiding, escorting to toilets etc).

C) Candidates sit standardised tests in Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and Non Verbal Reasoning for Year 7 entry. For Year 9 tests are in Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English. The invigilators also follow a standardised and detailed list of instructions which are explained to candidates prior to the tests.

D) Each test provides a standardised score for each candidate which allows him to be compared with a standard cohort of children at the same age.

E) The candidate’s present school is asked to provide a confidential report.

F) The tests are marked and a quality audit applied (10% sample of the mark scripts are checked by another member of the marking team). The arrangements are supervised by the Deputy Headmasters.

G) When the scripts have been marked and the reports received, a selection panel meets consisting of the Headmaster, Deputy Headmasters, Head of Maths and English.

H) The aim is to inform parents of the results on 2nd March. Parents will be told whether their son has been accepted, rejected or placed on a reserve list. Those placed on the reserve list are boys considered to be of Grammar School standard but for whom there is not space within the school at this stage. Those offered places will be asked to reply within a two week period.

I) Those parents whose sons have not been offered a place or placed on the reserve list are informed of their right to appeal.

J) The school does continue to receive applications for entry in September after the January entrance exam. Many of these are for boarding spaces and, where space remains in a particular year group, further entrance exams will be arranged and the same entrance procedure follows.

K) If places become available after appeals have been heard and before 1st September they will be allocated according to the criteria specified in the full Admissions Policy.

ENTRANCE CRITERIA YEARS 7-9

There is no geographical catchment area for the School. Entry is based on results in the entrance exam.

Examination is by three standardised papers. Boys will be selected as follows:-

a) Boarding Places (Full and Weekly Boarding)

We aim to provide approximately 15 places in each year group for candidates who we deem suitable to board and who gain the minimum entrance requirement:-

*At least the minimum score approximating to the top quartile of the population by academic ability.
*At least the minimum score in two out of three papers.

In the case of boarding places the school interviews all applicants and their parents to assess suitability for the boarding environment, and takes into consideration the report of the applicant's current school before making an offer.

In the event of over-subscription for the places allocated the following criteria will apply in order:-

1.'Looked after children'
2.Rank order in the aggregation of the entrance tests
3.Boarding need:-

a. Someone who lives too far from School to take advantage of it as a day pupil.
b. Someone who will prosper most when there is a firm external framework of support.
c. Someone whose family background involves a great deal of movement or instability.
d. Someone whose parents cannot, for example because of career demands, give them the time and attention they need and who would benefit from the range of extended activities offered by the School and through boarding.
e. Someone whose elder brothers already board.

Boarding places are not transferable to day places.

b) Day Places (including daily boarding)

There is a maximum pf 90 places available in each year group. These will be awarded on a merit basis according to results achieved in the entrance examination, subject to:-

*Candidate achieving the minimum standard for entry in the entrance examination.
*At least the minimum approximating to the top quartile of the population by academic ability.
*At least the minimum score in two out of the three papers.

In the event of over-subscription for the places allocated the following criteria will apply in order:-

1.'Looked after children'
2.Rank order in aggregation of the entrance tests
3.Elder brother or sister already in the school at the time of application
4.Distance by road from the school having regard to the time taken to travel such distance
5.Daily boarding

Admissions Office

If you have any further queries concerning admission to Adams' Grammar School please contact the Admissions Secretary on (01952) 386300.