Grammar school applications rise by 20 per cent

There are 1,050 Year Seven places available each year across Gloucestershire's seven grammar schools

Applications to sit the entrance exam for grammar schools in Gloucestershire have risen by more than 20 per cent over the past two years.

This year 3,130 Year Six pupils will take the exam, commonly called the 11-plus, compared to 2,568 children in 2022.

Nicholas Dyer, the headmaster of The Crypt School in Gloucester, said the rise shows the level of confidence in the county’s seven grammar schools.

“It’s wonderful news for the schools as we’ve always wanted to broaden access, so we’re really pleased with the figures,” he said.

This year's exam takes place on Saturday, with the hope of securing one of 1,050 places next year.

Each grammar school has an annual intake of 150 Year Seven pupils, and parents and children will find out the results of the test in October.

Mr Dyer believes there are two main reasons for the increased numbers, including outreach work by the schools to assist children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and high Ofsted ratings.

“Each school has been involved in our outreach programme called Shaping Futures, which involves working with local primary schools supporting the development of academic work [mainly with] disadvantaged students," he said.

“Secondly, the reputation of the schools collectively continues to grow. Three of the schools were recently inspected and all had ‘outstanding’ [Ofsted reports], and that reflects very well on the sector across the county.”

VAT changes

The Gloucester headmaster said numbers sitting the test could increase further next year, when VAT exemption is removed from private schools.

The government policy to remove charitable status from fee-paying schools is set to come in to force in January.

Critics have warned these costs will be passed on to parents, prompting more to apply for grammar schools.

Mr Dyer said: “At the moment, I don’t think there are any plans for any of the individual schools to increase their numbers into Year Seven.

“So we will potentially see an increase in registrations for the entrance test. But we’ll have to wait and see what the impact is. I think it’s too early to say.”