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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Grammar school 11+ tests in Dorset

Dorset 11+ guide for parents
We have the facts you need to know about taking grammar school entrance tests in the Dorset area.

Which schools require an 11+ pass?

There are four grammar schools in the county of Dorset:
 

In addition, Poole High School has an Expressly Academic stream, and admits 10% of pupils per year on the basis of the school's entrance test results.

What do the tests involve?

There is one set of selection tests for Poole Grammar School, Bournemouth School, Bournemouth School for Girls and Parkstone Grammar School (the ‘Consortium’). 

Children sit Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English papers; the total score for the three tests determines whether the pupil is of the required standard. The scores for the entrance tests are adjusted (or “standardised”) according to age.

Exam Papers Plus & TheSchoolRun.com

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If you're looking for practice papers for your child's 11+, our partners at Exam Papers Plus have papers for specific schools, as well as courses and mock exams for each area. 

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What version of the test is used?

The schools use GL Assessment papers.

How do you arrange for your child to take the test?

If you want your child to be considered for a grammar school place, you must register your child for testing via your preferred school's website. Detailed arrangements for testing your child will be sent to you directly from the school once you’ve registered. Once your child has taken the test and received their results, you must then complete your Local Authority's school application form, listing your chosen grammar school as one of your preferences. You can find key admissions dates and details for the Bournemouth schools and for the Poole schools on the council website.

Where are the tests held?

Your child will take the test at the school with which you registered them.

What is the pass mark?

Each of the schools has its own admission criteria. Some have a 'qualifying score,' and all children who achieve that mark or higher are eligible to apply for a place, although if the school is oversubscribed, their admission is not guaranteed. Others admit the top scoring pupils each year: for example, Bournemouth School offers places to the 120 top boys, while Poole Grammar typically admits the top 16 per cent. The cut-off scores vary between schools and from year to year, depending on the overall standard and the number of children taking the test. Marks are standardised so that children who are older in the year group are not at an advantage over younger children. You can find out more about how many places are available, and how they are allocated, on each school's website.

How can I help prepare my child?

GL Assessment practice papers, preparation materials and support books are available to buy online.

Please note that while we always strive to ensure the information we provide about individual schools is accurate, admissions arrangements for Year 7 entry change regularly and it is essential to check for up-to-date advice on schools' own websites.

NB: TheSchoolRun receives a small commission from sales made through Exam Paper Plus.