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.
The Trafford grammar schools' entrance tests (11+) explained
Which schools require an 11+ pass?
Prepare Your Child For The 11+ Exam
- Essential 11+ English and maths skills
- Verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions
- Reading comprehension worksheets & CLOZE tests
Some of the schools have their own entrance exam (Loreto Grammar School, St Ambrose College). If your child wants to apply for a place at more than one of the grammar schools, they will have to take a different test for each school.
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Sale Grammar School, Stretford Grammar School and Urmston Grammar School are known as the Trafford Grammar Schools Consortium (TGSCC); they share a test which will be set by GL from September 2023.
What do the tests involve?
Although some of the schools have their own entrance exams, they cover similar areas. The table below summarises the content of the tests, but you should visit the individual website for more details, including the format and duration of the tests.
| School | Skills tested |
| Altrincham Boys | Verbal reasoning (VR), non-verbal reasoning (NVR), maths |
| Altrincham Girls | VR, NVR, maths |
| Loreto Grammar | VR, English, maths |
| Sale Grammar | VR, NVR, maths |
| St Ambrose | VR, maths, English |
| Stretford Grammar | VR, NVR, maths |
| Urmston Grammar | VR, NVR, maths |
What version of the test is used?
The schools will use GL Assessment tests, alongside internally written papers in some cases. You can find out further information about testing arrangements by contacting each school.
Exam Papers Plus & TheSchoolRun.com
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.
And their Pretest Plus offers online tests and video courses to help your child succeed at CAT, ISEB PRETEST, CEM SELECT and UKISET examinations.
How do you arrange for your child to take the test?
If you wish your child to take the entrance exam for any of the seven Trafford Grammar Schools, you must apply to the relevant school. Each school has different registration deadlines and the entrance tests vary so it’s really important you check the Admissions section on each of the school’s websites to make sure you're aware of the relevant dates and requirements. In addition to registering your child for the entrance exam, you also need to complete the Common Application Form (CAF) for your local authority, which is where you will state your secondary school preferences.
Where are the tests held?
The entrance exams are held at the individual schools.
What is the pass mark?
The pass mark varies from school to school in the Trafford area and, in some cases, from year to year.
Bear in mind that passing the entrance test doesn't guarantee your child a place: if there are more qualifying children than places, the schools will use their own admissions criteria to make offers. These could include proximity to the school, baptism and siblings already attending the school.
How can I help prepare my child?
Most of the Trafford schools offer practice materials and familiarisation tests for parents to either buy or download from their website.
GL Assessment, which produces papers for Loreto Grammar School and St Ambrose College, also publishes an official range of practice papers and support books, which are available to buy online.
Please note that while every effort has been made to ensure this information is accurate, the admissions arrangements for Year 7 entry change regularly and it is essential to check for the most up-to-date advice on schools' own websites.
NB: TheSchoolRun receives a small commission from sales made through Exam Paper Plus.
