Year 7 Admissions

Sir Thomas Rich’s has a five-form intake, admitting 150 boys into Year 7 every year. We are an academically selective school, which means that in order to be offered a place, prospective pupils must sit the Admission Test when they are in Year 6.

The Test takes place in September, and registration to sit the Test opens on the School website in May and closes at the end of June (when pupils are in Year 5). Sitting the Test and achieving the qualifying standard is not a guarantee of a place, however, as an offer will depend on a number of factors, including how many prospective pupils qualify, rankings, and how many place Rich's first on the Local Authority Common Application Form.

Full admissions information for Sir Thomas Rich’s School – including answers to frequently asked questions regarding the test, special educational needs, disabilities, Pupil Premium, test rankings and formal appeals – is available in our booklet: Year 7 Admissions Information

  • 22 May 2023 – test registration opens (online, via homepage)
  • 30 June 2023 – test registration closes
  • 16 September 2023 – test day at STRS
  • 16 October 2023 – results emailed to parents
  • 31 October 2023 – deadline to complete the LA Common Application Form
  • 1 March 2024 – national allocation day / appeals process opens

Results are issued 16 October, and parents then complete the Local Authority (LA) Common Application Form by the end of October, with national allocation day taking place on 1 March. Places are offered to the 150 students who achieved the qualifying standard and ranked the highest in all those who placed Sir Thomas Rich’s as their first choice on the Common Application Form.

What happens next?

  • 20 May 2024 – test registration opens (online, via homepage)
  • 28 June 2024 – test registration closes
  • 14 September 2024 – test day at STRS
  • Mid-October 2024 – results emailed to parents
  • 31 October 2024 – deadline to complete the LA Common Application Form
  • 3 March 2025 – national allocation day / appeals process opens
  • 10 March 2025 - return for waiting list etc
  • 28 March 2025 - deadline for reconsideration

Parents register their son to take the test on the Gloucestershire Grammar School Admissions portal between May and June, when pupils are in Year 5. Rich's is part of the G7 group, seven grammar schools in the county who work together to administrate the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Admission Test for entry to Year 7. Each of the seven grammar schools publishes a link to the portal on its website when registration opens.

You only need to register once, regardless of whether you are interested in your son attending one or several of the Gloucestershire grammar schools. When you register, you can choose how many of the seven schools you would like to share the test result with, and where you would like your son to sit the Admissions Test.

Late applications are not accepted so it’s important to complete the registration form – which is also available as a paper copy on request – before the June deadline.

After registration, parents receive an automated confirmation email, and in early September will receive further information about arrangements for the test day direct from the school where their child is sitting the test. This will be by post so please do let us know if your address changes.

GL Assessment, the Test provider, makes 10 hours of free practice materials available on its website: GLA free practice materials

11+ tests vary from one area of the country to another, so it's important to note that the free familiarisation materials are generic and may differ from the Gloucestershire test's exact specifications. These differences may include the length of papers, the types of questions covered, and/or the level of difficulty.

The test takes place in mid-September when prospective pupils are in Year 6, on the same Saturday at the same time for all seven grammar schools. There are usually two sittings, and if you register your son to sit the test at Sir Thomas Rich’s we will tell you which sitting you have been allocated.

On results day in October, we will let you know if your son has achieved the qualifying standard for Sir Thomas Rich’s. If your son has not achieved the qualifying standard you cannot put Sir Thomas Rich’s as a preference on the LA Common Application Form. If your son has achieved the qualifying standard, you will be able to put Sir Thomas Rich’s as a preference on the LA Common Application Form.

Pupils who rank in the top 150 for Sir Thomas Rich’s (the number of pupils we admit into Year 7) are very likely to be offered a place. Pupils who rank at 151 or lower may still be offered a place, dependent on factors such as the number of students sitting the test who choose to share their results with us, academic ability and how many eligible pupils put Rich’s as their highest preference on the LA Common Application Form.

In previous years, offers of a place at Sir Thomas Rich’s have been made down to a rank of:

  • September 2023 entry - Rank 363
  • September 2022 entry - Rank 397
  • September 2021 entry - Rank 371
  • September 2020 entry - Rank 340

Secondary school places are offered to all Year 6 pupils by Local Authorities on the same day across the country, 1 March.

If you are offered a place at Sir Thomas Rich’s, the LA will let you know how to accept it.

If you are not offered a place at Sir Thomas Rich’s you can choose to go onto our waiting list and / or appeal. Full details are available here: Year 7 Admissions Information

You are welcome to contact us at any time about the admissions process: [email protected]

Full admissions information, including answers to frequently asked questions regarding the test, Special Educational Needs, disabilities, rankings and formal appeals is available in our booklet: Year 7 Admissions Information

The G7 group of schools also jointly issues the following information about the test: Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Admissions Information

Information about transfer to secondary school in Gloucestershire is available from Gloucestershire County Council online at: GCC Transfer to Secondary School