Year 7 Admissions to Sir Thomas Rich's School


Transfer to secondary education in September 2013

Sir Thomas Rich’s is part of the Local Authority (LA) co-ordinated scheme. This means that all offers of places at Sir Thomas Rich’s will be offered by the LA on 1 March 2013. The information in this booklet will help to guide you through the procedure. In addition, all parents of children in Year 6 should receive from the County Council, probably in July, an information leaflet and a summary of secondary schools’ Open Evenings. The Council also produces a book detailing admission procedures for all schools and a separate Transfer to Secondary School booklet – these booklets are available online www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions, and copies are in all primary schools, secondary schools, children’s centres, libraries and in Shire Hall. They give full details of the process of transfer, how to apply, each secondary school’s admission criteria, etc.

What sort of school is Sir Thomas Rich’s?

Sir Thomas Rich’s is a secondary, selective school for boys, which has Academy status and is state funded.  To find out more you are welcome to contact or visit Sir Thomas Rich's, simply telephone to confirm a suitable day and time. However, we shall be holding two Open Days in September 2012 (dates to be confirmed). On each day, parents and children are welcome to visit at their convenience. The school may be seen 'at work' from 8.40am, starting with morning assembly, to 1.05pm, and from 2.15pm to 3.30pm.

There will also be an Open Evening in September 2012 (date to be confirmed). The Headmaster, Mr Kellie, will give talks at 6.00pm and again at 7.30pm, and there will be guided tours of the school. Pupils and staff will be on hand to answer questions and visitors may see displays of pupils' work.

School prospectuses will be issued on each of the above occasions.

How does my son gain admission to Sir Thomas Rich’s?

Sir Thomas Rich’s is a selective school.  To gain a place your son must first sit the Admissions Test in October of Year 6.  The test will be held on Saturday 6 October 2012 at 8.45am. To be eligible for a place, your son must achieve the qualifying score of 210 or above in the Admissions Test.  Where there are more qualified students the LA will offer places according to a student’s position in the rank order of Admissions Test scores and the school preferences made by parents (see also section on How will the successful pupils be selected below.)

How do I apply for entry?

Sir Thomas Rich’s operates its admission procedures in line with the LA’s co-ordinated arrangements.  To apply for Sir Thomas Rich’s, you must first complete the Grammar Test Online Registration Form which must be received by the school by 12 noon on Friday 28 September 2012. The Grammar Test Online Registration Form can be found on the home page of the school’s website (www.strschool.co.uk) - from 1st September 2012.  A paper copy of the form is also available from the school and must be returned by the same deadline.  We would encourage parents to use the online form as an email reply will be sent to confirm the application has been received. 

Parents are not obliged to apply for a grammar school, but DO need to complete the Registration Form if they wish their child to take the test.  It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that the registration form is received by the school before the deadline.  This form provides all the information needed to organise the Admissions Test and for us to send you further information about the test.  Unless we receive this form by the deadline, your son will not be able to sit the Admissions Test here on 6 October.

Is there a special catchment area?

There is no catchment area, pupils from anywhere in the county and beyond are considered equally, and there is no priority for siblings. In essence, admission depends solely upon performance in the tests.

It is up to parents to decide if the journey is acceptable, the school cannot take responsibility for organising transport. There are buses, operated commercially, which bring pupils from the Forest of Dean, Tewkesbury, Swindon (via Cirencester) and from Cheltenham. The Council's conditions regarding eligibility for free transport are set out in their Transfer to Secondary School booklet. In summary, you may be eligible only if you live in Gloucester city and Sir Thomas Rich's is your nearest grammar school but it is more than three miles from your home, measured by the shortest available pedestrian route.

What happens if I am interested in more than one Grammar School?

If you are also considering Marling, Pate’s or The Crypt School you must include this information on your registration form but indicate at which school you wish to take the test.  This should be at the school which is likely to be your highest ranked preference.  All four schools sit the same test at exactly the same time.  The raw scores will be shared between schools and your son will be included at the appropriate place in the rank order for each school, irrespective of where your son has taken the test.

What happens if my son is ill on the day of the test?

An alternative date is set aside (during the following week) for children whom the school is assured were ill on 6 October.  We may ask you to provide a letter from your Doctor.  Please telephone the school if you son is ill and we will advise you of alternative arrangements.    

Will I know how my son performed in the Admissions Test?

Yes.  Parents will be informed of the result shortly after the tests have been taken (results will be available by Monday 15 October), and before the LA Common Application Form needs to be submitted.  However, a qualifying score does not guarantee a place, as at this stage we cannot tell whereabouts in the rank order your son will come.  After you have received this information it is then necessary to complete the LA Common Application Form.

LA Common Application Form 

This form is available from the Gloucestershire County Council. Having received the result of the Admissions Test, you must state your ranked preferences for four secondary schools on this form.  In order to gain a place at a grammar school it must be included in this list - so Sir Thomas Rich’s must be included as one of those preferences if your son is to gain admission to the school.  This must be returned to the LA by 31 October 2012.

How many places will be available?

Our standard admission number is 108. 

How will the successful pupils be selected?

To be eligible for admission at Sir Thomas Rich’s, a student must achieve a total standardised score of 210 or above in the Admissions Test.  Please note that the raw score will be standardised specifically to Sir Thomas Rich’s.

The school will provide a rank ordered list of all qualifying boys to the LA.  The LA then takes account of the preferences made by parents on their Common Application Form.  The LA is required to offer a place at the highest ranked school for which a student has qualified.  Places will be offered to the 108 qualified students who score the highest in the Admissions Test for whom Sir Thomas Rich’s is the highest ranked in the list of 4 parental preferences.

Full details of the admissions criteria are in the Transfer to Secondary School booklet.

Does this mean that I have to make Sir Thomas Rich's my first preference school?

The decision must be yours.  The LA will offer you only one school place.  This will normally be the highest placed of your 4 preferences for which your son has qualified.  All schools are now equal ranked which means that if you are not successful at gaining a place at your first choice school, the highest ranked of your other preferences, for you which you fulfil the admission criteria, will be elevated to become your first choice. 

When will I be notified if my son has gained a place?

The LA will make the offer of one school by letter on 1 March 2013.  This will be the highest ranked preference for which your son has qualified.  If your son does not qualify for any of the four schools you ranked as your preferences, the LA will offer your son a place at the nearest school at which there are places available.

What options are available if my son is not offered a place at Sir Thomas Rich’s?

If your son met the qualifying score but was not offered a place at Sir Thomas Rich’s your son’s name can be placed on the Sir Thomas Rich’s Waiting List, again strictly in Admissions Test rank order. The Waiting List is held by the Local Authority until the end of July, at which point it is transferred to Sir Thomas Rich’s.  You can write to the Local Authority to ask for a place on the Waiting List even if you were allocated your first preference school in March.  If places then do become available at Sir Thomas Rich’s, parents will be contacted strictly in Waiting List order.  The Waiting List for admission to Year 7 in September 2013 will be held until the end of the academic year.  Any parent/carer wishing their child to remain on the Waiting List after this period must contact the school.

Can I make a formal appeal?

Yes, if you are dissatisfied with the way the admissions procedure was operated, or if you believe extenuating circumstances may have affected your son’s performance on the day of the tests, you have the right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel.  Details of how to appeal are given in the Allocation Letter, which you will receive on 1 March.  

What will the Admissions Test involve?

On the morning of 6 October 2012 there will be two multiple-choice verbal reasoning tests, the first lasting 45 minutes and the second lasting 50 minutes.  There is a break between the two tests.  Pupils are encouraged to bring a drink and snack to eat during this break.  The students sit the test in classrooms with approximately 20 boys in each group – pupils from the same primary schools are placed together, wherever possible.

Verbal reasoning tests are essentially simple maths and English questions, examples of which can be found in bookshops. A type of question which is in some commercial products but which will not be set is 'non-verbal reasoning'. The verbal reasoning tests are set and scores standardised by GL Assessment.  The answers are completed on separate sheets which are marked by computer. 

Is it possible to obtain some practice beforehand?

Practice papers, published by GL Assessment, are available from good bookshops and through on-line retailers. ISBN Numbers:
978-0-7087-0386-1
978-0-7087-1987-9
978-0-7087-2049-3

When will I be notified about the arrangements for the test?

As soon as all the registration forms have been received and processed, we will be able to finalise the exact arrangements for the day.  We will contact you as soon as possible after the closing date for returning the Grammar School Registration Form.

Can anything else be taken into consideration beside the test score?

No – places are allocated taking into account the qualifying score and the preferences.  However, please let us know in good time of any circumstances (for example, bereavement or serious illness) which may affect your son’s performance on the day of the test.  Such notification should be in writing and if possible sent to the school before 6 October.  If any special circumstances become apparent on the day of the test please notify the school as soon as possible, preferably within a week of taking the test.  Wherever possible such letters should be supported by expert opinion in writing e.g. a note from the doctor or Primary Headteacher.  This information may be relevant in the event of an appeal but will not have any bearing on your son’s score.

What if my son has Special Needs?

We will make any arrangements which are possible in order to support students who have special needs.  Please detail the requirements when registering for the admissions test.

How can I find out more?

If you have any questions regarding the application for, and allocation of, school places, please contact the Access to Education Team (0-16) at Shire Hall, Gloucester, GL1 2TP, telephone 01452 425407. 

For queries regarding the testing process, please contact the Admissions Officer at Sir Thomas Rich’s (telephone: 01452 338400, e-mail: info@strs.org.uk).