Which grammar schools have no catchment area?
Grammar schools get great academic results, both due to the fact that they only select the most able students, but also because teachers progress their lessons more quickly and effectively due to the relatively equal ability levels in their classes. Therefore many parents see great value in applying to send their children to grammar schools.
However, due to differing local government policies, the distribution of grammar schools around England is very uneven, with some areas containing lots of grammar schools, and others not having any.
Parents who live in areas that don’t have grammar schools can still apply to schools or consortiums in other areas, but are sometimes restricted in their opportunities due to catchment areas. These are policies that some schools use meaning that people who live within a certain distance from the school will be given priority for places – even if other children do better than them on the entrance exam.
Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of schools without catchment areas or with a certain number of places available to those living outside the catchment area, for parents seeking to apply for grammar schools outside of their area.
Grammar schools without a catchment area/ extra places available to those outside the catchment area:
- Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, Medway
- Dartford Grammar School, Kent (90 places)
- The Skinners’ School, Tunbridge Wells (20 places)
- The Judd School, Tonbridge (23 places)
- Herschel Grammar School, Slough
- Langley Grammar School, Slough
- St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School, Slough
- Upton Court Grammar School, Slough
- The Crypt School, Gloucester (mixed)
- Denmark Road High School, Gloucester
- Ribston Hall High School, Gloucester
- Sir Thomas Rich’s School, Gloucester
- Stroud High School, Stroud
- Marling, Stroud
- Colyton, Colyton (mixed)
- Pates, Cheltenham (mixed)
- QE, Barnet
- London Borough of Bexley grammar schools (top 180 at each school)
- St. Olave’s, Orpington
- Wilson’s School, Sutton
- Wallington County Grammar School, Sutton (top 110)
- Wallington High School for girls, Sutton (top 100)
- Sutton Grammar School (up to 60 places for students outside catchment)
- Nonsuch School, Sutton (top 85)
- Greenshaw High School, Sutton
- Colchester Royal Grammar School
- Colchester County High School for Girls
- King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford: 80% places reserved for people within 12.5 miles of the school
- Chelmsford County High School for Girls: 80% for people within 12.5 miles of the school
All grammar schools in this region use catchment areas
- Wolverhampton Girls High School, Wolverhampton
- Bishop Veseys’, Birmingham
- Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
- Haberdashers’ Adams, Newport (catchment exists but most placements are from children from outside it)
- Newport High School for Girls, Newport (catchment exists but most placements are from children outside it)
- North Halifax Grammar School, Halifax
- The Crossley Heath School, Halifax
There are no grammar schools in this region
- Loreto Grammar School, Altrincham (priority given to baptised Roman Catholics)
- Saint Ambrose College, Altrincham (priority given to baptised Roman Catholics)
- Urmston Grammar School, Urmston (top 20)
Why do some areas not have grammar schools?
Although grammar schools in England have a long history, dating back to the 6th century AD, their modern history can be dated to the tripartite system that existed from 1945 to the 1970s. In this system, all children would sit an 11 plus or 13 plus exam to determine what type of school they would go to; grammar, secondary technical (focusing on technology and engineering skills) or secondary modern. In practice, few technical schools were built and most children went to either a grammar school or secondary modern.
From the 1960s onwards, Labour governments began to abolish this system, believing it to be unfair. This is because grammar schools received better funding than secondary moderns, and the system often meant that many higher achieving students in secondary modern schools were unable to advance academically. In most areas of England (and all of Wales), both grammar and secondary modern schools were replaced by non-selective comprehensive schools, which around 90% of pupils in the country now attend.
However, some areas like Kent, Lincolnshire and Slough retained the selective system, and thus have a much higher density of grammar schools than other parts of the country. As well as this, while most grammar schools elsewhere became comprehensive, others (especially grammar schools with historical roots) retained their selective nature despite being found in counties or boroughs that are otherwise non-selective.
Why do some schools have catchment areas?
Often in areas with a large consortium like Kent and Lincolnshire, priority is given to any child who achieves at least the minimum pass mark on the exam, and lives within the catchment area of the school – even if other children who live outside the catchment area get higher scores. This is because there are lots of similarly high achieving grammar schools within that county or borough, so most local students are within the catchment of at least one grammar school.
In areas with only a few stand alone grammar schools, catchment areas aren’t usually as restricted, or aren’t used at all, because students from further afield may want to apply for them as there are fewer options available to them.
Having said this, it is usually the case that even when schools don’t primarily use catchment areas, often if two students get the same score but only one place is available the decision will come down to who lives nearer to the school.
How can I give my child the best chance of passing the 11 plus exam?
Most of the competencies tested in 11 plus exams are either part of the KS2 curriculum or skills based – meaning revising for them is not always that effective. Therefore, the most important way to prepare for these exams is with regular practice of 11 plus style questions, in order to feel confident with the formats of the questions, and to identify key areas to work on.
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