If you're considering a grammar school in Trafford, understanding the entrance examination is an important first step.
Five schools currently form the Trafford Grammar School Consortium:
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
Sale Grammar School
Stretford Grammar School
Urmston Grammar School
The consortium currently works with GL Assessment for Year 7 entrance testing. Parents should always check the schools' latest admissions information for the year in which their child will apply because arrangements can change. Trafford Academy
What is tested?
The Trafford entrance examination assesses three broad areas:
Mathematics
Questions generally draw on Maths taught at primary school up to the beginning of Year 6. Areas can include number, measurement, geometry and statistics, alongside mathematical problem solving. Trafford Academy
Verbal ability
This can involve vocabulary, relationships between words, word meanings and comprehension-style verbal reasoning.
Non-verbal ability
Children may encounter questions involving shapes, sequences, codes, spatial awareness and identifying relationships between figures.
What does the exam look like?
The current Trafford Consortium examination consists of two tests, each approximately one hour long.
Within those tests, children encounter a range of questions covering verbal, non-verbal and mathematical skills. The consortium uses a bespoke GL Assessment paper, so children won't simply encounter an identical commercially available practice paper. Trafford Academy
This makes developing the underlying skills particularly important.
Is the 11+ just about learning more Maths?
No.
A child might be confident with primary-school Maths but initially find timed reasoning questions difficult.
Similarly, a strong reader may need practice analysing unfamiliar vocabulary or answering comprehension questions efficiently.
Effective preparation therefore combines subject knowledge with reasoning, familiarity with question styles and exam technique.
Passing the exam and getting a place aren't necessarily the same thing
This is an important distinction.
Achieving a qualifying result does not automatically guarantee admission to a particular grammar school. Individual schools have their own admissions and oversubscription criteria, which can include factors such as catchment or distance.
For example, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls explicitly states that achieving its qualifying standard doesn't mean that the highest-scoring applicants automatically receive priority; its published oversubscription criteria determine how successful candidates are ranked. Trafford Academy
Parents should therefore read the current admissions policy for each individual school they are considering.
How should children prepare?
Good preparation should build the underlying abilities assessed rather than relying solely on practice papers.
That can include developing:
secure arithmetic
problem-solving skills
vocabulary
comprehension
verbal reasoning
non-verbal reasoning
confidence with timed questions
Closer to the examination, children can also practise pacing themselves and becoming comfortable with the format.
Most importantly, preparation should be appropriate for the individual child. Identifying specific strengths and gaps makes it possible to spend preparation time where it is actually needed.