Colchester Royal Grammar School

Admissions and 11 Plus exam information for Colchester Royal Grammar School. Use the site to help you find out how to be successful with an 11 Plus exam application to Colchester Royal Grammar School.

11 Plus Entry Information for Colchester Royal Grammar School

This is a smaller than average, selective boys’ school where girls are admitted to the thriving sixth form. There is a small boarding section for sixth form boys. The school is non-denominational but accords broadly with Christian values. The school draws from a very wide area and serves much of north east Essex. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is very low. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above average, although the numbers that do not have English as their first language is below average. Attainment on entry is well above average, as Essex grammar schools select from the most able of the school population who choose to apply. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is low, as is the number with a statement of special educational need. The school holds a specialist accreditation for science.

County	Essex
Address	Colchester Royal Grammar School, Lexden Road, Colchester CO3 3ND
Type	Boys Grammar
Pupils	813
Places in Year 7	90-100
Open Days	July
Colchester Royal Grammar School 11+ Resources	Maths resources English resources
Competition	9 applicants for every place
Exam Format	Essex 11 Plus CSSE
School Website	www.crgs.co.uk

Colchester Royal Grammar School 11 Plus Exam Format

Colchester Royal Grammar School falls into the CSSE Consortium. Meaning all schools in this consortium have the same exam. The exam format is as follows

Paper 1	60 minute free response Mathematics Paper.
Paper 2	1 Hour 10 minutes English paper. Section 1 includes 50 minutes on comprehension. Section 2 contains a 20 minutes continuous writing task.

Colchester Royal Grammar School 11 Plus Exam Paper

Some publishers have access to the exam format and produce their own mirror papers which aim to replicate what an 11 Plus exam for this consortium might look like.

We understand that these publishers get the information from familiarisation packs sent to parents, teachers, local tutors and pupils who have sat the test. The tests can of course change at any time and these papers only aim to give a good idea of what to expect, however, they are very useful and most parents use them at some point.

The ones we would suggest are from Learning Street. They are of high quality and cheaper than any others we have seen. Direct links to the papers are below and Learning Street produce them as mock exams which is unique ( so you can run your own mock exam at home). Links to the papers are below:

Essex CSSE Mock 11 Plus Exam Pack 1

Essex CSSE Mock 11 Plus Exam Pack 2

Essex CSSE Mock 11 Plus Exam Pack 3

Essex CSSE Mock 11 Plus Exam Pack 4

Essex CSSE Mock 11 Plus Exam Papers Bundle (Packs 1-4)

How to prepare for the Essex CSSE 11 Plus Exam

Essentially you have 5 options when it comes to helping your child to prepare.

1/ Some parents use a Private Tutor. If you want to start your search for a suitable one, we provide links to some Private tutors in Essex to help you. These can cost between £2500 and £6000 a year. For help thinking about which private tutor might be right for you see our guidance page.

2/ Other parents use a Tuition Centre with group tuition. If you want to start your search for a suitable one, we provide links to some Tuition centres in Essex to help you. These can cost between £1500 and £3500 for a year. For help thinking about which tuition centre might be right for you see our guidance page.

3/ If you are thinking of preparing at home using books then our 11 Plus Exam papers and books section provides lots of links and advice to help you choose which books to use and what to focus on. Preparation plans are also provided. Using this method is great for those parents prepared to take a more hands on approach. The average parent using this method spends about £300 on books and papers during the final year of preparation.

4/ A great option is a structured course. These courses gradually build up skills so you can focus on helping your child with the work provided. The best supplier is Learning Street which helps you prepare your child from home, ranging in price from £12 to £89 ( full cost – not monthly cost) it is the cheapest method of preparation. To find out their course suggestions for Colchester Royal Grammar School 11 Plus preparation click the link.

5/ Online preparation. This is not something we recommend. Online solutions are growing more useful and reliable and for some aspects of preparation they can be useful but certainly not for all your preparation needs. They are also very expensive for what they provide with some coming in at £600- £1000 for a year depending on which options you select. For our rationale on why we believe online preparation is not a good solution yet click through to the page 11 Plus online preparation.