Holcombe Grammar School

Specific admissions and 11 plus exam information to help you to be successful with an 11 Plus application to Holcombe Grammar School. Use the information below to find our recommended 11 Plus books and papers that specifically relate to your application.

11 Plus Entry Information for Holcombe Grammar School

Holcombe Grammar School is a selective 11-18 boy’s school (with a mixed sixth form). The school’s history is believed to date from 1817, but its formal history began in 1913 with the establishment of Chatham Junior Technical School to train young men aged 13 – 16 for careers as artificers in the Royal Navy and in the Royal Dockyard School as engineers. The School evolved to become a centre of academic excellence as Chatham Grammar School for Boys, offering GCSE and A Levels as well as some vocational courses.

County	Kent – Medway
Address	Holcombe Letchworth Avenue Chatham Kent ME4 6JB
Type	Boy’s Grammar (Co-ed from 2018)
Pupils	963
Places in Year 7	120
Open Days	October
Holcombe Grammar School 11+ Resources	Maths resources English Verbal Reasoning resources Non-Verbal Reasoning
Competition	4+ applicants for every place
Exam Format	GL- Kent Medway 11 Plus T
School Website	www.holcombegrammar.org.uk

Holcombe Grammar School 11 Plus Exam Format

The 11 Plus Exam format for Holcombe Grammar School is written by GL Assessment. All schools in Kent Medway have the same exam which grants entry for all schools. The exam format is as follows.

Paper 1	50 minute long English paper, includes two passages of writing focussing on comprehension, followed by grammar questions.
Paper 2	50 minute long Maths paper. All questions are multiple choice.
Paper 3	50 minute long Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning exercise, includes examples for how to solve each question at the beginning of each section.

Holcombe 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:

Kent Medway 11 Plus Mock Exam 1

Kent Medway 11 Plus Mock Exam 2

Kent Medway 11 Plus Mock Exam 3

Kent Medway 11 Plus Mock Exam 4

Kent Medway 11 Plus Mock Exam Papers Bundle (packs 1-4)

How to prepare for the Holcombe Grammar School 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 Kent Medway 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 Kent Medway 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 Holcombe 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.