The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle: 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, also known as RGS, is an independent day school for girls and boys aged 7 to 18. It welcomes children from a diverse range of backgrounds, fostering an inclusive community in which pupils thrive.
The academic curriculum at RGS is designed to be challenging and inspirational, encouraging pupils to be curious and independent learners. All students study 10 subjects for GCSE, with some also studying an 11th subject: Further Maths. The solid foundation that pupils have in maths, English and science prepares them well for their continuing educational journey.
Life outside of the classroom at RGS is vibrant and enriching. With a wide variety of activities on offer, there is something for everyone. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme (DofE) is particularly popular, as is the Combined Cadet Force (CCF). Additionally, RGS arranges numerous trips, ranging from local day trips to excursions abroad.
Pastoral care is taken very seriously at RGS. Senior School students benefit from having both a form supervisor and a tutor to support and guide them through any difficulties they experience. Advice can also be sought from peer supporters, the school nurse and counsellors.
Please read on if you are considering applying for a place in Year 7 at RGS for your child.
The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle: Contact Details and Year 7 (11+) Entry Admissions Process
School Details for The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Address: Eskdale Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4DX
County: Tyne and Wear
Admissions info: [email protected] or 0191 212 8968
School type: Independent co-educational day school
Open Morning: November
Entrance exam date: January of Year 6
Entrance assessment: Online Quest assessment, with selected candidates invited back for a group activity
Admissions Process for 11 Plus Entry to The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, holds an Open Morning in mid-November, providing you with an ideal opportunity to view the facilities, meet staff and current pupils, and ask any questions you have.
If you decide, after your visit, that RGS is the right school for your child, you should then fill out the online registration form and pay the £25 registration fee. The deadline is the beginning of December of Year 6 for those applying for a bursary. Otherwise, it is the beginning of January of Year 6.
RGS will request a report from your child’s current school, which will be reviewed as part of the admissions process.
In January of Year 6, just over a week after the standard registration deadline, your child will sit an online Quest assessment.
If your child has a glowing report from their current school and performs well in the Quest assessment, they will be invited back to RGS for a group activity session, scheduled to take place towards the end of January.
At the beginning of March, you will find out if your child has secured a place. If they have, a £200 acceptance deposit will be required to accept the offer formally.
The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle: Scholarships and Bursaries for Year 7 Entry
Scholarships are not available at The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle.
Bursaries, however, are available. They are designed to enable pupils to attend RGS who would benefit from all the school has to offer and be able to cope with the challenging curriculum, but whose families are not in a financial position to pay the full fees.
Please be aware that you must reside in the North East of England to be eligible for a bursary and that most recipients will have a household income below £55,000.
Fulfilling the criteria does not guarantee you a bursary, as there are more applicants than available bursaries.
For more details about bursaries, please click here.
The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle: Online Quest Assessment for Year 7 Entry
The entrance exam that candidates will sit for 11+ entry to RGS is an online assessment produced by Quest. It will assess your child’s proficiency in the following areas:
- Maths
Maths questions will cover number, measurement, geometry and statistics, with no questions going beyond the Year 5 maths national curriculum.
Your child will need to apply their mathematical knowledge to word problems and think logically.
- English
English questions will assess your child’s reading comprehension and vocabulary using a passage that could be fiction or non-fiction.
Your child must demonstrate that they can understand the passage, including making inferences.
There may also be questions testing the standard of your child’s spelling, punctuation and grammar.
- Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning questions will evaluate your child’s ability to solve problems using written information, such as letters, numbers and symbols. Logical reasoning skills and a broad vocabulary are useful for these questions.
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning questions will involve your child analysing visual information (e.g. pictures, diagrams and shapes) to solve problems. Your child’s spatial awareness will be tested in these questions, as well as their maths and logic.
Some elements of the assessment are adaptive, meaning that candidates who consistently answer questions correctly will face more challenging questions than those who do not. Harder questions are worth more marks, ensuring a fair overall score.
We understand that the thought of a competitive entrance exam can be daunting; however, you can take steps to ensure your child is fully prepared.
How to Help Your Child Prepare for The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, Year 7 Online Entrance Exam
We have compiled some tips to help you and your child through their preparation period:
- Promote wellbeing
It’s important that the process is as stress-free as possible. Your child should continue with the activities that they enjoy and have plenty of time for relaxation, preventing the process from feeling overwhelming. Study sessions will be much more effective if your child is in a good emotional place.
- Make study sessions short but regular
Little but often is the best approach, as children can typically concentrate for 2-3 minutes per year of their age. If you start study sessions months before the entrance exam, there will be no need for lengthy cramming sessions.
- Revise Year 5 maths and English work
Ensuring your child has understood and retained the information from the topics they have studied in Year 5 means they will have the necessary knowledge for the exam. They could write out key facts in a notebook to condense what they need to know.
- Provide reading material
Reading a variety of texts is the most effective way for your child to enhance their reading comprehension and develop their vocabulary, leading to a better performance in the English and verbal reasoning sections of the exam. Additionally, reading is a great way to unwind before bedtime.
- Use practice tests
Understanding what they will encounter in RGS’s Year 7 entrance exam will reduce your child’s nerves. We have produced highly accurate online Quest practice tests so that your child can build their confidence and feel completely prepared for the test, being familiar with the question types, format and timings. They can also use the answers and explanations provided to learn from any mistakes they make, leading to fewer errors, if any, being made on the day.
Please take a look below at our online Quest practice tests for admission to Year 7 at RGS.
The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle: 11 Plus (11+)/Year 7 Online Quest Practice Tests
Royal Grammar School 11+ Online Practice Tests
Our Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, 11+ Online Entrance Assessment Practice Tests provide realistic and highly accurate preparation for the actual exam. Each full mock test replicates the modules, timings and question types used in the real assessment, ensuring your child becomes familiar with the format and expectations. Covering Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, these tests are all pitched at the same difficulty level, allowing you to benchmark your child’s progress, track improvement and identify key areas for further practice.
RGS Newcastle 11+ Practice Test 1
RGS Newcastle 11+ Practice Test 2
RGS Newcastle 11+ Practice Test 3
RGS Newcastle 11+ Practice Test 4
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Royal Grammar School 11+ Skill Practice
Our Skill Practice exercises are designed to focus on one specific question type that will come up in the Felsted Prep School 11+ exam. They are ideal for targeted practice and an efficient way to quickly improve your child’s scores in the relevant topic.
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If you have any questions about our 11+ exam practice materials or need guidance, please reach out to us! We’re here to help your child succeed in their 11+ online exam for entry to The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle.
The information in this post was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware that there could be future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.
Please note that Pretest Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of the Quest online assessment or any other test publisher.
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