At a Glance
Assessment: CSSE
Fees Type: Free
Boarding: Day school
Admissions: Boys Only
Places per year: 128
Introduction
Colchester Royal Grammar School is a selective boys school serving Colchester and the surrounding area. It is a co-educational day school; its adjoining Sixth Form allows for an option for Year 12 and 13 students to board. The boarding school attracts an additional fee for the boarding costs, but the education is free. Granted two Royal Charters in 1539 and 1584, the school has a long standing tradition for academic excellence. At present, the school provides the same thorough education as it did years ago, now with an innovative edge cultivated along with contemporary society, adjusting to the nuances of modern life.
The school is not without a strong and consistently high set of academic results. The 2019 GCSE examinations saw 99% of candidates sitting English and Maths achieve a grade 5 or higher. Compared to a national average of 43% and a local authority average of 41%, Colchester Royal Grammar School is a top performing school both locally and nationally. Further, 90% of the 2019 cohort achieved A*-B, with 94% of all students progressing into further education or employment. The school also boasts an equally successful, adjoining Sixth Form which many of the students progress to following their GCSE examinations. The 2019 cohort of A-Level candidates achieved a 100% pass rate, with 90% of all grades at A*-B.
For the aforementioned reasons, Colchester Royal Grammar School is heavily oversubscribed, as a popular choice for prospective students and their parents. The boys’ school selects students based on their performance in the CSSE 11+ Examination. This is the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex. It is a multiple choice test, made up of two papers. One testing in English and one in Mathematics. Each paper is designed to test a candidate beyond their ordinary primary education, with both formatting and question difficulty. Our resources with 11 Plus Hero help prepare your child for the CSSE 11+, providing them with a toolkit to have the best chance to succeed for admission into CRGS. We also provide information to help guide yourself and your child through the admissions process, so that you and your child can confidently and competently apply to your chosen schools.
Colchester Royal Grammar School Key Information
Below we list key information regarding Colchester Royal Grammar School, including the address of the school, key contact information and parking arrangements.
School Address
Full Address:
Colchester Royal Grammar School, Lexden RoadColchester
Essex
CO3 3ND
Contact Information
Parking in the school
There is parking available on site at CRGS, accessible via Creffield Road. This can fill up at popular events and busy times; in the event the car park is full, please use the alternative parking venues listed below
Additional parking off site
Saint Mary’s Fields, Colchester CO3 (Opening Times: Mon-Sun All Day)
Butt Road, 107 Butt Road, Colchester CO3 3DG (Opening Times: Mon-Sun All Day)
Additional parking off site
Saint Mary’s Fields, Colchester CO3 (Opening Times: Mon-Sun All Day)
Butt Road, 107 Butt Road, Colchester CO3 3DG (Opening Times: Mon-Sun All Day)
Key Information for Colchester Royal Grammar School
PAN for Year 7 intake (2023)
Total Student Capacity Years 7 to 13 (2022)
Total Students Years 7 to 13 (2018)
Percentage Capacity (2022)
Latest Ofsted Rating (2021)
Selection Test
Colchester Royal Grammar School Key Dates and Application Information
Deadlines are essential to keep to in the application and admission process to Colchester Royal Grammar School. Key dates are also useful to keep in mind, such as potential open days and results dates. At 11 Plus Hero, we understand this can be a lot for prospective students and parents, especially alongside exam preparation. For this reason, we regularly update key dates below.
CSSE Entrance Test Registration Opening (Available Online)
Entrance Test Deadline:
Open Days
Reasonable Adjustments Deadline
Letter posted to parents informing them of the test arrangements
11+ Entrance Examination Date
Results Date:
School Application to Local Authority (school preferences must be finalised by this date):
School Offer
Application Documents for Colchester Royal Grammar School
Below, we list links which contain specific information to Colchester Royal Grammar School’s admission process, in addition to links containing information and tools regarding the process of the CSSE schools application process. These websites are essential to enlist your child for CRGS and all CSSE schools.
The CSSE 11+ Entrance Test Format
The method of selective testing used is the CSSE 11+, used by the Essex Consortium of Grammar Schools. The assessment consists of two papers: English and Maths, made up of both multiple choice and open answer questions. The English test includes reading comprehension, vocabulary questions, literacy questions and creative writing, while the Maths questions test students on content similar to what they will have learnt at KS2, but pushing them a little further. The test is designed with difficult formatting and challenging questions. The unfamiliar format and its difficulty can seem daunting; for this reason, 11+ Hero is here to help. We understand and are accustomed to the content of the CSSE 11+ Entrance, the question methodology and how to score marks highly. We can provide a toolkit to your child, familiarising them with the test format and ensuring they have the best chance to succeed.
The CSSE 11+ Entrance Test: Overview
The CSSE 11+ consists of two test papers, one testing English and the other Maths. The test will include both multiple choice and open answer questions. For an in depth breakdown of the CSSE 11+, please visit our article ‘ – Selective Tests in Essex – the CSSE CEM 11+ Test’.
Paper One
Maths
Paper Two
English
The CSSE 11+ Entrance Test - 11 Plus Assessment Criteria
Verbal Reasoning | Non-verbal Reasoning | English (some verbal reasoning is included) | Maths | Additional |
---|---|---|---|---|
XX | XX | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | n/an/a |
Pass Mark
Test scores are received in mid-October of the preceding year of entry; for example, for entry in 2023, test scores will be received by mid-October 2022. The scores are also ‘weighted’, meaning children are given different results depending on their age, so they are not penalised for it. There is no official pass mark for Colchester Royal Grammar School, but historical data shows that most schools in the CSSE consortium do not admit children with an aggregate score less than 303 in the tests. Further, in the oversubscription criteria for the school, candidates are prioritised if they score an aggregate of 320 on the CSSE.
Pass Mark
Test scores are received in mid-October of the preceding year of entry; for example, for entry in 2023, test scores will be received by mid-October 2022. The scores are also ‘weighted’, meaning children are given different results depending on their age, so they are not penalised for it. There is no official pass mark for Colchester Royal Grammar School, but historical data shows that most schools in the CSSE consortium do not admit children with an aggregate score less than 303 in the tests. Further, in the oversubscription criteria for the school, candidates are prioritised if they score an aggregate of 320 on the CSSE.
Catchment Area
Unlike other schools in the area, Colchester Royal Grammar School does not operate on a ‘catchment area’ or ‘priority area’ for admission to the school. Pupils can be admitted to the school who live in and outside of Essex. However, in the oversubscription criteria, children living closest to the school are prioritised, as outlined below.
Additional Eligibility
For admission to Colchester Royal Grammar School, where the number of eligible pupils exceeds the number of places available, places are awarded based on the rank order from the test, using standardised scores:
- Up to 12 places will be offered to boys who have named CRGS as a preferred school and who have achieved an aggregate score of 320 or greater who attract the following qualities:
- They’re a Looked After or Previously Looked After child; OR/AND
- They’re a child in receipt of the Pupil Premium (currently or in the previous 6 years from date of the registration of the test)
- Priority will be given to applicants in category a over b.
- The places will be allocated in descending order of marks until 12 places are allocated or no more boys fall into this category
- In the event not all 12 places are allocated, the remaining places will be allocated to candidates attracting qualities (a) and (b), prioritised in descending order of their standardised marks
- The remaining places will then be offered in descending rank order of marks to the boys scoring highest in the selection tests until the PAN of 128 is reached.
- Where there are applicants with equal ranking, preference will be given in the following order:
- A Looked After or Previously Looked After Child;
- Children in receipt of the Pupil Premium (currently or in the last 6 years from registration of the test);
- Applicants living closest to the school by straight line distance as defined by the LA and set out in the Secondary Education in Essex Booklet
Colchester Royal Grammar School FAQs
- There is no official or set ‘pass mark’ for entry. Instead, priority for admission is based on a candidate’s standardised score in the CSSE 11+. However, it is noted in their 2023 admissions policy that students scoring over 320 in the CSSE 11+ will be prioritised. Although there is no official pass mark, the higher a child’s score, the more likely they are to be offered a place.
- For more details see section ‘Pass Mark and catchment area’. LINK
- The Entrance Test is a CSSE 11+; it assesses a candidate’s competence in English and Maths. Application for the test is done through the CSSE website.
- For more details see ‘Section 4: The CCHS 11+ Format’ LINK
- The CSSE website hosts familiarisation materials, allowing children to better understand the format of their exams.
- Please find these on the CSSE website at https://csse.org.uk/examination
- These materials should include English and Maths questions.
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