Best grammar schools in Gloucestershire 2026

Gloucestershire has seven state grammar schools spread across Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud. They share a single entrance test, set by GL Assessment and run jointly by the schools, so a child sits it once and the result is shared across all the grammars they've applied to.

This guide covers the seven schools, the test format, how oversubscription works in practice, and what sensible preparation looks like. Gloucestershire's set-up is one of the cleaner selective systems in the country, but there are still a couple of catches worth knowing before you commit to a prep plan.

There are seven state grammar schools in the county, all using the same Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test. One is in Cheltenham (Pate's), four are in Gloucester (The Crypt, Sir Thomas Rich's, Denmark Road, Ribston Hall), and two are in Stroud (Stroud High and Marling). Several are heavily oversubscribed, particularly Pate's, which routinely ranks among the strongest state schools in England on Progress 8 and A-Level outcomes.

Several pairs of schools work closely together for sixth form (Marling and Stroud High share a joint sixth form, for example; The Crypt, Sir Thomas Rich's and Denmark Road run shared timetabling). This matters less for 11+ choice than it does later, but it's worth knowing if your child has a single-sex preference at 11 and is open-minded about post-16.

The Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test is currently set by GL Assessment, the same exam board behind many UK 11+ tests. Children sit it once, in mid-September of Year 6, and the result is shared across all seven schools they've named on their CAF. Test provider arrangements can change between admissions cycles, so check the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test website for the current year's set-up before buying prep material.

The test runs to roughly two hours of question time across two multiple-choice papers (each around 45-50 minutes, closer to an hour per session including instructions). One paper combines English with verbal reasoning; the other combines maths with non-verbal and spatial reasoning. Content stays broadly KS2-aligned with a stretch into Year 6 / early Year 7 material. The exact balance has varied slightly year to year, so check the GL Assessment familiarisation materials linked from the consortium site each spring.

Each Gloucestershire grammar publishes its own oversubscription criteria. The standard pattern is: Looked-after and previously looked-after children first, then qualifying applicants by a combination of designated catchment area and rank-ordered score. Pate's is the most extreme on distance: It admits a higher proportion of qualifying applicants who live within a defined inner catchment.

For the Gloucester cluster (Crypt, Sir Thomas Rich's, Denmark Road, Ribston Hall), distance from the school matters less than at Pate's, but a high score is still essential for an offer. The Stroud schools (Marling and Stroud High) draw from a wider rural catchment because there's no other selective option for several miles in their direction.

If your child sits the test and qualifies, they're then ranked against other qualifying applicants for each school they listed on the Common Application Form. The CAF goes to your home local authority, not to the schools themselves. Miss the 31 October deadline and you've effectively missed the round.

GL-style tests reward children who've seen the question formats before. That's particularly true of the reasoning sections, where the format is unfamiliar to a child who's only ever done KS2 schoolwork. The single highest-value preparation step is sitting a few familiarisation papers so the test layout doesn't surprise them on the day.

For English, focus on comprehension speed and vocabulary. Daily reading from Year 4 is the most cost-effective preparation. By the spring of Year 5, add a small amount of structured vocabulary work and some short timed comprehensions. For maths, the GL paper rewards confident mental arithmetic and clean written methods – work through a wide range of KS2 question types rather than going deep on advanced topics.

Non-verbal reasoning is where formal preparation tends to pay off most. Pattern, sequence and shape questions are easy to practise and many children improve quickly with a few hours of focused work. Verbal reasoning is more dependent on underlying vocabulary, so it improves more slowly and benefits from sustained reading over months rather than a tutoring sprint.

It's not strictly necessary, and plenty of successful candidates do all their prep at home. What matters is exposure to the format, sufficient practice on the four content areas (English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning) and a calm, consistent run-up to the test.

If your child finds reasoning questions baffling at first, a tutor or a structured online course can help unlock the question types. If they pick up the format quickly, weekly past-paper practice from January of Year 5 is usually plenty. As with any 11+ region, daily late-evening tutoring through the summer holidays of Year 5 is more likely to leave a child stressed than well-prepared.

Gloucestershire has a strong network of non-selective state schools, and several are rated well above the national average on Ofsted and on Progress 8. A child who narrowly misses a grammar offer often does very well at a local academy. If you're considering an appeal, check the school's admissions arrangements document for the appeal timetable – appeals against non-selective decisions at a grammar are hard to win on academic grounds where the score fell short of the qualifying mark.

Independent options in the county include Cheltenham College, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Dean Close and Wycliffe College. Fees vary widely, and several offer means-tested bursaries that can substantially reduce the cost for families who qualify.