Joining Year 7 in September - Bournemouth School

The entrance tests will be taken at the school with whom the parent has registered the child. All applicants to a consortium school must complete a registration form to be able to sit the entrance tests.

The on-time entrance test registration form for Year 7 September 2027 opens on Monday, 13 April 2026 and closes on Friday, 4 September 2026 at 12.00 noon.

Our admissions policy for joining the school in Year 7 in 2027 is available here. The entrance tests will be provided by GL Assessment in mathematics, English and verbal reasoning (as in previous years).

The admissions policy for joining the school in Year 7 in 2028 has yet to be determined by the Board of Trustees. However, the consortium has decided to change the entrance test provider to Quest Assessments after September 2027. Quest’s entrance tests are designed to be accessible, academically rigorous and effective in identifying pupils with the potential to thrive in a grammar school environment. From September 2027, we will continue to test mathematics, English and verbal reasoning; no content beyond the Year 5 National Curriculum will be tested. You can find out more about these tests here.

Open Evening

Key Dates for Admission to Year 7 (for Year 7 Admission in September 2027)

Entrance Tests 2026 (for Year 7 Admission in September 2027)

Students take GL Assessment entrance tests in mathematics, English and verbal reasoning. All the tests are set to be appropriate for the students in their final year of the Key Stage 2 national curriculum. It is acknowledged that candidates are unlikely to have covered all of the work that is tested; the tests take account of this.

Mathematics

The GL Assessment mathematics paper is based on work which candidates would normally cover during Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum.

Time allowed: 50 minutes.

English

The English paper tests comprehension, vocabulary and punctuation.

Time allowed: 45 minutes.

Verbal Reasoning

This test is designed to analyse a student’s academic potential and does not depend upon prior knowledge. We strongly advise that parents ensure that their children are familiar with this component of the entrance tests, as they may otherwise not have encountered such questions.

Time allowed: 50 minutes.

These three papers are multiple choice; students mark their answers on a pre-printed sheet. We recommend that parents help their children familiarise themselves with the multiple choice layout of the tests, content, and examples of the type of questions they will face.

Access free GL Assessment familiarisation materials Purchase GL Assessment practice papers

The entrance tests take place for all schools in the consortium on the same date, in person, at one of the consortium schools. Parents wishing their children be considered for admission to a Bournemouth or Poole Grammar School must register with one of the schools by the date shown in the Key Dates section above.

The eligibility for admission to consortium schools will be determined on the basis of the entrance test results. The tests may only be taken once by any student at any one consortium school. The tests will be taken at the school at which the parent has registered their child. The test outcomes will be used to determine the eligibility of the student for a place at a consortium school. Parents then decide to which schools they will apply for a place for their child.

All applicants to a consortium school must complete a registration form to attend the entrance tests at one of the schools.

An entrance test registration (for the on-time round of applications) submitted after the closing date will only be accepted for the entrance tests where the consortium is satisfied that illness, bereavement or other circumstance beyond the control of the parent(s) prevented a timely registration. Evidence will be required in these circumstances.

Late notification of the testing timetable by a child's current school or otherwise will not be accepted as a reason why timely registration was not possible. Where the consortium is not satisfied that a timely registration was prevented, any preference expressed for a consortium school from a Local Authority application will not be considered alongside those who registered for testing within the published deadline as they have failed to meet the school’s admission criterion. In such circumstances the application will be considered after the first round of allocations.

For children whose registration or application form (or both) were submitted after the closing dates, there will be an opportunity to sit the school entrance tests in the following February for consideration after the first round of allocations.

Where a child is unable to sit the entrance tests through illness, bereavement or other circumstance beyond the control of the parent(s), the consortium will make arrangements for testing to take place as soon as practicable. Evidence will be required in these circumstances. Children sitting these tests will be considered alongside those who sat the tests on the original date.

Entrance Tests 2027 (for Year 7 Admission in September 2028)

Students take tests in mathematics, English and verbal reasoning.

Mathematics

The Mathematics paper is based on work which candidates would normally cover during Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, but excluding work covered in Year 6.

Time allowed: 40 minutes.

English

The English paper tests comprehension, vocabulary and punctuation.

Time allowed: 40 minutes.

Verbal Reasoning

Time allowed: 40 minutes.

From September 2027 (for entry into Year 7 in 2028), our entrance tests will be provided by Quest Assessments. These are designed to be accessible, academically rigorous and effective in identifying pupils with the potential to thrive in a grammar school environment. No content beyond the Year 5 National Curriculum will be tested. You can find out more about these tests here.

The eligibility for admission to consortium schools will be determined on the basis of the entrance test results. The entrance tests may only be taken once by any student at any one consortium school. The tests will be taken at the school at which the parent has registered their child. The test outcomes will be used to determine the eligibility of the student for a place at a consortium school. Parents then decide for which schools they will apply for a place for their child.

All applicants to a consortium school must complete a test registration form to attend the entrance tests at one of the schools.

The Dorset Consortium provides all Pupil Premium-eligible children in Years 3 - 6 with free access to Atom Learning’s KS2 learning resources for the Quest entrance tests and 11+ assessment familiarisation. Sign up for the support here.

Free 11+ Familiarisation for Pupil Premium Families

Results of Entrance Tests

Applications

Offers

Appeals

Parents whose application for their child to be considered for admission to the school is unsuccessful have a right of appeal to an independent Admissions Appeals Panel.

In the first instance, please either email [email protected] or telephone the school on 01202 512609 and ask for admissions to discuss the matter. We will then be able to provide you with further information about the appeals process, including how to lodge an appeal.

Traditionally, very few appeals are upheld and those that are tend to have significant professional supporting evidence. It must be remembered that for the appeals process to be valid an application to the school must have been made according to the following arrangements:

submitting on time a valid “Registration for Testing” form;
the applicant taking all components of the entrance tests;
placing Bournemouth School on the application form submitted to the Local Authority (if applying for entry into Year 7).

Secondary school age places - Year 7 (September 2026)

Offer letters posted to parents/carers by local authority	2 March 2026
Deadline for acceptance of offer by parent/carer	16 March 2026
Deadline for lodging an on-time admissions appeal	13 April 2026
Appeal hearing date range	5 May - 16 June 2026

Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date.
You will receive at least 10 school days’ notice of your appeal hearing date. School days do not include school holidays, inset days, bank holidays or weekends.
Appeals are heard during the daytime on weekdays and are not normally heard during school holidays. Where there are multiple appeals for places at the same school, the hearings may go over a number of days.
The school’s case will be made available to parents and Panel members at least 5 school days before the start of the appeal hearing.
Additional evidence may be submitted up to 5 working days before the hearing.
Any additional evidence received after this date might not be considered at the appeal hearing. The Appeal Panel must decide whether it should be considered taking into account its significance and the effect of a possible need to adjourn the hearing.
Following the hearing, decision letters will be sent, where possible, within 5 school days of the end of the hearing. During busy periods, such as main entry, full decision letters may take longer than this, so the Clerk will send a brief decision summary email in the interim.
Appeal hearings for in-year places will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

Registration form available online	13 April 2026
Open Evening	9 July 2026 (5.30-7.30pm)
Register for testing - deadline for submission	4 September 2026 (noon)
Access arrangements form - deadline	7 September 2026 (noon)
Test information sent to parents by	18 September 2026 (4.00pm)
Entrance tests	26 September 2026
Results of entrance tests emailed to parents	16 October 2026 (4.00pm)
Application to local authorities - deadline	31 October 2026
Register for late testing - deadline for submission	29 January 2027 (noon)
Late testing	23 February 2027
Offers for on-time applications - posted by local authorities	1 March 2027

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to describe and explain the increased tension over Berlin between Khrushchev and Kennedy. You will be able to have a good understanding of why there were summit meetings called, 1960 and 1961. You will be able to describe and explain why the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. You will be able to explain the impact the building of the wall had on East-West relations and the importance of Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963. You will be able to show a good understanding of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the importance of the Bay of Pigs failed invasion of 1961 and the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.	You will be able to evaluate the impact on international relations of increased tension over Berlin between Khrushchev and Kennedy. You understanding of the summit meetings is precise and you can evaluate their importance. You will be able to precisely recall details of how why the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. You will be able to evaluate the importance of the building of the wall on East-West relations and the importance of Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963. You will be able to show a precise knowledge and understanding of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the importance of the Bay of Pigs failed invasion of 1961 the events and significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 in the short term and long term.
Assessment Methods
Do-now tasks Retrieval Quiz in class End of Unit Assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
You will demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the origins of the Weimar Republic from its creation in 1918. You will be able to describe and explain why the Republic faced political and economic challenges in the years 1919 – 1923. You will be able to understand some controversy over Germany’s recovery from 1924 – 28. You will be able to describe and explain how society and culture changed during the ‘Golden Years’ of Weimar. You will mostly be able to demonstrate accurate recall of key people, key dates, terminologies and acronyms to describe aspects Weimar Germany, 1918 – 1928.	You will be able to recall, with more precision and accuracy, the origins of the Weimar Republic from 1918. You will accurately explain the early challenges including the Spartacist Uprising, Kapp Putsch and the causes and impact of the German Hyperinflation of 1923. You will be able to recall, with precision and accuracy, how Weimar recovered including Stresemann’s economic and foreign policy successes whilst able to evaluate the limitations of recovery. You will have a secure knowledge of how Weimar society and culture changed. You will be able to convincingly demonstrate accurate and precise recall of key people, key dates, terminologies and acronyms describing aspects of Weimar Germany 1924 – 1929.
Assessment Methods
Do-now tasks Retrieval Quiz in class End of Unit Assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
You show a good knowledge and understanding of key terms associated with the changes happening from 1750 – 1900. You are able to describe and explain some aspects of continuity of society and economy during this period. You demonstrate a good understanding of how agriculture changed, why the factory system developed, how transport improvements impacted the economy with particular reference to the steam train. You are able to explain why living conditions in the new towns and cities changed, the impact on public health and calls for reform. You show secure evaluation of sources for utility, taking into account some aspects of provenance and / or own knowledge.	You are able to show an excellent knowledge and understanding of key terms associated with the changes happening from 1750 – 1900. You are able to precisely describe and explain aspects of continuity of society and economy during this period. You are able to show an excellent and precise understanding of how agriculture changed, why the factory system developed, how transport improvements impacted the economy with particular reference to the steam train. You are able to evaluate how and why living conditions in the new towns and cities changed and the impact these changes had on public health and calls for reform. You show a convincing evaluation of sources for utility, taking into account provenance and precise own knowledge.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Questioning in class Peer assessments (Skills based written response)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to describe and explain the early tension between the members of the Grand Alliance at the three wartime conferences and events in Europe up to 1945. You will be able to have a good understanding of the ideological differences between Capitalism and Communism. You will be able to describe and explain the development of the Cold 1947 – 1949 including the flashpoint of Berlin, 1948 – 49 and the setting up of East and West Germany. You will understand why the Cold War intensified, 1949 – 58 including the arms race and the USSR’s response to the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and international reaction to this.	You will be able to evaluate the consequences of the wartime alliances for East-West relations. You will understand the attitudes of the wartime leaders and how this further impacted East-West relations. You will select accurate evidence to show the creation of the satellite states to further explain how soviet influence spread, 1945-48. You will be able to demonstrate an excellent understanding of short term and long term reasons why Stalin blockaded Berlin and how this further escalated the Cold War. You will be able to evaluate the significance of the arms race, Khrushchev’s response to the Hungarian Uprising and international reaction.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Retrieval quizzes in class Topic 1 End of Unit Assessment (factual recall)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to write a response that includes three causes of the outbreak of The Great War (this is the keystone point: no answer can be graded as ‘meeting’ if it does not contain three causes from: military, alliances, imperialism and nationalism). You will demonstrate the skill of analytical writing by demonstrating the Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link technique (PEEL) on each paragraph. For each cause, you will be including sufficient factual detail/proof to justify judgements rather than unsupported statements. You will be able to show secure explanation on each cause and link to why it was a reason for World War I breaking out.	You will apply precisely selected evidence, giving more weight to the judgements drawn. The quality of your evaluation will be in greater depth (e.g. linking in more depth to the question, considering limitations of each factor as a cause, making a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance). You will be able to write a response that can also contain evidence of more independent research gathered from outside of the content studied in class.
Assessment Methods
Do Now tasks Retrieval quiz (factual recall) in class End of Unit 2 assessment (Skill: causation writing)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to produce a written response that includes three distinct causes of the Break with Rome (this is the keystone point: no answer can be graded as ‘meeting’ if it does not contain three factors) Each of your causes contain sufficient factual detail/proof to justify judgments rather than assertions. Each cause is analysed/explained and linked to why it was a cause of the break with Rome	Your selected evidence is precise and detailed giving more weight to the judgments drawn. The quality of your evaluation is in greater depth (e.g. linking in more depth to the question, considering limitations of each factor as a cause, making a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance). Your answers may contain evidence of independent research outside of the work covered in class.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Questioning in class End of Unit Assessment: Causation writing (PEEL Paragraphs)

Meeting	Exceeding
You need to know and explain a main reason why William won at Hastings and give your view as to why it was important. You should write a paragraph that demonstrates a clear causation approach, including the reason, evidence for it, and an explanation of why it helped William win. You must give a brief judgement explaining why this cause was the most important.	You need to explain the reason why William won at Hastings and evaluate why it is the important reason. You should demonstrate clear evidence of writing in a causation structure by making a point and supporting it with precisely selected relevant evidence. You must show evaluation by explaining the relative importance of the cause you are discussing.
Assessment Methods
Do Now scores Comprehension quiz Skills based end of unit assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
Your written response includes three distinct causes. Each cause contains enough ‘accurate’ (factually correct) and ‘relevant’ (fitted to this question and taken from the correct time period) information to justify judgments rather than assertions. You have analysed or explained each cause and linked it to why it was a cause.	The deployment of your evidence (e.g. precise details, dates, statistics) is in greater depth, giving more weight to the judgements drawn. Your supporting evidence is precisely selected to address the question directly, showing skill in selecting the most convincing evidence. The quality of your evaluation links in more depth to the question ‘directed consistently at conceptual focus’, maybe considering limitations of each factor as a cause. You make a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance. All of your three points demonstrate a line of reasoning that is coherent, sustained and logically structured. You demonstrate an excellent, precise and accurate knowledge and understanding of the origins of the Weimar Republic and the challenges it faced, 1919 – 1923.
Assessment Methods
Do Now scores Retrieval quizzes in class Skills based end of Unit assessment: writing a causation examination answer