School Address

Contact Information

Email Address mail@herschel.slouh.sch.uk

Telephone (Main Office) 01753 520950

Website Address https://www.herschel.slough.sch.uk%20

Parking in the school

There is limited car parking on site at Herschel Grammar School. In the event you need to find alternative parking, it can be found within a 20-30 minute walk.

• Malton Avenue Parking, Malton Avenue, Slough, SL1 4PF (Opening Times: All Day)
• TVU Parking, Stoke Road, Slough SL1 1YG (Opening Times: Mon-Sun All Day)
• Brunel Way Parking, Brunel Way, Slough SL1 1XL (Opening Times: Mon-Sun All Day)

The Slough Consortium 11+: Overview

The Slough Consortium 11+ is a multiple choice paper with 3 key components to it; it is overseen by the CEM exam board. The Slough 11+ is a multiple choice test and will assess your child’s competency in Verbal Reasoning, Non-verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning. For an in depth breakdown of the Slough Consortium 11+, please visit our article –  ‘Selective Tests in Slough – the CEM 11+ Test’.

Overview:

The test consists of two exam papers, each taking approximately 60 minutes in length. Each test may contain a mix of Verbal Reasoning, Non-verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning, it is at the Consortium’s discretion as to which are included.

• Paper One: (A choice of) Verbal Reasoning (VR) Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) and Numerical Reasoning (NR)

• Paper Two: (A choice of) Verbal Reasoning (VR) Non-verbal Reasoning (NVR) and Numerical Reasoning (NR)

Slough Grammar Schools CEM 11 Plus Test: Pass Criteria

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. It is notable that the Slough consortium uses a method of standardised marking, meaning that younger children are not penalised for their age, the results are statistically standardised to compare any child’s score average to the average score of their school year. The ‘pass mark’ for the Sough CEM 11+ is currently an aggregate score of 111; this is the score which would make a child eligible for admission for a grammar school in Slough. However, it is notable that this is subject to change. For this reason, the ‘pass mark’ cannot be predicted for every year, but it is estimated that the top 25% of students will achieve the qualifying mark. For more information please see our article ‘Selective Test in Slough – CEM 11 Plus”

Catchment Area

As outlined above, children must score an aggregate mark of 111 in order to be eligible for consideration to Herschel Grammar School. This is set out in the 2023 admissions policy – https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sh-herschel-slough-sch-uk/media/downloads/HGS%20Determined%20Admissions%20Arrangements%20Sept%202023.pdf – please note this is subject to change. The school also uses a catchment area in its oversubscription criteria; this is found on page 6, appendix i in the Admissions Policy hyperlinked above 

Oversubscription Criteria:

Where the number of eligible pupils reaching the required standard in the 11+ entrance examination exceeds the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

1. Looked After Children* who are being accommodate, or who have been taken into care by a local authority under section 20, 31 or 38 of the Children Act 1989;
2. Pupils living in the school catchment area, which is defined as a home address within 4 miles of the school. Distance is measured in a straight line from the front door of the child’s home address (including flats) to the main entrance gate of the school;
3. Up to a further 10 places will be offered to eligible applicants with a home address within 10 miles of the school who are eligible for the Pupil Premium at the closing date for submission of the Common Application form;
4. Children of permanent members of staff who have been continuously employed at the school for 2 years or longer;
5. The remaining places, up to the PAN of 150, will be allocated in rank order of performance in the examination.

Additional eligibilities:

Children with EHC plans are admitted via separate statutory procedures. This is contained in Herschel Grammar Schools 2023 Admissions Policy. Where children with an EHC plan qualify for the school for entry in year 7, they will be admitted before the allocation of other candidates, before any oversubscription criteria is implemented.

For a full and detailed breakdown of Herschell’s admissions criteria, and to understand whether your child is likely to be admitted, please visit the school’s 2023 Admission policy in the relevant hyperlink above.