How to prepare for the Stroud High School 11+

The exam at a glance

Stroud High School is a selective grammar school for girls aged 11 to 16, with entry to Year 7 through the Gloucestershire grammar school entrance test process. For children applying for September 2028 entry, the test format changes to FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise) across the Gloucestershire grammar schools.

For this 2028 entry round, the school says the new FSCE test will be completed in July 2027. That is an important change from the older Gloucestershire pattern, where children usually sat the test in September of Year 6.

The verified format for Stroud High School for 2028 entry is:

Maths based on Key Stage 2 learning up to the end of Year 5
English based on Key Stage 2 learning up to the end of Year 5
Creative writing as part of the English element
Wider curriculum / breadth questions, which can draw on other KS2 subjects such as Science, History and Geography
No Verbal Reasoning
No Non-Verbal Reasoning
Paper-based delivery

This matters for preparation. Families do not need to chase VR or NVR techniques for this cohort. A much better use of time is secure Year 5 classroom learning: number fluency, arithmetic, problem solving, reading for meaning, vocabulary in context, spelling and punctuation accuracy, and confident extended writing.

The school and Gloucestershire grammar schools have said that familiarisation materials will be published on grammar-school websites from the end of September. At the time of writing, there are no published past papers for this new FSCE format, so parents should expect preparation to be more curriculum-based than highly coached.

On the day itself, children should expect a formal test session at a set venue under exam conditions. Because this is a consortium-style grammar school process, exact arrangements such as reporting time, rooming and what to bring are usually confirmed in the official candidate instructions closer to the test date.

Registration and key dates

For Stroud High School, Year 7 grammar entry sits within the wider Gloucestershire Grammar Schools admissions process, while the school’s own admissions page explains the school’s oversubscription rules and place allocation principles.

For 2028 entry, the key confirmed point is that the new FSCE entrance test will be completed in July 2027. The school also says familiarisation materials will be available from the end of September on grammar-school websites.

At the time of writing, we could not find a published 2027 registration window for 2028 entry on the pages available. Parents should therefore keep checking the school and Gloucestershire grammar-school admissions pages for the application portal opening date, deadline and candidate instructions.

What is confirmed from the school’s own page and the previous cycle is:

For 2028 entry: the new FSCE test is planned for July 2027.
For the older 2027 entry cycle: the test took place on Saturday 12 September 2026.
The school’s admissions page says the local authority’s Common Application Form deadline is 31 October.

That means families applying in the 2028 cycle should expect two separate steps:

Register for the grammar test when the Gloucestershire grammar schools open registration.
Submit the local authority school application through the Common Application Form by the published deadline.

Because schools sometimes ask for supporting details during registration, it is sensible to have the child’s full legal name, date of birth, current primary school details, home address and any evidence requested for priority categories ready before registration opens.

If you want a simple way to keep track, use Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=stroud-high-school. For a live overview page, see The Stroud High School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/stroud-high-school.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Stroud High School says it does not have a catchment area. That is helpful for families because it means admission is not based on living inside a defined zone. However, it does not mean places are easy to secure: this is still a selective grammar school, and places are offered according to the school’s published admission rules.

The school offers 150 Year 7 places each year.

For priority, the school states that Pupil Premium children who meet the qualifying score are ranked above non-Pupil Premium applicants. The school also says Service Pupil Premium applicants are placed alongside Pupil Premium applicants and given priority.

As with any grammar school, sitting the test is only one part of the process. Parents also need to complete the local authority application naming the school in their preferred order. If a child qualifies, place allocation then depends on the published admission arrangements and how many other qualified applicants apply.

The school pages available do not publish a universal pass mark or a guaranteed score for entry, and families should be cautious about any unofficial numbers discussed online. If the school does not publish a cut-off or qualifying score for your entry year, the safest approach is to rely only on the school’s own admissions information.

Stroud High School is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, which helps explain why demand is often strong.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because the 2028 entry test is due in July 2027, most children will prepare during Year 5 and the start of Year 6. The good news is that this new format rewards steady school-based learning rather than narrow drilling.

Here is a realistic plan for a Year 5 child.

Month	What to do
September to October (Year 5)	Keep it light: around 1 to 2 hours a week. Focus on strong routines in reading, tables, arithmetic accuracy and neat written work. Read widely and talk about what has been read. Start short written responses rather than formal test papers.
November to December	Build to 2 hours a week. Practise KS2 maths topics securely, especially number operations, fractions, place value and multi-step word problems. In English, work on comprehension, vocabulary from context, sentence control and paragraphing.
January to February (Year 5)	Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week. Introduce regular creative writing practice: planning, writing to a prompt, checking punctuation and improving vocabulary. Add short wider-curriculum tasks based on school topics in science, history and geography.
March to April	Keep to 3 hours a week if your child is coping well. Begin doing short sections to time, but not full papers every weekend. Focus on stamina, careful reading and finishing work calmly.
May half term to June	Move to 3 to 4 hours a week, split across several short sessions. Start using fuller mixed practice, including maths, comprehension, writing and some breadth questions. Review mistakes carefully rather than rushing into more papers.
July	If the official test is in July 2027 as announced, use the final weeks for consolidation, not cramming. Practise one or two realistic timed pieces each week, especially writing under time pressure and checking answers.

When should timed papers start? For this curriculum-led format, most children do best if timed work begins only after the underlying skills are reasonably secure, usually in the spring or early summer of Year 5 for short sections, then more realistic mixed practice closer to the test.

A balanced weekly pattern often works well:

two short maths sessions
two short English sessions
regular reading every day
one brief writing task each week
occasional wider-curriculum discussion or quiz work

If your child is tiring or resisting, reduce volume before increasing difficulty. Consistency beats intensity.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

For this new FSCE format, think secure KS2 maths to the end of Year 5, not puzzle tricks. Children should be comfortable with the four operations, place value, fractions, decimals where taught, measures, time, perimeter and area basics, and multi-step word problems.

Practise:

accurate arithmetic without rushing
choosing the right operation in word problems
showing working clearly
mental maths and number facts
checking whether an answer is sensible

A good routine is one fluency task, one reasoning task and one problem-solving task in each session.

English

English preparation should cover both reading and writing accuracy. Because the test is curriculum-based, strong comprehension habits matter: retrieving information, inferring meaning, explaining vocabulary in context and understanding tone or viewpoint at a simple KS2 level.

Practise:

reading a passage carefully before answering
finding evidence in the text
working out word meaning from context
sentence punctuation, tense control and grammar basics
spelling of common and ambitious words appropriate for KS2

It also helps to discuss books, articles and short non-fiction extracts aloud. Spoken explanation often improves written comprehension.

Wider Curriculum

The verified format includes breadth questions that may draw on KS2 subjects such as science, history and geography. This does not mean children need specialist revision guides for every topic. It is more about being alert, curious and able to apply classroom knowledge.

Practise:

reading short factual texts and picking out key information
basic scientific vocabulary and everyday scientific understanding
common KS2 history and geography themes from school
interpreting charts, diagrams, timelines or simple maps
writing short factual answers clearly

The best preparation is often ordinary school learning done thoroughly.

Creative writing

Creative writing is a defined part of the new format, so children should get used to turning an idea into a complete piece within a clear time limit. Strong writing does not need to sound adult. It needs to be clear, organised, accurate and engaging.

Practise:

planning quickly before writing
opening a story or description with a clear idea
using paragraphs sensibly
varying sentence openings and lengths
choosing precise verbs and nouns rather than overloading adjectives
leaving a few minutes to check punctuation and spelling

One timed writing task each week in the run-up to the exam is usually enough. Marking and redrafting are as important as writing lots of pieces.

Practice papers and mock exams

There are no published past papers for the new FSCE format at the time of writing, so families should use practice materials thoughtfully. The aim is not to teach a trick; it is to build confidence with curriculum-style questions, stamina and careful checking.

A sensible approach is:

Start with untimed work to build understanding.
Move to short timed sections once accuracy is secure.
Use mixed practice nearer the exam so children switch calmly between maths, reading and writing demands.
Review errors in detail. Ask: was it knowledge, misunderstanding, rushing or presentation?
Do not overdo mocks. One useful mock with good feedback is worth more than several exhausting ones.

For structured practice linked to this school, use Free Stroud High School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers): /schools/stroud-high-school-mock-tests.

You may also find these helpful while official details are updated:

The Stroud High School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/stroud-high-school
Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=stroud-high-school

If official familiarisation materials appear on the grammar-school websites, use those first. They are usually the closest guide to tone and style.

On the day

In the final week, keep life ordinary. Children usually perform best when they are rested and not surrounded by last-minute panic.

Check the venue instructions as soon as they arrive.
Prepare what is needed the night before, including pencils, pens and any other permitted equipment named in the instructions.
Leave plenty of travel time.
Give a calm breakfast and avoid heavy revision that morning.
Remind your child that some questions will feel easy and some will feel hard for everyone.
Encourage them to listen carefully to instructions, keep an eye on time and move on if stuck.

For a paper-based exam, presentation matters more than children sometimes realise. Neat working, clear handwriting and obvious paragraphing can help them do themselves justice.

The most useful final message is simple: read carefully, do the straightforward things well, and keep going.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

After the test, families usually receive an outcome from the grammar school admissions process before national school allocation day, so they can make an informed Common Application Form submission or understand the position of their application. For the older cycle, the school’s admissions page highlighted the 31 October CAF deadline.

The general process is:

Your child sits the entrance test.
You receive the test outcome according to the published timeline for that year.
You submit the local authority school application naming Stroud High School if you want a place.
Places are allocated according to the school’s admission rules.
If a place is not offered, families may be able to remain on a waiting list or appeal, depending on the circumstances and the local authority process.

Appeals are not a repeat of the test. They usually focus on whether the admission decision was properly made and whether there are reasons a place should be offered despite refusal. If you are considering an appeal, start by reading the school’s and local authority’s published admissions guidance for that year.

Because the 2028 entry cycle introduces a new exam and different timing, it is especially important to rely on the official letters and admissions pages for the exact results and allocation timetable.

What has changed recently

The main announced change is significant: for September 2028 entry, Gloucestershire grammar schools including Stroud High School are moving to FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise). The school says this new entrance test will be completed in July 2027.

The verified new format is also different from older grammar-school expectations because it uses KS2 Maths and English, a creative-writing task and wider-curriculum breadth questions, with no Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning.

The school also says that familiarisation materials will be available from the end of September on grammar-school websites.

Apart from that published exam-format change, we did not find any other clearly announced recent change on the official pages we reviewed to Stroud High School’s catchment position or its number of Year 7 places.

Frequently asked questions

Does Stroud High School have a catchment area?

No. The school says it does not have a catchment area, so applications are not limited to families living in a defined zone.

How many Year 7 places are available at Stroud High School?

The school says it offers 150 places in Year 7 each year.

What exam board is used for 2028 entry?

For September 2028 entry, the verified format is FSCE, the Future Stories Community Enterprise test used through Gloucestershire Grammar Schools.

Is there Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning?

No. For 2028 entry, the verified format does not include Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning.

When will children sit the Stroud High School 11+ for 2028 entry?

The school says the new FSCE entrance test for 2028 entry will be completed in July 2027.

Are there official past papers?

At the time of writing, there are no published past papers for the new FSCE format. Parents should watch for official familiarisation materials on grammar-school websites.

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Sources

Stroud High School – Join Us / Admissions: Stroud High School is a selective grammar school for girls aged 11-16 with a co-educational Sixth Form; Year 7 admission is through an entrance test; the school offers 150 places each year; the school does not have a catchment area; Pupil Premium students who meet the qualifying score are ranked abo

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Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.