Table of Contents
Introduction
Bury Grammar School (BGS) provides an excellent education to boys and girls aged 3-18. It is an independent school that was founded over 450 years ago and is still very much flourishing in the 21st century thanks, amongst other things, to its modern approach, committed staff members, superb facilities and the high expectations it has of its pupils.
Whilst BGS is co-educational, boys and girls in the Senior School are taught separately. This enables pupils to be fully focused during lessons. However, the enrichment programme is co-educational, meaning girls and boys get plenty of opportunities to socialise together, resulting in confident young people who have excellent communication skills.
A Super Curriculum programme, specifically for pupils in Years 7-13, has been designed to challenge and inspire pupils outside of the standard curriculum, as well as to develop a lifelong love of learning. Pupils can attend lectures given by specialist subject teachers, enter academic competitions, join the Debating Society and much more. Such pursuits prove invaluable when applying to top universities that want evidence that applicants have a genuine interest in broadening their minds.
The enrichment programme at Bury Grammar School is wide-ranging, meaning there really is something for everyone, whether pupils want to enhance their existing skills or discover new talents. Getting involved contributes to pupils’ physical and mental well-being and is also an opportunity to improve their teamwork and leadership abilities. Enrichment activities include badminton, kung fu, crocheting and music composition.
Pastorally, BGS is to be commended. The school considers pastoral care to be the responsibility of every single member of staff. Form Tutors and Heads of Year get to know their pupils well. This means that if any pupil experiences any difficulties or has any concerns, they have specific people they can turn to, who are in a good position to be able to offer support and guidance.
Bury Grammar School: Contact Details and Admissions Process for 12+ (Year 8) Entry and 13+ (Year 9) Entry
Address: Tenterden Street, Bury, BL9 0HN
County: Historic county of Lancashire
Admissions: admissions@burygrammar.com or 0161 696 8600 (option 1)
School type: Co-educational independent day school
Entrance exams: Maths and English papers, MidYIS test and interview
Most pupils joining the Senior School at BGS will do so at the start of Year 7. However, it is possible to join in Year 8 or 9 if a place is available. Pupils can join at any point in Year 8 if there is a vacancy, but pupils can only join in Year 9 at the start of the academic year (this is because pupils start their three-year GCSE courses at the beginning of Year 9).
If you contact BGS and there is an available place, you are encouraged to visit the school to learn more about its ethos and check whether you feel the school is a good fit for your child.
The next step after this is to fill out the school’s application form. Once you have done this, your child will be invited to the school to sit their entrance exams. These exams comprise the following:
- A written maths paper
- A written English paper
- An online test (MidYIS test)
References will be requested from your child’s current school and reviewed as part of the admissions process. Should your child perform well in the entrance exams and have excellent references, they will be interviewed by a senior leadership teacher at BGS before a decision is made as to whether to offer them a place.
Accepting a place involves signing a contract and paying a deposit.
Bury Grammar School: Scholarships and Bursaries
Scholarships and bursaries are only available to pupils who join the Senior School at the start of Year 7 or the Sixth Form at the start of Year 12.
Bury Grammar School: Entrance Exams
The maths paper will contain questions appropriate for the age of the applicant, i.e. the questions will cover the relevant National Curriculum stage.
The English paper will cover creative writing, comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
The MidYIS test will assess an applicant’s Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical reasoning abilities. It is an online test that is produced by CEM and is very similar to CEM Select (also produced by CEM).
Preparing for the Bury Grammar School Entrance Exams
Working through our maths and English practice papers will familiarise your child with what to expect in the written entrance exams at Bury Grammar School. It will also enable them to pinpoint any weak areas they might have, allowing them to allocate plenty of study time to those areas before the big day. This will help to alleviate nerves and build confidence, leading to a strong performance in the actual written papers.
Our sister company, Pretest Plus, has CEM Select online practice tests, which are very similar to the MidYIS online test. Working through these practice tests will help your child do well in the MidYIS test, as your child will become adept at managing the time constraints of the test and navigating the online interface. They will also become competent at successfully answering the types of questions that will be asked in the MidYIS test.
Bury Grammar School: Practice Materials
To access our 12+ resource recommendations, please click the below links:
English (12+)
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the Bury Grammar School 12+ English paper:
12+ English: Rewrite & Improve
12+ English: Vocabulary & Grammar
If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.
Mathematics (12+)
We highly recommend the use of the following pack to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Bury Grammar School 12 Plus maths test:
12+ Mathematics: Mental Arithmetic
12+ Mathematics: Problem Solving
To access our 13+ resource recommendations, please click the below links:
English (13+)
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the Bury Grammar School 13+ English paper:
13+ English: Rewrite & Improve
Mathematics (13+)
We highly recommend the use of the following pack to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Bury Grammar School 13 Plus maths test:
CEM Select
The following full practice online tests are specifically designed to help your child become familiar with the demands of the Bury Grammar School CEM Select assessment:
Full Practice
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the Bury Grammar School CEM Select exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
CEM Select Practice Tests 1-10 Bundle - Save 30%
✅ Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for theBury Grammar School CEM Select exam and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
CEM Select Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%
CEM Select Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%
The following resources consist of focused tests that allow students to target specific question formats that appear in CEM Select:
Skill Practice: Verbal Ability
CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 1
CEM Select – Comprehension Pack 2
CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 1
CEM Select – Missing Words Pack 2
CEM Select – Shuffled Sentences
CEM Select – Letter Connections
CEM Select – Multiple Meanings
Skill Practice: Non-Verbal Ability
Skill Practice: Numerical Ability
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Bury Grammar School CEM Select exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
CEM Select Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%
Don’t forget to use the code ppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200 if you don’t buy a bundle.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Bury Grammar School’s 12+ and 13+ exam past papers. The information provided about Bury Grammar School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of possible future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.
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