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Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information 2024

11+

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Introduction

 

Dean Close School is a co-educational day and boarding private school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire that educates children from ages 3 to 18.

 

The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools, located on separate sites outside Cheltenham town centre. Pupils may be enrolled as young as 3 in the pre-preparatory school, and continue through to 18 at the senior school.

 

The school was founded in 1886 as the 79th of the 103 Victorian public schools in order of foundation and was named after the Very Reverend Francis Close, Dean of Carlisle Cathedral.

 

The first girl was admitted in 1967, and in the following years, the school strongly encouraged female applicants to study full-time. Over the next 35 years, the school transformed into a balanced co-educational environment, with an almost equal numbers of boys and girls.

 

The school is set in 50 acres of parkland in the centre of Cheltenham.

 

With around 300 pupils in the Prep School and 500 in the Senior School, Dean Close is small enough to allow everyone to know each other and large enough to build an extremely strong boarding community with impressive academic results and great sporting achievements across all ages. The school’s positive environment can be attributed directly to the Christian ethos.

 

The core curriculum consists of English (leading to two GCSEs, in Literature & Language), mathematics, PSHE (not assessed) and French or Spanish. It also offers lessons in classical civilisation, business studies, economics, geography, history, religious studies, art, design technology, drama, music and physical education.

 

The school’s philosophy is centered on the idea that education is, among other things, about building character.

 

The broad co-curricular programme includes dozens of clubs and activities that take place outside of the classroom throughout the week. 

 

The school offers a programme devoted to hobbies, physical pursuits and intellectual extension activities: Service activities and Community Action programme; Sports programme; Music programme with a host of musical ensembles and instrumental lessons throughout the week; Drama programme and many other highly-regarded activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

 

Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2024

 

Address: Shelburne Road Cheltenham GL51 6HE 

County: Gloucestershire

Admissions info: registrar@deanclose.org.uk or +44 (0)1242 258044

School type: Co-ed independent day school 

Number of students: 900 (approx.)

Open day: October, February and May

11+ Exam date: Optional

11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own and CAT4

Pass mark (Papers): Aim for 75%+ in our paper-based practice tests.

Pass mark (Online CAT4 Test): Aim for 70%+ in our online practice tests.

 

Open Events for Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Entry

 

All prospective parents are invited for a personal tour of the school, during which they have the opportunity to meet the Head Teacher and other key members of staff.  The guided tour will also give parents a comprehensive understanding of all that Dean Close has to offer to the child and involves seeing all three schools, if suitable for the parents.

 

Open Mornings take place in October, March and May. Prospective parents spend time with pupils, who act as tour guides. Children are also welcome to visit Dean Close and take part in lessons and school activities during Taster Day, which is organised by the Admissions Team upon the parents’ request. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:

 

 

Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions

 

Entry tests are taken on Taster Days, or other mutually convenient times. For children who are unable to visit the school, entry tests can be conducted at either their current school, at the British Council or through an Educational Agent with which the school is already working.

 

For the 11+ examination, all pupils will sit an online test and an English paper. If Dean Close offers your child a place, you will be asked to accept it with a payment of a deposit. 

 

Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format

 

The 11+ exam at Dean Close School consists of the following assessments:

 

  • English paper
  • Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4)

 

The English paper aims to evaluate reading, comprehension and writing skills, including grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. 

 

The CAT test aims to assess developed abilities via modules testing Verbal, Non-Verbal, Spatial and Quantitative Reasoning.

 

Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Dean Close School 11+ examination.

 

How to Prepare for Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Exam

 

One of the best ways to prepare for a competitive entrance exam is to use our practice tests. Getting to know the types of questions and the format of the actual exam will help remove insecurities a child might have.

 

Aside from becoming familiarised with the exam format, our practice tests will ensure that your child responds to the questions in an efficient and effective manner. 

 

They also provide an excellent opportunity for your child to practise working under time pressure. Whilst doing the tests under timed conditions, children can get used to answering questions quickly, with close attention to detail.

 

Our 11+ practice tests are thoroughly researched and up to date. They are designed to reflect the demands of a competitive entrance exam and are successfully used by hundreds of thousands of students every year.

 

Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores

 

Pupils who are able to score 75%+ consistently in our practice papers should be on track to pass the written sections of the Dean Close School 11+ exam.

 

Pupils who are able to score 70%+ consistently in our online practice tests should be on track to pass the Dean Close School 11+ online CAT4 test.

 

Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the Dean Close 11 Plus examinations.

 

Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice papers from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!

 

Dean Close School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Tests

 

English

 

The following packs are highly recommended for successful preparation for Dean Close School 11+ English paper. They will help improve comprehension and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and inference:

 

Comprehension

 

11+ English Pack 1

 

11+ English Pack 2

 

11+ English Pack 3

 

11+ English Pack 4

 

11+ English Pack 5

 

11+ Inference Skills Pack 1

 

11+ Inference Skills Pack 2

 

11+ Poetry Comprehension

 

11+ Complete Comprehension Guide

 

11+ Reading Workbook

 

Writing

 

11+ Complete Writing Guide

 

11+ Writing Prompts

 

11+ Rewrite & Improve

 

11+ Spelling Pack 1

 

11+ Spelling Pack 2

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Dean Close School English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

11+ English Bundle - Save 30%

 

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.

 

Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.

 

Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4)

 

The following Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) online practice tests are highly recommended for successful preparation for the Dean Close School 11+ CAT test. They help familiarise students with the various modules and question types that will come up in the CAT4 Level C, which is taken for Year 7 (11+) entry.

 

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 1

 

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 2

 

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 3

 

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 4

 

CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 5

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice test resources for the Dean Close School CAT4 exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

CAT4 Level C Practice Tests Bundle - Save 25%

 


 

Non-Verbal Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Matrices

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Classification

 

Verbal Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Verbal Classification

CAT4 – Level C – Verbal Analogies

 

Quantitative Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Number Analogies

CAT4 – Level C – Number Series

 

Spatial Reasoning

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Analysis

CAT4 – Level C – Figure Recognition

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Dean Close School CAT4 exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

CAT4 Level C Skill Practice Bundle - Save 25%

 


The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the Dean Close CAT4 exam:

 

CAT4 Quantitative Reasoning Course

 

CAT4 Non-Verbal Reasoning Course

 

CAT4 Spatial Reasoning Course

 

CAT4 Verbal Reasoning Course

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the Dean Close School CAT4 exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

CAT4 Level C Video Courses Bundle - Save 25%

 

 

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 Dean Close School 11+ exam past papers. The information provided about Dean Close School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

 

Other entry points for Dean Close School:

 

Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam

Click here to learn about Year 4 entry via the 8 Plus (8+) Exam

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