Our Lady’s Grammar School PPTC Transfer Test (11 Plus) Information
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1887, Our Lady’s Grammar School is an all-girls Catholic grammar located in Newry. The school began with just nine pupils and currently has around 850 girls enrolled.
Our Lady’s curriculum enables each pupil to realise her full potential and to develop all of her interests and talents. The school also places great emphasis on the spiritual development of their pupils, promoting prayer, spirituality and Christian service at all times.
To learn more about the history of Our Lady’s Grammar School, watch this short video:
Transfer Test Information for Our Lady’s Grammar School
Address: Our Lady’s Grammar School, Chequer Hill, Newry, BT35 6DY
Admissions Info: info@ourladysgrammar.newry.ni.sch.uk, 028 3026 3552
School Type: Girls’ Grammar
Number of pupils: 850 (approx.)
Number of Places in Year 8: 120 (approx.)
Open Day Date: January
Exam Date: November/December
Exam Board Type: GL Assessment
Our Lady’s Grammar School Admissions
Since the Northern Ireland Assembly abolished the previous 11 Plus process, a number of post primary schools have continued to use a selective admission policy. Currently, 34 schools have joined the Post Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC), including Our Lady’s Grammar. Each of the schools in the PPTC use the same standardised entrance assessment to determine admission.
Admission to Our Lady’s Grammar School is determined by student performance in the PPTC Transfer Test. In cases where there are more applicants than available places, the following oversubscription criteria is used, giving priority to:
- Girls who, at the date of their application, have a parent/guardian who is a member of the permanent teaching, administrative, or ancillary staff of Our Lady’s Grammar School
- Girls who, at the date of their application, have another girl of the family attending the school
- Girls who have had another girl of the family previously attend the school
- Girls who are the first girl of the family to transfer to secondary education, i.e. the eldest girl of the family
- Girls who are the first girl of the family to apply to a grammar school
- Girls whose mother/guardian attended the school
- Girls who, at the date of their application, are entitled to Free School Meals
For more information on the admissions process or oversubscription criteria at Our Lady’s Grammar School, parents can contact the school directly at info@ourladysgrammar.newry.ni.sch.uk, or call 028 3026 3552.
How to Apply for Year 8 Entry to Our Lady’s Grammar School
Before applying for a Year 8 place at Our Lady’s Grammar School, parents and students are advised to visit the school during its open event, which usually takes place in December or January. This event is the ideal opportunity to learn more about the school’s ethos and ambitions for their pupils.
Each school in the PPTC uses the same entrance assessment, so parents are only required to register their child for the test once. Parents should apply using the registration form on the PPTC website. If you have any problems completing the form, please refer to these guidance notes for parents for further information.
Our Lady’s Grammar School Transfer Test Format
GL Assessment sets both test papers for the Our Lady’s Grammar School Transfer Test – one in English and one in Maths. On both papers, all questions are multiple-choice and each assessment paper has an assessment booklet, containing any reading passages and questions, with a separate answer sheet. Children will also be given the opportunity to do some practice questions before each marked test.
English Paper
The English paper lasts for 50 minutes and has 60 questions. The assessment includes:
- Comprehension
- Vocabulary
- Spelling and Punctuation
- Study Skills
The comprehension questions make up 60% of the paper’s total mark, while the spelling punctuation and study skills questions make up the remaining 40%.
Maths Paper
The maths paper lasts for 45 minutes and has 45 questions. The content of the paper mostly reflects the school curriculum in Northern Ireland, although there are some questions covering areas which may not feature in the curriculum, such as elementary logic, included to assess children’s intuitive understanding. Most questions have been written either to assess the understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, or to assess the use of mathematics as a practical skill in a range of everyday situations.
Scores for both papers are age standardised and results are posted to parents in January.
More information on the content of the test papers can be found on the PPTC website. The website also has a useful FAQs page that relates to the transfer test.
How to Prepare for the Our Lady’s Grammar School 11 plus (11+) Transfer Test?
Parents should be prepared to start their child’s Transfer Test revision well ahead of the actual exam date. Practice exam papers are a proven, effective way of increasing your child’s confidence in the run-up to the test. They can help your daughter to become more familiar with the content of the exams and better understand the types of questions they may be asked.
As the exam draws nearer, try to include timed practice papers in your child’s learning routine. Answering questions under timed conditions can help improve their time management skills and get them used to answering quickly.
Our 11 Plus practice tests can help your child prepare for the Our Lady’s Grammar School Transfer Test. We would specifically recommend the following:
English
Full Practice Tests
Skill specific practice
Masterclasses
Mathematics
Full Practice Test
Skill specific practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
Masterclasses
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Our Lady’s Grammar School 11+ past papers. The information provided about Our Lady’s Grammar 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.
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