Reading School for Boys is a boys-only grammar based in Reading, Berkshire. One of the oldest schools in England, it was initially founded in 1125 as the school of Reading Abbey and was re-founded in 1486. Reading School accepts both day pupils and boarders and currently educates 900 boys.
Reading School gained academy status in 2011 and since then has undergone significant refurbishment, resulting in a new science block, computing rooms and a lecture theatre. While the school instills its traditions in its pupils, it also looks to bring innovation and entrepreneurial spirit to their learning.
Address: Reading Grammar School, Erleigh Road, Reading RG1 5LW
County: Berkshire
Admissions Info: [email protected], 0118 9015600
School Type: Boys’ Grammar
Number of pupils: 890
Number of Places in Year 7: 150: 12 boarders (maximum) and 138 day pupils (minimum)
Open Day Date: April and May
Exam Date: September
Exam Board Type: CEM (University of Durham)
Year 7 admission to Reading School for Boys is determined by pupil performance in the 11 Plus exam. If you are considering Reading School as an option for your son, you are advised to attend one of the school’s open days. At the event, you will be able to take a tour of the school, talk to staff and get a better understanding of the overall admissions process.
Reading School is one of a number of grammar schools across Berkshire that uses the same 11+ entrance exam administered by CEM (The Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring), which is affiliated to the University of Durham.
Unfortunately, the school cannot guarantee a place for every pupil that meets the required standard. The school is heavily oversubscribed and uses the following criteria to determine place allocation, giving priority to:
For more information about Reading School for Boys’ admission criteria, please visit the school’s website.
To register interest for a Year 7 place at Reading School for Boys, parents must complete their Local Authority’s (LA) Common Application Form (CAF). To register for the 11+ admissions test itself, parents need to complete a separate application directly with the school. This registration can be done online when the application window is open. Applications received after the school’s deadline will not be accepted.
Parents will receive the results of their child’s 11+ exam in October, before the deadline for the submission of the CAF.
The CEM 11 Plus test for Reading School for Boys comprises of two separate papers, each lasting 50 minutes. Each test will assess:
Boys are expected to show competence in skills appropriate to Key Stage 2 English and Mathematics and to be able to apply these creatively.
Reading School for Boys regularly appears towards the top of UK school league tables and receives an average of five applications for every Year 7 place. In short, your son will have to be thoroughly prepared ahead of the exam and have the confidence to believe that he can secure his place at the school.
Begin by setting your son a detailed study timetable, split into realistic revision sessions, each lasting 30 minutes. These manageable blocks of revision will go some way to ensuring that your son doesn’t become overworked or distracted.
Reading School for Boys’ 11 Plus exam focuses heavily on reasoning skills, which can be difficult for some children to learn. Reading the following articles ahead of his exam preparation may help:
The CEM 11+ requires children to answer questions quickly and confidently, so your child needs to have mastered their time management skills ahead of the exam.
Introducing our practice exam papers into your son’s routine can help give him a better idea of roughly how much time he has to answer each question. They can also help monitor his progress and identify weak spots.
Our 11 Plus practice papers can help your child to prepare for the Reading School for Boys exam. We would specifically recommend:
The resources below will prove useful for children currently preparing for the Reading grammar school eleven plus exam:
11+ Short Numerical Reasoning (CEM)
This pack contains 10 tests, each consisting of 20 questions. It focuses on time-pressured problem solving with question styles that are known to have been previously used by CEM.
11+ Long Numerical Reasoning (CEM)
This pack contains 10 tests, each consisting of 5 sections, with 5 questions in each section. It focuses on a specific type of question that comes up in CEM exams. These questions are based on some form of chart or diagram that the student must use to work out the answers. The answers must be recorded on a separate sheet in a specific manner. This pack includes separate answer sheets so students can get used to recording their responses in this way, just like they will need to do in the 11+ Reading exam.
11+ MC Numerical Reasoning (CEM)
This pack contains 20 tests, each with 10 questions. It focuses on a different CEM question type in which there are multiple possible answer choices provided and the student must pick the correct one for each question. Separate answer sheets are provided so students can get used to recording their responses in this manner.
This pack contains 15 tests, each with 15 questions. It focuses on fundamental arithmetic skills, developing a strong basis that allows students to work through maths questions efficiently and with confidence.
Verbal Reasoning, as defined by CEM, is quite different to how it may be traditionally understood. It includes a number of question types that focus on vocabulary and comprehension as well as some more unusual formats. Each of the packs below focuses on a different skill that is assessed in the Verbal Reasoning section of CEM 11+ Reading exam.
This pack contains plenty of practice for various question types that crop up frequently in CEM exams. These include questions that assess a student’s grasp of synonyms and antonyms as well as other formats such as shuffled sentences and contextual cloze.
11+ Verbal Reasoning – Synonyms and Antonyms (CEM) Pack 1
11+ Verbal Reasoning – Synonyms and Antonyms (CEM) Pack 2
These packs contains plenty of vocabulary practice, specifically designed to match the style used in CEM exams in the ‘Word Choice’ section. There are 24 practice tests in each pack, each with 29 questions. We recommend beginning with Pack 1. Pack 2 is designed to be more challenging.
11+ Verbal Reasoning – Shuffled Sentences (CEM) Pack 1
This pack focuses on a specific CEM Verbal Reasoning question type that comes up frequently. It’s relatively unusual and, in our experience, students can find it difficult to get to grips with. There are 20 tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.
11+ Verbal Reasoning – Word Associations (CEM)
This pack focuses on another common CEM Verbal Reasoning question type. It doesn’t feature in that many 11+ resources so your child may not be too familiar with the format. It assesses the depth of a student’s vocabulary, as well as their understanding of phrases and idioms. There are 24 timed tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.
11+ Verbal Reasoning – Adjectives (CEM)
This pack focuses on a CEM question type that targets a student’s knowledge and understanding of adjectives. To do well in this question type, students need to have a broad vocabulary as well as a solid understanding of common phrases and idioms. Furthermore, when there are two or more seemingly possible answers, they need to be able to discern which is the ‘best’, given the context. There are 24 timed tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.
11+ Verbal Reasoning – Word Definitions (CEM)
This pack focuses on a CEM question type that tests the depth of a student’s vocabulary. These questions can be quite tricky. For example, the superfluous definitions are designed to pose challenges, perhaps defining a homophone of one of the target words. To do well in this question type, students must be confident in their choice of words and their meanings. There are 24 timed tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.
11+ Comprehension (CEM) Pack 1 – Fiction
11+ Comprehension (CEM) Pack 2 – Non-Fiction
11+ Comprehension (CEM) Pack 3 – Poetry
These packs focus on multiple-choice comprehension, which will feature in the CEM 11+ Reading exam. There are 15 comprehension tests included in each pack. Pack 1 focuses on classical fiction, Pack 2 focuses on non-fiction and Pack 3 focuses on poetry.
This pack focuses on improving inference skills via a series of creative and unusual exercises. Inference skills will be tested in the comprehension section of the CEM 11+ exam.
11+ Cloze (CEM) Pack 1 – Words
11+ Cloze (CEM) Pack 2 – Sentences
These packs focus on cloze questions that are used in almost all CEM 11+ exams. Pack 1 focuses on missing words and Pack 2 focuses on missing sentences.
CEM 11+ exams, such as the 11 plus Reading test, focus heavily on assessing a child’s vocabulary. These packs each introduce 200 words within context, helping students to improve both their vocabulary and spelling. This will prove useful for the Verbal Reasoning section of the exam. Pack 2 is designed to be more challenging than Pack 1.
This pack covers a number of the question types that are used in CEM 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning exams such as Matrices, Box Sequences and Exceptions. There are some extension question types as well. Whilst these are not known to be utilised in CEM exams, they will help develop your child’s Non-Verbal reasoning ability, which will stand them in good stead for the exam.
These packs each contain two test papers covering all three topics: Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical Reasoning. Using the official familiarisation material and our deep knowledge of CEM question styles and formats, we’ve created accurate and up to date CEM practice papers that pay attention to all elements including question types, timings, structure, format, question wordings, fonts and design. Answers and Answer Sheets are included so your child can get used to marking their answers as they will need to do in the actual exam.
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The information provided about Reading School for Boys 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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