Royal Grammar School (RGS) Newcastle 8 Plus (8+) Entrance Exam Information – Key Details
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Basic information: Royal Grammar School (RGS) is an independent co-ed day school in Newcastle upon Tyne. Established in 1525, it is the city’s oldest educational facility, and it thus features a long list of notable alumni, including esteemed naturalists, engineers, architects, mathematicians and diplomats. [1]
Curriculum: The Junior Department curriculum aims to stretch pupils’ interests and abilities to parallel the school’s strong academic reputation. As such, it offers comprehensive coverage of relevant disciplines, including languages, technology, humanities and science. PSHE lessons also form an integral part of the teaching provision, introducing pupils to various religious and cultural systems for the benefit of their cultural and social proficiency.
Co-curricular: The activities programme extensively caters for a range of preferences, boasting numerous sporting, creative and artistic pursuits. Orchestra, swimming, coding, chess and drama are just a few to mention, enhancing RGS’ vibrant school life and culture of achievement. [2]
ISI Inspection report: The most recent ISI report characterises the school’s provision as ‘excellent’ across all areas. RGS was also found to be fully compliant with all national standards for quality education, providing pupils from a range of abilities and backgrounds with a supportive and balanced learning environment. [3]
The RGS Newcastle ethos is firmly grounded in efforts to boost children’s attainment and ambition, inspiring creative and independent thought as essential components of their agency. Consequently, pupils rapidly develop across both intellectual and social domains, forming lasting connections with peers which further facilitate their productivity.
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, 8 Plus (8+) Exam Information
Address: Lambton Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4RX
County: Tyne and Wear
Admissions info: admissions@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk or 0191 212 8968
School type: Independent co-ed day school
Open days: In the Spring and Autumn terms
8+ Exam date: November/January of Year 3
Open Events for Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, 8 Plus (8+) Entry
If you wish to learn about the RGS offering first-hand, you are advised to pay them a visit. Open Mornings provide the perfect opportunity to explore the campus through tours and informally meet with key members of staff, including the Head. Personal tours can also be arranged. For more details, please reach out to the Admissions Team.
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, 8 Plus (8+) Admissions
8+ is the school’s occasional vacancy, hence you should reach out to them prior to applying for a place to discuss availability. If there are places in Year 4, the school will arrange for your child to be formally assessed.
Entry is subject to successful exam performance and quality reports from your child’s current school. If they are offered a place, you will be asked to accept it with a payment of a £200 deposit.
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, 8 Plus (8+) Scholarships and Bursaries
Scholarships are not available. As 8+ is not the school’s standard point of entry, bursaries may also be unavailable. Please reach out to the Admissions Team to learn more.
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, 8 Plus (8+) Exam Format
The RGS Newcastle 8 Plus (8+) exam consists of the following assessments:
- English
- Mathematics
The English assessment examines comprehension and writing skills, including spelling, punctuation and grammar, as well as the fluency of your child’s reading, oral and listening skills.
The Maths exam assesses problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills, including your child’s knowledge of times tables.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the RGS Newcastle 8 Plus entrance examination.
How to Prepare for the RGS Newcastle 8 Plus (8+) Entrance Assessment
To prepare your child for the RGS Newcastle 8+ entrance exam, we suggest that you make use of our targeted resources. Our practice tests enable familiarisation with the types of questions and the format of the actual exam, which will help your child gain confidence in the lead up to the big day.
With the use of our practice tests, you will be able to precisely identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses, which will guide you in devising a carefully thought-out revision plan that focuses on studying ‘little and often’.
Moreover, our practice tests will help your child get used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure.
The majority of our 8+ resources are accompanied by detailed step-by-step video tutorials for every question. These are available for free with all purchases. It’s like having a world-class tutor explain each question to your child at no extra cost!
Our practice tests are used successfully every year by tens of thousands of students targeting schools with a competitive entrance exam. They are age-appropriate, reflecting the demands of the actual exam.
Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the RGS Newcastle 8 Plus entrance exam can be found below.
RGS Newcastle 8 Plus (8+) Exam Practice Papers
Recommendations for each section of the RGS Newcastle 8 Plus exam can be found below:
English
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the RGS Newcastle 8 Plus English assessment. They will help improve your child’s comprehension and writing skills:
Full Practice Tests
Comprehension Skills
8+ English: Comprehension Pack 1
8+ English: Vocabulary and Grammar
The Complete Guide to 8+ Comprehension
Writing Skills
The Complete Guide to 8+ Writing
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
We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the RGS Newcastle 8 Plus maths test:
Full Practice Tests
Targeted Skill Development
8+ Mathematics: Mental Arithmetic
8+ Mathematics: Problem Solving
Listening
The following pack is ideal for developing listening skills ahead of the RGS Newcastle 8 Plus entrance exam, helping your child learn how to follow instructions carefully:
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in RGS Newcastle 8+ past papers. The information provided about RGS Newcastle 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 Royal Grammar School, Newcastle:
Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 7 entry via the 11 Plus (11+) Exam
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