Stroud High School 11+ Guide 2026

Stroud High School is a selective girls' grammar school in Gloucestershire, offering 150 Year 7 places for September 2027 entry. Admission is by selection on performance in the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test, provided by GL Assessment, which took place on Saturday 12 September 2026. For September 2028 entry, the test provider will be Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE), with the test planned for Saturday 3 July 2027 and made up of three FSCE papers; the September 2026 sitting used GL Assessment. If your daughter sat the test during the registration window that closed on 26 June 2026, this guide explains the test format across both papers, the key dates ahead, how places are allocated, and how to structure preparation subject by subject.

What Is Stroud High School?

Stroud High School, located on Cainscross Road in Stroud, Gloucestershire, is one of only seven state-funded grammar schools in the county. It is a girls' school from Year 7 through Year 11, with a co-educational sixth form that admits both girls and boys for post-16 study. The school was rated Outstanding in all areas in its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023 , including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision.

Marling School, the boys' grammar school in Stroud, sits the same Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test.

In the wider context of Gloucestershire's selective education system, Stroud High School is one of the seven grammar schools in Gloucestershire. The others are Marling School in Stroud, Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham, Denmark Road High School, Ribston Hall High School, Sir Thomas Rich's School, and The Crypt School in Gloucester. All seven schools share the same entrance test, registration process, and test date, which simplifies the application process considerably for families interested in multiple schools.

For families whose child receives Pupil Premium funding, the school says its Shaping Futures provision gives access to free Entrance Test familiarisation and KS2 support.

What Does the Gloucestershire 11+ Test at Stroud High School Involve?

For the September 2026 sitting, the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test was provided by GL Assessment, which the school describes as the largest independent provider of educational assessments in the UK. It was held on a single day, Saturday 12 September 2026 for the September 2027 Year 7 intake, and children sat it at a Gloucestershire grammar school test centre, which could be a different school from the one they registered with.

The test consists of two papers covering verbal, non-verbal, English and mathematics skills: in one, students are tested on their verbal skills, including comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning, and the other assesses non-verbal reasoning and mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding. All questions are multiple choice, answered on a separate answer sheet that is electronically marked by an independent company appointed by the Gloucestershire grammar schools. Each test session takes around an hour, and the two papers are sat on the same day with a short break between them. Since 11+ tests vary from one area to another, the school notes that the GL Assessment familiarisation materials for 2027 entry are generic and may differ from your own test's exact specifications.

After marking, all raw scores are age-standardised. Standardisation takes account of the child's age at the time of the test, by year, month and day. The qualifying standard is set with regard to these standardised scores. There is no pre-defined pass mark for Stroud High School: the school's admissions policy says the qualifying standard is determined each year having regard to the standardised scores achieved by all candidates taking the Gloucestershire test that year, and it is ultimately determined by the school's Admissions Committee. Parents are sent confirmation of whether or not the qualifying standard has been attained. The required standard reflects a child's position in the rank order of standardised scores in the entrance test and will vary between different grammar schools.

The school says GL Assessment develops its material so that all children can demonstrate their levels of attainment and academic potential without excessive preparation. Its advice is to give your child the chance to try some questions in timed conditions, to support them to read widely and to apply maths to everyday situations.

When Are the Key Dates for 2027 Entry?

For September 2027 entry, the registration window opened at noon on 18 May 2026 and closed at noon on 26 June 2026. Registration and administration of the test are carried out by the Gloucestershire grammar schools themselves, not by Gloucestershire County Council's Co-ordinated Admissions Team, so queries about the test should go directly to the grammar schools, including Stroud High School. If your daughter has already registered and sat the test, the table below sets out the dates so far and the milestones still ahead.

One important point: achieving the qualifying standard in the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test does not automatically secure a place. Parents must separately list Stroud High School on their Common Application Form (CAF) through their home local authority by 31 October 2026. If Stroud High School is not listed on the CAF, your daughter will not receive an offer, regardless of her test score. For more information on how the 11+ application process works nationally, see our guide on what the 11+ exam is and how it works.

How Competitive Is Entry to Stroud High School?

Stroud High School offers 150 Year 7 places per year. It has no catchment area, and applications are accepted from candidates who live outside Gloucestershire, who apply through the local authority where they live. In practice, the school's admissions rationale says its community is made up of students from the Stroud District, Cirencester and the Cotswolds, that the Stroud District remains the largest represented area, and that students are joined by others from different parts of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Swindon and North Bristol.

After the test, places are not awarded purely by score ranking. Instead, Stroud High School first identifies the children who have achieved the qualifying standard, which is determined each year having regard to the standardised scores of all candidates. Among those qualifying children, the 150 available places are offered by the local authority in the order set out in the school's admissions policy for 2027 entry: looked after children and children who were previously looked after but became subject to an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order; then children from families eligible for Pupil Premium or Service Pupil Premium at the time of the test who achieve the required standard; then rank order from the entrance test. Where several children have an equal qualifying result, straight-line distance from the applicant's home to the school's main reception is the tie break, and random lots are drawn if applicants are equal on distance too.

It is worth noting that the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test is a single shared test across all seven grammar schools in the county. A child who registers for multiple schools sits the test once and may share her score with each school she has selected. This means a child aiming for Stroud High School is being assessed on exactly the same test as children aiming for Pate's Grammar in Cheltenham or the Gloucester grammar schools. For families exploring Gloucestershire grammar options more broadly, the 11+ exam dates and timetable guide has a full overview of how grammar school testing works across different regions.

How Should You Prepare for Each 11+ Subject?

The September 2026 sitting was provided by GL Assessment, and the subject-by-subject advice below reflects that test: effective preparation meant addressing verbal, non-verbal, English and maths skills with genuine depth, not skimming the surface across all of them. For September 2028 entry, the school's Join Us page lists three FSCE papers and points families to FSCE's familiarisation guides: the Adventure Paper (English and Maths, multiple choice), the Beacon Paper (English and Maths, short written answers) and the Compass Paper (foundation subjects, multiple choice). For the 2027-entry test, the school recommended that your daughter complete the GL Assessment familiarisation booklets, which show how to record answers on the separate answer sheet, and suggested trying some questions in timed conditions. For that GL Assessment test, we suggest regular exposure to the verbal and non-verbal reasoning question types so that a child can work through them at speed and with accuracy. Here is how to approach each area.

Mathematics

In the 2027-entry test, mathematics sat in the same paper as non-verbal reasoning, which the school describes as assessing mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding. The school's advice is to apply maths to everyday situations. The school's advice is to give your child the chance to try some questions in timed conditions. Our specialist tutors find that children who struggle with maths questions typically make careless errors under time pressure rather than lacking subject knowledge. Starting timed practice early is therefore a sensible use of time.

English and Reading Comprehension

English skills are tested within the verbal paper, which includes comprehension and vocabulary. The school's top tip is to support your child to read widely. Reading across fiction and non-fiction, classic and contemporary, challenging and familiar is one way to do that. Children who read widely develop inference skills and vocabulary organically, which is far more efficient than drilling comprehension questions in isolation.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal reasoning is tested in the verbal paper, alongside comprehension and vocabulary. The key to Verbal Reasoning is pattern recognition and mental agility with language. Children who are strong readers generally pick up Verbal Reasoning more quickly because their vocabulary is larger, giving them more to work with. We suggest introducing Verbal Reasoning with light exposure to question types, then moving to regular timed practice.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning uses shapes, diagrams, and patterns rather than words or numbers. Children who naturally think visually often find NVR more intuitive than VR. The preparation approach is similar: introduce the question types early, then practise under timed conditions using the GL Assessment familiarisation booklets. One common mistake is to practise NVR exclusively using workbooks without ever timing the child — the pace of NVR under real test conditions can feel very different from untimed practice.

What Does an Effective 11+ Preparation Timeline Look Like?

Planning backwards from the test date helps structure preparation effectively. The Saturday 12 September 2026 sitting has now taken place. For September 2028 entry, children who are in Year 5 in 2026/27 sit the test on Saturday 3 July 2027; registration is set to open at noon on 8 February 2027 and close at noon on 19 March 2027. What follows is a realistic timeline for a child starting from the beginning of Year 5, working towards that test, which has three FSCE papers: Adventure and Beacon (English and Maths) and Compass (foundation subjects).

Autumn term of Year 5: The priority at this stage is breadth. Establish a daily reading habit. Begin by reading the FSCE familiarisation guides together, so your child knows what the Adventure, Beacon and Compass papers look like, then use short, low-pressure sessions on English and Maths — a few times a week is enough. Start reviewing Year 5 Maths topics systematically: give early attention to the areas your child finds hardest. The Compass Paper covers foundation subjects, and the school says no specific prior knowledge is required; visiting museums, exploring new genres of books and applying mathematical learning to everyday life are all listed as valuable ways to prepare.

Spring term of Year 5: By now the pace should be increasing. Move to timed English and Maths sessions in this period, practising both multiple-choice answers (as in the Adventure Paper) and short written answers (as in the Beacon Paper), and work through the FSCE familiarisation guides. In Maths, focus on accuracy across all content areas and begin introducing timed arithmetic drills. In English, practise comprehension passages with a range of question styles, and build vocabulary. If working with a specialist tutor, this is when sessions should become regular and focused.

The weeks before Saturday 3 July 2027: This is the most intensive phase. Shift to full-paper practice under real test conditions — timed, no interruptions, followed by careful review of every incorrect answer. Aim for regular complete mock tests in this period, increasing to weekly mock tests in the final weeks. Use the FSCE familiarisation guides for timed practice. Review weak areas after each mock and target those specifically in the following week's preparation.

The final stretch before the test: scale back the intensity slightly to avoid burnout. A single mock test each week is sufficient. Focus on ensuring your daughter is confident in all question types, knows how to manage her time within each paper, and has a clear plan for what to do if she gets stuck on a question (move on, return later). On the day before the test, avoid full papers — light review and early sleep are more valuable. For a complete guide to 11+ preparation planning across the full school year, see our 6-month 11+ preparation countdown.

For families who want specialist support rather than going it alone, our tutors at Leading Tuition's 11+ service work with children targeting the Gloucestershire grammar schools through all phases of preparation, from initial familiarisation to intensive pre-test mock practice. External source for verification: Gloucestershire County Council grammar school admissions page.

Related guides: Marling School 11+ Guide 2026.

Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, and 91% of our students achieve their desired grades.

Reviewed September 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Stroud High School's Join Us page, 2027 admissions policy, admissions rationale and the Gloucestershire grammar schools' 2027 information booklet, Gloucestershire County Council's grammar schools page, and Ofsted.

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