Churston Ferrers Grammar School 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with Churston Ferrers Grammar School. You can read more about our partnership here.

Are you thinking about applying to Churston Ferrers Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam.

Key information for Churston Ferrers Grammar School

• School type: co-educational grammar school
• Location: Galmpton, Brixham, South Devon
• Admissions contact: [email protected] 
• Number of places in Year 7: 130
• 11+ exam: Torbay Consortium 11+ (GL Assessment)
• Catchment area: no

Important dates for 2027 entry

• February 2026: test registration opens
• Wednesday 15th July 2026: test registration closes
• Saturday 19th September 2026: test day
• Mid-October 2026: parents receive test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

How to apply to Churston Ferrers Grammar School

Churston Ferrers Grammar School is selective. This means that your child will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place.

In Torquay, the 11+ is organised by the Torbay Consortium of Grammar Schools. All three grammar schools and one bi-lateral school in the area use the same entrance test. If you would like your child to be considered for a place at more than one of these schools, they will only need to take the test once.

You must register your child for the test. A link to register will be available on the participating schools' websites during the registration window.

The Torbay Consortium 11+ will take place on Saturday 19th September 2026.

Your child's results will be emailed to you in October. If they meet the qualifying standard for Churston Ferrers Grammar School, you can apply for a place by naming the school on your common application form. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Important note: passing the test doesn't guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed with children who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, schools use admissions criteria to allocate places.

We've outlined the process for Churston Ferrers Grammar School below.

What will my child be tested on?

The Torbay Consortium 11+ consists of two multiple-choice papers, both taken on the same day. Papers are marked externally by GL Assessment, and standardisation is applied to ensure fairness across different age groups.

The two papers cover:

• English: reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Maths: content your child will have learned in Year 5 on the national curriculum

Your child's raw scores from both papers are combined and age-standardised to produce their final result.

How are places allocated at Churston Ferrers Grammar School?

In October, you'll receive your child's test results. You must name Churston Ferrers Grammar School as a preferred school on your common application form to be considered. This must be submitted to your home local authority by 31st October 2026.

Places are allocated based on which category your child's score falls into:

Category A — your child's score is equal to or higher than the 130th ranked child. Up to 130 places are available. Places are offered in this order: children in care or previously in care, then children with a sibling at the school, then all other children. If two children are tied, the one living closest to the school is prioritised.

Category B — your child's score falls between the 131st and 180th ranked child. Places are offered in the same order as Category A.

Category C — your child's score is below the 180th ranked child. Places in this category are only offered if spaces remain after Categories A and B have been filled.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names Churston Ferrers Grammar School will be admitted ahead of the above criteria, provided they have passed the assessment.

Does Churston Ferrers Grammar School have a catchment area?

Churston Ferrers Grammar School doesn’t have a catchment area. If your child meets the qualifying standard, they are eligible to apply for a place regardless of where they live.

If a tie-break is needed (e.g. there is one place left and two children have the same score), the child living closest to the school will be prioritised for a place.

If you don’t live close to the school, it’s important to think about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?

A longer or more complex journey can affect your child’s daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest, and after-school activities.

It’s a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

The Torbay Consortium 11+ can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's exam date and target schools, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.

Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will broaden their vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts. And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.