Colchester County High School for Girls 11+ guide

Thinking about applying to Colchester County High School for Girls? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus.

Key information about Colchester County High School for Girls

• Address: Colchester County High School for Girls, Norman Way, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3US
• Number of pupils: 1,100+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 192
• 11+ exam: CSSE 11+
• Catchment area: yes

Dates for your diary

• Tuesday 13th May 2025: registration opens for the CSSE 11 plus
• Friday 27th June 2025: registration closes for the CSSE 11 plus, and deadline for requests for special adjustments
• July 2025: parents receive test centre information by 16th July
• Saturday 20th September 2025: CSSE 11 plus exam
• Monday 13th October 2025: parents receive CSSE 11 plus results
• Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school applications close at 5pm
• Monday 2nd March 2026: secondary school national offers day

About Colchester County High School for Girls

Colchester County High School for Girls (CCHSG) is a girls' grammar school in Essex. It was founded in 1909 and has a reputation as one of the premier grammar schools in the area. In 2024, Ofsted rated CCHSG as 'outstanding' in every aspect.

CCHSG is a school where young women are inspired to learn, lead and explore. It was one of the first schools in the country to become a science specialist school. Students have access to a diverse range of extra-curricular activities, including plenty of leadership opportunities.

How to apply to Colchester County High School for Girls

Colchester County High School for Girls is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place.

CCHSG is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE). All 10 grammar schools in the CSSE use the same 11 plus exam. This means that your child will only need to take the exam once – even if they’re applying to other schools in the consortium.

The deadline to register for the CSSE 11 plus exam is 27th June 2025. The exam will take place on Saturday 20th September and you’ll receive your child’s results in mid-October. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Colchester County High School for Girls.

To apply, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Colchester County High School for Girls below.

What subjects are on the entrance exam?

The CSSE 11 plus exam consists of two papers. Each paper lasts around one hour.

1. English: this consists of reading comprehension and creative writing
2. Maths: questions are based on the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum

How does place allocation work at Colchester County High School for Girls?

Each of the two CSSE papers are worth up to 60 marks (120 in total). Your child’s final marks will be standardised and weighted.

Each school in the CSSE sets its own qualifying score, and this varies from year to year. In 2023, a total standardised score of 333 was the lowest score for which girls were offered a place at Colchester County High School for Girls.

If the number of children who apply to CCHSG – and who achieve a score of 320 or higher – exceeds the number of places available, the school prioritises children in this order:

1. ‘Looked after children’ and ‘previously looked after children’ who score 320 or above
2. Up to 20 places are available for the highest scoring children who are eligible for the pupil premium and score 320 or above
3. Up to 10 places are available for the highest scoring children who are eligible for the service pupil premium (SPP) and score 320 or above, and who live within the priority area
4. Places are then allocated in descending rank score order for girls who live within the priority area, until 154 places have been filled from the combination of the above criteria
5. The remaining places (up to 192) are then allocated in descending rank score order, regardless of where the children live

What is the CCHSG priority area?

The priority area for Colchester County High School for Girls covers an area of 25 miles from the school entrance. Children must have lived within the priority area since 31st October in Year 6 to be considered eligible for an in-area place.

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the country. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.