OPEN EVENTS 2022/23
Open Mornings aimed at Y5s (and Y4s) will take place on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th May 2023. More information will be available here nearer the time.
A Summer Open Evening will be held on Tuesday 20th June 2023 and more information will be available here nearer the time.
NEW YEAR 5 MAILING LIST (for those joining Y5 in September 2022)
If your son starts Year 5 in September 2022, and you are interested in receiving relevant 11+ communications for 2024 Entry - please sign up to the Year 5 Mailing List, by clicking here.
Marling School is a non-fee paying, selective Grammar School for boys aged 11-16 years with a co-educational sixth form. To gain entry all pupils must sit and pass an Entrance Test organised by the school, usually at the start of Year 6. Marling School operates within the Gloucestershire County Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for Year 7 entry.
Admission enquires for all boys aged 11-16 years should be directed to the Admissions Officer including in-year applications. CLICK HERE for details on visiting the school.
All Sixth Form admission enquiries should be directed to the Senior Sixth Form Administrator, Mrs Jayne Elder JXE@marling.school
In the normal primary to secondary route of entry, all boys in their correct chronological cohort for Year 6 must sit an Entrance Test organised by the school. Parents/carers must register their child for the Entrance Test by completion of the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Registration Form (usually in the summer term of Year 5).
Boys who achieve a qualifying score in the Entrance Test will need to declare Marling School as one of their choices on their Common Application Form (CAF) which must be submitted by 31 October, if they wish to gain a place. In Gloucestershire, the form asks parents/carers to state their ranked preferences for up to five secondary schools. Only boys with a qualifying score will be considered for entry to Marling School.
All offers of school places will be made by the Local Authority (usually 1 March). This will be the school with the highest ranked preference for which your son has met the admission criteria.
Out of county applications will be accepted for candidates who live outside Gloucestershire, however, parents/carers will need to contact their own local authority in relation to the Common Application Form. The process should then enable your own local authority to liaise with Gloucestershire County Council regarding allocation of schools.
2023 Entry (current Year 6s)
The Entrance Test took place on Saturday 17 September 2022. Results will be emailed to you in mid-October before the Common Application Form (CAF) deadline for secondary school choices. The CAF must be submitted to your local authority by 31 October 2022. Please see the "Results Out - What Happens Next" information sheet below to understand the admissions process going forwards for 2023 Entry.
It is the local authority that allocate Marling School places on National Allocation Day, 1 March 2023.
2024 Entry (current Year 5s)
The Entrance Test for September 2024 entry into Y7 will take place on Saturday 16th September 2023. You will need to register between noon Monday 22nd May and noon Friday 30th June 2023 via this website, for your child to take the Entrance Test in September 2023. The link will be open during the registration window only.
2024 Entry (current Year 5s) For 2024 entry the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools admissions test will be provided by GL Assessment. It assesses students’ verbal and non-verbal abilities, English skills and Mathematics. All questions are multiple choice style questions. Familiarisation materials can be found here.
- The test assesses students’ verbal and non-verbal abilities, English skills and mathematics, and is provided by GL Assessment.
- All questions are multiple choice style questions.
- In one paper, students will be tested on their verbal skills (including comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning).
- The other test paper assesses non-verbal reasoning and mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding.
- Each test session will take around an hour.
- At the beginning of each session there is time built in for the sharing of instructions and, for the non-verbal reasoning element, some worked examples. Students are allocated a total of 45 minutes to complete the tests themselves.
- GL Assessment is the largest independent provider of educational assessments in the UK, also providing assessment materials to schools in over 100 countries worldwide. They have been developing selection assessments for over 40 years and provide tests to the majority of grammar schools in the country. GL Assessment works hard to develop its material such that all children are able to demonstrate their levels of attainment and academic potential without excessive preparation.
Student Induction - July 2023
All of our new intake will be invited to Marling School in July 2023. We look forward to meeting you and introducing you to Marling School. Further details will be posted to your home address regarding this event at the start of May.
New Parent Evening - July 2023
Marling School offer a new intake parents and information evening - details will be given to new parents nearer the time. The PSA will have their nearly new uniform available for any purchases (cash or cheque only).
Marling School is an Academy and as such the Governing Body is the admissions authority. However, Marling School operates its admissions policy and procedures in line with Gloucestershire County Council’s coordinated scheme for school admission, which in turn operates within the School Admissions Code.
Any application for school places made outside the normal primary to secondary year of entry to the school must be made directly to Marling School’s Admissions Officer, through completion of an ‘In-Year Application Form’ (see below). Please return the completed form to Marling School, C/o Admissions Officer, Cainscross Road, Stroud, Glos GL5 4HE.
The School will notify the applicant’s parent, within 15 school days of receipt of the application, of either the date of the assessment of academic ability or the reason for refusal of an assessment and/or offer of a place with information about the right of appeal (see the Appeal Process page).
If an assessment is not offered, the candidate can request to have their name added to the Indicated Interest Register to be notified if there is a change of circumstances.
Candidates for secondary transfers will be assessed on academic ability at Marling School. Where, on balance, the candidate matches the standard of the cohort, a place will be considered by the Admissions Committee of the Governing Body.
If the number of qualifying in-year candidates for a particular year group exceeds the number of places available, offers will be made in order of priority as set out in our Admissions Policy. Candidates will be notified within three weeks of the assessment of academic ability whether or not they have been allocated a place, and provided information about the right of appeal if appropriate. If a place has been offered transfer should be completed within six weeks.
Candidates are offered two applications to join the school (Year 6 Entrance Test is counted as the first attempt).
There is an Appeal Process which enables parents/carers to appeal against non-admission to the school. If you are not happy with the allocated school place on 1 March:
1. Any boys who have met the qualifying standard for Marling School can ask to go on our waiting list. Gloucestershire County Council’s (GCC’s) waiting list deadline is Weds 8 March 2023. GCC will notify parents of the outcome of waiting list requests after Weds 29 March 2023.
2. All parents have a legal right to appeal and must set out the grounds for appeal in writing. Typically, if your son qualified and was not offered a place because admitting your child would cause prejudice to the provision of efficient education or efficient use of resources at the school (i.e. overcrowding), you would need to put a case forward for your son that outweighs the degree of prejudice caused to the school. If your son did not demonstrate the requisite ability for grammar school in the entrance test, you would be looking to provide evidence to the appeal panel that he is. Additionally, if you believe extenuating circumstances may have affected your son’s performance on the day of the test, or you are dissatisfied with the way the admission procedures were carried out - these would be included in your grounds for appeal. You may find it helpful to read the 2021 Appeal Guidance Notes for Parents, which can be downloaded below.
'Appeal Packs' can be requested from the Admissions Officer by emailing admissions@marling.school after 1 March 2023.
Key Dates
Deadline for lodging Y7 Appeals for 2023 Entry: Wednesday 26 April 2023 at 3pm
In-person Appeal Hearings will take place w/c 19 June 2023 at a local venue.
Please find below the appeal Guidance Notes for 2022.
Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust is a thriving partnership of schools working together to generate and celebrate success and to create opportunities for our students and staff that raise aspirations and inspire excellence.
Schools in the trust are committed to:
- Creating opportunities that raise aspirations and inspire excellence in students and staff
- Promoting high levels of personal development and well-being in our students
- Forming a distinctive partnership of schools that value their uniqueness and collegiality
- High quality leadership and teaching, with a highly creative curriculum.
- Maintaining a relentless focus on high standards and excellent outcomes for our students
- Creating opportunities for staff development to enable us to recruit, develop and retain the very best teachers and leaders
- Innovating together for the benefit of our students and staff
- Fostering relationships where autonomy and accountability go hand in hand
- Creating a strong, financially resilient organisation that achieves efficiency savings for mutual benefit allowing to focus resources on teaching and learning
Our Schools
Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust formed on 1st September 2016. It currently comprises Marling Grammar School and Sixth Form, Berkeley Primary School and Cam Woodfield Junior School. Links to the websites of the schools are provided below:
- Marling School: www.marling.school
- Marling Sixth Form: www.marlingsixthform.org
- Berkeley Primary School: www.berkeleyprimary.org.uk
- Cam Woodfield Junior School: www.camwoodfield-junior.uk
More information on Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust can be found at www.cbat.academy
Marling School is part of the Cotswold Edge Teaching Alliance - a partnership of schools and institutions sharing their skills, experience, talent and capacity to help improve learning and achievement in schools across Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. CETA members have a shared vision to work together to provide excellent provision and outcomes for all students in their schools and to support other schools to do the same. This is achieved by pursuing excellence in teaching, learning and leadership through training, support, research and development created and delivered by schools for schools. Working in partnership across the primary and secondary sector is central to the CETA ethos. Please visit the CETA website to find out more - www.ceta.school
