Skip to content

Local places may be prioritised by grammar school

Pate's Grammar School Three students are walking on the Pate's Grammar School campus, one girl and two boys about the age of 15 to 17 years-old. They are all wearing white shirts, and dark coloured suits. The two boys are wearing black ties with the Pate's Grammar logo printed on them. They all have white and red lanyards around their necks. Pate's Grammar School
Pate's Grammar School is looking into its admissions system for 2026 entry

A top rated grammar school is proposing to offer priority places to children from the most deprived areas close to the school.

Entry places at Pate's Grammar School, in Cheltenham, are usually achieved based on results from an admissions test, but the school wants the qualifying standard for that to be adjusted for local disadvantaged children.

Head teacher, Dr James Richardson, said pupils will still have to take the test, but that the school wants to ensure it is "meeting the needs of our local community effectively".

A six week consultation into its admissions criteria for September 2026 has now started.

Earlier this year a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the BBC found that pupils from as far away as Chester and Wolverhampton were being accepted into Gloucestershire's seven grammar schools.

Pate's had the highest intake of out-of-county pupils, with one in four classed as non-local.

Pate's Grammar School Image shows Pate's Grammer School's head teacher James Richardson. He is smiling and looking at a student. The student has their back to the camera and is out of focus. Mr Richardson has brown hair and is wearing a white shirt and blue blazer. Pate's Grammar School
Head teacher, Dr James Richardson, said they will "prioritise 10% of places for disadvantaged students"

The new proposal will see a set number of places - about 10% - reserved for children in the local area who are eligible for Pupil Premium, as well as those who live in the 30% most deprived neighbourhoods in the immediate vicinity of Pate's Grammar School.

Dr Richardson said: "All students will still have to sit an admissions test but we will be lowering the qualifying standards for those eligible.

"We don't have many students who walk to Pate's and so we think its really important that we are a school where we offer opportunities for those local children".

He added that the school wants "to be part of the solution to close the national attainment gap".

"We think this is a good first step," he said.

The consultation will be open for six weeks and close at 17:00 GMT on Thursday 30 January.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.