Grammar School Proposes Prioritizing Local Disadvantaged Students

Pate’s Grammar School in Cheltenham, a highly-rated institution, is proposing to grant preferential admission to children residing in the most deprived areas near the school. While entry places at Pate’s Grammar School are typically secured through results from an admissions test, the school aims to modify the qualifying standard for these local disadvantaged children. Head teacher Dr James Richardson confirmed that pupils will still be required to undertake the admissions test. However, he stated that the school’s objective is to ensure it is “meeting the needs of our local community effectively.” A six-week consultation period concerning its admissions criteria for the September 2026 academic year has now commenced. Earlier this year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the BBC revealed that students from locations as distant as Chester and Wolverhampton were gaining admission to Gloucestershire’s seven grammar schools. Pate’s recorded the highest intake of pupils from outside the county, with one in four being classified as non-local. The new proposal outlines that a specific number of places, approximately 10%, will be reserved for children in the local area who are eligible for Pupil Premium. This allocation also extends to those residing in the 30% most deprived neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity of Pate’s Grammar School. Dr Richardson elaborated, stating: “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 further added that the school aims “to be part of the solution to close the national attainment gap,” concluding, “We think this is a good first step.” The consultation period is set to remain open for six weeks, concluding at 17:00 GMT on Thursday, January 30.