School Updated 26 April 2026

Gloucestershire / Gloucestershire 11+

Sir Thomas Rich's School

Oakleaze, Gloucester, GL2 0LF

A Gloucester boys grammar school with co-educational sixth form entry, selective testing, and a strong academic profile.

Boys Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #39
Admissions
Boys only
Assessment
GL Assessment
Places in Year 7
155
Competition
2.1 applicants per place
Catchment
There is no catchment criterion in the 2027 policy. After priority groups, qualifying applicants are allocated by test rank order.
Ofsted
Good

Overview

A Gloucester boys grammar school with co-educational sixth form entry, selective testing, and a strong academic profile. Sir Thomas Rich's School serves boys aged 11-18 and keeps a full sixth form on site. Current published roll and admissions data point to around 1,249 pupils on roll and 150 Year 7 places.

From a family point of view, admissions are likely to be one of the most important parts of the picture. The current route includes GL Assessment, with 150 places available in Year 7 and roughly 5.4 applicants per place in the latest stored admissions picture. Catchment or distance rules still matter at allocation stage, so this is the kind of school where families need to read the admissions policy carefully rather than rely on headline scores alone.

The academic side of the school is backed by enough published data to give families a useful starting point. The latest published Ofsted judgement is Good. Recent official performance measures show Progress 8 at 0.91 and Attainment 8 at 76.9. 98.7% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths in the latest stored GCSE figures. In the sixth form, 32.5% of entries were awarded AAB or better at A level. Destinations data also suggest strong progression after sixth form, with 71% moving into higher education.

For many parents, the presence of a sixth form is part of the attraction, because it gives able pupils the option to stay in a familiar academic setting through to A level. Taken together, those features make Sir Thomas Rich's School the kind of school that rewards careful research into travel, admissions detail, and day-to-day fit, not just headline outcomes.

Key points

Assessment route
GL Assessment across a 2-stage process, covering English, Maths, VR and NVR.
Places and demand
155 places in Year 7 and 2.1 applicants per place
Catchment
There is no catchment criterion in the 2027 policy. After priority groups, qualifying applicants are allocated by test rank order.
Results
99.4% grade 5+ in English and maths and 77.2 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 32.5% AAB or better and 71% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Gloucestershire and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for STRS, Gloucestershire, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
77.2
Grade 5+ English and maths
99.4%
EBacc APS
6.87
EBacc entry
44.9%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Gloucestershire and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for STRS, Gloucestershire, and England. 100 80 60 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Gloucestershire and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for STRS, Gloucestershire, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details

School type
Academy converter
Admissions
Boys only
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mr Matthew Lynch
Pupil roll
1,249 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Sir Thomas Rich's School
FSM
4.8%
EAL
15.9%
EHCP
0.9%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Oakleaze, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Postcode
GL2 0LF
Area
Gloucestershire
Exam area
Gloucestershire 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mr Matthew Lynch

School contact

School email
admin@strs.org.uk
School phone
01452338400

Admissions contact

Admissions email
admin@strs.org.uk
Admissions phone
000000000000

Admissions

Year 7 places
155 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed
451 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
196 first preferences (2025 entry)
Applicants per place
2.1 applicants per place
Catchment picture
There is no catchment criterion in the 2027 policy. After priority groups, qualifying applicants are allocated by test rank order.
Pass mark note
There is no pre-defined pass mark. Qualifying standards are set by the Trustees' Admission Committee before results are issued, and allocation then uses the published criteria.

Entry is through the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test. Sir Thomas Rich's allocates qualifying applicants by statutory priority, pupil premium, staff priority and then test rank order.

There is no catchment criterion in the 2027 policy. After priority groups, qualifying applicants are allocated by test rank order.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Looked after and previously looked after children

    Boys who meet the qualifying standard and the statutory looked-after/previously-looked-after definition.

  2. 2

    Pupil premium

    Boys registered for pupil premium who meet the qualifying standard.

  3. 3

    Children of staff

    Children of qualifying staff at the school.

  4. 4

    Other qualifying boys in rank order

    Remaining qualifying applicants are allocated by test rank order.

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

Structured exam detail is still being reviewed.

Assessment route
GL Assessment
Papers and stages
2 papers
Format
Multiple-choice papers
Age standardisation
Published as age-standardised

This school uses the shared Gloucestershire consortium route. The consortium page brings together the common test format, key dates and official papers used across that route.

Open Gloucestershire guide

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    English, VR, Maths, NVR

    Entrance Test paper 1

    One of two 45-50 minute multiple-choice style papers.

  2. Paper 2

    English, VR, Maths, NVR

    Entrance Test paper 2

    Second 45-50 minute multiple-choice style paper sat on the same day.

What the test includes

English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.

Science and Creative writing are not listed in the current published format.

Included

  • English

  • Maths

  • Verbal reasoning

    One of two 45-50 minute multiple-choice style papers.

  • Non-verbal reasoning

    One of two 45-50 minute multiple-choice style papers.

Not listed

  • Science

  • Creative writing

Application

Key dates

  1. Registration opens

    18 May 2026

  2. Registration closes

    26 June 2026

  3. Gloucestershire entrance test

    12 September 2026

  4. Results issued

    In time for the 31 October 2026 CAF deadline

  5. CAF deadline

    31 October 2026

  6. National Allocation Day

    1 March 2027

How to apply

  1. 1

    Read the 2027 admissions policy

    Use the school policy for PAN, priority groups and rank-order allocation.

    Read policy
  2. 2

    Register for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test

    Registration runs from 12 noon on 18 May 2026 to 12 noon on 26 June 2026.

    View booklet
  3. 3

    Sit the entrance test

    The entrance test takes place on 12 September 2026.

    View test information
  4. 4

    Submit the local authority application

    Name the school on the CAF by 31 October 2026.

    View application guidance

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8
+0.91 Progress 8
Attainment 8
77.2 Attainment 8
GCSE results
100% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths
99.4% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score
6.87 EBacc APS
A-level results
32.5% AAB or better
A-level average points
44.04 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression
71% in higher education
Russell Group progression
44% progressed to Russell Group universities
Apprenticeships
4% in apprenticeships
Employment
14% in sustained employment

Latest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.

Subject performance

Maths
99.4% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English
98.7% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences
99.3% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages
94.8% grade 5+ in EBacc languages

Performance trends

Recent trend

Overall GCSE performance

This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.

STRS Grammar schools England
Overall GCSE performance across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for STRS, grammar schools, and England. 100 85 70 55 40 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 80.1 74.2 49.4
2022/23 75.3 71.8 47.0
2023/24 76.9 72.1 46.7
2024/25 77.2 72.3 46.8

Recent trend

Average A-level result

This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.

STRS Grammar schools England
Average A-level result across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for STRS, grammar schools, and England. 50 pts 45 pts 40 pts 35 pts 30 pts 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 A- average (46.5 points) 44.0 points 37.5 points
2022/23 B+ average (44.3 points) 40.5 points 33.7 points
2023/24 B+ average (44.3 points) 41.3 points 34.5 points
2024/25 B+ average (44.0 points) 41.8 points 35.0 points

Recent trend

Where pupils go after Year 11

This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.

STRS Grammar schools England
Where pupils go after Year 11 across 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 for STRS, grammar schools, and England. 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Year This school Grammar schools England
2021/22 98% 99.1% 94.1%
2022/23 100% 98.9% 93.9%
2023/24 100% 99.0% 93.3%
2024/25 99% 97.8% 91.4%

Latest year breakdown

In education 99%
In apprenticeships 0%
In employment 0%

Inspection

Good

Latest inspection: 7 October 2021

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

Similar schools and comparisons

Nearby schools families also consider

Local rivals first, then nearby alternatives that still fit the same shortlist-building context.

Nearby schools with similar results

Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does STRS use?

STRS currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to STRS?

1. Read the 2027 admissions policy: Use the school policy for PAN, priority groups and rank-order allocation. 2. Register for the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test: Registration runs from 12 noon on 18 May 2026 to 12 noon on 26 June 2026. 3. Sit the entrance test: The entrance test takes place on 12 September 2026. 4. Submit the local authority application: Name the school on the CAF by 31 October 2026.

When are the key dates for STRS?

Registration opens: 18 May 2026. Registration closes: 26 June 2026. Gloucestershire entrance test: 12 September 2026. Results issued: In time for the 31 October 2026 CAF deadline. CAF deadline: 31 October 2026. National Allocation Day: 1 March 2027

What does the latest Ofsted picture look like for STRS?

STRS is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 7 October 2021.