Stockport Grammar: an independent 3–18 school whose maths papers credit working

Look beyond the GCSE subject list

The current Middle School handbook says nearly all pupils take nine GCSE or equivalent qualifications. Mathematics, English language, English literature and at least one science are compulsory. A second science and a modern language are strongly recommended, though options and timetable blocks can restrict a particular combination.

Some courses are IGCSEs, and Further Maths is described as a Level 2 Certificate equivalent. This matters when comparing results: a headline labelled “GCSE” may include several qualification types.

The useful fit questions sit below subject names. When do setting decisions begin? Can a child move sets during the year? Which science route keeps a desired sixth-form subject open? What happens when language and arts choices collide in the timetable?

Homework is visible to parents online, but we found no current public Year 7 workload table we could verify. A readable 2024 guide built towards about three tasks per evening, each intended to take no more than 30 minutes. Treat that as an old planning signal and ask for the 2026–27 version, not a promise.

The long day is useful—until transport narrows it

The Senior day starts with registration at 8.40am; the fifth one-hour lesson ends at 3.50pm. The site opens at 7.45 and breakfast is available from 8. Years 7–11 who are not in a supervised activity should leave by 4.15 or work in the Library until 5.30, then the Sixth Form Work Room until 6.

That late option is free supervised study, not open-ended care. Ask whether a younger pupil is checked into the later room, how parents are contacted after a missed collection and whether food is available after lunch.

Woodsmoor and Davenport stations are described as roughly ten minutes’ walk. Public routes 192, 199 and 378 also serve the area. The 2026–27 StudentSafe timetable shows eight normal private routes arriving around 8.20 and leaving at 4pm.

The late bus is much narrower: 5.15pm Monday–Thursday to Stockport Interchange only, arriving about 5.23. It is not a late version of every home route. Price and booking pages also conflict about one-way flexibility, so confirm the current contract before building family logistics around it.

Test the morning journey, the ordinary 4pm bus and the route home after a club—including the 5.15 shuttle from school and its onward connection from Stockport Interchange. A school can look close on a weekend visit and still mean an exhausting journey for a child carrying books and an instrument.

Years 7–11 keep phones locked away

The June 2026 phone policy requires Years 7–11 to switch phones off and lock them in personal Yondr pouches on arrival. Use during the school day requires staff permission and supervision. Smartwatches and smart glasses are prohibited.

Pupils staying late in the Library may ask to unlock a phone for Frog, homework or parent contact. Sixth formers have responsible use in designated areas. Medical monitoring can receive an alternative-pouch exemption, and pupils without phones can carry an exemption card.

With school permission, Junior pupils may bring a phone for bus or walking-home reasons. They hand it to the office on arrival and collect it when leaving; use is not allowed at school, including after lessons.

The policy is intended to keep phones out of the ordinary day for Years 7–11, with the exceptions above. Whether that feels calmer or restrictive will depend on the child, but the practical rule is clearer than a vague promise to encourage responsible use.

Music offers a real beginner door; other access varies

The music programme includes routes for complete beginners; membership of its clubs and ensembles is free. First Years can receive free introductory lessons on a range of orchestral instruments. That is a meaningful route into music, but continuing individual tuition is an extra.

Sport clubs are described as free and pupils participate through curriculum and Games, yet the published table marks some swimming groups invitation-only. Drama and dance include open clubs and production roles alongside selected groups. Outdoor clubs may use sign-up rotas, while residentials and trips can cost extra.

The sport, performing-arts and outdoor activity tables cover 2025–26; music’s covers 2026–27. Treat their examples as a starting point and request this term’s programme.

The parent question is not “How many clubs?” It is “What could this child actually join in the first term?” Ask for the present term’s timetable and trace one realistic combination through dismissal, transport, food, homework and clashes.

Support is visible, but families need a delivery plan

SGS’s pastoral page describes form tutors as the daily first contact, supported by Heads of Year and Section. Lower Sixth “friends” help First Years settle. The school lists two full-time nurses and one-to- one counselling supplied by Beacon Counselling, but it does not publish referral thresholds, waiting times or session frequency.

The March 2026 SEND policy describes First Year literacy monitoring in the first half-term, pupil summaries, support plans, in-class and withdrawal help, assistive software and individual or small-group work. It also identifies SENDCo roles, support assistants and specialist dyslexia expertise.

For public GCSE and A-level examinations, adjustments follow JCQ rules and must reflect evidenced need and a pupil’s normal way of working. An outside report does not automatically produce an adjustment. Before accepting, agree which support would appear on this child’s timetable, who delivers it and whether a lesson or activity would be missed.

For pupils learning English as an additional language, the policy describes software, lunchtime support and, where needed, withdrawal from lessons or a reduced curriculum.

The contract says formal assessment may be at parents’ expense, lawful additional teaching can be charged and the school may ultimately decide it cannot meet a pupil’s needs. This makes early, accurate disclosure important. It also means a broad “support is available” answer is not enough for a family needing regular specialist provision.

All standards were met, with a Senior SEND improvement point

The latest report in the ISI directory follows a whole-school routine inspection on 14–16 November 2023. All five reported areas met the standards, and safeguarding was judged effective. ISI also recommended approving a capacity increase from 1,470 to 1,530.

The full report praised broad provision, risk oversight, early identification of SEND and EAL needs, counselling, pupil voice and restorative pastoral work.

Its only formal next step was to implement planned extensions to Senior SEND support consistently. Inspectors had found support strategies were not consistently applied in Senior lessons. That is dated November 2023 evidence, not proof of the position in September 2026.

Meeting the standards matters, and so does the improvement inspectors asked the school to make. We did not find a later regulatory report proving that task completed.

The headline fee already includes lunch—but not the whole life

The Senior total comprises £5,183 tuition, £1,037 VAT and £300 lunch per term: £6,520 multiplied by three. The live fee page says examination entries, textbooks and most co-curricular activities are included, and parents are not required to buy IT equipment for school use.

The 2026–27 fee list provides the other stage prices above and adds a £75 non-refundable registration fee. The UK acceptance deposit is £300, of which £150 is credited in the second term. The overseas deposit is £2,000, with £1,000 credited. Confirm those terms in the actual offer, especially if a bursary changes the deposit arrangement.

Add transport, uniform, individual music tuition, educational visits and any paid Junior care or clubs. The parent contract permits additional charges in several circumstances. Model a five-year budget with annual rises rather than multiplying the current figure as though it were fixed.

Withdrawal normally requires a full term’s written notice or a term’s fees in lieu, including when a pupil will not return after GCSE. Notice must arrive before a term begins and expires at its end. Check the dates before accepting another school’s place.

Income bands for Year 7 and sixth-form support

Means-tested assistance is available for entry to Year 7 and sixth form, not Nursery or Junior. The live page says household income at or below £32,000 may receive full fee support plus help with uniform, travel, lunch and trips. Above £80,001 is unlikely to qualify; intermediate households may receive partial support.

Those are guidance bands, not entitlements. The June 2026 policysays income and assets are assessed, demand can exceed funds and awards from 10% to 100% are reviewed annually. Published deadlines are 1 January for 11+ and 31 March for 16+ in the year of entry. Those financial deadlines do not replace the main admissions deadline: apply by 11 December and confirm when financial evidence is due.

The published 2027 dates—and those still to confirm

The dedicated entrance-exam page controls these dates. Use that page, rather than the general FAQ, when planning for 2027.

The Senior application page explains that, after the papers, selected families are invited to meet a senior leader with their child. Outcomes may be a fee-paying offer, an offer with assistance, reserve-list placement or no offer. SGS does not yet publish the 2027 meeting, decision or reply dates, so leave them blank rather than borrowing dates from an older prospectus.

A confidential report is requested from the primary head. The live page expressly says a missing report will not damage a child’s chances. Even so, tell the current school when the request is likely and check that contact details are current.

English rewards quick reading and controlled writing

English lasts 60 minutes. The first 30 minutes use one unseen passage and 40 multiple-choice questions on events, inference, vocabulary in context, grammar and character. The next 30 minutes offer two writing choices: an image-led description or story, or a piece beginning with a supplied line.

The school tells pupils to aim for three developed paragraphs and reserve at least five minutes for proofreading. That is a useful constraint. It favours a complete, shaped piece over a dazzling opening that never reaches an ending.

Use the current-linked 2025 model paper for format, not as an infallible scoring instrument. Its answer key omits question 12. Question 25 calls “motionless” a word- class problem but offers no adjective option, then keys an adverb. A parent should not build a pass-mark theory from that document.

Practise the comprehension untimed first. Ask the child to show which words in the passage support an answer. Then introduce the 30-minute limit and practise carefully circling one answer for each question. Grammar belongs in preparation here, but it should sit inside real reading rather than become a year of isolated labels.

Maths and verbal reasoning test different kinds of steadiness

Maths is 60 minutes and stays within Key Stage 2 knowledge. The first page tests arithmetic; later problems require pupils to use familiar ideas in less familiar ways. All questions should be attempted, and the school says correct working can receive credit when the final answer is missing or wrong.

That changes preparation. A child should write enough method for another person to follow, include units and check whether an answer is plausible. Racing into Key Stage 3 content is less valuable than being able to combine fractions, measures, geometry and number facts without losing the thread.

The linked maths specimen dates from 2023 but remains the school’s current sample. Start by marking errors by cause: misunderstood question, missing knowledge, weak method, arithmetic slip or time pressure. Those categories lead to different help.

Verbal reasoning lasts 50 minutes and includes general- knowledge questions plus problems based on supplied information. SGS links older GL familiarisation booklets with separate pencil answer sheets, but its policy calls the three papers school-set. These booklets can help children practise using an answer sheet, but they do not establish SGS’s current test provider or exact question types.