What Altrincham parents need to know
Published reporting says the Trafford Grammar School Consortium, including Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, is moving from GL Assessment to FSCE for 2028 entry.
The reported direction is a curriculum-led test based more closely on Key Stage 2 English and Maths up to the end of Year 5. Parents should still check the schools' latest admissions information before making decisions.
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
- Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
- GL route still relevant for 2027 entry
- FSCE expected for 2028 entry
- Earlier Year 5 testing expected from 2029 entry
How preparation should change
Altrincham preparation should still be serious, but it should become less dependent on narrow question drilling and more focused on secure understanding. Pupils need strong reading, vocabulary, grammar, arithmetic, fractions, percentages, word problems and calm timed application.
Reasoning skills remain useful, but the balance for affected pupils should shift towards deep KS2 English and Maths mastery, especially for children sitting the new format.
- Reading comprehension
- Vocabulary in context
- SPaG accuracy
- Number fluency
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Multi-step problem solving
- Timed accuracy
Coach Dean support for Altrincham families
Coach Dean Tutoring supports Altrincham families through online assessment, structured lessons, timed practice and correction work. The route can be shaped around the child's entry year so current GL candidates and future FSCE candidates are not treated the same.
The aim is to help parents understand what should happen next rather than simply giving pupils more papers.