Located in Milton Road Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex, St. Bernards High School for Girls is a catholic bilateral Secondary School with a mixed sixth form. Founded in 1910, St Bernard’s High School for girls got a Specialist Arts Status in 2004 and a Specialist Science status in 2008. In 2011, the School became an Academy and was graded as ‘Good’ in their Ofsted recent inspections in 2016.
In 2010, the School was awarded Artsmark Silver, and in 2011, it was re-awarded as Fair Trade status. The School maintains a focus on its humanities specialist subjects of English, history and religious education. The School consistently produce good GCSE and A-Level results. The number of students eligible for free school meals and schools with disabilities/special educational needs is very low.
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General information
Address: St Bernard’s High School Milton Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 7JS
General enquiries: 01702 343583
Local authority: Southend-on-Sea
Website: https://www.stbernardswestcliff.org.uk/
Email: office@stbernards.southend.sch.uk
Gender of Entry: girls
Day/boarding type: Day School
Age Range: 11 to 18
Exam board type/format: CSSE (Essex 11 Plus)
Admissions policy: Selective
Pupils: 935
Places in Year 7: 175 places
Ofsted Report: Good
Headteacher: Mrs Allison Moise-Dixon
Admission to St Bernard’s High School for Girls
Admission to St. Bernards High School is based on students performance in the CSSE 11 plus exam. Although St Bernard High School allows entry of any girl of any faith or none, being a Catholic School, it prioritises students who reflect a commitment to Catholic education.
We suggest parents visit one of the Open Evening school holds to learn more about the School and gather more information about the teaching staff and site.
For more information about the admission process at St Bernard’s High School, please visit the School’s admission page or contact directly at office@stbernards.southend.sch.uk or by telephone on 01702 343583.
How to apply for St. Bernard’s High School for Girls
To apply for a place in year 7 at St. Bernards High School for Girls, parents must complete the Common Application Form (CAF) for Secondary School Admissions.
They also need to complete the form for the local authority they live in, for most people applying for St Bernards High School, the Local Authority will be Southend, Essex or Thurrock. You can fill this form from your Local Authority website.
As the CSSE administers the selective test process, Parents that wish to apply for a selective place must also complete the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) application. They can complete the process through the CSSE website as well.
The catchment area of St. Bernard’s High School for Girls
St Bernard’s High School for Girls has a catchment area with priority on admission based on location and distance of the applicant resident from the School.
Parents can check the School’s catchment area from the School’s website or admission booklet.
You can further check the Header Controller Southend Secondary School Catchment Areas from here.
The 11 Plus Exam Format of St. Bernards High School for Girls
The 11 plus entrance exam for St. Bernards High School consists of two tests that cover English and Maths of 1 hour each with 10 minute reading time. The Exam topics in each section include-
- English – Comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, verbal reasoning, creative writing and literacy.
- Mathematics – Questions based on KS2 National Curriculum and non-verbal reasoning.
The 11 plus scores are age-standardises to ensure all students that are sitting for the exam get a fair chance.
How to prepare for St. Bernards High School for Girls
To prepare your child for St. Bernards High School for Girls, we suggest starting preparing early and honing their skills tested in the 11 plus exam, such as comprehension, vocabulary, creative writing, and verbal and non-verbal reasoning. To know more about the 11 plus exam and what it includes, you can read our 11 plus guide for parents.
Regularly reading can help in improving a child’s comprehension skills and vocabulary. You can further learn these 7 comprehension strategies and try our 11+ vocabulary module. You can also try our creative writing courses for 11 plus and 11 plus Online Tuition Lessons for creative writing.
As the maths section is based on the KS2 syllabus, your child must be well prepared with all the topics. Learn more about topics asked in the 11+ maths exam and how to prepare for it.
Past papers suitable for St. Bernards High School for Girls
List of Grammar Schools
For a comprehensive list of Grammar schools, visit the Comprehensive List of Grammar Schools and Consortiums
