Pate's Grammar School vs Sir Thomas Rich's School
Both are grammar schools in Gloucestershire, 4.4 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.
Side by side
| Pate's Grammar School | Sir Thomas Rich's School | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary |
| Gender | Mixed | Boys |
| Pupils on roll | 1,288 | 1,249 |
| Free school meals | 3.6% | 4.8% |
| Ofsted rating | Outstanding | Good |
| Attainment 8 — 2024/25 | 82.7 | 77.2 |
| A-level average points — 2024/25 | 50.77 | 44.05 |
| 11+ test board | GL Assessment (switched from CEM in 2024) | GL Assessment (switched from CEM in 2024) |
| Admission system | score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold) | score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold) |
| Places offered — 202627 | 146 | 150 |
| First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place | 1.46 | 1.29 |
Qualifying scores
Pate's Grammar School
Not published. Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Consortium uses GL Assessment (4 papers; switched from CEM in 2024). Each school sets its own qualifying standard after the test — not pre-announced. Places are rank-ordered by score within priority bands. No competitive cutoff is published before or after the test.
Sir Thomas Rich's School
Not published (GL Assessment score). Rich's ranks all eligible applicants; last admitted rank in 2026 was 332. Top 155 listing Rich's as first preference are guaranteed a place.
Who gets priority
Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.
Pate's Grammar School
- Looked After Children / Previously Looked After Children
- Up to 15 Priority Places, filled in order: (I) Pupil Premium + Appendix-1 postcode, (II) Pupil Premium + Cheltenham Boro
- Non-Priority Places (Local): qualifying candidates in Gloucestershire or an Appendix-3 postcode, by rank order, until ca
- Non-Priority Places (UK-wide): minimum 45 places, qualifying candidates anywhere in the UK, by rank order
Source: school admissions policy.
Sir Thomas Rich's School
- Looked After Children / Previously Looked After Children
- Boys registered for Pupil Premium who met the qualifying standard
- Other qualifying boys, in test rank order
Source: school admissions policy.
Choosing between them
Pate's Grammar School is a mixed school and Sir Thomas Rich's School is a boys school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.
Other Gloucestershire comparisons
- Denmark Road High School vs Marling School
- Denmark Road High School vs Pate's Grammar School
- Denmark Road High School vs Ribston Hall High School
- Denmark Road High School vs Sir Thomas Rich's School
- Denmark Road High School vs Stroud High School
- Denmark Road High School vs The Crypt School
- Marling School vs Pate's Grammar School
- Marling School vs Ribston Hall High School
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