WCGC GO FOR GRAMMAR! PROGRAMME 2025/26

Westcliff High School for Boys’ Centre for Gifted Children (WCGC), established in 2010, is a programme of 11+ and Grammar School familiarisation events throughout the School Year, aimed at encouraging local children to consider the possibility of a state Grammar School education. The WCGC Go for Grammar! programme for Year 5 boys and girls living within the School’s local priority catchment area (postcodes SS0 to SS9) provides a taste of what a grammar school education is like. In addition, parents are provided with practical information about the 11+ examination and how best to help their children prepare to sit the exam.

The Go for Grammar! Programme consists of a series of themed ‘workshop’ events which take place on Saturdays throughout the year. Each workshop has an overall theme and incorporates numeracy and literacy activities, run by members of Westcliff High School for Boys’ teaching staff, covering material that is relevant to 11+ examination questions. Workshop themes for 2025/26 are:

Saturday 29 November 2025 – This is Me!

Pupils will have sessions in subjects such as Public Speaking, Music, Technology, Art and Modern Foreign Languages to learn and develop their creative skills, using our specialist facilities.

Saturday 7 February 2026 – Bright Sparks!

A series of hands-on practical activities in the School’s science laboratories will introduce pupils to the exciting science of chemical reactions in Chemistry, the relationships between matter and energy in Physics, the science of life in Biology, all brought together with a session in Earth Sciences.

Saturday 25 April 2026 – Get up and Go!

An action packed selection of outdoor sporting opportunities in addition to exciting sessions run by cadets from our WHSB Combined Cadet Force (CCF) Army, Navy and RAF sections that are fun and inclusive for pupils of all abilities.

Go for Grammar! workshops commence at 9.00am and finish at 3.00pm. Children attending will need to bring a drink and packed lunch on the day. Parents are invited to attend the 11+ Helping Parents Help Their Children presentation at 2.15pm prior to collecting their children at 3.00pm. The aim of this session for parents is to provide practical advice and guidance relating to the CSSE (The Consortium for Selective Schools in Essex), the 11+ examination process, and life at a selective grammar school.

When making an application, the pupils and parents are asked to select their preferred session. We endeavour to meet the first choice of session, but cannot guarantee this is the case, particularly as the sessions draw closer. Parents may submit two applications per child using the form below, and therefore be allocated a maximum of two sessions. Workshop attendance is priced at £15. There will be no charge to attend for those children in receipt of Pupil Premium Funding.

Places are still available for the 2025/26 programme. We look forward to welcoming you and your child to Westcliff High School for Boys.

The Go for Grammar! Team
wcgc@whsb.essex.sch.uk