Grammar Stream

Our Grammar Stream is a group of 28-32 highly academically able students. They are taught a more challenging and in-depth curriculum from Year 7 onwards, as well as having access to a programme of extracurricular opportunities that will put them on the pathway to the top universities. 

The Lowry Academy is, and always will be, a comprehensive school. However, we recognise that many of our students join us having performed at the highest level in primary school and require an additional level of challenge to reach their potential.

Our aims for our Grammar Stream students are: 

• To gain a set of GCSEs at grades 7-9.
• To gain additional qualifications beyond the core curriculum.
• To raise their aspirations and goals for their future career pathways, whatever that chosen field may be, and to be fully supported to get there.
• To explore a range of extracurricular opportunities that will help them to develop their own passions and become responsible young people, who enter the world beyond The Lowry as active citizens that are dedicated to positively contributing to their communities.

There will be two strands to our Grammar Stream – the Academic Curriculum and the Character Curriculum. We want our students to achieve excellence academically, and have a depth of knowledge that allows them to compete with their peers nationally, but we also know it’s vital that we develop our students’ character so they have the confidence, world-experience, and skills to achieve, contribute positively to the world around them, and most importantly, find the things that give them joy. 

As part of the induction programme, students who have accepted a place at The Lowry Academy will complete a set of cognitive ability tests, known as MidYis. A Grammar Stream place will be offered to the highest-scoring 32 students. All students who accept a place will be asked to sign a contract that commits them to their place and to attending school until 4pm. To ensure they still partake in the core curriculum, all Grammar Stream classes will take place 3pm – 4pm. 

he MidYis tests assess students’ abilities in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, numerical tasks, proof-reading, and vocabulary. There is no need for students to prepare for the tests in any way. The tests are done at a computer and are marked automatically.

Grammar Stream places will be reviewed at the end of every academic year. Grammar Stream students will be assessed alongside the rest of the year group and a rank order will be produced for the year group. Students’ position in the rank order will be used to decide whether they should retain their place, be offered a place, or a discussion on whether the Grammar Stream is the right path for them. The maximum number of students in the Grammar Stream will be 32.