Senior School Entry (Year 7)
Children currently in the Prep School normally transfer automatically to Senior School and do not need to re-apply for places. When children are in Year 5 in the Prep School they enjoy a Senior School Taster Morning, which parents are also able to attend, and in Year 6 they have tours around the Senior School with Sixth Formers in preparation for their move up.
Children in Year 5 at other primary schools and their parents are also welcome to attend the Senior School Taster Morning which takes place in June.
Children looking to join the School in Year 7 must sit our Entrance Tests, which take place in the January prior to entry the following September. To sit the Tests, children must be registered by completion and return of a School Application Form, along with the registration fee, which can be paid by bank transfer. Please see our fees page for the registration fee and bank details. The School must receive applications as soon as possible to allow us to request a reference from the child’s current school. If you would like your child to be considered for a Scholarship upon entry into Year 7, this registration must be received prior to the Entrance Test date, held in January. Further details on specific deadlines can be obtained from the Admissions Team.
Entrance Tests are in English, Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning and will usually take place on a Saturday, and will next be on Saturday 27th January 2024.
Sample test questions can be accessed here
There is no set pass mark for the Tests; we are looking to ensure children will cope with the Senior School curriculum, hence we also request a reference, so we can compare performance in the Tests with levels children are currently working at.
Children who have applied for an Academic Scholarship sit the same tests, and those who achieve the highest combined marks are offered Scholarship Awards.
To apply for a Scholarship, please complete the Scholarship Application Forms located at the bottom of the page.
Pupils looking for places in Year 7 may also apply for any one of these additional scholarships:
- Music Scholarship - candidates audition in front of the Head of Music.
- Hannah Warner Art Scholarship - candidates take part in a drawing session during which they are individually interviewed by the Head of Art and discuss the work they have brought in.
- Sport Scholarship - candidates are interviewed by the Head of Girls’ and Boys' Sport. Interviews are based on the Sport Scholarship Application form they have provided in advance.
- Woodard All-rounder Scholarship - candidates are interviewed by the Head or Deputy Head, based on the information they have supplied on the Woodard application form and evidence they have submitted in advance.
For more information about the Scholarships, please see the Fees, Scholarships and Bursaries page or download the Entry To Year 7 Parents’ Information document. Forms are also available to complete further down this page.
Current pupils in Year 6 do not need to sit the Entrance Tests, but they are welcome to compete for any of the Scholarships on offer and must attend on the day if they wish to be considered.
Place and Scholarship offers are made in writing by the Headmaster within two weeks of sitting the tests and the offer letters specify the date by which acceptance is required, which is always after the day when state school places are allocated. Letters to all applicants are sent simultaneously.
To accept a place parents must complete, sign and return the Parent Acceptance Form, which is sent with the offer letter and which forms the contract with the School, along with the fee deposit (see the fees page for details of this).
For those who accept places for Year 7 there is a four-phase Induction Programme for the new starters and children moving up from the Prep School:
- Meetings in the child’s current school during May
The Head of Key Stage 3 or The Head of Pastoral Care will visit each child to get to know them better. This conversation will help determine which form the child will join and will involve finding out whether they know any other children who are starting with us, where their interests lie, the subjects they enjoy etc. The visit will also be an opportunity to discuss any concerns the children may have and answer queries they have about starting. - Familiarisation Day in June
Children joining Year 7 attend this day in their own clothes and enjoy a day of taster lessons as well as meeting their new Form Tutor. A Joiner Pack is provided and the contents are discussed during Tutorial sessions. Summer work, including reading and a project, is set. - New to Year 7 Welcome Meeting in June
Shortly after Familiarisation Day parents and pupils are invited to School again. Parents are taken through the curriculum which is covered in Year 7 and beyond while the children participate in a further ‘getting to know you’ activity, which also helps them find their way around School. - Start of Term Preparation
On the day before term starts in September, Year 7 pupils come into School to bring their Summer Project as well as being shown where their Form Room will be. Lockers will be allocated and children are taken through the routines of the first few days to ensure they are fully prepared for the start of the new term.
If you would like to apply for a Scholarship for your son/daughter, please select the relevant forms at the bottom of the page.
