Common Entrance & Scholarships

Common Entrance

Year 8 pupils have a full set of exams in the second half of the autumn and spring terms ahead of Common Entrance examinations. These take place in early June, and are spread over four days on dates specified by the Independent Schools Examination Board. There are papers in English, Maths, Science, French, History, Geography and Latin. In some subjects there is more than one paper and in several there are different levels or options within the paper. Parents should note that a pupil may be entered for only one senior school, and that the papers are sent off to that senior school to be marked.

Senior schools

Different senior schools expect different standards for a pass. It is therefore imperative that parents start looking at future schools well before their child’s final year. Our Headmaster, Alex McCullough, is happy to see parents at any time to discuss future schools and advise on suitability, given the child’s individual strengths and needs. Indeed, the opportunity to match our pupils to the right senior school for them, the one in which they will most thrive, is one of our key advantages over independent schools that go from 3 – 18.

Scholarships

Scholarship examinations vary greatly between individual schools, both in content and in timing, and so the earlier the choice of school is made, the better we can prepare the child for that school’s specific exams. Most schools offer awards in music, art and sports as well as academic scholarships, while some schools offer All Rounder scholarships. Auditions, interviews and exams may take place at any time during the child’s final year and some schools run pre-tests in advance of Year 8.