Aldro School 11+ Admissions: Form 7 Entry, Assessment and Fees

Entry to Aldro School at 11+ runs through Form 7, the school's second main entry point after its larger Form 3 (age 7) intake, and a place is offered on the basis of a current school report, a reference, a Taster Morning that combines lessons with assessment and staff observation, and sometimes an interview. Families register ahead of the entry point they want, and the school then guides them through reports, the taster visit and, where relevant, a scholarship application, before making an offer.

Because most Aldro pupils join at seven and stay to thirteen, Form 7 places at 11+ depend on space becoming available; the admissions team treats each application individually, and there is no single fixed test date for every candidate. What follows sets out how registration, assessment, scholarships, bursaries and fees actually work for a family considering Aldro at 11+.

How entry works at 11+

Aldro admits the great majority of its pupils at seven, into Form 3, but also takes children at eleven, into Form 7, and will look at other year groups where a place happens to be free. The school does not publish a fixed number of Form 7 places or forms of entry; instead, availability is set by how many Form 3 pupils continue through to Form 7 and beyond.

A family wanting Form 7 entry registers with the admissions office in the usual way and is then taken through the same core steps as any other entry point: reports and reference, a Taster Morning, and an offer decision. Boarding is available from Form 7 alongside day places, on a full, weekly or part-time basis.

How the Form 7 entrance assessment works

The Form 7 assessment centres on a Taster Morning; there is no single written paper. Aldro asks for a copy of the child's latest full school report at the point of registration and takes up a reference from their current school before inviting them in.

On the Taster Morning itself, the child joins ordinary lessons, meets current pupils and staff, and takes part in assessment activities alongside staff observation of how they engage; where a child has identified learning support needs, the school's learning support staff are involved on the day too. An interview may also form part of the process. The eventual offer is based on the combination of report, reference, assessment performance, staff observations and any interview; no single mark determines it.

The registration and admissions process, step by step

Families typically start with a visit, either at a termly Open Morning or through a personal tour with a one-to-one meeting with the Headmaster, arranged via the admissions team.

Registration follows: a completed registration form, a copy of the child's passport and a registration fee are sent to the admissions office, ideally 18 months to a year before the intended entry point, though registration can happen at any time. The school then contacts families ahead of the next stage.

Next come the school report and reference, then the Taster Morning itself. Following the offer, a place is secured by returning a completed acceptance form together with a deposit; the school stays in touch with accepted families before their child starts, including introductions to other parents.

Scholarships and bursaries at Aldro

Aldro offers Academic, Music and Sport scholarships specifically for entry into Form 7. The scholarship route sits after, not instead of, the ordinary admissions process: a family completes registration, reports, reference and Taster Morning as normal and receives an offer of a place first, then applies for the scholarship itself.

Where a scholarship alone would not make the fees manageable, it can be supported by a bursary application alongside it. Separately, the school offers means-tested bursaries to eligible families, assessed and reviewed annually, and additional fee reductions apply to serving military and FCDO families, to those in full-time Christian ministry, and where three or more siblings attend at once. Families are directed to the Bursar for bursary and scholarship queries.

Fees and what they include

Day fees are charged per term and rise across the school by form, with a single rate applying across Forms 5 to 8, the band that Form 7 falls into; day fees cover lunch and most day trips. Full boarding is charged at a single per-term rate across Forms 3 to 8, with weekly and part-time boarding attracting a supplement on top, and trial boarding available by the night for families considering it for the first time.

A deposit is payable on acceptance of a place, refundable after the final invoice or with a term's notice, and a separate, non-refundable registration fee is payable when a child is first registered. Families using the Fees in Advance Scheme can pay a minimum of two years' fees upfront, in yearly increments up to six years, at a discount rate the Governors set.

How to prepare for the Form 7 taster morning and assessment

Because the process weighs a report, a reference, a taster day and possibly an interview together, the most useful preparation is practical: keep the current school report up to date and be ready to share it at registration, and let the current school know a reference will be requested.

On the day itself, a child does best treating the Taster Morning as a normal school visit: joining lessons, talking to the pupils and staff they meet, and answering any interview questions honestly and with interest in the subjects on offer, since staff are observing engagement as much as marks. Attending an Open Morning or arranging a personal tour beforehand helps a child arrive already familiar with the buildings and routine, which tends to settle nerves ahead of the taster visit.

Life after Form 7 entry: Common Entrance and senior school preparation

Pupils who join at Form 7 move into Aldro's final two years, Forms 7 and 8, where teaching is geared towards senior school transfer. Most Aldro leavers move on at thirteen, taking the ISEB Common Pre-Test in November of Form 6 ahead of senior school entry, and then either the ISEB Common Entrance exam or a senior school's own scholarship papers in Form 8.

Within Forms 7 and 8, pupils identified for the scholarship stream are taught at greater depth and pace, alongside interview coaching and exam preparation that the school says also builds skills carried into GCSEs. An enrichment programme running alongside the academic curriculum covers wider topics such as global perspectives and career talks.

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Preparing for the Aldro School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Aldro School 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families work with us online from anywhere in the UK or abroad, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.