Ashville College 11+ Admissions: Entrance Assessment and Fees

Getting into Ashville College at 11+ means passing through Year 7 entrance testing: papers in Maths and English, a computer-based Cognitive Ability Test, and an individual interview with a senior member of staff, alongside a school report and reference from the child's current school. Year 7 is described by the school as its most popular entry point into the senior school.

Families apply online, attend a Taster Day, sit the assessment in the January before entry, and receive an offer before completing acceptance. Academic scholarships and means-tested bursaries are both available to Year 7 applicants, assessed alongside or after the standard entrance process.

How 11+ entry works at Ashville

Year 7 is the main entry point into the senior school and is described by the school as its most popular point of entry. Applicants join alongside pupils progressing from the Prep School, and all Year 7 places, whether from inside or outside the school, are decided through the same entrance assessment and interview process.

How the 11+ assessment works

Candidates sit exams in Maths and English, plus a computer-based Cognitive Ability Test, during an extended morning at the school. The school's admissions pages link to Cognitive Ability Test preparation resources and do not name a single fixed test provider in the entry requirements.

Following the written papers and Cognitive Ability Test, applicants are invited back for an individual interview with a senior member of staff. The school also asks for recent school reports and a confidential reference from the child's current school, so the written assessment sits alongside a wider picture of the child built from their existing teachers.

• Maths paper
• English paper
• Computer-based Cognitive Ability Test
• Individual interview with a senior member of staff
• Current school reports and confidential reference

Steps in the registration and admissions process

Families begin by visiting the school, through an open day or an individual tour, before completing an online application and paying an application fee. A Taster Day follows, giving the child a day experiencing life at the school ahead of the formal assessment.

The entrance assessment for Year 7, comprising the written papers, Cognitive Ability Test and interview, takes place in January before the September of entry. Once an offer is made, families confirm the place by returning an acceptance form and paying a one-off acceptance deposit, which is refunded when the child later moves on to the next stage of their education at the school.

• Visit: open day or individual tour
• Apply: online application and application fee
• Taster Day: a day experiencing the school
• Assessment: written papers, Cognitive Ability Test and interview
• Offer and acceptance: acceptance form and deposit

Scholarships and bursaries at Year 7

Academic scholarships for Year 7 are awarded on the basis of performance in the entrance examination and interviews, so no separate application is required beyond the standard admissions process. The school also offers scholarships in Music, Art, Drama and Sport, which involve their own specific assessments; music candidates are generally expected to be around Grade 4 standard on their main instrument, though potential is also taken into account.

Means-tested bursaries are administered through the Ashville Foundation for day applicants entering Year 7 or Lower Sixth; other year groups are considered only in limited circumstances. Eligibility depends on household income falling below a published threshold and the family holding no significant assets such as second homes or large investments; because funding is limited, awards tend to go to the strongest-performing eligible applicants, and the final decision rests with the Head.

What Year 7 entry costs

Fees are charged termly and vary by year group, published on the school's fees page for the relevant academic year. Applying involves a separate, non-refundable application fee, and accepting an offered place requires a one-off acceptance deposit, which the school returns when the child progresses to the next stage of their education there.

Families can pay fees annually, termly, or monthly by Direct Debit, and the school offers a discount for families with three or more children attending at the same time, along with a Fees in Advance scheme for those able to pay significantly ahead of time.

How to prepare for the Ashville 11+ assessment

Because the assessment combines a Maths paper, an English paper and a computer-based Cognitive Ability Test, useful preparation covers curriculum-based maths and English practice alongside familiarity with computer-based reasoning question types, which differ in format from a traditional written paper. The school itself publishes sample papers and links to Cognitive Ability Test resources for families to use ahead of the assessment.

The interview and the current school's report and reference carry weight alongside the papers, so preparation is usefully broader than exam technique alone; a calm, familiar routine on the assessment morning and confidence talking about their interests and school life tend to help a child more than last-minute cramming.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Ashville College 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Ashville College 11+ usually come to us a year or so before the assessment, though shorter runs work where the foundations are already sound. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors build each programme around the format the school actually uses, whether a written paper, an online pre-test, an interview or a combination of them.

More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, so the preparation is led by people who know how selective schools assess. 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.