Bancroft's School 11+ Admissions: Entrance Assessment, Registration and Fees

Entry into Bancroft's School at 11+ runs through a single assessment day held on-site in January, when candidates sit an online CEM Select reasoning test alongside a short school-set English paper and a maths paper, with well-performing candidates then invited to interview. The school looks to fill around 65 places from external candidates at this entry point, chosen from the wider field who sit the assessment.

Registration is completed online through the school's own application form, and the school publishes the exact stage dates, registration fee and reference requirements on its admissions pages ahead of each entry round. Academic Scholarships and Music Awards run alongside the same assessment, and means-tested bursaries are available for families who meet the academic entry standard.

How 11+ entry works

Bancroft's admits pupils at three points: 7+ into the Prep School, 11+ into the Senior School in Year 7, and 16+ into the Sixth Form, with the 11+ round the main entry point for most new senior pupils. Around 65 places are available to external candidates at 11+, drawn from the field of children who sit the January assessment day. Places are decided on assessment and interview together; no single paper is considered in isolation.

• 7+ entry to the Prep School
• 11+ entry to the Senior School (Year 7)
• 16+ entry to the Sixth Form

How the 11+ assessment is structured

The 11+ assessment at Bancroft's has three parts, sat on the same assessment day on-site: an online CEM Select reasoning test, a short English paper and a maths paper. The reasoning test draws on verbal and non-verbal reasoning together with some elements of English comprehension and mathematics, delivered through CEM's onscreen format.

The maths paper is a single 75-minute paper in two sections, needing a ruler, pencil and protractor but no calculator. Section A sets around thirty questions of increasing difficulty covering numeracy, problem solving, and shape and space, broadly matched to Key Stage 2 levels with some harder material woven in; a second section moves into more demanding, non-standard problems.

Candidates who do well are invited back for an interview, a one-to-one conversation with a member of staff, which the school describes as academic in focus and not intended to catch children out. Reports from the child's current school are also taken into account at this stage.

Steps in the registration and admissions process

Families register online through the school's application form, which carries a non-refundable registration fee. As part of registration, the school also contacts the child's current school for a confidential reference. Candidates then sit the assessment day on-site, and those shortlisted are invited back for interview, with pupils applying for a Music Award attending a separate audition around the same period. Offers are sent by email; families accepting a place pay a deposit by the published deadline, and the school keeps a reserve list for strong candidates it cannot immediately place.

• Register online and pay the registration fee
• School requests a reference from the child's current school
• Sit the assessment day: online reasoning test, English paper, maths paper
• Attend interview if shortlisted, plus audition for Music Award applicants
• Receive an offer by email and accept with the required deposit

Scholarships available at 11+

Academic Scholarships at 11+ need no separate test; every candidate is automatically considered through the standard entrance assessment and interview, and awards are made on merit alone, regardless of financial need. Scholars join a programme of academic enrichment that runs alongside normal lessons through the Senior School.

Music Awards are open to candidates with a primary instrument at around Grade 5 standard or equivalent. Applicants register their interest at registration and, if they do well in the academic assessment, are invited to audition by performing two pieces and completing short aural and interview tasks. Awards bring free tuition in one instrument and a role in the school's music programme, with holders reassessed to continue the award into the Upper School and again for Sixth Form. Further awards in drama, sport, creative subjects and community contribution are offered at other points in school life.

Bursaries and financial assistance

Means-tested bursaries at 11+ are available to families who meet the school's academic entry standards, with households on a joint income below the published threshold able to apply, though funds are limited each round. Applicants indicate interest on the registration form, then complete a financial disclosure through a secure portal for an initial assessment.

Candidates who progress past the entrance assessment undergo a fuller financial review carried out by the school's appointed agents, Bursary Administration Limited, and any award is confirmed alongside the offer of a place, then reassessed annually. A full bursary covers school fees in addition to a uniform grant, the loan of a digital device and public examination fees.

Fees and what they include

Senior School day fees are charged termly and cover school lunches, curriculum-related books and materials, some curriculum trips, and personal accident insurance, with VAT added where applicable. Uniform, sports kit, individual music tuition, transport, LAMDA lessons and co-curricular activities such as CCF, Duke of Edinburgh and Scouts are charged separately, as are external examination board fees. A deposit is payable once a family accepts an offered place, set out in the fee schedule the school publishes for each academic year.

How to prepare for the 11+ assessment

Because the reasoning paper runs onscreen through CEM Select, children can benefit from practising verbal and non-verbal reasoning in a similar onscreen format, alongside the comprehension and basic maths items woven into the same test. The maths paper rewards accuracy under time pressure across a broad Key Stage 2 curriculum before moving into harder, non-standard problems, so timed practice across numeracy, problem solving and shape and space usually helps, alongside focused work on the trickier question types in the second section.

For the interview, the school describes wanting children who are curious and engaged, able to talk about their own interests in an ordinary conversation with a member of staff. The most useful preparation is usually giving a child space to talk about what they read, do and enjoy outside school, so the conversation feels natural. Where a Music Award is part of the plan, preparing the audition pieces and aural basics well ahead of the assessment period avoids last-minute pressure.

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Preparing for the Bancroft's School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Bancroft's 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 in London and further afield work with us online, 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.