Key Facts
| School type | Independent day, co-educational, non-selective, Reception to Year 13 (nursery from 4 months) |
|---|---|
| Location | Bedford, Bedfordshire |
| Entry points | 7+, 11+, 16+ |
| Assessment | Taster day in the child's current year group with literacy and numeracy assessments, plus a reference from the current school and the latest school report |
| Test provider | The school's own literacy and numeracy assessments, sat during taster days |
| Scholarships and bursaries | Sport, art, music, design and sixth form scholarships up to 15% (awards up to 25%); governor-assessed bursaries from Year 1 |
| A level average point score per entry (DfE, 2024/25) | 32.50 (average grade C+) |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
How do you get into Bedford Greenacre Independent School? A family registers, the child attends taster days in their current year group that include literacy and numeracy assessments, the school requests a reference from the child's current school, and the Principal then tells parents the outcome. The school describes itself as non-selective and co-educational, and it takes pupils from Reception to Year 13, so Year 3 (7+), Year 7 (11+) and Year 12 (16+) follow the same route as Reception.
There is no entrance paper from an external test provider, no published interview stage and no published set of places per year group. The pages that matter for parents are the admissions page, the fee scale, the scholarship policy and the bursary scheme, and the notes below draw only on those.
| Entry point | Year group | Assessment | Interview | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7+ | Year 3 | Taster day in the child's current year group with literacy and numeracy assessments, plus a reference from the current school and the latest school report | No interview stated | Not published |
| 11+ | Year 7 | Taster day in the child's current year group with literacy and numeracy assessments, plus a reference from the current school and the latest school report | No interview stated | Not published |
| 16+ | Year 12 | Same registration, taster day and reference process as other years; specific grade requirements are not on the admissions or sixth form pages, which point to the sixth form prospectus and the sixth form admissions team | No interview stated | Not published |
Entry points and places
Bedford Greenacre takes pupils into Reception and into Years 1 to 13 through one standard process, so the 7+ (Year 3), 11+ (Year 7) and 16+ (Year 12) entry points are routes into year groups the school already runs, with no separate entrance examination for each. Nursery admissions use a separate enquiry form, and the nursery sits at a different site on Kimbolton Road.
The school does not publish a number of places or forms of entry for any year group. The Junior School runs from Reception to Year 6, the Senior School covers Years 7 to 11, and the Sixth Form covers Years 12 and 13, all at the Manton Lane campus in Bedford.
- Year 3 (7+): Junior School entry
- Year 7 (11+): Senior School entry
- Year 12 (16+): Sixth Form entry, for A levels, Level 3 qualifications and Cambridge Technicals
How the taster day assessment works
The assessment is a taster day that includes literacy and numeracy assessments, set by the school itself. Pupils attend in their current year group, so a child in Year 2 who is applying for Year 3 is invited for a taster in Year 2, and the child sits in lessons alongside current pupils.
The school describes its intake as non-selective, which shapes what the assessment is for: it informs the Principal's decision and the school's picture of the child alongside the reference and report. No test provider, paper length, question types or pass mark are published, and the admissions page lists no separate entrance papers.
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Admissions for Reception to Year 13 follow three steps set out on the school's admissions page, and the school publishes no fixed registration deadline for the main route. The order below is the one the school gives.
- Visit: attend an Open Morning, or complete the Expression of Interest form and arrange a personal tour with the admissions team
- Taster days: review the taster day information, contact the admissions office to arrange them, complete the registration form and pay the registration fee
- Outcome: once the taster days are complete and all information has been received, the Principal informs parents of the result
- Acceptance: a deposit is paid when a place is accepted, and the school's fee scale describes it as refundable on leaving
References and interviews
The school asks for a reference from the child's current school and for the latest school report. Parents supply the report and must tell the current school that Bedford Greenacre will be in contact, so it helps to mention this to the class teacher or head early in the process.
No interview with the child is mentioned on the admissions page. Interviews appear in the bursary process, where families meet the Principal and the Business Manager as part of the assessment of need.
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships at Bedford Greenacre recognise academic, sporting, musical or artistic achievement or potential on entry, and the admissions page names Sport, Art, Music and Design, plus sixth form scholarships in a number of subject areas. A scholarship may reduce fees by up to 15 percent, and a small number of awards may reach up to 25 percent. Applications go in writing to the Business Manager and close at the end of January for entry the following September.
Bursaries are means-tested and available from Year 1 onward. The school assesses a statement of financial circumstances, supporting documents, an interview with the Principal and an interview with the Business Manager, and the governors decide. The school publishes no maximum share of fees. Before an application reaches the governors, who meet in March, the child must first complete the admissions process, including taster days and satisfactory references, and parents are told by the end of March.
Fees and what they include
Fees are published as a termly scale, inclusive of VAT, in six bands: Reception, Years 1 to 2, Years 3 to 6, Years 7 to 8, Years 9 to 11 and Years 12 to 13. The figures are in the fees field of this guide and on the school's fee scale, which also lists a sibling discount of 10 percent on tuition.
Midday meals, special tuition, speech and drama, out-of-hours care, Homework Club, music lessons from visiting teachers and exam fees are charged separately, and personal accident insurance is compulsory. The registration fee covers a meal, administration and the taster days. Reception has 15 hours of funding available.
Where pupils join from
Most routes into the Senior School begin in the school's own Junior School, which runs from Reception to Year 6 on the same site, and the school says staff scaffold learning to ensure a smooth transition. No separate entrance process for Junior School pupils moving up is published.
Bedford Greenacre was formed from Rushmoor and St Andrew's Schools. It names no feeder or partner schools, and external applicants join through the same taster day and reference process.
How to prepare
Preparation for a taster day with literacy and numeracy assessments usually means steady, ordinary classwork: reading widely, writing in full sentences, and practising number work from the current year group, since pupils are assessed at their present level. Short, relaxed practice tends to help more than long sessions.
Practical steps include booking an Open Morning or tour, arranging taster days with the admissions office, giving the current school notice of the reference request, and having the latest school report ready. Families considering a scholarship can prepare the written application and, where relevant, evidence of musical, sporting, artistic or design work.
Related guides
- Independent school fees compared
- Bedford Modern School (11+)
- Bedford School (11+)
- Bedford Girls' School (11+)
- The 11+ entrance exam explained
- The 7+ entrance exam explained
- 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
- What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the Bedford Greenacre Independent School entrance exam?
- There is no external entrance exam. The school describes itself as non-selective, and applicants attend taster days in their current year group that include literacy and numeracy assessments. The school also requests a reference from the current school and the latest school report, and the Principal informs parents of the outcome.
- How much are Bedford Greenacre Independent School fees?
- Tuition is published as a termly scale, inclusive of VAT, in bands from Reception to Years 12 and 13. The scale also lists a 10 percent sibling discount and extras such as meals and care. The exact figures are in the fees field of this guide and on the school's fee scale.
- Does Bedford Greenacre offer scholarships and bursaries?
- Yes. Scholarships cover sport, art, music and design, with sixth form scholarships in a number of subjects, and may reduce fees by up to 15 percent, with a few awards up to 25 percent. Bursaries are means-tested, available from Year 1 onward and decided by the governors. Forms are due at the end of January.
- How can parents register for Bedford Greenacre?
- Attend an Open Morning or complete the Expression of Interest form, contact the admissions office to arrange taster days, complete the registration form and pay the registration fee. After the taster days and receipt of all information, the Principal informs parents of the outcome. No registration deadline is published.
- Can pupils join the sixth form at Bedford Greenacre?
- Yes, the school has a sixth form offering A levels, Level 3 qualifications and Cambridge Technicals. The pages do not publish GCSE grade requirements or entrance papers, so applicants should consult the sixth form prospectus or contact the sixth form admissions team directly.
- Is there a catchment area for Bedford Greenacre?
- The school's admissions pages publish no catchment area. It is an independent school on Manton Lane in Bedford, and admission depends on the taster day, the reference and the Principal's decision. The nursery is separate, at Kimbolton Road.
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