Boarding School Interviews: Preparing for the Conversation

A boarding school interview is a conversation, usually with a member of staff such as a housemaster, housemistress or senior teacher, in which the school learns about a child's interests and personality beyond their exam results. Oundle School describes its interview as a relaxed opportunity for candidates to talk about their interests, and ISEB tells families that some senior schools require interviews alongside the Pre-Tests or Common Entrance. Each school sets its own format, so the admissions page of the school concerned decides the details.

Preparing for the conversation therefore means helping a child talk easily about what they enjoy, read and think, and helping the family decide what to ask about boarding life. Schools publish little about the questions themselves, so what follows draws on what ISEB, the Boarding Schools' Association, gov.uk and individual schools state on their own pages.

What is a boarding school interview for?

A boarding school interview gives the school a view of how a child talks about their interests and whether the school suits them, which written papers cannot show. Shrewsbury School says its interview aims to learn more about each applicant than their academic record, and Oundle School describes its interview as a chance for candidates to bring their personality to life beyond the exam papers.

Place offers usually draw on several sources together. Marlborough College, for example, says offers take account of assessment results, ISEB Pre-Test performance, the interview and the reference from the child's current school. Oundle School's international admissions page adds that a UKiset report helps it advise on academic fit and on a pupil's wider profile, which shows that fit is part of what schools weigh.

The Boarding Schools' Association says boarding helps to foster confidence, independence and social skills, and none of the pages used here list formal readiness criteria for living away from home. Schools differ, so the school's own admissions page is the reliable guide to what its interview covers.

Who does a child meet at a boarding school interview?

The interviewer varies by school and entry point, with a housemaster or housemistress at 13+ in some schools and a senior member of staff at 16+ in others. Marlborough College states that its Year 6 assessment day includes an interview with a Housemaster or Housemistress, alongside group activities and a short writing task. Shrewsbury School says sixth-form candidates meet a senior member of staff.

Visits and open days add contact with others. Marlborough College describes talks by the Master and current pupils, a group viewing of a boarding house and a chance to meet a Housemaster or Housemistress. Shrewsbury School lists a Headmaster's presentation, a campus and boarding house tour, and opportunities to speak with pupils and staff.

The Boarding Schools' Association suggests asking the children already at a school, since they will tell you the truth, and notes that many boarding schools allow a prospective pupil to stay overnight in a boarding house.

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What questions are asked at 13+?

Schools do not publish lists of 13+ interview questions, and their own pages describe the conversation as informal and centred on the child. Oundle School's 13+ page describes an informal interview alongside a Cognitive Ability Test, with written papers in Mathematics, English, Science and normally a Modern Foreign Language. Its wider admissions material says the interview invites candidates to talk about their interests.

Marlborough College says its short writing task needs no preparation, is not marked and is used as a prompt by its interviewers, so the conversation may start from something the child has just written. Topics a child can expect to discuss therefore tend to be hobbies, favourite subjects, books, sport and why they would like to board.

ISEB advises families to check the requirements of the destination school, because each senior school sets its own process. A prep school teacher can often explain what the school's interview usually involves.

What is asked at 16+, and does it differ?

At 16+ the interview usually centres on the subjects a student wants to study and their wider interests. Shrewsbury School says candidates meet a senior member of staff, that the interview is informed by the personal statement describing hobbies, accomplishments and longer-term goals, and that candidates are examined in nominated subjects.

Oundle School says its assessment weekend for shortlisted Year 11 candidates includes an interview, that boarding candidates stay overnight, and that papers cover three chosen Sixth Form subjects or a general paper and two subject papers. Overseas applicants follow the same entrance procedure and sit the same papers as UK candidates.

Because the application usually includes a personal statement or a short written piece, a student can expect to be asked about what they wrote. Reading, courses, projects and Year 12 and 13 subject choices all sit naturally within that discussion.

How do international applicants and online interviews work?

Overseas families are often interviewed online, although the arrangements depend on the school. Oundle School states that it interviews all candidates in person or online, with overseas candidates at 11+ and 13+ interviewed online during the assessments and 16+ candidates in November given an online interview. Whitgift School says overseas applicants attend by Microsoft Teams, with a booking calendar sent in the invitation, and that those who cannot attend in person may be asked to send footage or other evidence.

Applicants whose first language is not English may also be asked for an English test. Oundle School asks for a UKiset report or equivalent at the earliest stage of application, and where travel is not feasible candidates must sit examinations at a British Council Office.

Visas are a separate matter. The gov.uk Child Student visa page sets out who can apply, including the need for an unconditional offer from a licensed Child Student sponsor, and families should follow that page and the school's own guidance.

How should a child prepare, and what can families ask about boarding life?

Preparation is most useful when a child practises talking in their own words about a few interests, a book they have read and why they want to board. A parent or tutor can ask follow-up questions such as what the child liked most about a book, and a tutor can help the child practise and prepare, though memorised answers tend to sound stilted in a real conversation.

Families can also prepare questions for the visit. The Boarding Schools' Association advises asking current pupils directly, suggests asking whether the family can join the school for lunch, and says a Taster Day can be raised with the Headteacher. Useful topics for the housemaster or housemistress include daily routine in the house, how new boarders settle in and how the school keeps in touch with parents.

Almost every interview invites questions from the child, so having two or three of their own, drawn from the tour, shows genuine interest.

What are parents asked, and which mistakes are worth avoiding?

Parents are usually asked to take part in the process around the interview, and schools differ on whether they are interviewed themselves. Marlborough College, for example, asks parents to confirm enrolment, invites them to open days and house visits, and later invites house preferences, while Whitgift School's process page does not say whether parents attend the interview. Checking the school's page or asking the admissions office settles the point.

Common mistakes are easy to avoid. Families can check the format in advance, because an online interview needs a quiet room, a working connection and a clear camera, and a child tends to speak best when they answer for themselves, without a parent prompting from off-screen.

Leaving the child's own interests unrehearsed and arriving without questions about boarding life are the other gaps worth closing before the day. For scholarship routes, the sixth-form scholarships guide covers the separate process.

Related guides

• The 13+ interview
• 13+ Common Entrance tutors
• Sixth form tutors
• Scholarship interviews at 11+ and 13+
• Is boarding school right for your child?

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