Bournemouth Collegiate School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Process and Fees

Entry to Bournemouth Collegiate School at 11+ runs through registration, a short unprepared writing task, CAT4 cognitive ability testing and an interview with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. These are usually brought together on a single Experience Day, replacing a set exam sitting.

The Senior School sits in Southbourne, Bournemouth, and takes pupils into Year 7 from BCS Prep in Poole as well as from other primary and prep schools; as an independent, co-educational day and boarding school, it also considers a small number of places in Years 8 to 10 alongside its main Year 7 and Sixth Form entry points.

How 11+ entry works at the school

Bournemouth Collegiate School admits pupils to its Senior School at age eleven into Year 7, alongside its main Sixth Form entry point at sixteen; a small number of places are also considered in Years 8 to 10 where space allows. The Senior School sits in Southbourne, Bournemouth, taking pupils on from BCS Prep in Poole as well as from other primary and prep schools.

As an independent, co-educational day and boarding school, BCS structures the move into Year 7 as a staged process built around an open day, registration and an Experience Day, in place of a single sit-down exam.

How the 11+ assessment works

The Year 7 assessment centres on a short, unprepared piece of writing: candidates are given a topic and produce a free writing task lasting around ten minutes, with no revision or preparation expected beforehand.

Alongside this, the school uses CAT4 cognitive ability testing; pupils who have already sat CAT4 at their current school can submit that report at registration, while those who have not sit it during the Experience Day itself. A member of the Senior Leadership Team also interviews each candidate, and the admissions team reviews the pupil's latest school report and any teacher feedback as part of the overall picture.

• Free ten-minute writing task on a given topic, no preparation required
• CAT4 cognitive ability testing, submitted or sat on the day
• Interview with a member of the Senior Leadership Team
• Review of the current school report and teacher feedback

Registration and admissions process, step by step

Families begin by visiting the school, either at an open day or a bespoke individual appointment, to see the Senior School in Southbourne firsthand. Registration follows: parents submit a registration form together with the registration fee, the child's latest school report, a copy of the child's passport identity page and, where available, a CAT4 report.

Candidates then attend an Experience Day, held during the autumn or spring term before entry and before the end of January, which combines the writing task, any remaining CAT4 testing and the Senior Leadership Team interview. Offers are released in February, and families accepting a place go on to a Year 7 Welcome Day to meet staff and other new pupils before starting.

• Visit the school at an open day or bespoke appointment
• Register with the registration form, fee, school report, passport page and CAT4 report if available
• Attend the Experience Day for assessment and interview
• Receive an offer in February and accept the place
• Attend the Year 7 Welcome Day before starting

Scholarships

BCS offers scholarships in five areas at the point of entry: Academic, Music, Performing Arts, Sport and Visual Arts, none of which the school states exceed a quarter of fees.

Every Year 7 to 11 and Year 12 applicant is automatically considered for the Academic scholarship, assessed through CAT4 results or an equivalent assessment, an interview with the Principal or a senior team member, and a review of school reports. Music scholars need at least Grade 3 by Year 7 entry and perform two contrasting pieces for the Director of Music.

Sport scholars undergo physical and fitness testing and submit a portfolio of achievements and references; Performing Arts and Visual Arts candidates submit a digital portfolio and attend an audition, practical test or interview with the relevant head of department.

• Academic: CAT4 or assessment, interview with the Principal or senior team, school reports
• Music: minimum Grade 3 for Year 7 entry, two contrasting pieces performed
• Sport: physical and fitness testing plus a portfolio of achievements
• Performing Arts and Visual Arts: digital portfolio, audition or practical test, interview

Bursaries

Means-tested bursaries are available to permanent UK residents, with awards weighed against the financial situation of both parents, the potential benefit to the child and the funds the school has available in a given round.

Families apply by contacting the admissions team for an application form, and submission carries a non-refundable fee. The school reviews bursary decisions annually, and the final award is made by the Proprietors and Governors once the financial information has been assessed in full.

Preparing for the Year 7 assessment

Because the writing task is unprepared and undertaken on the day, the most useful preparation is broad and calm, avoiding exam drilling: children benefit from being comfortable writing to a timed prompt on an unfamiliar topic, and from reading and discussing ideas regularly at home.

Since CAT4 measures verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning, independent of taught syllabus content, familiarity with the format of the test matters more for preparation than last-minute revision. Preparing a child for the interview mostly means talking through what they enjoy at school and encouraging them to answer questions about themselves in their own words, turning the Experience Day into a chance to be seen instead of a hurdle.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Bournemouth Collegiate School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Bournemouth Collegiate School 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.