Clifton High School 11+ Admissions: Entrance Exam, Registration and Fees

Entry to Clifton High School at 11+ depends on performance in the school's own entrance examinations, set by its Heads of English and Mathematics, covering English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

Candidates who register for Year 7 sit these papers in January; the school also takes up a confidential reference from the child's current school before making offers, and those not offered a place outright can be held on a waiting list based on their examination results.

How entry works at 11+

Year 7 is the main 11+ entry point into the senior school, alongside entry to Reception, Year 3 and the sixth form at Year 12, with places also available in The Hive pre-school from age three. The school is a coeducational day school educating pupils from three to eighteen, with the senior school running from Year 7 to Year 11 before pupils move into the sixth form. It does not publish the number of places available at Year 7 entry, and offers are made on the basis of the entrance examinations, the school reference and, where relevant, scholarship assessment.

How the 11+ assessment is structured

The Year 7 entrance assessment comprises four papers: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Clifton High School sets these itself, with papers prepared by its own Heads of English and Mathematics; no external test provider is involved, and past papers are not published for families to practise from.

Alongside the written papers, the school contacts the child's current school for a confidential reference. Candidates identified as strong contenders for an Academic Scholarship are called back for an interview with the Head of School, held within the first two weeks of January alongside the main assessment period; a formal interview is not otherwise described as part of the standard Year 7 process.

Registration and the admissions process, step by step

Admission is a multi-stage process, beginning well before the assessment itself.

• Register interest and attend an open event, or book a private tour of the senior school
• Submit the Year 7 registration form
• Attend the Year 7 Experience Day, an unassessed visit where small groups meet the Head of School
• Sit the entrance examinations, held in January
• Academic Scholarship candidates are assessed and interviewed within the first two weeks of January
• Offer letters are issued by the end of January
• Accept a place by returning the acceptance form, paying the deposit and signing the Parent Contract
• Attend the transition event, known as Six Mix, and a parent information evening ahead of starting

Scholarships available at Year 7

Four types of scholarship are available at Year 7 entry: Academic, Music, Sports and Realising Individual Brilliance.

Academic Scholarships are awarded on entrance-examination performance, with shortlisted candidates interviewed by the Head or a relevant Head of Department; scholars are expected to take a lead in the school community through the Excelsior Forum. Music Scholarships require Grade 3 or above (Associated Board) on an instrument or voice, assessed through prepared pieces, sight-reading, aural tests and an interview run by the Head of Senior School Music. Sports Scholarships require a high standard, such as county level, or clear potential, assessed through a skills evaluation, games performance and coach references, with an expectation of representing the school. Realising Individual Brilliance Scholarships recognise creative, performing-arts or other niche talents, evidenced by coach or teacher references.

Bursaries and how they are assessed

Bursaries are available from Year 7 onwards and can extend to covering the full cost of fees. Eligibility is means-tested by a third-party organisation, taking into account a range of information including household income and the value of capital assets. Applications are made through the admissions office in the autumn term, and support can also cover uniform, trips, equipment loans and access to tutor support. Funding comes from school reserves, grants from the Foundation and third-party charitable organisations.

Fees for Year 7 entry

Day fees for Years 7 to 13 are published on the school's fees page, with separate, lower rates for the junior and infant years. The termly fee includes textbooks, stationery, standard educational trips and most co-curricular activities, and VAT is already included in the published rate; lunch is charged separately from Reception to Year 11. Once a place is accepted, an acceptance deposit is payable alongside the signed Parent Contract; it is refundable, without interest and less any charges due, after the pupil leaves the school.

How to prepare for the assessment

As the school does not publish past papers, preparation works best when it targets each paper's broad skill area, since specific questions cannot be predicted in advance. Regular reading and short, structured writing practice supports the English paper, while consistent number work and problem-solving practice supports mathematics. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are distinct skills from either subject, and children usually benefit from short, regular familiarisation with the question styles well ahead of the assessment date, avoiding concentrated cramming close to it. Attending the Year 7 Experience Day beforehand can also help, since it gives a child a chance to see the school without being assessed, which tends to settle nerves before entrance week itself.

Related guides

• Tutors for families in Bristol
• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Clifton High School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Clifton High 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 in Bristol and Bath 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.