Concord College 13+, 14+ and 16+ Admissions: Online Tests, Interviews and Fees

Concord College admissions work through three entry points, Form 3 (Year 9), Form 4 (Year 10) and Sixth Form, and each applicant sits the school's own online tests, supervised by its admissions team, before any offer is made. At Form 3 and Form 4 the tests cover English, Mathematics and Critical Thinking, whilst Sixth Form applicants are tested in the subjects they plan to take at A Level.

The school sets no pass mark, so the tests, recent school reports and an interview, where one is offered, are read together. Applications stay open throughout the year while places remain, and the sections below set out each stage in order.

Entry points and places

The school admits pupils into Form 3 (Year 9), Form 4 (Year 10) and Sixth Form, with typical ages of 13, 14 and 16 or 17 respectively. Students up to a year younger or older than the typical age may occasionally be accepted, and a small number of January starts are considered for certain nationalities.

Form 3 is the smallest year group, with four tutor groups, one for each House, and about 40 students join Form 4 each year. Sixth Form has no published number of places, though its year groups are larger than those in the Lower School and many students join at that stage.

• Form 3 (Year 9): English, Mathematics and Critical Thinking tests
• Form 4 (Year 10): English, Mathematics and Critical Thinking tests
• Sixth Form (Year 12): tests in intended A Level subjects, plus English for some applicants

How the entrance tests work

The entrance tests are the school's own online papers, supervised by its admissions team. For Form 3 and Form 4 they cover English, Mathematics and Critical Thinking, and the English test comes in separate versions for native and non-native speakers of English.

The school does not publish the length of the tests or the question types, and its pages name no external test provider. There is no set pass mark; the tests are weighed alongside school reports and the interview, so a single paper does not decide the outcome.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Families register by completing the online application form for the relevant entry point, and applications are accepted all year while places remain. They are considered from the September before the intended year of entry, and those made more than 12 months ahead are seen first. Test appointments open 14 months before the start of the academic year.

The steps run in this order, with the first offers for an academic year typically made in October. Results usually take a few weeks after the test, and sometimes longer at the start of the academic year.

• Complete the online application form
• Send copies of recent school reports; certificates or other evidence of achievement are optional
• Pay the registration fee, which is listed on the Day Fees and Boarding Fees pages
• Sit the online entrance tests
• Attend an interview, if invited
• Receive an offer
• Accept within one month and pay the deposit

Interviews and school reports

Interviews take place after the tests are marked, and not every applicant is invited, since some receive an offer on test results and school reports alone. Most are held online, with face-to-face meetings possible when a student visits the school or a member of the admissions team visits the student's home city.

The interviewer is usually a senior member of staff, such as the Principal, Vice Principal or Head of Lower School. The conversation is informal and covers the applicant's studies and interests outside school. Copies of recent school reports are requested in place of formal references, and these are read alongside the test results.

Sixth Form entry requirements

Sixth Form applicants sit the school's online tests in the subjects they plan to take at A Level or in closely related areas, and may also be asked to sit an English test. Students start with three or four A Level subjects and may be considered for the Extended Project Qualification.

The joining page states no GCSE grade requirement and no set pass mark, so tests, school reports and the interview, where offered, are considered together. Applicants send recent school reports and, where relevant, certificates of achievement. GCSE or IGCSE grades do matter for Sixth Form Academic Scholarships, covered below.

Scholarships and bursaries

The school offers academic scholarships at several entry points, and a family must complete the standard application and receive an offer of a place before a scholarship or bursary is considered. Lower School Exhibitions at Form 3 and Lower School Scholarships at Forms 4 and 5 are each worth 5% to 10% of fees, and top candidates from the entrance process may sit subject-specific scholarship papers, be interviewed by the Head of Lower School or the Principal, or both.

Sixth Form Academic Scholarships, also worth 5% to 10% of fees, recognise GCSE or IGCSE results, and typically only students with at least ten grade 9s or A*s are considered. Principal's Scholarships for new international students are typically 15% to 25% of fees and involve a Principal's interview, references and a personal statement. All scholarship funds are limited and allocated at the Principal's discretion.

Means-tested bursaries are available to families who cannot fully afford the fees, and to families whose circumstances change during a pupil's time at the school; they require a detailed supporting form and the school's page states no maximum share of fees. The Anthony Morris Scholarship combines scholarship and bursary elements for Sixth Form boarding applicants, with means testing and a separate application.

Fees and what they include

Fees are published per term for day and boarding places on the school's Day Fees and Boarding Fees pages, inclusive of VAT, and the exact figures are in the fees field above. Day fees are payable termly in advance of the first day of term, whilst boarding fees are invoiced twice a year. A registration fee is payable on application for both day and boarding places.

Tuition, use of college facilities, most clubs and societies, curriculum-linked residential trips and celebration events are included, and boarding adds a single study bedroom, meals and laundry. Public examination fees, textbooks, stationery, private music tuition and optional trips are extra. A deposit, whose amount varies with the student's status and is available from the Admissions Secretary, is credited to the final account when the student leaves.

How to prepare

The school does not recommend specific preparation for the tests or the interview, so the most useful steps follow the format it describes. For Form 3 and Form 4, practising reading, written English, mathematics and critical thinking at a steady pace across the term before the test keeps the online session familiar. Sixth Form applicants can revise the content of the A Level subjects they intend to take.

Because applications are considered from the September before entry and early applicants are seen first, registering early gives time to book a test appointment. For the interview, being ready to talk about current studies and interests outside school suits the informal style the school describes, and keeping recent school reports to hand makes the application straightforward.

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