Finborough School 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Process, Scholarships and Fees

You get into Finborough School through a staged process of an interview with the Head, a review of previous school reports, a taster day and an academic and behavioural assessment by staff, with entry points at 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ alongside Nursery and Reception. The school names no external entrance exam or test provider for these entry points, so the taster-day assessment is the main hurdle.

Pupils from the school's own Prep move up to Year 7 without a separate application, and the Sixth Form takes both internal and external students. The sections below set out each stage, the scholarship and bursary routes, and where the published fees sit.

Entry points and places

The school lists entry points at Nursery, Reception, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+, with day places and boarding both available. Boarding is offered in flexi, weekly and full forms from Year 3, so a child can join the Prep or Senior School as a boarder as well as a day pupil.

The number of places or forms of entry at each point is not published on the pages read, and the school notes a high demand for places, encouraging families to register early. The admissions team on 01449 773600 can confirm availability for a given year group.

• 7+ (Year 3): entry into the Prep
• 11+ (Year 7): entry into the Senior School, including pupils moving up from the Prep
• 13+: external entry into the Senior School
• 16+: entry into the Sixth Form

How the 11+ assessment works

The 11+ assessment is the school's own academic and behavioural assessment carried out by staff, usually during a taster day, and no external test provider is named for UK applicants. The assessment reports are then reviewed by the Head and the Head of Prep or Senior School.

The pages read do not publish papers, subjects, timings or question types, so families should ask the admissions team what the taster day will cover. Pupils already in the school's Prep are assessed continuously through the Prep years, and that data informs the move to Year 7.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Admission follows a fixed sequence, and each step comes after an initial enquiry through the online form or a visit. The school's policy lists the steps in order, and a completed registration form and a non-refundable registration fee are part of applying.

The deadlines for the main entry points are not published on the pages read, and the school recommends registering early because of demand. Scholarship applicants who are not yet registered must send a registration form with the scholarship application, since an application without one is not accepted.

• Enquiry, visit or open event, and registration form with the registration fee
• Initial parent and pupil interview with the Head
• Review of previous school reports
• Taster day, with nights for prospective boarders where possible
• Academic and behavioural assessment by all staff
• Review of assessment reports by the Head and the Head of Prep or Senior School
• Right to Study checks where a visa may be needed
• Offer of a place, then acceptance and a deposit credited on leaving

Interviews and references

Every applicant has an initial parent and pupil interview with the Head, which is the first formal step in the process. The Head also reviews the pupil's previous school reports, so the current school's report is part of the file the school reads before the taster day.

Taster days run for day pupils, and boarding applicants can stay overnight where possible. For applicants from outside the UK, a reference is requested from the current school, and the senior leadership team reviews the interview, the report or reference and any CAT4 result before deciding whether to make an offer.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are offered in Academic, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Sports, with Medics scholarships at 16+ only. Internal candidates can apply at 11+ and 16+, and external candidates at 11+, 13+ and 16+. The school describes the scholarship awards as carrying no fee reduction, giving enrichment, mentorship and development instead.

Means-tested bursaries are open to any family, and the school's policy states that all bursaries are assessed by a third party. Awards depend on financial, compassionate or other circumstances and are subject to repeat testing of parental means each year. The maximum share of fees is not published, so the admissions team is the contact for that detail.

Fees and what they include

Termly fees are published as a PDF linked from the fees page, with separate day, weekly boarding, full boarding and international boarding columns by year group. A registration fee is non-refundable, and a deposit is credited on leaving; international boarders pay a deposit equal to one term's fees.

Day pupils pay a separate termly catering charge, and wraparound care includes a short early session with a fee while breakfast, Prep late stay with tea and senior study carry no fee. Discounts exist for forces families and for third and fourth children from Reception. The figures themselves sit in the fees field of this guide.

Where pupils join from

Most Prep pupils move up through the school's own Pre-Prep and Prep, since the school states that pupils do not need to apply to a separate school when they step into Year 7. Its continuous Prep assessments identify strengths and support needs and inform that transition.

External applicants join at 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ through the same interview, report review, taster day and assessment sequence. No outside feeder or partner schools are named on the pages read, and there is no published catchment area; the school points to a Transport page for travel from across Suffolk.

Sixth form entry

The Sixth Form is open to the school's own Year 11 pupils, who can continue directly, and to external students joining for post-16 study. The pages read do not publish GCSE grade requirements, entrance papers or a separate interview format, so applicants follow the school's general admissions process.

Families can book a visit, attend a Sixth Form Discovery Day or Open Event to meet subject specialists and the Head of Sixth Form, or download the Sixth Form Curriculum Booklet for course details. Every Sixth Form student is expected to take part in leadership, mentoring or coaching.

How to prepare

Preparation for this process centres on the interview, the taster day and the school reports, because the school publishes no fixed entrance papers. A child who has practised talking about their interests and schoolwork with an adult they do not know usually arrives at the interview with the Head more at ease.

Before the taster day, it helps to ask the admissions team what the staff assessment covers and to keep up regular reading, writing and maths at the current school, whose reports the Head will read. Boarding applicants can also use the overnight stay to see the routine, and a visit beforehand tends to make the day familiar.

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