Gosfield School 11+ and 16+ Admissions: CEM Test, Scholarships and Fees

How do you get into Gosfield School? Most senior pupils join in Year 7 (11+), which the school calls its principal entry point, by registering online, attending a Guest Pupil Day and sitting a CEM assessment test, with an Admissions Day for Year 7 applicants and an offer to follow. Sixth form entry at Year 12 (16+) runs through a separate process built around GCSE results, and other year groups are considered when places are available.

The school is an independent co-educational day school in Gosfield, near Halstead in Essex, with a nursery, prep school, senior school and sixth form. Its admissions pages set out separate steps for each stage, so the sections below follow the Year 7 route first and then the sixth form, scholarships, fees and preparation.

Entry points and places

The school admits at Year 7 (11+) and Year 12 (16+) as its main senior entry points, and it describes Year 7 as the principal entry point. The senior school has three forms per year group, whilst the prep school is single-form entry and the nursery takes children from age two.

Applications are accepted throughout the year, and year groups other than Year 7 are considered subject to availability. Class sizes are kept small and some year groups may be at capacity, so the admissions pages strongly recommend checking availability with the Head of Admissions before registering.

• Nursery: from age two
• Prep: Reception class onwards, single-form entry
• Senior: Year 7 is the principal entry point, three forms per year group
• Sixth form: Year 12 entry

How the 11+ assessment works

Year 7 applicants sit a CEM assessment test as part of the admissions steps, after registering and booking a Guest Pupil Day. The senior admissions page names the CEM test as a step in its own right and gives no further detail on the papers.

The pages do not publish the subjects, length or question types, so families should ask the admissions team what the test covers before the day. Applicants for Year 7 entry must also attend an Admissions Day, the date of which is shown on the senior admissions page for each entry round.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Admissions to the senior school follow five steps, starting with a tour or the Open Morning and ending with entry to the senior school. The school asks families to check availability for the preferred year group before registering and to register as soon as possible, which keeps them informed about spaces, class sizes, news and events.

Families first book a tour or visit on an Open Morning, then complete the online registration form on the admissions portal. Next they book a Guest Pupil Day, which every registered pupil must experience, and the child takes the CEM assessment test. An offer follows, after which the child enters the senior school.

Guest days, reports and interviews

Every registered pupil must experience a Guest Pupil Day at the school before an offer is made, so this is the main in-person stage for Year 7 applicants. Neither the senior nor the prep admissions pages describe a general interview, and neither lists school references or reports as a required step.

Interviews do appear in the scholarship process, where candidates are interviewed on the scholarship day, sometimes by the Principal. Families who want to know whether a current-school report is requested for a general application are best placed to ask the Head of Admissions directly.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are available to pupils joining in Year 7 and Year 12, in academic, art, sport and performing arts categories, with an all-rounder award for applicants who excel in two or more areas. They typically attract fee remission of up to 10 per cent, though higher awards may go to exceptionally strong applicants. Candidates apply through the online admissions system and attend a scholarship day for assessment and interview, and the Principal's decision is final.

Art candidates present a portfolio and complete a still life drawing, sport candidates play two or more sports and are assessed in drills and game situations, and performing arts candidates complete monitored auditions. Prep pupils are not eligible for financial scholarships, though pupils in Years 5 and 6 can be selected for the non-financial Rising Stars programme.

Means-tested bursaries are open to prospective pupils from low-income families and to existing pupils facing sudden and unexpected hardship. They are discretionary, reviewed annually, can be combined with a scholarship, and are considered by the Finance Committee in confidence. No maximum share of fees is published, and funds are allocated first come, first served.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged per term and rise by year group, with the nursery priced by session and the prep and senior school priced by year, inclusive of VAT. The fees page for the relevant academic year lists every year group from Reception to Upper Sixth and links to a full fees document.

Extras such as breakfast club, late club, individual learning support, music tuition and bus services are charged separately. Families can pay termly or spread payments monthly through the School Fee Plan, which is subject to credit status for applicants over 18. The fees page does not state a registration fee or deposit.

Where pupils join from

Many pupils move up within the school, which has a nursery for children from age two, a prep school starting with a single-form Reception class, and a senior school that follows on from it. The prep admissions process leads to entry to the appropriate year group.

The admissions pages name no outside feeder or partner schools. Prep pupils in Years 5 and 6 can be selected for the Rising Stars programme, which adds co-curricular opportunities but carries no fee remission.

Sixth form entry requirements

Sixth form applicants are typically expected to hold a minimum of 5 good GCSE grades, ideally grade 6 or above in the subjects they want to study at A Level or in closely related subjects. Offers, including waiting-list places, are provisional and depend on GCSE results, and the school considers individual requirements and offers some vocational qualifications.

Applicants attend the Sixth Form Open Evening or Taster Day, complete the online Sixth Form Registration form and the Taster Day Registration form, and submit the application by the published deadline. The page does not mention an interview or references for general entry, whilst scholarship candidates attend a Year 12 scholarship day covering academic, art, performing arts and sport.

How to prepare

Preparation for Year 7 entry centres on the Guest Pupil Day and the CEM assessment test, so it helps to ask the admissions team what the test covers and to let the child see the school in advance. The Open Morning and a tour give a child a first look at the setting before the Guest Pupil Day.

Scholarship candidates can prepare to the published requirements: a portfolio and still life for art, sport drills and game situations, monitored auditions for performing arts, and subject reports with a portfolio for academic awards. Sixth form applicants can focus on GCSE grades in the subjects they intend to study.

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