Key Facts
| School type | Independent day and boarding, co-educational, 4 to 18 (Junior Prep, Senior Prep, Senior School and Sixth Form) |
|---|---|
| Location | Hassocks, West Sussex |
| Entry points | 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+, 16+ |
| Assessment | Online ISEB Common Pre-Tests in Year 6 (verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English), then an assessment and experience day early in the Lent term of Year 6. |
| Test provider | ISEB Common Pre-Test at 13+; standardised Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning tests at 11+ and 16+ (provider not named on the pages read) |
| Day fees (2026/27) | £12,790 per term (Senior School and Sixth Form, inclusive of VAT) |
| Boarding fees (2026/27) | £15,365 per term flexi boarding (3 nights a week); £16,365 per term weekly boarding (5 or 6 nights a week) |
| Assessment date | Saturday 16 January 2027 (13+ assessment day, Year 9 entry in 2029); ISEB online pre-tests by mid-December 2026 |
| Scholarships and bursaries | Scholarships at 11+, 13+ and 16+ with a Pathway programme; successful scholars can apply for means-tested bursaries |
| A level average point score per entry (DfE, 2024/25) | 46.70 (average grade A-) |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly. Compare fees at other independent schools.
Hurstpierpoint College admissions run through five entry points, 4+ into Reception, 7+ into Year 3, 11+ into Year 7, 13+ into Year 9 and 16+ into the Sixth Form, and the main senior entry at 13+ combines the online ISEB Common Pre-Tests in Year 6 with an assessment day at the school. Every route starts with the online Registration Form and a non-refundable registration fee, which reserves a place in the year group without guaranteeing one.
Hurst, as the school calls itself, uses standardised Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning tests with a writing task at 11+, and reasoning papers with interviews at 16+. Reception and Year 3 assessments are shorter and more informal, and fees are published by year group on the school's own fees page.
| Entry point | Year group | Assessment | Interview | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4+ | Reception | Assessment days in the autumn and spring terms of the year before entry, with an hour of small group activities and games in the Reception classroom. | Not stated | Not published |
| 7+ | Year 3 | Assessments in the autumn and spring terms of Year 2: a morning with Year 2 pupils, lunch, and a small number of tests in maths, English and reasoning. | Not stated | Not published |
| 11+ | Year 7 | Assessment day in late November of Year 6: standardised Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning tests, a writing task and interactive tasks, usually including Design and Technology, Science and games. | Interview with a senior member of staff and lunch with current pupils. | Not published |
| 13+ | Year 9 | Online ISEB Common Pre-Tests in Year 6 (verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English), then an assessment and experience day early in the Lent term of Year 6. | Informal group interview on the assessment day. | Not published |
| 16+ | Year 12 | Assessment days in November of Year 11 with Verbal and Non-verbal reasoning papers, plus scholarship assessments for candidates who apply. | Interviews on the assessment days. | Not published |
Entry points and places
Hurst takes children at five entry points, with the Junior Prep and Senior Prep covering Reception to Year 8 and the Senior School and Sixth Form covering Year 9 onwards. The admissions pages read do not publish a number of places or forms of entry at any of them, so Admissions is the office to ask.
Prep School enquiries go to 01273 834975, and Senior School and Sixth Form enquiries go to 01273 833636.
- 4+ into Reception: small group activities and games
- 7+ into Year 3: tests in maths, English and reasoning
- 11+ into Year 7 (Senior Prep): reasoning tests, writing task, interview
- 13+ into Year 9 (Senior School): ISEB Common Pre-Tests, then an assessment day
- 16+ into Year 12 (Sixth Form): reasoning papers, interview, GCSE requirements
How the 13+ assessment works
The 13+ assessment has two parts: the online ISEB Common Pre-Tests in Year 6, then an assessment and experience day early in the Lent term. The pre-tests are age-standardised computer tests covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English, and the school describes them as designed so that pupils cannot prepare for them.
Most pupils sit them at their current prep school, which arranges the timing with parents, while pupils at non-Common Entrance schools sit them at Hurst. Families also submit their child's ISEB Applicant ID through an online form once registered.
Registered pupils who have completed the pre-tests are invited to the assessment day, which has a carousel of physical, cerebral and creative classroom tasks and an informal group interview. The pages read describe no separate Common Entrance paper at this entry point.
13+ tutors
Hannah
Master TutorI am a UK-qualified teacher with 15+ years across private and state schools in the UK and abroad, and hold a BSc from LSE and a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, 11+ and Common Entrance preparation. My approach is personalised, confidence-building and rigorous.
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Johanna
Expert TutorI have two decades' teaching experience in English Literature, English Language and Philosophy, and hold a PhD in English Literature. I teach GCSE, A-Level, Oxbridge entrance and UCAS personal statements. My approach is person-centred, working through dialogue and ongoing assessment.
Enquire about this tutorHow the 11+ and 16+ assessments work
At 11+ pupils attend an assessment day in late November of Year 6, sitting standardised Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning tests, which the school says need no preparation, and completing a writing task. They also join interactive tasks, usually including Design and Technology, Science and games.
At 16+ registered students attend assessment days in November of Year 11, sitting Verbal and Non-verbal reasoning papers and attending interviews. The days include an invitation to a Sixth Form Choices Morning with Heads of Department, which the school describes as an important part of the schedule, and scholarship assessments take place at the same time.
Registration and the admissions timeline
Registration comes first at every entry point, and the school asks families to register at least three years before the intended start. The steps for the 13+ route run in this order, with the 11+ and 16+ routes following the same pattern of registration, assessment day and decision letter.
The 13+ process document gives a registration closing date in early November, with the ISEB pre-tests completed by mid-December and the assessment day on a Saturday in the new year. According to the 16+ process document, registration, scholarship and bursary applications are due in late October, assessment days follow in November and decision letters arrive in early December. Exact dates sit in the dedicated fields of this guide.
- Visit an Open Morning or arrange a weekday personal visit, which includes a one-to-one meeting with a member of the Senior Management Team
- Complete the online Registration Form and pay the non-refundable registration fee
- At 13+, submit the ISEB Applicant ID and sit the ISEB online pre-tests
- Attend the assessment day
- Receive decision letters, posted to parents; 13+ offers are made by the end of March of Year 6 and 16+ offers in the first week of December
- Accept the place; the fees page mentions an Acceptance Deposit paid through Flywire
Interviews and references
Interviews feature at 11+, 13+ and 16+, and references matter most at 16+. At 11+ each candidate has an interview with a senior member of staff and lunch with current pupils, while at 13+ the interview is informal and held in a group on the assessment day.
For the Sixth Form, the current school provides a confidential reference, including predicted GCSE grades, before the assessment day, and parents are asked to tell the school about the application. Offers are based on the reasoning tests, predicted grades, interview performance and any scholarship assessment, and each is conditional on the required GCSE grades and a satisfactory reference.
At 13+ Hurst discusses the pre-test results with the child's current school and considers academic progress and extra-curricular involvement.
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and bursaries are offered at the 11+, 13+ and 16+ entry points. Every Year 7 candidate is automatically considered for an academic scholarship on the strength of the entry test results, and 16+ scholarship candidates are assessed during the November assessment days.
Scholarships carry no fee remission, and award holders follow a Pathway programme to develop their skills and talents. Every successful scholarship applicant can apply for a means-tested bursary, applications are made through the school's scholarship and bursary application page, and the Scholarship and Bursary Information Booklet gives the detail. The pages read do not state a maximum share of fees that a bursary can cover.
Fees and what they include
Fees are published per term by year group on the school's fees page, with the Junior Prep, Senior Prep and Senior School and Sixth Form priced separately and all figures inclusive of VAT. Fees include lunch, and the school says it aims to build the cost of the major mandatory expenses into them.
Only the Senior School and Sixth Form offer boarding, either flexi boarding for three nights a week or weekly boarding for five or six nights, and the Junior and Senior Prep are day only. The registration fee is non-refundable, and the fees page lists an Acceptance Deposit paid through Flywire without stating the amount on that page.
Where pupils join from
Pupils join Hurst from its own Junior Prep and Senior Prep and from other schools at each entry point. The Junior Prep covers Reception to Year 6 and the Senior Prep covers Years 7 and 8, after which the Senior School begins at Year 9.
At 13+ most candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Tests at their current prep school, and Hurst talks through the results with that school. The admissions pages read list no separate route from Senior Prep into Year 9 and name no partner schools, so Prep families can ask Admissions how Year 9 registration applies to them.
How to prepare
Preparation is best matched to the format at each entry point. For 13+, the ISEB Common Pre-Tests are online and cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English, so practising on a computer and keeping reading and arithmetic fluent in Year 5 and Year 6 suits them, whilst the school advises that the tests are designed to resist specific preparation.
For 11+, the school says the reasoning tests need no preparation, so a calm routine of reading widely and writing in full sentences supports the writing task. At 11+ and 13+, the interview and group tasks usually go better for children who can talk comfortably about their interests and work well with others.
At 16+, candidates can check their predicted grades against the published GCSE requirements and read the subject pages before the assessment day.
Related guides
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- Ardingly College (11+)
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- Worth School (11+)
- The ISEB Common Pre-Test explained
- 13+ Common Entrance explained
- The 11+ entrance exam explained
- The 7+ entrance exam explained
- 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
- What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained
- Boarding schools in the UK
Preparing for the Hurstpierpoint College 4+, 13+ with Taylor Tuition
Families preparing for the Hurstpierpoint College 4+, 13+ 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 the South and South West 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 13+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact.
Read more about our 13+ Common Entrance tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you get into Hurstpierpoint College?
- Register through the online Registration Form, pay the non-refundable registration fee, then complete the assessment for your entry point. At 13+ that means the online ISEB Common Pre-Tests in Year 6 and an assessment day; at 11+ and 16+ it means reasoning tests and an interview. Registration reserves a place in the year group without guaranteeing one.
- What is the Hurstpierpoint College entrance exam at 13+?
- It is the online ISEB Common Pre-Test, an age-standardised computer test in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English, sat in Year 6. Registered pupils are then invited to an assessment day with a carousel of tasks and an informal group interview. Offers are made by the end of March of Year 6.
- What are the Hurstpierpoint College fees?
- Fees are set per term by year group, with separate rates for the Junior Prep, Senior Prep, and Senior School and Sixth Form, and are inclusive of VAT. Fees include lunch. Boarding is flexi or weekly and is available only in the Senior School and Sixth Form. The current figures are in the fees field of this guide.
- Does Hurstpierpoint College offer scholarships and bursaries?
- Yes, at the 11+, 13+ and 16+ entry points. Scholarships carry no fee remission and come with a Pathway programme, and every successful scholarship applicant can apply for a means-tested bursary. All Year 7 candidates are automatically considered for an academic scholarship. The pages read give no maximum share of fees for a bursary.
- What are the sixth form entry requirements at Hurst?
- Applicants need at least four GCSEs at grade 7, grades 7 to 9 in the subjects they plan to study, and at least a grade 5 in maths and English. A satisfactory school reference is required, and students sit Verbal and Non-verbal reasoning papers and have interviews in November of Year 11. Offers are conditional on GCSE results.
- When should families register for Hurstpierpoint College?
- The school asks families to register at least three years before the intended start. For 13+, the process document gives an autumn registration closing date, followed by the ISEB pre-tests and a January assessment day in Year 6. Sixth Form registration closes in late October of Year 11.
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