Key Facts
| School type | Independent day school, co-educational, nursery to sixth form (ages 2 to 18), with a Cathedral choral foundation |
|---|---|
| Location | Lichfield, Staffordshire |
| Entry points | 7+, 8+, 11+, 16+ |
| Assessment | Academic assessments, usually on taster days, with a separate Year 7 entrance assessment day, plus reference and latest school report |
| Day fees (2026/27) | £6,956 per term (Years 7 to 9, including VAT) |
| Scholarships and bursaries | Academic, art, drama, music and sport scholarships at Years 7 and 12; means-tested bursaries |
| A level average point score per entry (DfE, 2024/25) | 37.62 (average grade B-) |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly. Compare fees at other independent schools.
How do you get into Lichfield Cathedral School? Admission is by academic assessment, interview and school report, with entry points at Year 3 (7+), Year 4 (8+), Year 7 (11+) and Year 12 (16+), and the largest intake into the Senior School at Year 7. The school describes itself as not academically selective, and its assessments, which children aged 9 or above complete, are usually held on taster days.
Families searching for the entrance exam will find that the school publishes no test provider, paper titles or timings for its Year 7 assessment, so this guide sets out what the pages do say about each stage, the scholarships and bursaries, the fee structure and the Cathedral chorister route, and points to the Admissions team for anything unpublished.
| Entry point | Year group | Assessment | Interview | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7+ | Year 3 | Cathedral chorister audition of about 15 minutes for the preferred chorister entry age; otherwise taster day, reference and school report | Informal pre-audition session with the Director of Music for choristers; tour with a meeting with the Headteacher or Deputy Head | Not published |
| 8+ | Year 4 | Cathedral chorister audition of about 15 minutes for the preferred chorister entry age; otherwise taster day, reference and school report | Informal pre-audition session with the Director of Music for choristers; tour with a meeting with the Headteacher or Deputy Head | Not published |
| 11+ | Year 7 | Academic assessments, usually on taster days, with a separate Year 7 entrance assessment day, plus reference and latest school report | Interview is part of admission; tour includes a meeting with the Headteacher or Deputy Head | Years 7 to 11 average about 60 pupils per year group in three forms |
| 16+ | Year 12 | Five or more GCSEs at grades 9-6, with specific grades for some A Level subjects; taster days available | Appointment with the Head of Sixth Form; interview forms part of admission | Not published |
Entry points and places
The school takes pupils from age 7 upwards at Year 3 (7+), Year 4 (8+), Year 7 (11+) and Year 12 (16+), and most pupils join at the start of an academic year. Entry at other times is possible when a place is free, and staff help new pupils settle quickly. Year 3 and Year 4 are the preferred ages for Cathedral choristers, while Year 7 is the point at which Junior School pupils move up and new families join them.
Years 7 to 11 average about 60 pupils per year group, divided into three forms. Places per entry point are not published. When a year group is full, applicants join a waiting list, where families who already have a child at the school have priority and other places follow in order of application.
- Year 3 (7+) and Year 4 (8+): preferred chorister entry ages, with Year 2 and Year 6 possible if places are available
- Year 7 (11+): main entry into the Senior School
- Year 12 (16+): Sixth Form
How the 11+ assessment works
Year 7 entry is decided by assessment, interview and school report, and the academic assessments are usually completed during taster days. They allow the Headteacher to judge whether the school can support the applicant and meet any special educational needs, and children aged 9 or above sit them so staff can understand current ability.
The open events page also lists a Year 7 entrance assessment day, held on a Saturday from 9am to 5pm. The pages do not name a test provider, the subjects, the length of papers or the question types, so families wanting that detail can ask the Admissions team on 01543 306168.
11+ 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.
Enquire about this tutor
Sochima
Master TutorI'm a qualified teacher in a London classroom every day, with a BSc in Computer Science from Brunel and a PGCE with QTS. I teach Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science to A-Level, plus 11+ preparation, through project-based work that suits SEND learners well.
Enquire about this tutor
Robert
Master TutorI am a qualified teacher with over twenty years' experience in the UK, Gulf and New Zealand, holding an MA in History and PGCE. I teach English, History, Geography and French from KS2 to A-Level and IB, preparing 11+/13+ candidates. My approach is student-led, focused and diagnostic.
Enquire about this tutorRegistration and the admissions timeline
Registration starts with the online application form, sent with a copy of the child's birth certificate, and the school recommends registering 12 months before the intended start date. A non-refundable registration fee is payable. The sequence runs in order from the first visit to the offer, and the school does not publish a fixed registration deadline.
If a year group is full, the child joins the waiting list, with priority for families who already have a child at the school and then order of application.
- Visit an open event or book a personal tour, available on weekdays in term time
- Complete the online application with the birth certificate and pay the registration fee
- Attend a taster day, which is optional and recommended
- Supply a reference from the current school or nursery and the most recent school report
- Complete the academic assessments and interview
- Receive an offer, accept it and pay the deposit, which is refundable when the child leaves, less any unpaid charges
Interviews and references
Interviews form part of admission, and every tour of about 45 minutes, led by pupil guides, includes a meeting with the Headteacher or Deputy Head. The school asks families to see it in action on a normal day, which means the first conversation with senior staff usually happens before the application is complete.
The school requests a reference from the child's current school or nursery and a copy of the most recent school report. Scholarship applicants may also meet the relevant Head of Department, and Cathedral chorister candidates are offered an informal pre-audition session with the Director of Music.
Scholarships and bursaries
Academic, art, drama, music and sport scholarships are offered at Year 7 and Year 12, and music and sport awards can also be sought at any point in Years 7 to 13 once the required standard is reached. Awards usually represent a 5 to 10 per cent remission of fees, a pupil may hold more than one, and the total merit-based remission does not exceed 20 per cent. Assessment may include a practical element, a review of previous achievement and an interview with the Head of Department.
Music scholars at Year 7 are usually expected to have ABRSM Grade 4 on their main study and Grade 3 Theory, and at Year 12 Grade 8 and Grade 7 Theory, though pupils without grades may be assessed on potential. Cathedral chorister awards reduce fees by 20 per cent, or 10 per cent while a child is a training chorister, and Choral Scholars receive a 30 per cent remission.
The chorister audition takes about 15 minutes and includes singing a prepared piece, singing back notes played on the piano, clapping a rhythm and reading text aloud. The school looks for potential and enthusiasm, and trains choristers in the skills needed.
Bursaries are means-tested and limited in number, and an offer of a place must be made before a bursary application is considered. Children of clergy may receive up to 10 per cent, children of Armed Forces families up to 25 per cent and children of former pupils up to 5 per cent.
Fees and what they include
Fees are charged per term, include VAT, and rise through six bands from Reception to Years 10 to 13, with Years 7 to 9 sharing one band; a monthly payment figure is also shown on the fees page. Sibling reductions apply when all children attend as fee-paying pupils at the same time, and the Finance team can explain them.
Fees cover classroom tuition, PE, books and stationery on loan, lunches on normal school days, lunchtime clubs, most after-school co-curricular clubs and personal accident insurance. Individual music and LAMDA lessons, instrument hire, minibus transport, trips, wrap-around care, some externally coached clubs and external exam fees are charged separately.
Where pupils join from
The school runs its own Nursery for ages 2 to 4 and a Junior School and Prep for ages 4 to 11, and Junior School pupils move up to the Senior School at the end of Year 6. Pupils joining Year 7 from elsewhere are welcomed by the incoming group, and forms are reorganised to give a mix of genders, interests and abilities.
Year 7 starts with a residential trip to York, which gives new and existing pupils time to form friendships. The pages read name no external feeder or partner schools.
Sixth form entry requirements
Sixth Form entrants are expected to have five or more GCSEs at grades 9-6, and some A Level subjects need specific GCSE grades, listed subject by subject in the Sixth Form prospectus. Students usually choose three subjects from a mixture of A Levels and BTEC qualifications, and those without the required Mathematics and English grades can resit them alongside starting the curriculum.
Applicants can arrange a tour and a meeting with the Head of Sixth Form, and individual taster days are available. Academic, art, drama, music and sport scholarships are open to internal and external applicants at Year 12, and a limited number of choral scholarships are available for singers with soprano, alto, tenor or bass voices.
How to prepare
Preparation for Year 7 starts with seeing the school on a normal day, booking a taster day and asking Admissions what the assessment covers, since the pages publish no paper format. Because the school gathers a reference and the latest report, steady work in the current school and a settled routine tend to help far more than any single session of practice.
For choristers, practising a hymn or school song, copying notes sung back from a piano, clapping rhythms and reading aloud covers the audition components. For scholarships, the relevant music grades, a drawing portfolio or sports activity are the likely practical elements. Sixth Form applicants can check their predicted grades against the prospectus before a tour.
Related guides
- Independent school fees compared
- Newcastle-under-Lyme School (11+)
- Denstone College (11+)
- The 11+ entrance exam explained
- The 7+ entrance exam explained
- The 8+ entrance exam explained
- 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
- What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained
Preparing for the Lichfield Cathedral School 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Families preparing for the Lichfield Cathedral 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 work with us online from anywhere in the UK or abroad, 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.
Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- How much are Lichfield Cathedral School fees?
- Fees are charged per term, include VAT, and vary across six bands from Reception to Years 10 to 13, with Years 7 to 9 in one band. A monthly figure is also shown. The fees page lists the amounts, and sibling reductions and extras such as music lessons and trips are explained there.
- Is there an entrance exam for Lichfield Cathedral School?
- Admission is by assessment, interview and school report, and the school says it is not academically selective. Academic assessments are usually held on taster days for children aged 9 or above, and a Saturday Year 7 entrance assessment day is also listed. No test provider or paper format is published.
- Does Lichfield Cathedral School offer scholarships and bursaries?
- Academic, art, drama, music and sport scholarships are offered at Year 7 and Year 12, usually worth 5 to 10 per cent of fees, with a combined merit maximum of 20 per cent. Means-tested bursaries are limited, and a place offer must come first. Chorister and choral awards are separate.
- When should parents register their child?
- The school recommends registering 12 months before the start date, using the online application form with a copy of the birth certificate and a registration fee. No registration deadline is published. If a year group is full, applicants join a waiting list, with priority for families who already have a child at the school.
- What are the sixth form entry requirements?
- Sixth Form entrants are expected to have five or more GCSEs at grades 9-6, and some A Level subjects need specific GCSE grades set out in the Sixth Form prospectus. Students without the required Mathematics and English grades can resit them alongside their studies. Tours and taster days are available.
- Is there a catchment area for Lichfield Cathedral School?
- The pages read publish no catchment area. Admission to this independent school depends on assessment, interview and school report instead of a home address. The school does not publish an application deadline, so families who wish to know about places should contact the Admissions team on 01543 306168.
Enquire about 11+ preparation
Start your enquiryHow Taylor Tuition can help
Expert, one-to-one support from specialist tutors.
Editorial Notice
We use automated research tools to help collate and maintain information across our website. While each post is reviewed before publication, some details may be incomplete or inaccurate.
Free 11+ familiarisation pack
English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with mark schemes.
Taylor Tuition
Educational Consultancy
Contributing expert insights on education, exam preparation, and effective learning strategies to help students reach their full potential.