Lincoln Minster School 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: CAT4, Scholarships and Fees

Lincoln Minster School admissions run through an online application that can be made at any time of the year, with main entry at Reception, Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Year 12 (16+). The main assessment at Year 7 is the CAT4 cognitive test, which the school says it uses solely to decide Mathematics groups, so there is no pass mark to meet and no entrance exam to revise for.

Places are subject to availability, and the Head reviews every application with attention to behaviour, effort and approach to learning. The sections below follow the process from entry points through to scholarships, bursaries, fees and sixth form requirements.

Entry points and places

The school takes pupils at Reception, Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12, and considers applications at other stages depending on availability. For families searching from age 7 upwards, the Senior School and Sixth Form entries are therefore 11+, 13+ and 16+.

The admissions page publishes no number of places or forms of entry. It does say that pupils can sometimes join within as little as one day of an application being submitted, provided the year group has space.

• Reception: entry to the Prep School
• Year 7 (11+): main Senior School entry
• Year 9 (13+): Senior School entry
• Year 12 (16+): Sixth Form entry

How the 11+ assessment works

The Year 7 assessment is the CAT4, a set of Cognitive Ability Tests that the school uses solely to determine Mathematics groups. Every other subject is taught in mixed-ability classes, so the result shapes a timetable decision and does not decide whether a place is offered.

The school sets a January sitting of the CAT4 for applications received by then, and later applicants take the CAT4 at the time of application. Alongside the test, the school considers the latest school report, which it also does at its other Senior entry points. The admissions page describes the testing as a way to monitor and group pupils, and says that no specific ability level is what matters most.

11+ tutors

Hannah

Master Tutor

11+ PreparationCommon Entrance PreparationCreative WritingCritical Thinking

I 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 Tutor

11+ PreparationBiologyChemistryComputer Science

I'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 Tutor

11+ PreparationBiologyChemistryEconomics

I 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 tutor

See all tutors

Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration is an online application form, and the school asks for as much detail as possible. Families can book an Individual Tour or a Taster Day beforehand, and the Admissions Team on 01522 551300 handles questions about the form.

The steps run in this order, with no closing date published for general entry.

• Gather a colour copy of the birth certificate, a colour copy of the passport photo page, the latest school report and any educational psychologist or specialist report
• Complete the online application form and pay the application fee
• The Head reviews the application, and the CAT4 is taken at the January sitting or at the time of application
• Decisions are usually communicated within five days, though this may vary
• Successful families receive an Offer and Acceptance Pack with a welcome letter from the Head, the contract and key information
• A refundable deposit is payable before a pupil joins, as set out on the fees page
• September starters receive a Welcome Pack around May, and each new pupil is assigned a buddy

Interviews and references

The admissions pages do not describe an interview for Year 7, Year 9 or Year 12 entry. Instead, the school may ask to speak with a child's current or most recent teachers and tutors, which matters most where special educational needs support has been identified.

The latest school report forms part of every application, and the Head's review concentrates on behaviour, effort and approach to learning. Unsuccessful applicants are contacted at the primary email address on the form with an explanation.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are offered in Academic, Art, Drama, Music and Sport at entry to Years 7, 9 and 12, to external applicants and current pupils alike. They are not automatic, so families apply through the online form for Year 7, Year 9 or Sixth Form entry. The average award is 5% of fees, awards can reach 25% in certain circumstances, and assessments may include tests, auditions, portfolios and interviews depending on the discipline.

Art candidates submit a portfolio in advance for the Head of Art to evaluate, and promising candidates then complete tasks in the Art Department; external candidates need a reference from their current Headteacher. Awards are reviewed annually and normally run to the end of A-levels.

Means-tested bursaries are open to current and prospective pupils in Years 7 to 13, with funds limited. Bursary Administration Ltd assesses applications and advises the school, awards are reassessed each April, and the combined scholarship and bursary award is capped at 50% of the tuition fee. Families state on the application form that they want help with fees and then contact the Admissions Manager for the latest bursary form.

Fees and what they include

Fees are published per term and per year in three bands: Reception to Year 2, Years 3 to 6, and Years 7 to 13, with VAT included; the current figures sit on the fees page. Fees fall due by the first day of each term, or can be paid monthly by Direct Debit.

A registration fee is due on application, and a refundable deposit applies before a pupil joins, higher for overseas families than for UK and EU families. A full term's written notice to the Head is required for any departure. Siblings receive a 5% discount for a second child and 10% for a third and subsequent children.

School lunches, provided by Lexington Independents, are charged separately. Public exam entries are charged per subject at rates set by each exam board, and optional extras can include transport, uniform, trips and private music or drama lessons.

Where pupils join from

The school runs a Preschool and Prep School for ages 3 to 11 at Church Lane and a Senior School and Sixth Form for ages 11 to 18 at Upper Lindum Street. Reception is a main entry point into the Prep School, and Year 7 is the main entry point into the Senior School.

The admissions pages publish no feeder or partner schools and do not describe a separate transfer process for Prep pupils. Families moving from other schools complete the same online application and send the latest school report, and relocating families are directed to a separate relocation page.

Sixth form entry at 16+

Sixth form entry is through the same online application form, and the published requirements are subject-specific GCSE grades. No overall GCSE requirement and no interview are published.

Examples from the subject options page include grade 7 in GCSE or IGCSE Mathematics for Mathematics, grade 8 or 9 for Further Mathematics, and grade 6 in English and Mathematics for Economics. Several subjects, including Art, Graphics, Photography and History, ask for no specific GCSE. Most students study three subjects in depth from a range of A-level, BTEC and CTEC courses. Sixth form scholarships are available at entry.

How to prepare

Preparation for the CAT4 centres on familiarity with the format and a calm day, because the result sets Mathematics groups and does not decide a place. A child who has met timed, multiple-choice style reasoning questions at school usually settles into the sitting more easily.

Practical preparation mostly concerns the application: have the latest school report, the identity documents and any specialist reports ready, and consider a Taster Day or Individual Tour so the child has met the school before the CAT4. For scholarships, Art candidates can assemble the portfolio early, and music, drama and sport candidates can ask the Admissions Manager what the assessment will involve, since the pages leave this to the application stage.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared
• The ISEB Common Pre-Test explained
• 13+ Common Entrance explained
• The 11+ entrance exam explained
• 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
• What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained

Preparing for the Lincoln Minster School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Lincoln Minster 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.