Oakham School 11+ Entry: A Parents' Guide to Admissions

Getting into Oakham School at 11+ means registering in advance, sitting an online CAT4 reasoning test alongside written papers in Maths and English, and attending an interview with a member of the academic team; entry is decided on the combination of assessment results, the interview and a reference from the child's current school. There is no published catchment area or local authority process, since Oakham is an independent school that draws applicants nationally and from overseas.

Families typically register during the academic year before entry, with candidates sat for assessment in the January of Year 6 for the standard September start, and an early assessment option available the preceding summer for those who wish to apply sooner. The process runs the same way whether a family is considering the day fee or a boarding place, since Oakham presents day and boarding pupils as one integrated community.

How entry to Year 7 works

Entry to Oakham School at 11+ is by registration, followed by an entrance assessment and interview; there is no catchment area or automatic transfer route. The school's main entry points are Year 7, Year 9, Year 10 and Sixth Form, with occasional places available in other year groups where they arise.

Because Oakham is independent, there is no local authority or testing consortium involved in 11+ admission; the whole process, from registration to offer, is run directly by the school's own admissions team.

How the 11+ assessment works

The 11+ assessment at Oakham combines an online CAT4 reasoning test with written papers in Maths and English, or English as an Additional Language for candidates whose first language is not English. Every candidate also has an interview with a member of the academic team, which the school describes as friendly and informal.

Alongside the assessment day, the school requests a confidential reference from the child's current school, giving admissions staff a picture of day-to-day learning and engagement that a single test day cannot show. Entry decisions draw on the assessment results, the interview and this reference together, with no single pass mark applied.

• Online CAT4 reasoning test
• Written papers: Maths and English (or EAL)
• Interview with a member of the academic team
• Confidential reference from the current school

Registering and the admissions process, step by step

Registration opens the process, and families submit an online Registration Form together with a registration fee; the school publishes the exact fee and closing date on its admissions pages. Registering allows the school to send details of next steps, including entrance exam arrangements and, where relevant, scholarship assessments.

After registration, candidates sit the entrance assessments described above, usually in the January of Year 6 for September entry, with an optional earlier assessment offered in the summer of Year 5. Offers typically follow within around two weeks of the assessment being completed, and families secure the place with an acceptance deposit. Before the September start, admitted families are invited to a Familiarisation Day and, nearer the time, an Induction Day.

• Register online with the registration fee
• Sit entrance assessments (CAT4, Maths, English) and interview
• Provide a reference from the current school
• Receive an offer, typically within about two weeks
• Accept with a deposit
• Attend Familiarisation Day and Induction Day

Scholarships and bursaries at 11+

Oakham considers Academic, Music and Sports scholarships at 11+, each assessed separately from the main entrance exam. Academic Scholarship candidates sit further examinations and an in-depth interview; Music Scholarship candidates audition individually, playing two contrasting pieces on two or three instruments (which may include singing), together with sight-reading, scales or arpeggios and aural tests, with music scholars still required to meet the normal academic entry requirements; Sports Scholarship candidates attend a group assessment day.

Scholarships typically carry a fee reduction, generally around 10% of the day fee, and can be supplemented by a means-tested bursary for families who need further support; a family can apply for a scholarship and a bursary at the same time. Bursary applications are means-tested, with no stated upper limit on the value awarded, though the number given out in any year depends on available funds, and bursary applications close after the registration deadline has passed.

Preparing for Oakham's 11+ assessment

Oakham states plainly that it does not issue past papers and that no advance preparation is required for entry; this can be taken at face value, since the assessment is designed to work whether or not a child has practised beforehand. Families who still want some familiarity with the format can use the free sample CAT4 questions published online, or the optional reasoning practice booklets the school makes available.

Because the day also includes an interview and a school reference, preparation that builds a child's confidence talking about their interests and schoolwork tends to matter as much as reasoning practice. The school notes that tailored support and access arrangements are available for candidates with special educational needs and disabilities, so families in this position should raise it with admissions ahead of the assessment day.

Fees for Year 7 entry

Lower School day and boarding fees apply from Year 7 to Year 8, with separate, higher fees from Year 9 upwards; weekly boarding is available at a reduced rate compared with full boarding. Exact figures for the current fee year are set out in the day_fees and boarding_fees fields alongside this guide, and the school publishes the current schedule on its own fees page.

Fee support runs through the scholarship and bursary routes described above; Oakham sets and administers its own fees independently, so no means-tested local authority scheme applies.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Oakham School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Oakham School 11+ tends to go best when it starts early and stays steady, and most families who work with us begin between twelve and eighteen months out. Our tutors, who have prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, plan the work backwards from the school's own assessment format and registration deadline.

The tutors we match to 11+ preparation are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools. 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, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.