Oswestry School 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: CAT4 Scholarship Days, Fees and Entry

How do you get into Oswestry School? Families enquire and register through the school's online forms for one of its main entry points at ages 4, 11, 13 and 16, and pupils can also join at other ages whenever a place is free in the year group. Where a child applies for a scholarship at 11+, 13+ or 16+, the assessment is an online CAT4 test followed by an interview with the Headmaster or a senior member of staff and, for some disciplines, a subject-specific assessment.

The pages the school publishes give the scholarship assessment in detail and leave the format of ordinary entry to its individual entry-point pages and the Admissions Team. This guide sets out what is published, so that a parent can see which steps are fixed and which to confirm by telephone.

Entry points and places

The main entry points are at ages 4, 11, 13 and 16, which correspond to Reception, Year 7, Year 9 and the Sixth Form. The school also accepts applications for other year groups when a place is available, and the admissions page states that a child can join at any time if their year group has space.

Boarders are accepted from age 10. The number of places or forms of entry at each point is not published on the pages read, so the Admissions Team is the source for current availability. Late applicants are asked to telephone, since places can open during the year or a child can be added to a waiting list.

• Age 4: Reception, the start of the Prep School
• Age 11: Year 7, entry to the Senior School
• Age 13: Year 9
• Age 16: Sixth Form, with boarding at Holbache House

How the 11+ assessment works

The only 11+ assessment the school sets out in detail is the Scholarship Assessment Day, which combines an online Cognitive Ability Test (CAT4), an interview and any subject-specific assessments for the chosen discipline. The CAT4 is taken online on the day, and the interview is with the Headmaster or a senior member of staff.

The pages read do not publish a separate paper format, subject list or timing for ordinary 11+ entry, and they do not name a test provider for it. Each entry point has its own page explaining registration, so the Admissions Team is the right contact for the exact format your child will sit.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration begins with the Enquiry Form and then the Registration Form, and families often start up to three years before entry because demand for places is high and early confirmation of a place may be possible depending on the year of entry. The admissions page also invites families to contact the Admissions Team before registering, to check that a place exists.

The published sequence runs in five steps, set out below, and the school's own entry-point pages give the detail for each year group.

• Enquire using the Enquiry Form, or telephone the Admissions Team
• Visit through a Personal Tour, an open day or a discovery day
• Check availability, then complete the Registration Form and pay the registration fee
• Attend the assessment and interview, including a Scholarship Assessment Day if applying for a scholarship
• Receive next steps from the Admissions Team, then pay the refundable acceptance deposit to secure the place

Interviews and references

Scholarship applicants have an interview on the assessment day with the Headmaster or a senior member of staff. Each applicant also submits their most recent school report, which current pupils of the school do not need to provide. The scholarships page mentions no other references.

International applicants follow a separate route: they send the child's name, date of birth, intended entry year and recent school reports, take maths and English tests, and have a Headmaster interview before an offer is made. If a visit is not possible, that interview can be arranged by video call.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are available in academic, music, art, design and technology and sport disciplines, and the fees page also names performing arts. The 11+, 13+ and 16+ entry points each have their own Scholarship Assessment Day, and a pupil can apply for a maximum of two disciplines. Awards recognise high ability, with applications welcomed from pupils who compete or perform at county, regional or national level or who are in recognised advanced training programmes.

Scholarships are not means-tested and give a remission of up to 20% of fees, though remissions are not guaranteed and vary with the award. Financial help is also available through a separate means-tested bursary scheme, whose terms are not set out on the pages read. Family discounts of 10% for a second child, 25% for further siblings, 10% for Old Oswestrians and 20% for serving armed forces members apply to net tuition fees.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged termly in advance and published gross of VAT in separate tables for the Prep School, the Senior School and Sixth Form, and for weekly and full boarding. Day fees cover tuition, pastoral care, most games and activities and lunch. Boarding fees add accommodation, laundry, three meals a day plus snacks, EAL support and most co-curricular and weekend activities.

A registration fee is payable on registration, and a refundable acceptance deposit is set at a higher level for boarders than for day pupils. External exams, optional extras such as specialist coaching and performing arts lessons, and privately funded specialist learning support are billed separately. UK families can pay monthly by direct debit through School Fee Plan, and international payments go through Flywire.

Where pupils join from

Part of the Senior School's younger intake can come from Oswestry's own Prep School, which runs from Reception to Year 6 and begins preparing pupils for the move in Reception. Prep classes visit the Senior School site regularly, using the pool, the Forest School area, the sports halls and the Grove Performing Arts Centre.

In Year 6, pupils spend a full day each week at the Senior School, registering with older pupils, moving between lessons and eating lunch on site. The transition page mentions no entrance assessment for this move, and the school names no external feeder or partner schools on the pages read.

16+ Sixth Form entry

Sixth Form entry has its own Scholarship Assessment Day, and the school runs a Sixth Form Information Evening, which starts at 6.30pm and lets families meet the Sixth Form team, see the Sigi Faith Sixth Form Centre and speak to subject staff and the Futures team about university, apprenticeship and career plans. A Sixth Form Taster Day is also listed.

GCSE grade requirements are not published on the pages read. International applicants sit the maths and English tests and a Headmaster interview, with English at CEFR B2 or IELTS 5.0 for Sixth Form entry. Boarding for boys and girls is at Holbache House, the Sixth Form house.

How to prepare

Because the published assessment is an online CAT4, an interview and subject-specific work, preparation usually centres on familiarity with on-screen reasoning questions and calm conversation. Short, regular practice with verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning tasks on a screen tends to make the format feel routine. Your child can attend a Personal Tour or open day first, which often makes the later interview easier.

For a scholarship, choose the discipline or two disciplines where your child works at county, regional or national level, and keep evidence such as grades, performance or competition records alongside the latest school report. For the interview, practise talking about favourite subjects, activities and why the school appeals. The Admissions Team can supply the exact format of the ordinary 11+ papers, so ask them before planning practice.

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