Pocklington School 11+ Admissions: Entrance Assessment and Fees

Entry to Pocklington School at 11+ is by the school's own written assessment in English and mathematics, alongside an interview and a report from the child's current school; a place is offered once a vacancy exists and the assessment result and report are both satisfactory. The same 11+ assessment also covers occasional entry into Year 8, and the school runs separate 13+ and sixth-form routes into Year 9 and Year 12.

Registration opens ahead of the assessment, which is held on a Saturday in January for pupils joining the following September, and families can arrange a visit or attend an open morning at any point before applying. Academic and music scholarships are available at Year 7 entry, alongside means-tested bursaries and sibling or forces discounts on the published fees.

How entry to Year 7 works

Entry into Year 7 forms the main 11+ route into the senior school, sitting alongside entry into the Prep School, occasional Year 8 places, Year 9 and Year 10 via the 13+ route, and Year 12 through sixth-form entry. Offers of a place at any stage depend on a vacancy being available, a satisfactory result in the relevant entrance assessment and a satisfactory report from the child's current school, and every applicant is interviewed as part of the admissions process. Sixth-form entry has no separate written assessment; it depends instead on GCSE results, with a minimum of six passes including four at grade 6 or above.

How the 11+ assessment is structured

The 11+ assessment consists of separate written papers in English and mathematics, set internally by the school. It is usually held on a Saturday in January for pupils due to join the following September, though families who register after that date can arrange an individual assessment day if places remain. Alongside the written papers, the school interviews every candidate and requests a report from their current school, and a detailed entry-procedures booklet covering the format is sent to registered families ahead of the assessment.

Registration, assessment and offers: the admissions process step by step

The admissions process consists of a short sequence of separate steps, without a single application form.

• Visit: book an open morning or arrange an individual visit at any time before applying
• Registration: complete and return the registration form to the admissions office by the published registration date
• Assessment: sit the English and mathematics papers and attend interview on the published assessment date
• Offer: a place is confirmed once a vacancy, the assessment result and the school report are all satisfactory

Scholarships available at 11+ entry

Academic scholarships for Year 7 entry are called Dolman Awards, with three Dolman Scholarships and three Dolman Exhibitions available each year to the best-performing candidates in the entrance assessment itself, so no separate scholarship paper is needed. Awards are tenable for the whole of a pupil's time at the school, subject to continued satisfactory performance and behaviour, and bring a programme of development and challenge; they do not reduce fees automatically. Music scholarships, up to six of which are awarded each year across all entry points, are assessed by performance and interview at auditions held in the Lent term; Year 7 candidates are typically expected to have reached around Grade 3 or 4 on their first instrument.

Bursaries and fee assistance

A limited number of means-tested bursaries are available to current and prospective pupils, worth up to 100% of the day fee depending on a family's financial circumstances. Applications are assessed through interview, references and further voluntary evidence, alongside a review of the means of those responsible for paying fees, and the closing date falls in early February for entry the following September; the school publishes the exact date on its admissions pages. To qualify, a Year 7 candidate must still meet the normal entry criteria by passing the entrance assessment.

Fees and payment arrangements

Fees are charged termly in advance across three instalments, calculated as an average cost over the whole academic year, regardless of attendance. Families can choose a monthly payment plan by direct debit starting in July before the relevant academic year, a termly payment plan, or a monthly scheme run by a third-party provider that charges its own service fee. A sibling discount applies where three or more children attend Pocklington School or its Prep School at the same time, rising from 10% for a third child to 20% for a fifth, and a 10% discount is available to families serving in the Armed Forces.

How to prepare for the assessment

Preparing for the 11+ assessment means practising English comprehension, creative writing and mathematics under timed conditions, since both papers are set by the school and do not follow a standardised format such as GL or CEM. Requesting the school's sample exam papers ahead of time, available via its website, gives a clearer sense of question style and timing than generic practice materials. Because every candidate is interviewed and a report is requested from their current school, it also helps to talk through the process calmly with a child beforehand, covering likely topics such as their interests, hobbies and reasons for wanting to join, and to keep their current teacher informed that a reference will be requested.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Pocklington School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Pocklington 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, 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.