Key Facts
| Location | Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire |
|---|---|
| Age Range | 3-18 years |
| Type | Coeducational Catholic independent school |
| Students | Approximately 920 |
| Boarding | Weekly, flexible and full boarding from age 11 |
| Inspection Rating | Excellent (ISI 2022) |
| Day fees (2026/27) | £7,266 per term |
| Boarding fees (2026/27) | Full boarding £16,782 per term; Weekly boarding (Years 6 to 8) £11,172 per term (inc. VAT) per term |
| 11+ entrance exam | English, Maths |
| Assessment date | January or February, before the September your child is due to start (September 2027 entry) |
| Offers | typically sent in January to those joining that September |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Ratcliffe College's 11+ entrance exam covers English and Maths, sat by candidates applying for Year 7 entry usually in January or February ahead of the September start. Candidates applying for a Year 7 Scholarship in Music, Art, Drama or Sport sit an additional assessment alongside these papers.
About Ratcliffe College
Ratcliffe is a Catholic, coeducational independent school in Leicestershire, taking pupils aged 3 to 18 across day and boarding places. The school holds an 'Excellent' rating from the Independent Schools Inspectorate and has around 920 pupils on roll.
The entrance exam
Ratcliffe's Year 7 entrance exam covers English and Maths, sat by candidates applying for 11+ entry, with format and paper detail published on the school's admissions pages. Who sets the papers, whether in-house or through an external provider, isn't stated on those pages, so families wanting that detail should confirm directly with admissions. Candidates applying for a Year 7 Scholarship in Music, Art, Drama or Sport also sit an additional assessment in that discipline, alongside the academic papers.
- English: the school publishes the paper's format and detail on its admissions pages.
- Maths: the school publishes the paper's format and detail on its admissions pages.
Registration and key dates
Ratcliffe does not publish a registration window that stays fixed from one cycle to the next, so families should check the school's admissions pages for the current opening and closing dates for applications. What stays consistent is the broad shape of the year: assessments are usually held in January or February, ahead of the September in which a child is due to join Year 7, with offers typically going out in January to those starting that September. Families are advised to register in good time before the assessment window, given how closely the admissions and assessment stages usually sit together.
- Registration: opens and closes on dates set by the school each cycle, published on its admissions pages.
- Assessment: usually sat in January or February, ahead of the September start.
- Offers: typically sent in January to those starting that September.
Current dates are in the key facts table at the top of this page, taken from the school's own admissions pages below, which remain the reference for each round.
Past papers and familiarisation
Ratcliffe offers online familiarisation tests in Maths and English through the Quest Assessments platform, giving families a sense of the style of question used in the entrance assessment before the day itself. These tests are unscored, and serve mainly to show a child what the format looks like ahead of the assessment itself. Beyond this, the school does not publish past papers, so families preparing for the format more generally tend to focus on timed practice in comprehension, writing and core maths reasoning, building familiarity with working accurately under time pressure.
Preparing with Taylor Tuition
The Ratcliffe 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.
Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. 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.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the Ratcliffe College 11+ entrance exam involve?
- The Year 7 entrance assessment at Ratcliffe covers English and Maths, sat by candidates seeking a place at 11+, with separate Year 7 Scholarship assessments in Music, Art, Drama and Sport for families pursuing those routes. The school publishes detail on the format of each paper on its admissions pages.
- When are the 11+ assessments and how does registration work?
- Assessments are usually held in January or February, ahead of the September in which a child is due to start, with offers typically sent in January to those joining that September. Registration opening and closing dates are published on the school's admissions pages and are best checked there directly.
- Are there past papers for the 11+ exam?
- Ratcliffe has not published past papers; families can use the unscored online familiarisation tests in Maths and English available through the Quest Assessments platform, which give a sense of the style of question used in the assessment. Preparing for the format more widely tends to involve timed comprehension, writing and maths practice.
- How hard is the 11+ exam and how should a child prepare?
- The school does not publish a pass mark or entry statistics, so preparation tends to focus on building comfort with the format, working on timed comprehension, writing and maths reasoning, and using the school's familiarisation tests to show a child what the questions will look like on the day.
- What type of school is Ratcliffe?
- Ratcliffe is a coeducational Catholic independent school.
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English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with mark schemes.
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