Salesian College 11+ and 16+ Admissions: Entrance Assessment, Fees and Scholarships

Salesian College admissions run mainly through Year 7 entry at 11+, where boys register in Year 6, meet a Deputy Headteacher for an informal family interview and sit the Entrance Assessment in College in January. The assessment is made up of three standardised multiple-choice papers in Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and English, plus a written task.

Other routes exist for Years 8 to 10 when a vacancy arises, each with an age-appropriate assessment, and for Year 12 sixth form entry, which turns on an application form, an interview and GCSE grades. Year 11 is closed to new students.

Entry points and places

The school admits at Year 7 (11+) as its main entry point, with in-year places in Years 8 to 10 when vacancies exist and sixth form entry at Year 12. Year 11 is not open to new students.

The school does not publish a number of places or forms of entry for any year group. Boys joining at Year 7 register during Year 6, whilst the other year groups run on separate assessments and need a reference from the current school.

How the 11+ assessment works

The Year 7 Entrance Assessment is held in College in January of Year 6 and consists of three standardised multiple-choice papers, in Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and English, together with a written task. Scores take account of the candidate's exact age on the test date.

The school describes the expected academic profile as good average to very able. It does not publish paper lengths, question numbers or a pass mark, and it does not issue past papers. Candidates needing additional time are supervised in the Library by the Learning Support and Library Teams, and overseas candidates can sit the test at their current school.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration for Year 7 closes in the autumn term of Year 6 and is made on the online registration form, with a non-refundable registration and examination fee paid at that point. The sequence that follows runs in this order.

Before entry, boys are also invited to a Year 5 Taster Day in the summer term, a two-day Induction Programme in June and Sports Activity Days in the summer holidays.

• Register online in the autumn term of Year 6
• Attend the informal family interview with a Deputy Headteacher, held in the autumn term of Year 6
• Sit the Entrance Assessment in College in January
• Receive an offer by email and post before the end of January, then attend the Offer Holders' Evening in February
• Accept the place by early March and pay the deposit that secures it

Interviews and references

Every Year 7 family meets a Deputy Headteacher for an informal interview that covers the Entrance Assessment and the admissions process. The school also requests a confidential reference from the Headteacher of the current school before it makes an offer.

For Years 8 to 10, families email the Admissions Team; if a vacancy exists in the year, they visit the college for an informal interview with a Deputy Headteacher and the boy sits an age-appropriate assessment. Offers depend on the interview, the assessment and a positive reference. Sixth form candidates are interviewed by the Headmaster and/or a Deputy Headteacher, and external applicants also need a reference.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships at Year 7 are offered in academic, art and design, drama, music and sport, and are worth up to 10% of termly tuition fees. Families receive a supplementary application form after the registration deadline, and assessments follow in the weeks after the Entrance Assessment. In high-demand years the school may shortlist from the form and send assessment day invitations with the entrance outcome. A boy can apply for several scholarships but holds one award at a time, and awards run for up to five years with an annual review of commitment, participation and progress.

Means-tested bursaries are open to any prospective family. Applications are managed by Bursary Administration Limited, which carries out the financial assessment, and are made in the autumn term of Year 6. Awards are of varying amounts, the school publishes no maximum share of fees, and they are made the day after Entrance Exam results are published. They run for one year initially and are reviewed annually, with a sibling already at the college taken into account.

Fees and what they include

Tuition is charged at one termly rate across Years 7 to 13, so sixth formers pay the same as the rest of the school; the figures are in the key facts above. Fees are payable in full before each term or through ten monthly direct debits from September to June.

The registration and examination fee is non-refundable, and a deposit secures the place once an offer is accepted. Tuition does not cover coach transport, peripatetic music lessons, compulsory lunches, educational visits, public examination fees, stationery, subject magazines or Year 7 swimming, all of which are charged to the student's account. Withdrawal needs a full term's written notice, and fees are reviewed annually.

Where pupils join from

Boys join from maintained schools (Catholic, Church of England and non-denominational) and from preparatory schools, and the school names no junior school or specific feeder schools. It describes a broad catchment that includes Reading, Guildford, Ascot, Woking and Basingstoke, alongside the nearer towns of Farnham, Fleet, Camberley and Farnborough.

Open Events for Year 7 are held termly, and individual appointments are available. Coach transport is offered as an optional extra.

How sixth form entry works

Sixth form entry at Year 12 requires a minimum of six GCSEs at grade 6, including grade 4 or above in Maths and English, with grade 6 to 9 in the intended A-level subjects. External students complete a registration form and a Sixth Form Application Form listing subject choices, a personal statement and higher education or career aspirations. The pages describe an interview with the Headmaster and/or a Deputy Headteacher and no separate entrance papers.

Offers arrive before the February half term and are provisional on GCSE results, followed by an Offer Holders' Evening before Easter and an Induction Day in June. Up to eight sixth form scholarships are awarded in three categories, each giving a fixed annual fee reduction for both years, subject to review at the end of Lower Sixth. Students with a younger sibling at the college receive a 25% tuition discount.

How to prepare

Preparation for Year 7 centres on the three multiple-choice papers and the written task. The school says outside coaching is not needed for a candidate who is able and performing well, and it recommends multiple-choice revision packs, which staff show families how to access on a visit. Practising Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and English questions in the multiple-choice style, and writing short pieces by hand, usually builds ease with the format.

Because past papers are not issued, the meeting with a Deputy Headteacher is the best source of detail on the assessment, and the interview itself is informal. For sixth form entry, the work lies in GCSE grades against the stated minimums, a considered choice of subjects and a clear personal statement.

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Preparing for the Salesian College 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Salesian College 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.

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