Sherrardswood School 11+ and 16+ Admissions: Interview, Scholarships and Fees

To get into Sherrardswood School, families phone the front office, tour the school, and then attend an interview with the Headmistress for Senior entry or a trial day for Prep, after which the school aims to make an offer promptly. The main senior entry point is Year 7 (11+), with a further entry into the sixth form at Year 12 (16+), and the admissions pages describe no general entrance test; the only papers published are the English and mathematics scholarship papers.

The school in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, describes itself as an independent, non-selective, all-through school for children aged 2 to 18. Most pupils join in September, though in-year transfers are considered and the school will discuss any situation.

Entry points and places

Sherrardswood takes pupils at Nursery and Prep, at Year 7 into the Senior school and at Year 12 into the sixth form. The Senior page calls Year 7 its strongest entry point, so 11+ is the main route into the senior years.

The admissions pages do not publish a number of places or forms of entry for any year group. Most pupils start in September, and the school accepts in-year transfers, so families whose child needs to move at another point are invited to call the front office instead of waiting for a particular year group.

• Nursery and Pre-School: ages 2 to 4
• Prep: Pre School to Year 6
• Senior: Year 7 is the main entry point
• Sixth Form: Year 12, from the school or from outside

How the 11+ assessment works

The Year 7 process centres on a tour and an interview, because the admissions pages describe no written entrance paper and name no external test provider. For Senior tours the child attends with the family and meets the Headmistress, which the school states is part of the selection process.

If parent, child and school agree the school is a good fit after that visit, the next stage for Seniors is an interview. The only written assessments the pages mention are the scholarship papers, so families should confirm with the admissions office whether any further academic information is requested for a particular child.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Admissions follow four ordered steps, and the pages publish no registration deadline, registration fee or deposit for general entry. Each step is arranged through the front office, which families can reach by phone or by email.

• Initial call or email to the front office, where Mrs Omer discusses the child and the reason for the enquiry
• Tour during the school day, with Mr Capuano (Head of Prep) or Mrs Wright (Headmistress, Seniors); children attend in their current uniform if applicable
• Assessment: an interview for Seniors or a trial day for Prep, once parent, child and school agree the school is a good fit
• Offer, which the school aims to make promptly after the assessment stage

Interviews and references

Senior applicants are interviewed after the tour, and Prep applicants spend a trial day at the school. The interview is led by the Headmistress, who has already met the child during the Senior tour.

The pages do not describe a reference from the current school for general entry. For children who hold or are applying for an EHCP, the school considers the application against the relevant cohort, its provision and the requirements in the child's Section F, and it may request information from the current school or arrange a visit to observe the child there. Mrs Fletcher, Director of SEND, is the named contact alongside Mrs Omer.

Scholarships and bursaries

Sherrardswood offers Gifted and Talented scholarships in limited numbers, awarded on merit to the strongest candidates. The scholarships page sets out two categories for sixth form entry: academic, for high ability or potential in core subjects, and extra-curricular, for leadership, creativity, performance or sport.

Academic candidates sit two papers, in English and mathematics, and have an interview with the Headmistress. Extra-curricular candidates take an activity-based assessment and the same interview. The Senior page describes Scholarship Assessment Days as a route in at Year 7 covering academic, sport, music and drama. The pages read do not mention means-tested bursaries or scholarship values, so families asking about fee support should contact the admissions team directly.

Fees and what they include

Fees are published as a termly charge that rises across four bands: Reception to Year 2, Year 3 to Year 6, Year 7 to Year 8, and Year 9 to Year 13. The figures are shown on the fees page for the academic year stated there and are given as including VAT where applicable.

The page does not list what the termly charge covers. Wraparound care is charged separately, with a Breakfast Club, hourly After School Care for pre-school and for Reception to Year 6, and After School Clubs priced individually. Nursery and Pre-School for ages 2 to 4 has its own full-day charge. Educational support beyond Quality First Teaching is available at a cost that can be discussed with Mrs Omer, and the full particulars sit in the school's terms and conditions.

Where pupils join from

Many pupils progress through the school's own Nursery and Prep, which sit on the same site as the Senior school. Nursery children aged 3 to 4 make settling visits at the end of term, meet the Prep teachers beforehand, can visit Reception through free flow, and attend a Teddy Bear's Picnic in the summer term.

The pages read do not describe how Prep pupils move into Year 7 and name no external feeder or partner schools. Sixth form students can join from Sherrardswood itself or from outside, and the school says they quickly feel welcomed either way.

How the 16+ entry works

Sixth form entry at Year 12 offers 27 A Level subjects and three BTEC pathways, with most students taking three or four subjects. The pages read publish no GCSE grade requirements, so these are best confirmed with the admissions team before choosing subjects.

The published assessment is for scholarship candidates, who either sit English and mathematics papers or take an activity-based assessment, followed by an interview with the Headmistress. Applications are made through the enquiry form for the Scholarship Assessment Day or via the admissions team, and the scholarships page gives an application deadline ahead of the assessment day.

How to prepare

Preparation for Year 7 is mostly about the tour and the interview, since no written entrance paper is published. Children can practise talking about their current school, their interests and what they hope to study, and they should attend the tour in their current uniform, as the school asks.

For scholarship candidates, practising timed English and mathematics papers at the level of their current year suits the two-paper format, while extra-curricular candidates can prepare for an activity-based assessment by rehearsing the skill they will showcase. Families who book a visit early tend to have more time to ask the front office which of these applies to their child.

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