Shoreham College 7+ and 11+ Admissions: Taster Days, Assessments and Fees

To get into Shoreham College, families send two recent school reports, attend a morning or full-day taster session and receive an offer subject to availability and references. Children entering Year 5 or above also sit one or more aptitude assessments on the taster day, and the school states that the results are not used to decide whether an offer is made.

The school describes itself as mainstream and academically non-selective, and it accepts children at any point in the academic year, so there is no single entrance exam date to plan around. Each step below follows the school's own admissions, fees and scholarships pages.

Entry points and places

Children can join at any point in the academic year, and September starters may attend an induction event at the end of the preceding summer term. The admissions page does not publish a list of fixed entry years or a number of places, so the 7+ and 11+ rows in the key facts reflect where the process changes, with no set intakes behind them.

The one threshold the school names is Year 5: pupils entering Year 5 or above take aptitude assessments, whilst younger applicants attend a taster session only. A Little Lions Pre-School and a Junior School are also part of the school, and its fees run through to Year 11.

How the taster day and aptitude assessment work

The main assessment takes place on the taster day, which lasts a morning or a full day depending on the child's age. Children entering Year 5 or above take one or more aptitude assessments during that session, and the school says no preparation is required.

The pages do not name a test provider, subjects, timings or question types, and they do not describe a pass mark. What the school does state is that the results are not used to decide whether an offer is made, so the day works as an introduction to the classroom and a way of understanding how each child learns.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Admissions follow four stages, and the school asks families to move promptly because registrations are considered in the order received. Acceptance is confirmed two terms before entry, after which joining information follows.

The pages read do not publish a registration deadline or assessment date, so the admissions office is the place to confirm timing for a particular year group.

• Initial contact: attend an Open Morning or arrange an individual visit with the Principal, or contact the admissions officer.
• Reports and taster day: provide two recent school reports and other relevant information, then attend the taster session.
• Offer: made after the taster day, subject to availability and references.
• Acceptance: return the registration form with the required deposit; the school strongly recommends early acceptance.

Interviews and references

There is no formal entrance interview described, although families first meet the Principal or admissions officer on a visit and are asked for two of their child's most recent school reports. These reports and the references mentioned in the offer stage are the school's main evidence about the child's current progress and conduct.

Because the school is academically non-selective, the Principal may still decline a place at her discretion, and families with questions about behavioural or curriculum requirements are directed to the admissions office before applying.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are offered for Year 6 pupils, with external applicants welcome, in four categories: arts (music, drama and art), sports, academic and all-rounder. Up to two arts scholars are chosen for ability in two or more disciplines, up to two sports scholars for proficiency in at least two of the school's sports, up to three academic scholars and up to two all-rounders showing leadership, sport, music, drama and academic promise.

Academic candidates need a score of at least 120 in two or more standardised tests, usually verbal and non-verbal reasoning, with excellent English, maths and science results, usually A or A* standard. Current pupils are nominated by the Assistant Principal (Juniors) and their team, whilst external applicants need a written reference from their head teacher.

Selected candidates receive an application pack, and results and interviews are considered by the Principal, the General Manager and the Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. The deadline normally falls in the Lent term, and parents hear the outcome within two weeks of the application window closing. The pages read do not mention means-tested bursaries.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged per term by year group, with separate bands for Reception to Year 2, Years 3 and 4, Year 5, Year 6, Years 7 and 8, and Years 9 to 11; the figures are in the key facts and on the school's fees page. They include lunch, essential textbooks, most co-curricular provision and personal accident insurance.

Registration carries a one-off non-refundable registration fee and a deposit that is deducted from the final invoice and refunded only if a full term's notice is given and the place is filled. Extras include specialist art and technology supplies, public examination fees in Year 11, music tuition and optional minibus travel.

A 5% discount on tuition fees applies to each additional sibling attending at the same time, and a further 5% applies to parents who are life members of the Old Shorehamers' Association. Written notice of a full term is required before a pupil leaves.

Where pupils join from

Pupils join from the school's own Little Lions Pre-School and Junior School and from other schools, which is why the process asks for two recent reports from the current school. The pages read do not describe an automatic transfer from Junior to Senior School or name partner schools.

Children who attend Little Lions using only the Early Years Funded Entitlement and do not continue to Reception pay neither the registration fee nor the deposit. The site lists no sixth form, with fees running to Year 11 and a Careers page under About Us.

How to prepare

Because the school states that no preparation is required for the taster day, the most useful steps are practical ones: gather two recent school reports, visit at an Open Morning or by individual appointment, and talk the day through with your child so the setting feels familiar.

For Year 5 and above, the aptitude assessments are described only in general terms, so familiar classroom habits such as reading carefully, showing working in maths and writing clearly tend to help more than rehearsing a particular paper. Families considering a scholarship should check the nomination or reference route with the school and look at the standardised-test and subject expectations set out for the academic award.

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