Sidcot School 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Assessments, Scholarships and Fees

You get into Sidcot School by applying for Pre-School, Reception, Year 7, Year 9 or the Sixth Form, submitting a school report, meeting the Head or a Deputy Head and sitting the school's own assessments in English and mathematics. Sidcot does not use Common Entrance, and the admissions pages name no external test provider, so the process is set by the school and scheduled around each family.

Applications are accepted throughout the year, pupils can join from Pre-School to Year 9 whenever space allows, and the sections below set out each stage, from registration to scholarships, fees and 16+ requirements, as the school publishes them.

Entry points and places

Sidcot takes pupils at Pre-School, Reception, Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12, and children can join from Pre-School through Year 9 at any point in the year when the year group has space. Most pupils start in September.

Year 10 and Year 12 applicants can join up to one half term late at the school's discretion, and Years 11 and 13 are not accepted. The pages give no figures for places or forms of entry; where a year group is full, families can join a waiting list for that year group.

How the 11+ and 13+ assessments work

Applicants for Year 7 and Year 9 sit Sidcot's own assessments in English and mathematics, with no Common Entrance papers and no external test provider named by the school. The admissions process page describes a non-verbal and verbal reasoning assessment for applicants from Year 7 upwards, whilst the main admissions page and the admissions policy describe English and mathematics, so it is worth asking the admissions office which components your child will meet.

The school describes the assessments as a way to gauge current ability, with no pass-or-fail hurdle to clear. Results indicate whether a pupil can access the mainstream curriculum and are then used to place the pupil in the right sets. Sessions are scheduled to suit the family, and no registration or pre-test in Year 6 is described.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration happens when the application form goes in with the registration fee and the most recent school report, and the pages read publish no fixed closing date for general entry. The steps follow a set order, although scholarship and bursary applications run to their own deadlines.

• Research the school and visit through an open morning, a personal tour, the Year 7 Taster Evening or Tea and Tour with the Head.
• Submit the application form, registration fee, latest school report and any educational psychologist or learning support reports.
• Attend a taster day, which is required for Pre-School and Junior entry and optional for Senior entry.
• Meet the Head and Deputy Heads, or the Head of the Junior School for junior applicants.
• Complete the assessment.
• Receive an offer letter, which sets out any conditions.
• Accept by returning the signed Parent Contract acceptance form, the deposit and a completed medical card.
• Receive joining instructions by email.

Interviews and references

Every senior applicant has a one-to-one interview with the Head, a Deputy Head or a member of the senior management team, covering motivation, subject interests and what the pupil would contribute to school life. Where a visit is not possible, the interview can take place on Teams.

On receipt of the application form, the school asks the headteacher of the current school for a written reference on academic ability, attitude, behaviour, involvement in school life and talents. It may include NFER or SATs results, predicted GCSE grades and confirmation that fees are paid, and the school says it takes account of parents' wishes about when the current school is contacted. Families are asked to disclose any health, learning or social circumstances during the process.

Scholarships and bursaries

Sidcot offers academic, sports and special talent scholarships, each worth a 10% reduction in tuition fees, for entry to Year 7, Year 9, Year 10 and Year 12, and current Year 6 and Year 11 pupils can also apply. Academic and sports scholarships are assessed on an Academic and Sports Assessment Day, whilst special talent scholarships involve a portfolio, a personal statement and a separate assessment.

Sixth Form scholarship applicants attend assessments and interviews in a set week, and Year 11 pupils already at the school have an interview only. Scholars in Years 7 to 11 join the Lead Learner Programme and Sixth Form scholars join the Aspire Programme and act as school ambassadors.

Bursaries are means-tested discounts, with new students as the main route and most recipients keeping support throughout their time at the school. Hardship bursaries may help existing families whose circumstances change. The pages publish no maximum share of fees, funds are limited, and the application form has its own deadline.

Fees and what they include

Fees are set per term by year group on the school's published fee sheet, with separate rates for Junior, Senior and Sixth Form, for day and boarding, and for UK and non-visa students against students needing a Child Visa. Lunch is included in the stated fee but charged on a separate extras invoice, and the Senior day fee covers tuition, supper and most extracurricular activities. Boarding adds full board, laundry and healthcare.

Individual specialist tuition, examination board charges and university application fees are billed as extras. The registration fee is non-refundable and applies from Reception onwards. A deposit is payable on offer, is refunded when the pupil leaves once all fees are settled, and is not required for Pre-School.

A sibling discount of 10% applies to the lowest fee where a child has one full-fee-paying sibling, and pupils who take the two-year GCSE course at Sidcot keep paying the Year 10 and 11 rate in the Sixth Form.

Where pupils join from

Sidcot's own Pre-School, which takes children from the term after their third birthday, leads into Reception in the Junior School, and the Junior School leads into the Senior School and Sixth Form. Children moving up from Pre-School are exempt from a second assessment because they were assessed there, although a Pre-School place does not ensure a Junior place.

New Junior applicants attend a two-day taster programme, paired with a current pupil, and the Head of the Junior School decides on a place with the Head after considering taster feedback, test results and the school report. Entry to the Junior School does not guarantee a Senior place. No feeder or partner schools are named on the pages read.

Sixth Form entry requirements

Sixth Form entry at Year 12 expects at least five standard GCSE passes, formerly grade C or above, or five standard IGCSE passes for pupils following international courses. A strong pass at grade 5 or C in each subject to be continued gives the best chance of success, and the IB Diploma asks for grade 5 or C in both English and mathematics.

Some subjects, such as mathematics, need higher grades for A Level or Higher Level IB, and physics asks for strong passes in facilitating subjects such as mathematics. Courses include A Levels, the IB Diploma and BTEC, with the Extended Project Qualification available alongside. Progression into Year 13 requires a pass in all subjects in the internal exams at the end of Year 12. A Sixth Form Taster Day is offered before applying.

How to prepare

Preparation for Sidcot is mostly about secure English and mathematics, since those are the subjects the school's assessments cover and the results decide set placement. Working through your child's current school work, reading widely and practising written answers and mental arithmetic usually covers it, and a quick conversation with admissions about whether reasoning questions will appear lets you add short practice on verbal and non-verbal patterns if they do.

The interview with the Head or a Deputy Head tends to go well when a child can talk about the subjects they enjoy and what they would like to join in with, so a visit to an open morning or taster day beforehand gives them something concrete to discuss. Asking the current school for its reference early, and sending any learning support reports with the application, helps the school plan support from the first term.

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Preparing for the Sidcot School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Sidcot School 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.