St Christopher School 7+, 9+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Taster Day, CAT4, Fees

You get into St Christopher School by registering through its online Admissions Portal, then attending a Taster Day that includes an online Cognitive Ability Test (CAT4), taster lessons and an informal interview at senior school entry. The main entry points are Reception, Year 3 and Year 5 in the Junior School and Year 7 and Year 9 in the Senior School, with Year 12 for the sixth form.

The school describes itself as non-selective, so the assessment looks for learning needs and a suitable reference from the current school, with no pass mark published. Each entry point, the registration steps, scholarships, bursaries, fees and the sixth-form requirements are set out in the sections below.

Entry points and places

Children can join at Nursery from the term they turn 3, at Reception, and at Years 1 to 6 in the Junior School, with Reception, Year 3 and Year 5 as the main Junior School entry points. The Senior School takes pupils into Years 7 to 10, with Year 7 and Year 9 as the main entry points, and the sixth form starts in Year 12. Most children join in September, and other year groups are occasionally available if the Admissions Department confirms space.

The number of places at each entry point is not published, so the admissions team is the source for availability. Waiting lists run in order of registration date, with priority for siblings, applicants asking for weekly or full boarding, and children of staff, and they are kept separate by gender to protect the coeducational balance.

• Nursery: from the term the child turns 3
• Junior School: Reception, Year 3 and Year 5 are the main entry points
• Senior School: Year 7 and Year 9 are the main entry points
• Sixth form: Year 12

How the 11+ assessment works

Entry to Year 7 at 11+ is decided through a Taster Day that combines an online Cognitive Ability Test (CAT4), taster lessons and an informal interview with a senior member of staff. The school reads the day alongside school reports, a reference, staff observations and the pupil's disciplinary record, and the pages describe no separate written entrance papers in English or maths.

For September entry the Taster Day usually falls in February of the school year before, and on a normal school day for other entry points. The admissions FAQ describes the same event as a Taster Morning with small-group activities, so families should check the length of the day when they are invited. Academic scholarship candidates at Year 7 are considered automatically from this assessment, interview included.

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How the 13+ assessment works

Entry to Year 9 at 13+ follows the same Taster Day as the other Senior School entry points, with an online CAT4, taster lessons and an informal interview with a senior member of staff. Reports and a reference from the current school are considered with the day, and academic scholarship candidates at Year 9 are considered automatically from the assessment.

The pages read do not describe a pre-test in Year 6 or Year 7, a conditional offer, or Common Entrance papers at this stage, so families who expect those steps should confirm with the Admissions Department what is sat. Boarding applicants are also assessed for suitability to board, and the Head of Boarding is consulted before an offer is made.

Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration happens online after a visit, and the process then runs in three stages from application to offer. The school asks families to visit first, whether through an Open Event, a personal tour or an enquiry, and then to complete the application form on the Admissions Portal.

No registration closing date is published for Junior or Senior School entry, apart from the sixth-form guidance in a later section and a separate bursary deadline, so early contact with the admissions team is sensible. In-year places follow the same registration and assessment process, which the school says cannot be shortened or changed for individual circumstances.

• Register: complete the online application form, pay the non-refundable registration fee and upload the most recent school report; the school then asks the current school for a personal reference
• Assessment: Stay and Play Taster Session for Nursery to Reception, Taster Day for Years 1 to 10, with a separate CAT for Year 6 applicants
• Offer: made in writing with an acceptance deadline
• Acceptance: return the signed Acceptance Form and pay the admissions deposit by the deadline, then complete further forms such as medical information

Scholarships and bursaries

Academic and art scholarships are offered at Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12 entry, one of each per year group, and each is worth a 10% remission on day fees. Academic awards at Year 7 and Year 9 are considered automatically from the entrance assessment including the interview, and the Year 12 award draws on GCSE results and an interview with the Head. Art candidates register interest, bring work samples to a 30-minute interview with the Head of Art, and the published registration deadline falls in November. The pages read name no music, sport or drama scholarships.

Means-tested bursaries are available for entry from Year 5 upwards and for Junior School pupils moving up to Senior School at 11+, and are unavailable for Nursery or for Reception to Year 4. Awards range from 5% to 50% of fees according to proven need, and families tick the bursary box on the registration form, then complete an online bursary application by a deadline that has fallen in late November before September entry. Means-testing is carried out by Bursary Assessment Associates through evidence of finances and a home or online meeting, and awards are reviewed annually. Overseas applicants are not normally eligible, and applicants must also meet the admissions criteria.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged per term in advance, with day, weekly boarding and full boarding rates for Years 7 to 13, and the full schedule sits on the school's fees page. Day fees cover tuition, most activities, games, textbook loans and internet access, and boarding fees add breakfast, dinner, laundry, most weekend and evening activities and EAL tuition where required.

Lunch is included from Nursery to Year 2 and is optional and charged for day pupils after that. Transport and external exam charges for GCSE, A Level and BTEC are excluded, and the Late Summer Programme is a compulsory extra for Years 3 to 9. A non-refundable registration fee applies to every applicant, and the admissions deposit differs for families resident in the UK or EEA and those resident overseas.

Where pupils join from

The Junior School on the same school, for ages 5 to 11, feeds the Senior School, and its pupils moving up at 11+ can apply for a bursary. The pages read do not describe a separate assessment for that internal move, and they name no external feeder or partner schools.

No catchment area is published. The school lists bus routes from North London, St Albans, Harpenden, Welwyn Garden City, Hadley Wood and Hitchin station, and pupils can take the bus from Year 5 upwards. International boarders needing a Child Student visa sit an online English test through Bespoke English Language Testing, followed by an online interview with the Head.

How 16+ sixth-form entry works

Sixth-form entry in Year 12 depends on an interview and on GCSE results, actual or projected, with the school generally expecting at least five GCSEs at grade 5 or above and grade 6 or above in the chosen A Level subjects. These expectations can be adjusted case by case. The admissions process page names the Head or Deputy Head as interviewer, and the sixth-form page says the Head of Sixth Form interviews each student to plan their transition.

Current Senior School pupils need the benchmarked GCSE results for their subjects and make no separate application. Students usually take four A Levels on entry and drop one at AS Level, and applicants from other schools attend a day of taster lessons in their chosen subjects after GCSEs. Applications are encouraged by November of the year before enrolment so that subject availability can be secured.

How to prepare

Preparation follows the format at each entry point, and for Year 7 and Year 9 that means becoming comfortable with an online reasoning test, taster lessons and a conversation with a senior member of staff. A child who has practised short verbal and non-verbal reasoning questions on a screen, and who can talk about favourite subjects and activities, tends to meet the Taster Day calmly. Since the school describes the CAT4 as a way to find learning gaps, a relaxed approach usually serves a child better than intensive drilling.

At Year 3 and Year 5, the informal assessment focuses on English and maths, so steady reading and everyday number work are the practical foundation. For art scholarship candidates, a varied portfolio across media prepares for the 30-minute interview. Sixth-form applicants can concentrate on GCSE grades in their chosen subjects and on explaining why they have picked them. Throughout, an up-to-date school report and a prompt reference request keep the application moving.

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