St Margaret's School, Bushey 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Assessment, Scholarships and Fees

Admission to St Margaret's School, Bushey at its two main senior entry points, Year 7 (11+) and Year 9 (13+), rests on a verbal reasoning test, a non-verbal reasoning test and a maths test, a 1-1 interview with a member of the Senior Management Team, school reports and a confidential reference from the current Head. Sixth form entry at 16+ asks for at least six GCSEs at level 5 and an interview, while the Junior School admits mainly at Reception and Year 3 (7+).

The school is co-educational and takes pupils from 2 to 18 on its Merry Hill Road site. Senior School Admissions can be reached on 020 8416 4408 and Junior School Admissions on 020 8416 4442, and the pages below follow each entry point in the order a family meets it.

Entry points and places

The main entry points are Year 7 (11+) and Year 9 (13+) for the Senior School, Reception and Year 3 (7+) for the Junior School, and the sixth form at 16+. Occasional places arise in other year groups, so the Admissions Team advises on availability before a family books a visit. The school does not publish places or forms of entry per year group, though over 180 pupils are assessed for Year 7 each year.

Mid-year applications are considered where there is capacity, and Year 10 mid-year entry is possible only with an enrolment date no later than the end of September. Year 9 places can also be secured early, with entry deferred by one or two years, and the admissions page includes a tool that matches a child's date of birth to the right entry point and academic year.

How the 11+ assessment works

The Year 7 assessment is made up of a verbal reasoning test, a non-verbal reasoning test and a maths test, taken on an assessment day alongside a 1-1 interview and a taster session. Assessment days normally take place in the autumn term of the year before entry, and every registered candidate is invited. The school's pages name no external test provider and give no paper lengths or question counts, so families confirm those details with Senior School Admissions after registering.

The interview is with a member of the Senior Management Team, and the school also requests a school report and a confidential reference from the candidate's current Head. According to the school, potential is prioritised over prior attainment and children progress at their own pace, which gives context to how the reasoning and maths papers sit alongside the interview and references.

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How 13+ entry and deferred places work

Year 9 entry follows the same process as Year 7, with a registration form and fee, an entrance assessment, a 1-1 interview, a taster session, and a confidential reference and school report from the current school. Families can apply for standard entry or for an earlier start. Deferred entry registration is open to pupils from Year 5 upward, with assessment taking place once the child is in Year 6, 7 or 8.

Deferred-entry offers normally follow within a few weeks of the assessment day, and families then have two to three weeks to accept. Standard-entry offers normally go out in the spring, and applications made after the registration deadline are assessed on an ad hoc basis. Many pupils from local prep schools sit the assessment in Year 6 and defer entry to Year 9. The pages we read describe no separate Common Entrance sitting.

Registration and the admissions timeline

Admission follows ordered steps from a first visit through to preparing for the first term, and the Year 7 and Year 9 steps are the same. Registration for both usually closes at least two weeks before the assessment days, which fall in the autumn term of the year before entry. Year 7 offers normally go out by early February, with acceptance due a few days after National Offer Day.

For other year groups, offers normally come within two weeks of the assessment day and families have two weeks to accept. A non-refundable deposit secures the place and is returned at the end of the child's final term, minus any unpaid costs. Sixth form conditional offers normally follow within two weeks of the interview and receipt of a current school report.

• Visit: attend an Open Day or book a 1-1 tour
• Register: complete the online registration form and pay the registration fee; the school then contacts you about next steps
• Assess: entrance assessment, 1-1 interview and taster session, with a reference and school report requested from the current school
• Offer and acceptance: accept the offer by the stated deadline and pay the deposit
• Prepare: complete the Joining Information Pack and attend the Parent and Pupil Information Evening and transition events

Scholarships and bursaries

Academic scholarships are offered at 11+, 13+ and sixth form entry, and subject-specific scholarships in Art, Drama, Music, STEM, DT, Dance and Sport at 11+, 13+ and 16+. Academic awards at 11+ and 13+ rest on the entrance examinations and interview, and every applicant sitting the entrance assessment in the year of entry is considered automatically. Pupils who perform well may be invited to an additional academic scholarship assessment after the entrance assessment.

Sixth form academic awards draw on academic achievement, scholarship examinations, interview and mock GCSE results, and 16+ specialist scholarships also recognise contribution to the school community. Subject-specific applications use a Scholarship Application Form submitted alongside registration, with a deadline in early November. A limited number of scholarships carry an enhanced level of fee remission, and the pages give no percentages.

Bursaries are limited in number and available to 11+, 13+ and sixth form candidates who perform well in the entrance examination and whose families need financial assistance, as well as to existing pupils whose circumstances change. Every application is means tested, with a confidential statement of income and fixed expenditure and an interview with the Director of Finance and Operations. The closing date falls at the end of November, and the pages publish no maximum share of fees.

Fees and what they include

Term fees by year group are published on the school's fees page, and the Finance Office confirms the figures for a given entry point. Fees cover tuition, textbooks and other educational materials, after-school supervised study, laundry for boarders and meals during required school hours. They are due in full on the first day of each term, by bank transfer or direct debit, collected at the start of term or in instalments across the term.

A one-off registration fee applies from Nursery to Year 13, with different rates for UK and overseas families, and a refundable deposit applies to day pupils, at a higher level for deferred entry pupils. A 10% discount is offered for older siblings, children of Anglican clergy, British service personnel and alumni. Withdrawing a pupil requires a full term's written notice to the Head.

Where pupils join from

The Junior School runs from Reception to Year 6, split into Lower Juniors (Reception to Year 3) and Upper Juniors (Year 4 to Year 6), and children at the school's Nursery are offered Reception places first. About one third of Reception places go to external applicants, and demand is high. The Head of Junior School decides offers using assessment day feedback and a school or nursery report and, where relevant, a confidential reference, with outcomes of an offer, a decline or a waiting list place.

For the Senior School, many pupils from local prep schools sit the assessment in Year 6 and defer entry to Year 9. The Junior School page links to Senior School admissions without describing how Year 6 pupils move up, so families ask the Admissions Team how that step works. About 10% of each year's students come from outside the UK, and the school has a separate international admissions page.

16+ sixth form entry requirements

Sixth form entry requires a minimum of six GCSEs at level 5, including English Language and Maths, together with the entry requirements for each A-level subject the student plans to take. Applicants register using the Senior Registration Form and fee, then are invited to a one-to-one interview with the Head of Sixth Form or the Head, held in person or virtually.

Offers depend on the interview, any entrance tests required, a current school report, a confidential reference, safeguarding information and GCSE results, and they are conditional on GCSE results. The sixth form is fully co-educational, and the registration deadline falls in the spring term before entry; out-of-cycle applications may be considered, so it is worth contacting the school.

How to prepare

Preparation works best when it matches the three named papers: verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths. Because the school names no test provider and gives no paper lengths, practising each paper type in short, timed sets from a general 11+ source builds familiarity, and the Admissions Team can confirm the format before assessment day. A child who has seen the question styles tends to arrive calmer.

The interview and taster session reward ordinary conversation about school, reading and interests, which a parent can rehearse informally at home. Asking the current school early for the report and confidential reference avoids delays, and attending an Open Day or 1-1 tour lets a child see the site first. For scholarships, the Scholarship Application Form sets out what each subject requires, and sixth form candidates focus on GCSE grades and the A-level subject requirements.

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Preparing for the St Margaret's School, Bushey 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the St Margaret's School, Bushey 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.

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