St Mary's School, Colchester 11+ Admissions: Entrance Assessment, Scholarships and Fees

To get into St Mary's School, Colchester, a girl is registered online, sits the Year 7 entrance assessment, an online test in English, Mathematics, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning, and attends an interview with the Principal. Year 7 is the main entry point to the Senior School, and girls may join Years 8 to 10 if places are available through a taster day that includes an assessment.

The school describes itself as non-selective, so the assessment is used to judge whether the school suits the girl and to help with setting in Year 7. The school ends at age 16, which means there is no sixth form entry.

Entry points and places

The main entry point into the Senior School is Year 7, and the school also takes girls into Years 8, 9 and 10 if places are available. Year 10 is the latest year a girl can join, because GCSE options are chosen in Year 9 and choices may be limited after that.

The school does not publish a number of places or forms of entry for Year 7. Below Year 7, the main entry to the Lower School is Prep (Reception), and a Kindergarten takes children from the age of two.

• Year 7: online entrance assessment and Principal interview
• Years 8 to 10: taster day that includes an assessment, subject to places
• No sixth form entry

How the Year 7 assessment works

The Year 7 entrance assessment is an online test covering English, Mathematics, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning. External candidates sit it on a Saturday in the autumn of Year 6, whilst girls already in the school's Lower School sit it at a separate time shortly afterwards.

The school's pages do not state the length of the assessment or the question types. They link to guidance from Quest Assessments, and the Registrar can confirm the format for a particular sitting. Results help staff gauge whether the school is the right place for a girl and are also used for setting in Year 7.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration is online through the school's register page, and a girl must be registered both to sit the entrance assessment and to apply for any scholarship. A non-refundable registration fee is payable, and the school asks for it within seven days of submitting the form. Registering as a sibling or early in the cycle matters, because remaining Lower School places are offered by date of registration.

For Year 7, the registration and scholarship deadline falls in the autumn of Year 6, before the assessment day.

• Register online and pay the registration fee
• Sit the entrance assessment and attend the Principal interview
• Receive an offer of a place, and any scholarship, by post before the end of the autumn term
• Attend a taster day if offered a place
• Accept or decline by early March, with the Entry Deposit

Interviews and references

Every Year 7 candidate is interviewed by the Principal, and the interview takes place on the assessment day. The school's pages do not describe its length or format, and they do not ask for a school report or a reference from the current school.

The one reference the school requests is an external reference for the Sports Scholarship. Shortlisted scholarship candidates are also invited to a scholarship interview or assessment, and the school recommends that girls attend an Experience Day before sitting the entrance assessment. Booking is through an online form, and attendance is optional.

Scholarships and bursaries

Year 7 scholarships are offered in Academic, STEM, Art, Drama, Music and Sport, together with the Principal's Award. The Academic Scholarship is awarded on entrance assessment performance, and every registered girl is considered without applying. The other awards need an application, with supporting material such as a portfolio, music grades, a STEM presentation of no more than eight slides, or an external sports reference.

Lower School pupils only are eligible for the Miss Comrie Scholarship, which is awarded after interview and cannot be applied for. Scholarship values are not published on the admissions pages of the school.

Bursaries are means-tested and separate from scholarships. Any family at the school may apply, although support is generally for existing families facing unexpected financial difficulty. Awards do not exceed 40 per cent of fees, and the school does not offer full bursaries.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged per term, three terms a year, and rise by year group from Prep (Reception) to Years 10 and 11. The termly figures, which include VAT, are published on the school's fees page and are listed in the fees field of this guide. Lunch is mandatory and is included in the invoiced fee.

Extras are charged separately, including external exam entry fees, private music lessons, school trips, some books and resources, and some after-school clubs. A non-refundable registration fee and a refundable Entry Deposit on accepting a place also apply. Sibling discounts exist, and fees can be paid by direct debit over three months of each term or through My School Fee Plan.

Where pupils join from

Most Year 7 places go to girls from outside the school and from the school's own Lower School, which runs from Prep (Reception) to Year 6. Most Prep girls move up from the Kindergarten, which takes children from the age of two.

Everyone registered for the Lower School is automatically registered for the Senior School, and Lower School pupils sit the Year 7 assessment at their own sitting. A loyalty discount applies to Lower School pupils who progress to the Senior School. The school does not name external feeder schools or a catchment area.

How to prepare for the Year 7 assessment

Preparation for the Year 7 assessment can follow its four named components: English, Mathematics, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning, all sat online. Practising on a screen helps a girl feel at ease with the format, and the Quest Assessments guidance linked from the admissions page is the school's own starting point.

The Principal interview is best met with ordinary conversation about school, interests and reading. An Experience Day before the assessment gives a girl a look at the site, and scholarship applicants can use the time to assemble the portfolio, certificates or presentation their chosen award asks for. Questions about format go to the Registrar.

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