Stamford School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Registration and Fees

Getting into Stamford School at 11+ means registering with the admissions team, visiting the school, and having your child sit an assessment of online verbal, non-verbal and spatial reasoning tests plus a handwritten creative writing task, followed by an informal interview; offers depend on these results together with a school reference and current school reports. Stamford School, part of the Stamford Endowed Schools in Lincolnshire, is now fully co-educational at every stage, and Year 7 is one of its main entry points alongside 7+, 13+ and sixth form entry.

Places at Year 7 are limited each year, so families are encouraged to register in good time. There is no local authority 11 plus test involved; the school sets and marks its own entrance assessment and interview process.

How entry works

Year 7 is one of several entry points into the school, alongside 7+ entry to the Junior School, 13+ entry to Year 9 and 16+ entry to the Sixth Form, with in-year applications considered case by case where space allows. The school describes places for Year 7 as limited each year, so families cannot assume a place will be available without registering ahead of the assessment.

Being independent, Stamford runs its own admissions process; there is no local authority test. The same admissions team, based at the Stamford Endowed Schools site, handles applications across all entry points and can be contacted directly for guidance on a specific year group.

How the 11+ assessment works

The Year 7 assessment combines online reasoning tests with a written task and an interview; it is not a single timed exam paper. Candidates complete online tests in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning, covering 3D shapes and patterns, plus a 30-minute handwritten creative writing task.

Every candidate also has an informal interview with a member of academic staff, lasting around 15 to 20 minutes. The school describes this as a chance to get to know the child, their hobbies, interests and family life; it is not a further academic test.

The school's published pages do not name an external test provider, and do not publish a fixed pass mark for the assessment. A current school reference and recent school reports also form part of the overall decision.

• Online verbal reasoning test
• Online non-verbal reasoning test
• Online spatial reasoning test (3D shapes and patterns)
• 30-minute handwritten creative writing task
• Informal interview with academic staff (15 to 20 minutes)

Registration and the admissions process, step by step

Families start by contacting the admissions team to begin the application and arrange a visit to tour the school and meet a member of the senior team. The application form is then submitted along with the application fee.

Candidates complete the year-appropriate entrance assessment, which for Year 7 means the online reasoning tests and creative writing task, followed by the informal interview. The school also requests a reference and reports from the child's current school.

Once all elements are complete, the school issues offer letters; families confirm acceptance by the published deadline and pay an acceptance fee to secure the place. Bursary applications, where relevant, are submitted at the same time as the place application and before the entrance examination, since late applications may not be considered.

• Contact admissions and arrange a school visit
• Submit the application form and application fee
• Sit the online reasoning tests and creative writing task
• Attend the informal interview
• School reference and reports considered
• Offer letters issued; accept by the deadline and pay the acceptance fee

Scholarships and bursaries

The school offers Academic, Art, Drama, Music and Sport Scholarships, though not all are assessed at 11+ entry. Music Scholarships are open at Year 7 entry and are assessed by audition, requiring two contrasting pieces on the candidate's first instrument or voice, one piece on a second instrument where relevant, basic aural tests and questions on musical theory and background; a Grade 4 standard is typical, though strong playing at Grade 3 on more demanding instruments such as French horn, oboe or bassoon is acceptable.

Academic Scholarships work differently: there is no separate entry assessment; pupils across all entry points are invited to apply after their first term if they demonstrate the qualities of an academic scholar, and scholars keep the title for the rest of their time at the school unless they opt out. Scholarships carry no fee remission but give access to an enrichment programme.

Means-tested bursaries are available for pupils joining Years 7 to 13, assessed using a standard formula used across the independent sector and based on an online application with supporting financial documents. Bursary applications should be submitted alongside the place application and before the entrance examination, since applications received after an offer has been made may not be considered; a Hardship Fund also offers temporary, availability-dependent support for families facing a sudden change in circumstances.

How to prepare for the 11+ assessment

As the assessment covers online verbal, non-verbal and spatial reasoning, and does not rely on a single subject-based paper, practice is best spread across all three reasoning types so a child is comfortable navigating an on-screen test format, including timing and answer input, in addition to paper-based questions.

The creative writing task rewards a child who can plan and complete a piece within 30 minutes, so timed writing practice on a range of stimuli helps more than perfecting one style of story. For the interview, preparation is best kept low-key: the school frames it as a conversation about hobbies, interests and family life, with no academic testing involved, so a calm, well-rested child able to talk about their own interests is better placed than one drilled on rehearsed answers.

Keeping current school reports and references in good order matters too, since these feed into the overall decision alongside the assessment and interview.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Stamford School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Stamford 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, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.