Stowe School 13+ Admissions: Entry, Assessment and Fees

Entry to Stowe School at 13+ runs through a private visit and interview, CAT4 cognitive ability testing, and a reference from the child's current school; Common Entrance and the ISEB Pre-Tests are not used. Families register online, usually by December of Year 6, and Stowe assesses candidates through the autumn and winter of Year 6, making unconditional offers the following January or March depending on whether the place is for a day or boarding pupil.

Each year Stowe admits around 180 pupils into the Third Form (Year 9), with day, weekly boarding and full boarding places on offer. The school describes its process as deliberately straightforward, with a named Admissions Team guiding families from initial enquiry through to acceptance of a place.

How does entry to the school work at 13+?

Most pupils join Stowe at 13+ into the Third Form, which is Year 9, with the school admitting around 180 pupils a year across day and boarding places. Stowe also takes a smaller number of pupils at 14+ and a further intake at 16+ into the Sixth Form, but 13+ is the main point of entry.

The school describes the 13+ process as a logical sequence of stages taking place over time. Families are encouraged to begin looking at Stowe when a child is in Year 4 or 5, attending an Open Morning before narrowing a shortlist, with the formal steps then falling in Year 6.

How the 13+ assessment works

Stowe assesses 13+ candidates using CAT4 tests to measure academic ability and potential; the school states plainly that it no longer uses the ISEB Pre-Tests as a means of entry. Candidates for whom English is not a first language sit a UKiset test instead of CAT4.

Academic data is gathered from prep schools in the autumn term of Year 6, with candidates from UK state or independent schools sitting CAT4 in October or November of Year 6. Alongside the test, every candidate has a private visit with interviews conducted by the Registrar and a Houseparent, plus a tour of a House and of the School led by a Sixth Former.

A reference or report from the child's current school forms the third strand of evidence. For prep school candidates this is requested from the Head in October of Year 6; for state, independent or overseas school candidates a report is requested at the point of enquiry. Stowe reserves the right to apply further academic assessment where a candidate is borderline.

Registration and the admissions process, step by step

The process runs in five stages. First, enquiry and registration: families contact the Admissions Team, often after requesting a prospectus or attending an Open Morning, and register online, recommended no later than December of Year 6, though there is no fixed deadline as places fill first come, first served.

Second, the private visit and interview, held for day candidates between September and mid-January of Year 6 and for boarders between September and March of Year 6; visits are routinely booked one to two months ahead. Third, academic assessment and reference, covering CAT4 (or UKiset) and the school report.

Fourth, offer of a place: following the visit, interviews, CAT4 results and school reference, Stowe makes an unconditional offer, with day offers announced earlier in Year 6 and boarding offers announced shortly afterwards. Fifth, acceptance of place, confirmed on return of the Acceptance of Place Form and payment of the Acceptance Deposit.

What if my child doesn't perform well on the day?

Stowe is explicit that it recognises pupils are assessed young and that an off day can happen. Candidates who do not initially do well in interview or in CAT4 testing may be considered for reassessment later, on a case by case basis and subject to capacity.

Late applications are also accepted into Year 7, subject to availability, for families who begin the process after the usual Year 6 window has closed.

Scholarships and bursaries at Stowe

Stowe offers Third Form Scholarships in ten categories: Academic, Music, Art, Drama, Sport, Design, Chess, Golf, Equestrian and Roxburgh. A typical scholarship is worth around 5% of the school fee, awarded at the discretion of the Scholarships and Bursaries Committee, and candidates may apply for more than one, though an Academic and Roxburgh award cannot be held together, nor can Sport and Golf.

Academic Scholarship candidates sit papers in English, Maths and Science plus a choice of further papers, an interview and a Philosothon, and are expected to have a CAT4 mean of 130 or above; Roxburgh candidates, expected to demonstrate strong ability in art, design, drama, music or sport alongside a CAT4 mean of around 120 or above, undertake a two-day assessment including papers, interview and a Leadership Challenge.

Bursaries are awarded on financial need and are typically given on top of a scholarship, following an in-depth financial assessment ahead of the assessment days; they cannot be awarded on their own. Families needing fully funded support can instead apply to Change 100, Stowe's bursary programme for pupils whose circumstances would otherwise prevent them from taking up a place, which does not require winning a scholarship first.

How to prepare for Stowe's 13+ assessment

Because Stowe weighs the private visit and interview alongside CAT4 performance and the school reference, preparation is as much about the child's presentation on the day as their test results. Visiting early and booking well ahead matters in practice, since Stowe notes that appointments are routinely booked one to two months in advance.

Keeping the CAT4 test in proportion helps; it sits alongside interviews with the Registrar and a Houseparent and a tour led by a current Sixth Former, so a calm, curious impression across the whole visit counts for as much as any single score. Since Stowe considers reassessment case by case for a child who has an off day, a single disappointing session need not be treated as final.

Families should also keep the current school's Head informed early, since the reference or report is requested directly from prep schools in October of Year 6, or at the point of enquiry for state, independent and overseas school candidates.

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Preparing for the Stowe School 13+ with Taylor Tuition

The Stowe School 13+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. 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 13+. 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 13+ Common Entrance tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.