Taunton School 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Interviews, Tests and Fees

To get into Taunton School at 13+ or 16+, a family registers, gives permission for the Headmaster to request a report and reference from the current school, and then attends an interview and an online cognitive ability test before any offer is made, since no entrance examination is required. Those two points, Year 9 and Year 12, are the main entry years.

Entry at 7+ into the Prep School, at Years 5 and 6, and at 11+ into Year 7 runs through a visit and a taster session, with written papers appearing only on scholarship assessment days. The school describes itself as a through school that considers children in every year group from Nursery to Year 13.

Entry points and places

The school takes pupils at several points, and the main entry ages for the Senior School are 13 (Year 9) and 16 (Year 12, the Lower Sixth), although other year groups are possible. The Prep School begins in Year 3, with Years 5 and 6 and Year 7 also named as entry points on the Pre-Prep and Prep page.

The pages read do not publish a number of places or forms of entry for any year group, so the Admissions Manager is the person to ask about availability in a particular year.

• 7+ (Year 3): start of the Prep School
• 9+ and 10+ (Years 5 and 6): for families who prefer a school without SATs or formal exams
• 11+ (Year 7): taster route or scholarship process
• 13+ (Year 9): interview and online cognitive ability test
• 16+ (Year 12): interview, GCSE grades and a reference

How the 13+ assessment works

The 13+ assessment at the school is an interview, an online cognitive ability test, a school report and a reference, because the Senior and Sixth Form admissions page states that no entrance examination is required. A baseline assessment takes place before any offer, and the interview is held in person where possible.

The page does not name the test provider, give a length or list question types, so there are no set papers to rehearse. The Headmaster makes the offer, which is sent with an acceptance form and the terms and conditions.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Admissions at Senior and Sixth Form level follows six ordered steps, starting with an enquiry and ending with acceptance and a deposit. The school publishes no general registration deadline for the standard route, so families register once they have visited.

The same sequence applies at 16+, with the Head of Senior Admissions as the named contact.

• Enquiry: complete the enquiry form or call the office, and an Admissions Manager follows up with an invitation to visit
• Visit: attend an open day, a virtual open morning or a sixth form information event, or arrange a one-to-one visit
• Registration: complete the registration form and pay the registration fee, at which point a taster day (and a boarding taster for prospective boarders) can be arranged
• Interview and assessment: both take place before an offer is made
• Offer: the Headmaster sends the offer with an acceptance form and terms and conditions
• Acceptance: return the acceptance form and the deposit, which is refunded when the child leaves; for September starters a joining pack follows in mid-July

How Prep and 11+ entry works

Entry to the Prep School at 7+, at Years 5 and 6, and at 11+ is based on a visit and a taster session, since offers are made subject to a successful taster. After the enquiry and a tour with the Head of Pre-Prep and Prep, the child is invited to the taster and the family registers.

Registration asks for the child's name and date of birth, a copy of a passport or birth certificate, and the most recent school report where one exists. Acceptance follows with an acceptance form and deposit, and joining instructions are sent afterwards. The page publishes no written test for these entry points. Year 7 applicants may instead apply through the 11+ scholarship process.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are available at 11+, 13+ and 16+, and they are the one route where written papers appear. Awards at 11+ cover academic, sport, art, music, dance, drama and design and technology; at 13+ the list is the same without dance; at 16+ it covers academic, music, drama, art, sport and design and technology. Candidates may enter up to two categories.

The 13+ academic day includes an online baseline profiling assessment of one hour, written Maths and English papers of 45 minutes each, and two interviews, one on character and one an academic challenge. At 16+ candidates sit two one-hour papers in subjects of their choice, set at GCSE level and problem-solving in style, plus a character interview and a critical thinking interview on an unseen text.

Awards typically range from 10% to 20% of the tuition fee at 13+, with offers of up to 25% in rare cases, and from 10% to 30% at 16+, with up to 35% in rare cases. Means-tested assisted places, which are bursaries awarded at the Headmaster's discretion, can be added to a scholarship and in some cases cover up to 100% of fees, with a financial circumstances form sent alongside the entry. An International Baccalaureate award, the Evans Lombe Award, can remit up to 100% of fees after means testing.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged termly and published on the school's fees page by year group, with day fees and boarding fees for 7, 5 and 3 nights, where three nights are chosen from Monday to Friday. They cover tuition and core provision, and personal accident insurance is provided free for all pupils. Optional extras are listed in a separate Fee Extras Schedule.

A registration fee is paid when registering, and the acceptance deposit varies by where the family lives, with the deposit credited against the final invoice when the child leaves. A discount applies for younger siblings and for children of Old Tauntonians, although the sibling discount is not awarded alongside other awards. Payment is made through the My School Portal, and childcare vouchers are accepted.

Where pupils join from

Pupils join from the school's own Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep, or from other schools, since the school considers children in every year group from Nursery to Year 13. Pre-Prep covers ages 4 to 7 and Prep covers ages 7 to 13, so a child entering at Reception can stay on the one campus through to the Senior School.

The pages read name no partner or feeder schools and describe no formal Prep to Senior transfer process. For 13+ and 16+ applicants from other schools, the Headmaster contacts the current Headteacher for reports and a reference once parents register. Families living overseas must name a UK-based adult guardian.

How to prepare

Preparation for the main entry points centres on the interview and the online cognitive ability test, since there are no entrance papers to practise. A visit or taster day gives a child a first look at the classrooms and boarding houses, which tends to make the interview feel more familiar. Talking through interests and favourite subjects at home helps a child describe them with enthusiasm.

For a scholarship, preparation follows the published format: Maths and English papers of 45 minutes at 13+, two one-hour subject papers at GCSE level at 16+, and prepared performances, portfolios or practical assessments in the creative and sporting categories. The scholarship booklet sets out the criteria for each award.

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• The ISEB Common Pre-Test explained
• 13+ Common Entrance explained
• The 11+ entrance exam explained
• The 7+ entrance exam explained
• 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
• What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained
• Boarding schools in the UK

Preparing for the Taunton School 13+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Taunton School 13+ 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 13+ 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 in the South and South West and further afield work with us online, 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.

Read more about our 13+ Common Entrance tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.