The Oratory School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Registration and Fees

Entry to The Oratory School at 11+ is by the school's own Year 7 Assessment Day, held in January before entry, combining a Cognitive Ability Test (CAT), an English paper, a Maths paper and an observed group activity; a place is normally offered within two weeks of the assessment. Families register a child in Year 5 or Year 6, after which the school sends details of taster days and open events ahead of the January assessment.

The school is mixed and Roman Catholic in character, set in Woodcote in South Oxfordshire, and takes both day and boarding pupils from Year 7 through to the Sixth Form, with further entry points at 13+ and 16+. Alongside the entrance assessment, the Oratory runs scholarship assessments in the same January round and offers means-tested bursaries to 11+ applicants.

How entry to Year 7 works

Pupils join the Oratory's senior school mainly at 11+ into Year 7, with further entry points at 13+ into Year 9 and 16+ into the Sixth Form. The school is mixed and Roman Catholic in character, taking day and boarding pupils from Woodcote in South Oxfordshire. Registration for Year 7 places opens while a child is in Year 5 or Year 6, and families then receive information about taster days and open events ahead of the January Assessment Day.

What the 11+ assessment involves

The 11+ assessment takes place over a single Assessment Day, held in January before entry, and combines a Cognitive Ability Test (CAT), an English paper, a Maths paper and an observed group activity. The Entrance Exam and any scholarship assessments are completed in the spring term of Year 6, with a place normally offered within two weeks of the assessment. The group activity sits alongside the written papers, giving staff a view of how a child works with peers.

Registration and the admissions process, step by step

Registration is the first formal step, completed while a child is in Year 5 or Year 6 by submitting a registration form and paying the registration fee.

• Register the child and pay the registration fee, in Year 5 or Year 6
• Attend open mornings, a personal tour or taster days to see the school
• Sit the Assessment Day in January before entry: CAT, English, Maths and a group activity
• Receive a decision, normally within two weeks of the assessment
• Accept the place and pay the acceptance deposit, which is later credited against fees

Scholarships, bursaries and other financial support

The Oratory School awards merit-based scholarships for Academic, Art, Drama, Music and Sport, decided at the Head Master's discretion and open to candidates at 11+. A standard scholarship carries a 10% fee remission, with exhibitions set at 5%; higher remission may be awarded at the Headmaster's discretion. Means-tested bursaries are available to applicants at any entry point, including 11+, assessed independently by Bursary Administration Limited once a family has registered and activated the online bursary portal; holding a bursary does not rule out also holding a scholarship.

Other reductions include a sibling discount for a third and subsequent child, an Old Oratorian discount for alumni parents, and a minimum subsidy on boarding fees for service families claiming the Continuity of Education Allowance.

How to prepare for the assessment

Preparation for the Oratory's 11+ Assessment Day works best across the two written papers and the less familiar CAT and group elements. Regular practice with Year 6 level English comprehension and composition, and Maths reasoning and arithmetic, builds the fluency the papers reward, while short, low-pressure exposure to verbal and non-verbal reasoning style questions helps a child recognise CAT question formats without feeling caught out on the day. The group activity is observed for how a child works with others, so practising calm listening and contribution in unfamiliar group settings tends to matter more than rehearsed answers.

Day and boarding options at 11+

Year 7 pupils can join as day pupils or as boarders, with full and weekly boarding both available from the start of the senior school. Fees, covering tuition, meals and standard facilities, are published for each year group on the school's fees page and reviewed for each academic year, alongside separate charges for items such as additional boarding nights or exam entries. Financial assistance, through scholarships, bursaries and family discounts, is set out on the school's admissions pages and confirmed individually by the Admissions Office.

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Preparing for the Oratory School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Oratory 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.

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