Thomas's College 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Assessment, Interview and Fees

You get into Thomas's College by registering for 11+ entry into Year 7, 13+ entry into Year 9 or 16+ entry into the Sixth Form, then completing the school's own assessment. At 11+ and 13+ that assessment has three parts: a Knowledge element evidenced by ISEB Pre-Tests or CAT4 scores, a one-hour Skills paper, and a personal interview for shortlisted candidates. Families apply for 11+ or 13+ and not both, and every candidate is assessed in Year 6.

Sixth form applicants follow a different route made up of a 30-minute viva, an extended interview and a piece of marked work. The school takes day pupils and, from Year 9, weekly and flexi boarders, and its admissions team answers questions at college@thomas-s.co.uk.

Entry points and places

Standard entry is at 11+ into Year 7, 13+ into Year 9 and 16+ into the Sixth Form, with 11+ as the main route. The Year 7 intake is published as 88 places. Year 9 entry is offered as deferred entry, and the admissions pages give no number of places for it, so the admissions team is the source for that figure.

Occasional places may arise in every year group except the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth. Those candidates follow the same assessment and selection criteria as 11+ and 13+ entry, adjusted for age, with a separate registration deadline and an assessment in the late winter for entry the following September.

The school cannot sponsor international students, and applicants who are not UK or Irish citizens must show proof of the right to live in the UK or an equivalent visa status.

• 11+: Year 7, 88 places
• 13+: Year 9, deferred entry, assessed in Year 6
• 16+: Sixth Form, viva, interview and marked work
• Occasional places: all year groups except the Lower and Upper Sixth

How the 11+ and 13+ assessment works

The assessment has three parts: a Knowledge element, a Skills paper and a personal interview. Knowledge is evidenced by either ISEB Pre-Test results or CAT4 scores, and only one of the two is needed. ISEB Pre-Tests are sat at the child's current school or at a designated ISEB test centre, whilst CAT4 scores are accepted where the current school ran the test within the window the school specifies. An ISEB applicant ID is due by the registration deadline.

The Skills paper lasts one hour and contains three open-ended questions covering English and use of language, mathematical thinking and scientific reasoning. A sample paper and mark scheme are published on the school's website, and the school says the assessment looks at the whole candidate, avoids abstract puzzles, and requires no special preparation.

Candidates who perform strongly in the Knowledge and Skills parts are shortlisted for the interview. The same assessment applies to 13+ applicants, who are likewise assessed in Year 6 for entry into Year 9.

• Part 1, Knowledge: ISEB Pre-Tests or CAT4 scores
• Part 2, Skills: one hour, three open-ended questions
• Part 3, Personal interview: small group, for shortlisted candidates

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration for 11+ and 13+ entry is online through the school's OpenApply portal and closes in the autumn of Year 6. Registering needs a non-refundable registration fee and a scan or photo of the child's passport. Educational psychologist reports and usual ways of working documents are due by the same deadline, and early submission is encouraged so that the Learning Enrichment team can plan the assessment day.

Families first complete an enquiry form to be invited to an open event. The school does not offer private tours because of demand, and sibling relationships are considered thoughtfully although there is no formal sibling policy.

• Step 1: complete the enquiry form and attend an open event
• Step 2: register online with the passport scan and registration fee
• Step 3: submit any educational psychologist reports or usual ways of working documents by the deadline
• Step 4: arrange ISEB Pre-Tests or CAT4 scores through the current school, and sit the Skills paper
• Step 5: attend the interview if shortlisted
• Step 6: receive the decision by email, which arrives in February for 11+ and 13+ entry
• Step 7: accept the place by the deadline in early March, with a deposit payable on acceptance

Interviews and references

The 11+ and 13+ interview is a small group session in which trained staff observe and interview candidates through activities, and the format changes each admissions round. The school states that there are no right answers, which makes the session an opportunity for candidates to show how they think and work with others.

At 16+ the interview is longer and also held in small groups, focusing on values, ways of thinking and readiness for the Sixth Form. Sixth form applicants are asked for predicted GCSE grades and a reference from their current school where available, and the marked piece of work they submit must have been marked by a teacher there.

How the 16+ assessment works

Sixth form entry combines a viva, an interview, a submission and, where available, GCSE predictions with a school reference. The viva is a 30-minute one-to-one spoken examination with a subject expert, and candidates choose a subject they are passionate about, typically one they plan to pursue at A Level.

The submission is a piece of marked work, marked by a teacher at the applicant's current school, in their own handwriting or undertaken by them if they are a keyboard user. Registration closes in the autumn, assessments run over two days in November, decisions are emailed afterwards and a later deadline applies for accepting a place.

The published page lists no minimum GCSE grades, no number of places and no offer conditions, so applicants who need those details can ask the admissions team.

Scholarships and bursaries

The school offers Thomas's Scholarships, Master's Awards and means-tested funding. Thomas's Scholarships are awarded automatically to top performers in the selection assessments at 11+, 13+ and 16+, with no separate registration, and most are expected to carry a remission of 10% to 20% of tuition fees.

Master's Awards come in two levels, Exhibitions and Master's Awards, and recognise sport, drama, music, art and dance at 11+ and 13+. At 16+ they also cover charity and community, computing and engineering, with leadership opportunities attached. Applicants apply by the registration deadline, submit Stage 1 supporting evidence by a later deadline, and attend Master's Award assessments in January.

Means-tested funding of up to 100% of fees is available to Thomas's Scholarship holders, and the school describes its aim as needs-blind access. The pages publish no separate bursary scheme or eligibility criteria. Sibling discounts of 1.5% for a second child, 5% for a third and 10% for a fourth or later child apply to families with children attending at the same time.

Fees and what they include

Tuition is charged per term at one rate for Years 7 and 8 and a higher rate for Years 9 to 13, with a compulsory lunch charge added and VAT included. The amounts are published on the school's fees page and are reviewed annually. Weekly boarding is charged per term for Fifth and Sixth Form pupils, and flexi boarding is charged per night.

Tuition covers art, computing, drama, music and sport within the curriculum, a programme of educational day trips and the shuttle bus between the school and Richmond Station. Public exam fees are charged at the exam board's cost and carry no VAT. Clubs run by school staff are free, whilst some external specialist clubs such as riding, chess and golf cost extra.

Optional music lessons, expeditions and residential trips are billed in arrears at the end of each term, and an optional Home-to-College coach service is charged separately. A non-refundable registration fee is paid at registration and a deposit is payable on acceptance, with refund conditions set out in the parent contract. Fees fall due on or before the first day of term, and withdrawal needs a term's notice or a term's fees in lieu.

Where pupils join from

The admissions pages name no junior or prep school attached to the school and list no feeder schools, so 11+ and 13+ candidates register as individual applicants and arrange the Knowledge element through their current school or an ISEB test centre.

The school belongs to Thomas's London Day Schools, whose sister schools in Battersea, Clapham, Fulham and Kensington are linked from the website, although the admissions pages describe a single registration and assessment process. They also mention no catchment area, and selection rests on the assessment.

How to prepare

Preparation starts with the Knowledge element, so families should ask the current school early whether it will run ISEB Pre-Tests or CAT4, and register an ISEB applicant ID if the Pre-Tests are the route. Where the school cannot offer either, a designated ISEB test centre is the alternative named by the admissions pages.

For the one-hour Skills paper, working through the published sample paper and mark scheme shows how the three open-ended questions in English, mathematical thinking and scientific reasoning are marked. Practising explaining reasoning in full sentences and showing working tends to help, and the school itself says no special preparation is needed.

For the interview, practise discussing ideas in a small group, listening to others and building on their points, since there are no right answers. Sixth form applicants can choose the viva subject early, select a piece of handwritten marked work, and think through their reasons for choosing the courses they want to study.

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Preparing for the Thomas's College 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Thomas's College 11+ usually come to us a year or so before the assessment, though shorter runs work where the foundations are already sound. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors build each programme around the format the school actually uses, whether a written paper, an online pre-test, an interview or a combination of them.

More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, so the preparation is led by people who know how selective schools assess. 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.

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