Wellingborough School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Registration and Fees

Entry to Wellingborough School at 11+, for Year 7, is decided through registration, an entrance assessment and a reference from the child's current school, after which the school makes an offer of a place. The school is an independent, co-educational day school taking pupils from Nursery through to Sixth Form, and Year 7 is one of its main entry points alongside Year 3, Year 9 and 16+.

Because Year 7 draws a large number of registrations, the school holds several Entrance Assessment Days across the admissions cycle, with additional ad hoc testing available in term time for families applying outside the main window.

How 11+ entry works

As an independent school, Wellingborough sets its own admissions criteria, so entry to Year 7 depends on the entrance assessment and a reference from the child's current school, with no catchment area involved. The school's main entry points are Nursery, Reception, Year 3, Year 7, Year 9 and Sixth Form, and it also welcomes new joiners at other ages where places allow. Entrance Assessment Days for Year 7 run across several months, reflecting the volume of applications the school receives, and further ad hoc assessment dates are offered during term time.

• Nursery and Reception
• Year 3
• Year 7 (11+)
• Year 9 (13+)
• Sixth Form (16+)

How the 11+ assessment is structured

The Year 7 entrance assessment is built around a Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT), the same set of results the school also uses to identify candidates for its Academic Scholarship. Alongside the test, applicants attend a taster day with current pupils, giving them a feel for lessons and school life on the same visit as their assessment.

A place is offered once the assessment has been completed and the school has received a reference from the child's current school. The admissions pages do not describe a separate interview for standard Year 7 applicants, though scholarship candidates are interviewed as part of their own selection process.

Registering and the admissions process, step by step

Registration is the first step, and the school encourages families to register well ahead of entry, noting that many register several years in advance so they can be kept informed of admissions events and testing dates. From registration, the process runs in a set order.

• Register with the admissions team and pay the registration fee
• Attend an Entrance Assessment Day: sit the CAT-based assessment and join a taster day with current pupils
• The school requests a reference from the child's current school
• A place is offered once the assessment and reference have been reviewed
• Families accept the offer and pay a deposit to secure the place

Scholarships at 11+

Wellingborough School offers scholarships at 11+ across five areas: Academic, Art (including photography), Drama, Music and Sport. Academic Scholarships are decided from Cognitive Abilities Test results, using the scores generated during the standard entrance assessment, so no separate exam is required.

Standard scholarships at 11+ do not carry a fee remission. A separate Headmaster's Scholarship, offering a fee remission with means-tested support available up to full fees, applies only at Sixth Form entry.

• Art: a portfolio submitted ahead of the admissions event, followed by a panel discussion of the candidate's work
• Drama: two contrasting monologues, one prepared and one sight-read, followed by a short interview
• Music: two contrasting pieces at around Grade 3 standard, aural and sight-reading tests, and a short interview with the music department
• Sport: practical skills sessions and competitive play, alongside details of the candidate's current standard and achievements

Bursaries and financial assistance

The school offers means-tested bursaries covering between 10 and 100 percent of tuition fees, aimed mainly at entry to the Senior School in Year 7 or Sixth Form. Applications are assessed on the family's financial circumstances, the child's academic ability, and the pupil's age, since the school favours applicants it can support through to the end of their schooling.

Families apply after registering their child, by contacting the Bursar's office, and are then invited to complete an application through a secure online portal. A bursary can be combined with a scholarship, though the funds available are limited and demand tends to exceed them, so timely application matters; the school asks that completed applications for September entry arrive by the end of October in the preceding year.

Fees for Year 7 entry

Termly tuition fees for Years 7 and 8 are set out, with VAT added, on the school's published fee schedule, alongside separate charges for items such as lunches, individual music tuition and learning support. Wellingborough offers a discount for fees paid in full at the start of the academic year, together with sibling discounts for third and subsequent children, and a monthly instalment option through its fee plan provider.

A registration fee is payable when a child is registered, and is not refunded, and a deposit is due once a place is accepted; non-UK residents are asked for a deposit equivalent to one term's fees. Exact figures are published on the school's fees page and fee schedule.

How to prepare for the 11+ assessment

Since the Year 7 assessment centres on a Cognitive Abilities Test, preparation works best when it builds general reasoning confidence across question types, alongside ordinary reading and maths practice appropriate to the end of Year 6. Familiarity with the format of a computer-based reasoning test, including working at a set pace on screen, tends to help more than last-minute cramming.

The taster day that accompanies the assessment is also part of the process, so a calm, rested child who can talk about their current school confidently, ready for the reference that follows, is better placed than one who has focused solely on the test itself. Families applying outside the main Entrance Assessment Days can ask about the ad hoc testing dates the school offers during term time.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Wellingborough School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Wellingborough School 11+ 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 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.