Westholme School 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Assessments, Scholarships and Fees

Getting into Westholme School at the main entry point, Year 7 (11+), means sitting standardised assessments in English, maths and reasoning, attending an interview at the school and providing a reference from the current Head. Reception, Year 9 (13+) and Year 12 (16+) are the other usual entry points, and the school describes its selection as a combination of academic merit, cultural fit and suitability.

The school is a co-educational day school in Pleasington, near Blackburn, and it states that no specific preparation for its entrance tests is needed. Scholarships, means-tested bursaries and a school coach network sit alongside the admissions process, and each is covered below.

Entry points and places

The usual entry points are Reception, Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Year 12 (16+), with occasional places at other ages that the Registrar can confirm. The admissions policy states that 22 pupils are admitted to Reception, 104 to Year 7 and 65 to Year 12, and it gives no figure for Year 9.

Families wanting to join in other years or part-way through a year can enquire with the Admissions Team, and mid-stream entrants usually complete two taster days after the rest of the assessment, before an offer can be made.

• Reception: 22 places
• Year 7 (11+): 104 places
• Year 9 (13+): usual entry point, number of places not published
• Year 12 (16+): 65 places

How the 11+ assessment works

The Year 7 assessment consists of standardised entry assessments in English, maths and reasoning, designed for the age group. The school does not name an external test provider, and the pages read give no paper lengths, question types or pass marks.

The school states that no specific preparation is needed and that all candidates start on an equal footing. Every candidate below Year 12 sits the same three-subject format, so the Year 9 assessment follows the same pattern, pitched at the older age group.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Admission follows a set order, starting with an online enquiry form and then an application through the school's online system, with a separate registration link for Pre-Prep, Prep, Seniors (Year 7) and the sixth form. Visits can be booked with the Registrar, and open events usually take place in the autumn term.

• Enquire online and register interest for the relevant stage
• Complete the registration form, including any scholarship or bursary interest and full details of any special educational needs or reports
• Sit the English, maths and reasoning assessments
• Attend the interview; a reference is sought from the current Head
• Receive the decision; mid-stream entrants usually complete two taster days first
• Accept by signing the Parent Contract and Acceptance Form and paying the acceptance deposit and registration fee

Interviews and references

Every candidate is interviewed as part of the assessment, apart from Reception, where the meeting is informal. A reference is sought from the Head of the candidate's current school as part of the same process.

Selection draws on the entry assessment, the interview and the school reference together. The school says it looks for pupils with interests beyond the academic curriculum, and it names music, drama, art, debating, community activities and sport among its traditions. Parents are asked to disclose any special educational needs, disabilities or allergies at the outset, ahead of the assessment.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are offered in academic study, music, drama, dance and sport, mainly at Year 7 entry, with further awards possible at Year 9 and Year 12. Academic awards range from 5% to 50% of termly tuition fees, and candidates who show academic strength in the main assessment are invited back for a further assessment, since the academic scholarship cannot be applied for. Music awards can reach 50%.

The performing arts and sport awards each have their own audition or assessment day and specialist references, and they are only awarded to pupils who have passed the entrance examination. Music candidates play two contrasting pieces and sit rhythmic and aural tests. Drama candidates perform a monologue chosen from a list of three. Dance candidates perform two contrasting solos. Sport covers hockey, netball, football, swimming, cricket, athletics and cross country, with a practical assessment and fitness tests.

The sixth form academic scholarship offers up to 25% fee remission for both years, with predicted grades of 7 to 9 in eight GCSEs and at least four at grade 8 or above. Means-tested bursaries are open to entrants to the senior school and sixth form, assessed through an online form, proof of income and assets from both parents, an independent review that may include a visit to the family home, and renewal every twelve months. The school does not publish a maximum share of fees, and bursaries and scholarships can be held together.

Fees and what they include

Fees are published per term on the school's fees page, with a lower rate for Pre-Prep and Prep, a Year 7 rate and a higher rate for Year 8 to Year 13, and the school is day only. The figures appear in the key facts above.

Tuition does not cover lunches, after-school care, music and LAMDA tuition or extracurricular activities, which are charged separately. Families pay an assessment fee, a registration fee and an acceptance deposit, of which part is deducted from the first term's fees and part is held as security and refunded on leaving if all conditions are met. Payment can be made by one annual direct debit or by three, nine or twelve instalments.

Where pupils join from

Pupils join Year 7 from Westholme's own Prep and from other primary schools, and the school publishes no list of named feeder or partner schools. Applicants from other schools provide a reference from their current Head.

The school covers ages 3 to 18, running Pre-Prep, Prep, Seniors and the sixth form on one school, so Reception, Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12 each bring in new pupils. Eleven dedicated coach routes serve the school, and families in other areas can ask the Registrar about a tailored arrangement. No catchment area is published.

Sixth form entry at 16+

Year 12 entry is conditional on the minimum requirements for sixth form entry and on the GCSE grades set for each A Level subject, since the school sets clear entry requirements subject by subject. Candidates are interviewed and a reference is sought from the current Head.

Published examples include Maths at 8 or above, Chemistry at 7 or above with Maths at 7 or above, English Literature and English Language both at 7, and Music at 6 or above with an instrument or voice at Grade 5 or 6 standard. The A Level course requirements page lists every subject, and the secretary's office handles sixth form enquiries.

How to prepare

Preparation for this process centres on the three assessed subjects and the interview, so confident work in English, maths and reasoning at the level of the current year group is the most direct form of readiness. The school states that no specific preparation is needed, which means relaxed practice with age-appropriate questions usually suffices.

For the interview, children often benefit from talking about their reading, hobbies, sport and music, since the school looks for interests beyond the curriculum. Families applying for a scholarship can plan the audition pieces, monologue or sporting record well ahead, and early contact with the Registrar usually settles questions about references, reports and bursary forms.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared
• The ISEB Common Pre-Test explained
• 13+ Common Entrance explained
• The 11+ entrance exam explained
• 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
• What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained

Preparing for the Westholme School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Westholme School 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.

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