City of London School tutors

City of London School entrance guide

City of London School educates boys aged between 10 and 18 and is located in central London near St Paul’s Cathedral. Founded in 1442, there are currently around 1000 boys at the school, many of whom transfer from City Junior School. Currently, Year 6 are educated at City Junior School (please see our separate guide) so standard entry points for City of London are 11+, 13+ and 16+, but 10+ entry is also detailed below for ease of reference as it is currently run by the Senior School. Below you will find guides to each of these entry points, alongside details of our tutors who have supported families seeking admission to City of London School. 

Open Days and Events at City of London School

City of London School regularly holds Open Afternoons and Evenings, bookable via the school website. Tickets are released in batches to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to visit, and a virtual tour is available for those unable to attend in person.

10+ Entry to City of London School

10+ entry to City of London School is a two-stage process. Following registration and completion of the application form, boys are invited to an assessment day in the Autumn term of Year 5. This consists of papers in English, Maths and Reasoning. Sample papers are available on the school website for English and Maths. The English paper comprises multiple choice comprehension questions followed by creative writing which asks the pupil to continue the story. The Maths paper is non-calculator and contains a mix of simple calculations and more complex problem-solving questions. The second stage of assessment for 10+ entry to City of London School is an interview, held in the Spring Term for boys who have passed the first stage assessments. Offers are sent out following these interviews and must be accepted promptly. 

11+ Entry to City of London School

11+ entry to City of London School is the most popular entry point, and is a three-stage process, although boys are invited to both the second and third stages once they have passed the first. In the Autumn Term of Year 6, boys are assessed in both Maths and English, with sample papers available on the school website. The English paper consists of multiple choice comprehension questions followed by a creative writing question, and the Maths paper is non-calculator and contains a mix of basic calculation and problem-solving questions. For those boys who pass this first stage, the second stage is a further assessment day, this time in Reasoning, both Verbal and Non-Verbal. These boys are also invited to attend an interview, with all three stages completed around the start of the Spring Term of Year 6. Offers are sent out based on performance at all three stages and must be accepted promptly. 

13+ Entry to City of London School

13+ entry to City of London School has four components, although all prospective pupils undertake all parts of the process. The first stage is the ISEB pre-test, which boys take in the Autumn term of Year 6 for entry in Year 9. Following this test, all candidates for 13+ entry undertake school assessments in Maths and English towards the end of the term. They are also invited for an interview at City of London School in the Spring Term, and sit Reasoning assessments (both Verbal and Non-Verbal) around the same time. As there are a number of years between assessments and start dates, City of London School makes conditional offers for 13+ entry based on continued performance at the boy’s current school and asks for an updated reference prior to confirming the place. 

16+ Entry to City of London School

16+ entry to City of London School is via entrance assessments, a reference from the boy’s current school, an interview and predicted GCSE grades. Following registration, boys are invited to assessments in the Autumn term of Year 11 in three subjects they wish to study at A-Level. Additionally, they will sit a CAT (Cognitive Ability) test which is computer-based. There is detailed additional information about each exam available on the school website. Following this assessment day, successful boys will attend an interview at the school, and offers will be made subject to GCSE grades. 

Scholarships and Bursaries at City of London School

Scholarships are available at City of London School. All scholarships are worth a nominal financial amount and are awarded up to the end of Year 11 only (not for 16+). Academic scholarships are awarded following the entrance assessments at 10+, 11+ and 13+. Music and Sport scholarships are available at 10+, 11+ and 13+ and are based on auditions and assessments which take place in the Spring Term prior to entry.

Bursaries are available at City of London School at all standard entry points and can be worth up to 100% of the fees, with extras such as uniform, compulsory trips and travel also being subsidized. Boys who require bursary support to attend the school must pass the entrance assessments prior to being considered for a bursary. Chorister bursaries at The Temple Church are also awarded for boys who successfully audition for this busy role and also attend City of London School.  

We could not have asked for a better fit for our son. Emily made him comfortable from the start and he actually enjoyed the tutoring. He is now thriving and at his new school and this is part due to the dialogue between her and his teacher. Emily is really approachable and flexible. Our son was prepared and not anxious for his 11+ exams and that owes significant debt to Emily
Abigail is great with our daughter, making the lessons engaging and helping her to understand the methods behind the answer rather than rote learning. She is able to help explain things in different ways if our daughter isn't initially able to grasp the concept.
Helen is simply an amazing tutor. She is exceptional at explaining maths and english to our son, especially when he needs a bit of extra support in specific areas. She is also extremely organised, structuring his learning around his own needs, as well as highly communicative with us as parents so that we are all on the same page. The cherry on the cake is that she is also warm, friendly, and smiley. Our son always enjoys his sessions with her, as they're joyful but have also really helped him build his skills and confidence.
Alex was great at helping our daughter feel confident before and during the 11+ by working on her less strong areas. She was also excellent at supporting the interview prep making sure she had tools to deal with any questions that came up rather than scripting answers. She was notably more confident after speaking to Alex.
Jacqueline is a fabulous tutor! She is excellent at engaging my somewhat head strong daughter and has not only picked up on her strengths, but is encouraging her to build on them which is increasing her confidence. Jacqueline’s knowledge is second to none, but what makes her wonderful has been her ability to get to know my daughter, understand her way of thinking and adapt a teaching style that brings out her best work. I trust Jacqueline 100% and no longer sit in on my daughters sessions. I leave them to it as I know Jacqueline has the experience and level of expectation that is needed to help my daughter reach her full potential.