Sevenoaks School tutors

Sevenoaks School entrance guide

Educating around 1200 students in a prime commuter town just thirty minutes from central London, Sevenoaks School is a proud winner of numerous awards for its co-educational and IB provision in particular. Indeed, the International Baccalaureate is the only option at Sixth Form. Sevenoaks School was founded in the 15th Century and counts many well-known academics amongst its alumni. Catering for both boarders and day pupils, Sevenoaks School is popular with local families and as it is only half an hour from London Gatwick, also has many international students. Entry is competitive, with around three prospective pupils for every place at each entry point, 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) and 16+ (Year 12). Boarding is available for both girls and boys from Year 9 only, with day places available from Year 7.

Open days and events at Sevenoaks School

There are a number of options available if you wish to visit Sevenoaks School. For international families, there are online, virtual tours available, alongside videos on the school website which showcase different entry points and pupil experiences. There is a school-wide open day each Summer, bookable on the website, which offers tours, talks and taster activities. Additionally, prospective families are able to visit on Saturdays for an open morning; these specific dates also need to be booked on the website. Individual visits are also possible for those who cannot attend on Saturdays.

11+ Entry to Sevenoaks School

Prospective families hoping to apply for their child to sit the 11+ entry to Sevenoaks School need to register at least a year in advance. The assessment day takes place in the January of Year 6 and involves Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning assessments, alongside some group activities and interviews. Sevenoaks publishes past papers on its website – the format of these changes regularly, especially for the English paper. The Maths paper is non-calculator and includes some stretch and challenge questions designed to identify academic scholars, who do not need to sit another exam. Following the assessment day, offers are sent out in February.

13+ Entry to Sevenoaks School

13+ entry to Sevenoaks School is possible for both day and boarding pupils, meaning this entry point is popular for international families. Registration is necessary two years in advance, and the assessment day is held in the Summer Term of Year 7. There are Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning papers, with Maths and English past papers available on the school website. Again, as with the 11+ exams, the format for these papers changes regularly, and the exams are designed to identify potential academic scholars, who will then be invited back to sit further exams the following year. Following the assessment day, offers are sent out by the end of the school year.

16+ Entry to Sevenoaks School

16+ entry to Sevenoaks School is a popular entry point, with pupils coming from both UK and international families. Applications need to be made at least a year in advance of the proposed

start date, and the entrance exams are held in the Autumn Term of Year 11. All sixth form students at Sevenoaks School follow the IB programme, so they must take specific entrance exams in English Literature, Thinking Skills (with some subject options contained within the paper), Maths and Science. There is also an interview, which the school aims to have on the same day as the exams. Following this, some pupils will be invited to sit scholarship exams soon afterwards, and all offers, including scholarships, are sent out by the end of the Autumn Term.

Scholarships and Bursaries at Sevenoaks School

Scholarships are available at Sevenoaks School for entry at 11+, 13+ and 16+. However, it is worth noting that there is no fee remission for scholarships, with the exception of music scholars, who receive some free music tuition. Academic scholarship candidates at 11+ are assessed on the basis of their entrance exams, whereas 13+ and 16+ candidates will sit a specific academic scholarship exam, to which they will be invited by the school. There is an exception for 13+ pupils applying directly from a UK prep school; they are nominated by their school, rather than being selected by Sevenoaks. Music scholarships are available at 11+, 13+ and 16+; Drama, Sport and Art scholarships are only available at 13+ and 16+, although internal candidates can apply for these. There are staged processes for each scholarship application which are detailed on the school website.

Bursaries are available at Sevenoaks School for day pupils only. There is a detailed policy available on the school website with a staged application process.

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.