St Mary’s School Ascot entrance guide
St Mary’s Ascot is a small Catholic boarding school catering for around 400 girls aged between 11-18. Situated around 45 minutes from London in Berkshire, the school has a few ‘day boarders’ who live locally, but most girls are full boarders, and almost all come from a Catholic background. The school has three standard entry points at 11+, 13+ and 16+, although due to its size very few new pupils are admitted at 16+. Below you can find our guide to St Mary’s Ascot and details of our tutors who have supported families seeking admission there.
Open Days and Events at St Mary’s Ascot
There are four Open Mornings per academic year at St Mary’s Ascot, bookable directly with the school. These take place on a Saturday and consist of a concert, a guided tour, a talk from the Headmistress and a chance to meet staff.
11+ Entry to St Mary's Ascot
11+ entry to St Mary’s Ascot is by entrance assessment, which takes place in the late Autumn Term of Year 6. Although specimen papers are not available, the school does provide extra information to parents of girls who have registered for the test. There are three papers: English, Maths and a General paper, and a sports session. The General paper is likely to include verbal and non-verbal reasoning style questions. There will also be a short interview with a senior member of staff. Following these assessments, offers of places are sent out three weeks later and must be accepted promptly.
13+ Entry to St Mary's Ascot
13+ entry to St Mary’s Ascot is by entrance assessments, which are similar to Common Entrance and taken in the Spring Term of Year 8. Girls spend two days and one night at the school and sit a range of papers, including English, Maths, Science, RS, Latin, and optional subjects depending on which language they are currently studying. There will also be a short interview with a senior member of staff. Following these assessments, offers of places are sent out three weeks later and must be accepted promptly.
16+ Entry to St Mary's Ascot
16+ entry to St Mary’s Ascot is by entrance assessments and interview. Girls take a general paper and also have interviews with senior staff from the departments they are planning on studying in at A-Level. A further interview will also take place with the Headmistress and Head of Sixth Form. Offers may be conditional on GCSE grades.
Scholarships and Bursaries at St Mary's Ascot
Scholarships are available at St Mary’s Ascot at all entry points, 11+, 13+ and 16+. Academic scholarships are awarded based solely on the entrance assessments and are worth 5% of fees. In addition, an ‘all-rounder’ scholarship is available at both 11+ and 13+ for one student at both entry points, and an Art scholarship at 11+, 13+ and 16+. A Music scholarship is awarded at 11+ and 13+ and a Sports scholarship at 13+ only. Scholarship assessments for these take place in the Spring Term prior to joining.
Bursaries are available at St Mary’s Ascot for those families who would otherwise be unable to access the education provided by the school. These can be worth up to 110% of the boarding fee, thereby including extras such as uniform and trips. Further information, including an application form, is available from the school.
