The Stephen Perse Foundation School Entrance Guide

There are open days throughout the year at The Stephen Perse Foundation schools, which are all bookable via the school website. Different schools offer different dates, and these are tailored towards various entry points. Virtual tours of all seven schools are also available on the main Foundation website. 

7+ (Year 3) entry is possible to two of the schools in The Stephen Perse Foundation, Fitzwilliam and Dame Bradbury’s. For both these schools, prospective pupils will spend a day in school and undertake assessments in English, Maths and Non-verbal Reasoning. There will also be an interview with a senior member of staff. Following the assessment day, offers are sent out promptly. 

11+ (Year 7) entry is possible to the Senior School, which caters for ages 11-16. This is a two-stage process. The first stage is for your child to sit a CAT4 (Cognitive Ability Test) exam, which is done remotely in the Autumn term of Year 6 (a website address and code is supplied to ensure the correct level is chosen). CAT4 exams consist of a number of sections including verbal, non-verbal and maths-based questions. Following this, successful candidates will pass through to the second stage of the process, undertaken early in the Spring term, which involves an assessment day at the school. Pupils will sit English and Maths assessments and will also undertake a group activity and have an interview. Following this, offers are made and must be accepted promptly.

16+ Entry to The Stephen Perse Foundation

16+ entry to the Sixth Form is another potential entry point to The Stephen Perse Foundation. As with 11+ entry, the first stage of this process is a CAT4 test (tailored to the child’s current age). This is undertaken on site at the Sixth Form, and successful candidates are then invited for interview the same day. Offers of places are made subject to the achievement of specific GCSE grades and are therefore conditional until results day. 

Academic scholarships are available at 11+ and 16+, based on the results of the CAT4 tests described above. These are worth 5% of the fees. At 11+, it is also possible to apply for a music or sports scholarship, both of which have their own assessment process in the Spring term. 16+ applicants are able to apply for a wider range of scholarships, including art, music, drama, sport and a ‘foundation award’, which recognizes overall achievement. There are also scholarship available at 13+, largely for internal candidates. 

Bursaries are available at The Stephen Perse Foundation at 7+, 11+ and 16+ for those families who would otherwise be unable to afford the fees. Full details are available on the school website; financial assistance must be applied for at the time of registration and includes a home visit to assess income and expenditure.