St Albans School

Entry points and who can apply

St Albans School is an 11 to 18 school. Its sixth form has taken girls since 1991, and it took girls into Year 7 for the first time in September 2026. Girls join Year 9 from 2028, so who can apply depends on the entry point.

• 11+ (Year 7), boys and girls. About 80 places each year. The school says it usually sees about 300 candidates for them.
• 11+ deferred entry (joins Year 9), boys and girls. Your child sits the same 11+ assessment in Year 6, but starts in Year 9. This route is designed for children at prep schools that run to Year 8. Once you accept, the place is secure without further entrance tests, as long as your child stays at their current school and keeps up good progress and conduct. The school asks for reports in Years 7 and 8.
• 13+ (Year 9), for September 2027. About 60 to 70 places each year. Girls join Year 9 from 2028; check with admissions whether 13+ entry in September 2027 is open to girls.

You apply online through the school's OpenApply portal, and the registration deadline for September 2027 entry is Friday 13 November 2026 for both 11+ and 13+. The fee is £150 plus VAT and is non-refundable. Once you apply, the school asks your child's current school for a confidential academic reference. If your child needs extra time, say so when you apply. Families overseas can ask about sitting the test at their current school or a test centre.

Beechwood Park School joined together with St Albans School in January 2026. The school says Beechwood Park pupils will have a preferential admissions process, subject to criteria, and that it will keep welcoming applicants from other state and independent schools.

The assessment: what your child will sit

The 11+ test is taken online at St Albans School on Saturday 5 December 2026. Children with access arrangements, or a clash with another school's test, sit it on Tuesday 8 December 2026. The 13+ test uses the same six sections and is on Friday 11 December 2026.

The school says the test is bespoke for St Albans School, based on the National Curriculum, and uses a mix of adaptive and non-adaptive sections. The school's guidance gives 1 hour 45 minutes, in two parts with a short break between them; it does not give separate 13+ timings.

The guidance says what each section covers. Maths tests arithmetic and mathematical reasoning. English tests reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Non-verbal reasoning is spatial and visual. Verbal reasoning covers vocabulary, pattern-spotting and logic. Puzzles and problem solving asks for multi-step problems worked through with maths. Creative comprehension asks children to read a set of written sources and graphs on one theme, pick out information and draw a conclusion.

What this means in practice

• No going back in adaptive sections. In maths and both reasoning sections your child cannot skip, go back or change an answer, so it helps to check each one before moving on.
• Sections are short. Four of the six last 10 to 20 minutes. A timer on screen shows the time left in each section, and approved extra time is added to it automatically.
• Typing is light. Most questions are multiple choice, with a few single-word or number answers. Your child may use scrap paper and a pen or pencil, but no calculator, ruler or dictionary.

Interview and the decision

At 11+, children who do well in the online test are invited back for a short individual interview with a member of staff. The school says families will hear by the first Friday after the test, and the interview day is Tuesday 5 January 2027. Elsewhere on the same page the school describes second-round "call back sessions" with two trial lessons in small groups, while parents tour the school. Ask the admissions team which format applies this year. The school says there is no need to prepare for the interview.

At 13+, every candidate has a one-to-one interview on the assessment day itself.

On its co-education page, the school says it places "great weight" on how candidates interview and on the reference from their current school, and takes "a holistic view of each applicant".

Offers for both 11+ and 13+ are made on Friday 12 February 2027, with an offer holder evening on Tuesday 23 February 2027. The deadline to accept is Wednesday 3 March 2027 for 11+ and Friday 26 February 2027 for 13+.

There is also a 12+ route for September 2028 entry. In May of Year 7, children for whom St Albans is first choice can sit a preliminary online assessment and interview. The 2027 dates are Thursday 6 and Tuesday 11 May 2027.

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

Bursaries are means-tested and can cover up to 100% of tuition fees. The school says awards are unlikely to be less than 40%, and are usually between 40% and 100%. Its bursary policy says a gross family income above £100,000 (a figure indexed to fee rises since 2024), significant savings, or a second property are likely to rule an application out. It also gives preference to families living locally.

Tuition from September 2026 is £10,152 a term including VAT (£25,380 a year before VAT). Lunch in Years 7 to 10 is extra, at £5.72 a day. The school's fees page does not mention an acceptance deposit.

If you want a bursary, contact the admissions team before you apply and say so on the registration form. Bursary Administration Limited assesses the finances for the school, forms are usually due in December, and home visits take place in the second week of January. The school says it does not normally consider new bursary applications once offers are made. Awards are reviewed every year.

Scholarships typically carry a fee reduction of 5% to 25%. At 11+ they are offered in academic work, music, choral singing, sport, drama, and creative and technical subjects (art, creative writing or design and technology). Every applicant is automatically considered for an academic scholarship, which the school awards to the top-performing candidates. The other scholarships have their own assessment days across January 2027. At 13+ the areas are the same except choral singing, and academic scholarship papers are sat on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 January 2027.

How to prepare

The school's guidance says children will not need any special tuition or intensive practice, because the test covers what they learn in Key Stage 2.

1. Try the familiarisation test. The school recommends it for every candidate, and it is linked from the admissions page. It shows examples of the types of questions your child might see.
2. Secure Key Stage 2 maths. The maths section tests arithmetic and mathematical reasoning.
3. Read widely, including non-fiction with charts and graphs. Creative comprehension draws on several sources around one theme. Talk about what each source says and what they add up to.
4. Look after spelling, punctuation and grammar. The English section tests them directly.
5. Practise short timed sections. Work on each type against its own clock, and get used to checking an answer before moving on, as the adaptive sections don't let you go back.
6. Don't prepare for the interview. The school says "There is no need for any preparation."
7. Plan scholarships early. If your child might apply for music, sport, drama or a creative subject, note the January dates and read the school's scholarships booklet.

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