Wycombe Abbey

Entry points and who can apply

Wycombe Abbey is a girls' school, mostly boarding, with a limited number of day places for girls living within 15 miles. Its main entry points for younger girls are 11+ and 13+, and there is a third route, 13+ deferred, which sits inside the 11+ process.

Registration for September 2027 entry has closed, so this guide is mainly for families applying for later entry. The deadline is 1 June in the calendar year before entry (the school's rule): for September 2028 entry, that is Tuesday 1 June 2027.

• 11+ (Year 7). You register by 1 June in Year 5. Your daughter sits the assessments in Year 6 and joins in Year 7.
• 13+ deferred (Year 9). This is for girls at UK prep schools that continue to the end of Year 8. Your daughter goes through the 11+ process in Year 6, so you register by 1 June in Year 5. If she accepts a deferred offer, she stays at her prep school and joins at the start of Year 9. The school says it awards about 15 deferred places each year.
• 13+ (Year 9). You register by 1 June in Year 7. Most girls aiming for Year 9 take this route and are assessed in Year 8.

The registration fee is £420 and non-refundable. Places occasionally come up in other year groups; the school asks families to contact the Admissions Team about these.

The assessment: what your daughter will sit

Every route starts with the online ISEB Common Pre-Test. Your daughter sits it at her current school, a recognised test centre in the UK or a local British Council office. The school's Admissions team sends you the information you need, and the results go to the school automatically. The school does not describe the Pre-Test's content.

11+ and 13+ deferred: assessment day in November of Year 6

After the Pre-Test, your daughter spends a day at Wycombe Abbey. The school says all candidates must come in person, including those from overseas.

The school also asks for a reference from your daughter's current school. It says sample questions are sent out in the autumn term. For 2027 entry, the assessment day is Thursday 19 November 2026. The school's pages give two timings for the 11+ Pre-Test: "by November" and a 1 December 2026 deadline. Aim to sit it before the assessment day, and check with the admissions team.

13+: Pre-Test in the autumn, assessment day in January of Year 8

The 13+ route has a filter. Your daughter sits the Pre-Test by October of Year 8, and the school asks her current school for a reference before then. The Headmistress, the Deputy Head (Academic) and the Director of Admissions review the scores and reference, and invite selected girls to the second stage.

At the January assessment day, your daughter sits papers in English, maths and humanities, plus a practical science assessment, and has an individual interview with a senior member of staff. There are optional papers in French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese, and in Latin and Greek. The school says the papers are its own, written by its Heads of Department, and "of a standard which will enable us to identify scholars". It does not publish timings for these papers. Specimen papers are available from the Admissions team once your daughter has been invited to the second stage.

What this means in practice

• Decide the route early. The 11+ and deferred routes share one deadline in Year 5 and one assessment day in Year 6. If you want a deferred place, you are applying two years before the main 13+ route.
• Not every 13+ girl reaches the assessment day. At 11+, all registered candidates go on to the assessment day. At 13+, only selected girls do.

Offers and the next stage

At 11+, the school makes firm offers and waiting list offers in December, based on the entrance papers, interview and group activity. For 2027 entry, it says offers come before Christmas 2026.

Selected 11+ girls with a firm offer are then invited to the Scholarship Examinations in the January of the year of entry: papers in English, maths, science and humanities, plus a language aptitude test. For 2027 entry these are on Thursday 28 January 2027. The school says sample papers for these are not available.

At 13+, firm offers, waiting list offers and scholarships are decided together after the January assessment day. The school's pages give timings from January to early February; for 2027 entry, its dates list says offers are made by Tuesday 2 February 2027. Check with the admissions team if you need a firm date.

For every route, you accept the place and pay a £3,500 acceptance deposit by early March. The school's bursary policy says the deposit is waived for girls receiving a 100% bursary.

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

From September 2026, fees are £21,500 a term for boarding and £16,400 a term for day girls.

The school offers means-tested bursaries of up to 100% of fees at entry to Years 7, 9 and 12. Its bursary policy says a family with combined disposable income below £30,000 may be eligible for up to 100%, and a family with combined gross income above £150,000 may not qualify. The assessment covers income and assets, including the family home. Bursaries are normally only for families permanently resident in the UK, and are reviewed every year.

• Say you need a bursary when you register.
• Apply by 1 September in the calendar year before entry (the school's rule). For September 2028 entry, that is Wednesday 1 September 2027. The school says late applications will not be considered.
• If the £420 registration fee is a difficulty and you are applying for a full bursary, the school invites you to talk to the Director of Admissions.

Scholarships carry prestige but limited money. Academic scholarships are worth up to 5% of fees a year, and academic exhibitions £600 a year, at both 11+ and 13+. Music scholarships, exhibitions and choral awards give free instrumental or voice tuition. As a guide, the school looks for at least Grade 5 on the first instrument at 11+ and Grade 6 at 13+. Music applications, with a short video recording, are due before 1 October in the year before entry (the school's rule), so applications for 2027 entry have closed. Auditions follow in January (and, at 11+, possibly February).

How to prepare

The school is clear that your daughter does not need to prepare. It says the assessment is not something you pass or fail, and should not be a source of anxiety. The steps below are mostly about organisation.

1. Register on time. The deadline is 1 June in the year before entry (the school's rule), and for 11+ and deferred entry that falls in Year 5. Put it in the calendar now.
2. Choose between 11+, deferred 13+ and 13+. Talk to your daughter's prep school about whether it runs to Year 8, since the deferred route depends on that.
3. Visit. The school recommends Open Mornings from Year 4 for 11+ and in Year 6 for 13+. It also runs Coffee Mornings each term; places are limited.
4. Raise any learning needs early. The admissions policy advises you to speak to the Director of Admissions before the assessment day, with an up-to-date educational psychologist's or medical report if you want extra time or other arrangements.
5. Use the school's own materials. At 11+, look through the sample questions sent in the autumn term. At 13+, ask for specimen papers once she is invited to the second stage.
6. Know the length of the papers. The 11+ English and maths papers are an hour each. You may want her to have some experience of working on one paper for that long.
7. Keep the interview in perspective. The school says it is looking for "engaged, motivated girls with potential" who will enjoy contributing to all areas of school life, and that no preparation is necessary for any part of the 11+ assessment day.

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