Candidates are requested to report to the college for 9.30am and entry to the building will be from no earlier than 9.00am. Candidates should wear their current school uniform and should bring a pen, two pencils, eraser and ruler. Candidates for Years 9 and 10 (13+ and 14+) should bring a calculator and protractor and the relevant language dictionary.

Candidates sit papers in English and Maths and for those looking at Year 9 and 10 a language paper. The papers vary in length from 45 minutes to 1 hour. All candidates also sit a 50 minute online assessment which includes Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning, appropriate to their age and year of entry.

The day is planned to give plenty of time between the exams for breaks, a hot lunch and time to play outside if the weather allows.

More information is available in our Admissions and Entrance Exams Booklet.

The online assessment is provided by Durham University’s Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM). The test is designed to enable all children to demonstrate their academic potential without the need for excessive preparation.

For more information on the online assessment please visit the CEM website at;

https://www.intuproject.org/CEMSelect/fam/CSFamiliarisation.html

(If you experience difficulties opening this link please try Internet Explorer.)

There are no practice papers available for the online assessment. CEM advises parents that children can best prepare for their online assessment by learning to work quietly on their own, completing homework set by their school, and by reading and making sure they understand all the words in any books they read. Children should also, wherever possible, be encouraged to try to solve problems by looking things up for themselves. Children should be familiar with using a keyboard and a mouse including the ability to click, drag and slide with a mouse.

All children with a SEND will need to be assessed by a member of our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Team prior to the entrance exams taking place. Please ensure the admissions team receive the registration form in good time, to enable this important appointment to take place.

Children with a special educational need or disability may be considered for access arrangements in the entrance examinations. Any access arrangements will usually be based on the child’s normal way of working in their current educational environment, for which evidence will be required.

After the Entrance Examinations are marked the Admissions Panel sits to discuss applications. The Panel will take into consideration the Entrance Examinations results, references from feeder schools and, for those with learning support needs, the assessment by the Special Educational Needs professional, prior to the Entrance Examinations.

Those entering Years 8, 9 and 10 will also have their personal interviews considered.

Exam results will be posted, first class, on Thursday 11 February 2021. No information will be available before hand.

For those offered a place confirmation of acceptance together with a £300 deposit is then required to secure the place by Thursday 4 March 2021. This deposit is refunded after the end of the final term which the pupil spends at Princethorpe.

Once you have confirmed your acceptance of a place and sent your £300 deposit you will be sent Joining Details. These include details of Term Dates, Induction Day, the School Day, Medical Questionnaire, Uniform, Buses, Meals, Locker Keys, Stationery, Parents’ Evenings and the Parent Teacher Association.

In the event that there is a higher number of suitable candidates than places available it is possible that we will move into a waiting group situation. The parents of these candidates will be invited to express their interest in joining the waiting group and will be advised accordingly should additional places become available after the acceptance deadline of Thursday 4 March 2021.