Canford entrance exams.

[Saa84]

Hello,

Looking for parents of children who have sat the Canford entrance exams fairly recently. What sort of progress test/CAT4s scores did your children have? Not sure if we’re overstretching? Thanks.

I can’t remember CAT4 but if it helps I estimate my son got between 110-120 average ISEB ( this is based on where he did and didn’t get interviews). He got a boarding place at Canford and is mid- pack there from an academic perspective ( will get mostly 7-8 at gcse) . DD is more academic and she’s also thriving there but there are also DC who are not hugely academic and the support is there- they are flexible on number of GCSEs and hold extra classes for key subjects.

It also depends if you want a boarding or day place. The entry requirements for a day place are higher. My friends child sat and wasn’t offered a day place but when they contacted school Canford said if they would consider boarding instead and could just get the marks a little higher (and resit) then there was a higher chance of passing.

friend didn’t want boarding though so did end up going somewhere else.

I think it’s always worth having an ambitious option though as you might get lucky!

I work in tutoring, so bear that in mind. Scores on their own tell you less than you would hope, because schools read CAT4 and progress tests alongside the prep school’s reference and how a child comes across on the day. Canford’s own 13+ page describes an assessment day at the school in January or February of Year 6 or Year 7, depending on when you registered, and does not publish a score threshold. Two things are more useful than comparing numbers with other parents. First, ring the admissions team and ask them plainly whether your child’s profile is in range for that assessment day; most admissions teams will give a frank answer and it costs nothing. Second, give your child a timed go at an age-appropriate sample paper and watch how they cope with the format and the clock, because that is closer to what the day tests than any score. If both come back reassuring, you are not overstretching. Happy to answer anything else here.