How competitive is St Peter's, York?

[DittySwansong]

I'm considering St Peter's for DD. There isn't much on the website about how difficult it is to pass the entrance exam, the school obviously doesn't want to go into much detail. All the information I can find about individual schools' exams online is for schools in the South.

I'd say DD is bright but not off the charts, strong on maths, weak on spelling. Is there anyone here who been through the process, and is able to share an insight into what sort of level they are looking for? I don't want to get her hopes up if it's a stretch, but I also don't want to get into tutoring and loads of preparation.

How old is DD? I would say it's very academic and they have to go to school on Saturday. Have you considered any other schools in the area. Bootham, Cundall Manor, Pocklington are all great schools depending on where you live. my academic children did really well at Cundall and no entrance exam, amazing sports, art, music etc

In my experience, it’s not ultra academic/selective. It’s quite large so they have many sets meaning there’s a place for everyone. The top sets tend to be slightly larger as the brighter kids can pick things up more quickly & the lower sets where they may need extra help are much smaller. They are expected to work hard, but they also play very hard as well, with lots of sport/music etc available.
The sport isn’t optional on Saturdays so I might be hesitant with a non-sporty child.
Regarding entry, honestly I don’t think there are many feepaying schools turning kids away nowadays! They are accommodating for those needing extra help so you don’t need to be ultra bright in every area, just happy to do your best. I honestly don’t think it’s a high-pressure environment nowadays; they do seem very aware that children don’t thrive under too much pressure, though of course there are some very bright children and those that put themselves under pressure.
There have been instances where people have been asked to leave because of poor behaviour, they do seem quite strict on this. The other thing I like about it, is unlike some other independent schools, there doesn’t seem to be a huge vaping culture (perhaps because they are so busy, or maybe I’m naive to it!).
Go & have a look round; you may love it, you may hate it but I don’t think you will struggle to get in!

Thank you @Meggy123 and @GoAndAskDaddy, that's super helpful.

Bootham is on the list, we're fairly central and I'd like her to get there under her own steam. I don't think Bootham is meaningfully selective, so I wasn't too worried about the assessments. I survived Saturday school, so I daresay DD would, too.

@GoAndAskDaddy That fits with my original impression. When I was taking entrance exams thirty years ago, it never occurred to me that I might fail them! But then I remembered that Peter's was known as a more academic school than mine back then, and it struck me that I may be overconfident. It's good to hear that I wasn't way off.

TBH I'd rather they were tough on poor behaviour than otherwise. DD is very into music, the sport might be an issue, she's very fit but interested in solo activities like climbing and dance than, as she would put it, 'running around after balls.'