Common Entrance at 11 or 13?

[Schoolmumm]

Daughter currently at prep and are considering secondary options and whether to take CE at 11 or 13. Where entrance and scholarships are concerned, would competition be greater for 11+ or 13+? I understand CE at 13+ covers a broader range of subjects, whereas 11+ is mainly Maths & English. Schools we would be considering are mostly Berks / Bucks based. Thank you.

Girls 13+ intake is now much smaller than at 11+, even at the most traditional boarding schools (Wycombe Abbey, Downe House etc.). They do still take in a reasonable number of girls at 13 but the trend is definitely moving to 11+. If you are looking at day schools then definitely 11+.

Also think about social aspects - if your daughter struggles to make friends then joining a school where two thirds to three quarters of the girls have already spent two years together can be tough.

Boarding or day? Girls only or Co-Ed?

The schools we have looked at are a mix of boarding/day, but we prefer day boarding or the option to flexi-board when older.
Current prep exits at 11 only, so we are wondering whether moving to somewhere like Godstowe for 13+ would be better, or stay where we are and do CE 11+ as originally planned. Godstowe’s main exit seems to be 13+, and their scholarship list looks very impressive, which is why we were wondering whether entry at 11+ would be less or more competitive? Thank you

I think what you need to be worried most about is choosing a school and then what year they have places available. Queen Anne's is lovely but the days are long. Although my friend's daughter is very happy there and is just about to go into year 8 with flexiboarding. Pipers Corner is in demand (no boarding), Claire's Court is not known for being academic but I think that is changing - they put on a whole new class in year 9. Borlase Grammar school now also puts on a whole class in year 9 but I think that's changing.

I am in the exact same position as you and the only way I would consider moving to Godstowe is if my daughter didn’t get into our first choice school at 11 (but I would also be questioning whether that first choice school was actually the right one for her after all).

The girls that I know at Godstowe who stayed to 13 were generally those joining co-Ed schools that started at 13 (Marlborough, Oundle, Stowe, Wellington, Teddies etc.) or ones who had failed the 11+. Their 13+ destinations are almost entirely to full boarding places so if this is not what you want for your daughter then I wouldn’t bother.

If she was already at a school that went to 13 then it would be a different story, but literally all they do in Y7 and first part of Y8 is CE prep. You then end up kind of twiddling your thumbs waiting until the end of Y8. That last term is lots of fun for the girls with trips etc BUT Y8 is a totally different experience if you have already moved schools to one that takes you through to 16 / 18.

The most important thing is concentrating on the right school for your daughter. If you want day / flex boarding then I personally would move at 11. If you want full boarding at a traditional school then you can wait until 13. Remember that schools don’t make scholarship students, only help them to achieve them if they have the required talent.

I would go at 11 + unless you think she is not ready

You need to have a senior school in mind.

Most senior schools that offer 11+/13+ will encourage starting in Y7. Prep school will encourage staying until Y8. Both want to maximise attendance.

Girls traditionally leave at the end of Y6 and they are generally ready to leave. They do their 11+ exams in Jan/Feb and can be a bit of a nightmare afterwards.

I think if you are thinking of going against tradition, you have to think about the advantages of staying at prep school, taking the prep head’s opinion with a pinch of salt in this situation.

I would not use academics as a reason to stay. Reasons to stay are all about maturity and readiness to move on. Possibly also, if she is in a day school and moving to boarding, to save 2 years of boarding fees.

Thank you, this is very helpful. Godstowe’s destination lists do seem to be predominantly boarding, but their scholarship awards don’t specify whether they were at 11+ or 13+.

I agree the school doesn’t make the scholar, but looking at the number of scholarships Godstowe girls are awarded, they are clearly doing something right! Our current prep does not seem scholarship focused at all, so if we are considering somewhere like Queen Anne’s, then assuming most girls join at 11, competition at 11+ must be quite tough.
Having said that, it is mostly an academic thought..and aside from the advantage of continued ‘prep range’ fees for a couple of years, it sounds like 11+ would be the better move. Thanks for your replies.