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Making an informed decision

Beginning your Journey

You are assured a very warm welcome from the Admissions team at Wycombe Abbey.

Our entry points are at age 11, 13 and 16 and we offer bursaries and scholarships at each of these stages. We are looking for potential rather than prior attainment and welcome girls whatever their background and education. We want bright, motivated, engaged girls with an enthusiasm for boarding – girls who will enjoy contributing to all areas of School life. We also offer a limited number of day places each year for candidates living within a 15 mile radius of the School.

We understand the importance of choosing the right school. Our Admissions Team are here to answer your questions and guide you throughout this process.

We hope you enjoy browsing our website and if you have any further questions our Director of Admissions, Ms Laura Chell and the Admissions Team are ready to help. They can be reached on (+44) (0) 1494 897008 or by emailing [email protected].

International Applications

 Examination Results and University Destinations

 Boarding at Wycombe Abbey

Entry Points

Enter your child’s date of birth below to find out when she can join Wycombe Abbey. The age checker will give you a personalised timeline and an overview of our Admissions process.

Please note that Registration for 2023 entry has now closed.

Your child may enter at any of the following entry points

Unfortunately your child is not eligible to apply

11+
13+
16+
Please note that the registration point for starting this school year has passed.

Your child would join Wycombe Abbey in September [YEAR]

STEP 1

Attend an Open Morning or Coffee Morning
Open Mornings are held in the Autumn and Summer terms. Coffee Mornings are held every term.

For further information please refer to our Open Mornings page

STEP 2

Registration Deadline: 1 June [YEAR-1]

 Registration Form

STEP 3

Assessments: November [YEAR-1]
All registered candidates sit an online CAT4 test followed by an Assessment Day at Wycombe Abbey

STEP 4

Offers: December [YEAR-1]
Firm offers and waiting list offers are made in December

STEP 5
(where appropriate)

Scholarship Examination (by invitation): February [YEAR]

STEP 6

Firm Acceptance and Deposit Deadline: March [YEAR] (date to be advised)

STEP 7

Start of Term: September [YEAR]

Please note that the registration point for starting this school year has passed.

Your child would join Wycombe Abbey in September [YEAR]

STEP 1

Attend an Open Morning or Coffee Morning
Open Mornings are held in the Autumn and Summer terms. Coffee Mornings are held every term.

For further information please refer to our Open Mornings page

STEP 2

Registration Deadline: 1 June [YEAR-1]

 Registration Form

STEP 3

Assessments: November [YEAR-1]
All registered candidates sit an online CAT4 test.

STEP 4

January [YEAR]
Selected candidates attend an Assessment Day at Wycombe Abbey (choice of Wycombe Abbey standard papers or Wycombe Abbey Scholarship papers)

STEP 5

Offers: January [YEAR]
Firm offers and waiting list offers are made in January.  Scholarships awarded following Assessment.

STEP 6

Firm Acceptance and Deposit Deadline: March [YEAR] (date to be advised)

STEP 7

Start of Term: September [YEAR]

Please note that the registration point for starting this school year has passed.

Your child would join Wycombe Abbey in September [YEAR]

STEP 1

Attend an Open Morning or Coffee Morning
Open Mornings are held in the Autumn and Summer terms. Coffee Mornings are held every term.

For further information please refer to our Open Mornings page

STEP 2

Registration Deadline: 1 June [YEAR-1]

 Registration Form

STEP 3

Register (at this stage there is no fee)
All registered candidates must sit a UKiset assessment and submit a Summer Term report between January and July [YEAR-1]

STEP 4

UKiset scores and school report will be reviewed by the Headmistress Deputy Head (Academic) and Director of Admissions and all applicants will be notified in August / September [YEAR-1] whether or not they are through to the next stage.

STEP 5

Selected candidates attend an Assessment Day at Wycombe Abbey and sit Entrance Examinations

STEP 6

Firm offers are made in early December

STEP 7

Start of Term: September [YEAR]

Visit, meet and discover

Visit Us

Visiting Wycombe Abbey will give you a sense of our culture, community and environment. You are welcome to visit us in-person or online at an Open Morning or Coffee Morning. Through these events you will have the opportunity to gain a flavour of our academic, pastoral and co-curricular provision, and discover what stimulates and inspires life and work at Wycombe Abbey.

Open Mornings

Open Mornings are an excellent chance to get a general feel for the School and are usually the first contact that prospective parents and pupils have with Wycombe Abbey. You are welcome to attend an Open Morning at any time but we particularly recommend these events for parents and daughters in Year 4 and above for 11+ entry, Year 6 for 13+ and Year 10 for 16+. Please note that numbers for onsite Open Mornings may have to be limited and those seeking entry in the next two years will be given priority.

We hold two Open Mornings a year:

  • September – on-site
  • May – virtual

Booking for our May Virtual Open Morning will open in early 2023.

Coffee Mornings

Coffee Mornings are designed to be small gatherings where prospective parents and their daughters can chat informally over coffee with a range of staff, before having a tour of the site on a working day. We recommend girls attend with their parents and will prioritise those who are already Registered and those who have not yet been able to visit.

We hold Coffee Mornings each term, for approximately 30 families.

Autumn Term Coffee Mornings are now fully booked.

Coffee Mornings in the Spring Term 2023 will be held on:

8 February – on-site

16 March – on-site

 EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST IN ATTENDING A Coffee Morning

 

Registered families for the coming year are welcome to contact the Admissions Team by emailing [email protected] to organise an individual visit. We hold these on Friday afternoons in term time.

In the meantime, please do take a look around Wycombe Abbey using our 360 Virtual Tour.

 

Virtual Tour

Taking the next steps

How to Apply

To be considered for a place at Wycombe Abbey, you will need to register your daughter by completing the online registration form (see link below).

The registration deadline for 11+ and 13+ is 1 June in the calendar year prior to entry. Registrations for 2023 entry are now closed.

Applicants are required to pay a non-refundable registration fee of £350.

For 16+ entry the registration deadline is 1 June in the calendar year prior to entry. No registration fee is required at this stage.

If you have any questions our Admissions Team are on hand and ready to help. They can be reached on (+44) (0) 1494 897008 or by emailing [email protected].

 

 REQUEST A PROSPECTUS

REGISTER FOR 11+ REGISTER FOR 13+ REGISTER FOR 16+

Please note: 2023 registration is now closed.

Potential and suitability

Assessments

Our Assessment process is designed to be as straightforward as possible for the girls, and to allow us to find out as much as we can about each girl using our own bespoke materials, assessing their academic potential and suitability whilst giving them a taste of life at Wycombe Abbey.

Wycombe Abbey offers a genuinely holistic education and we are committed to identifying girls who will be able to thrive in this environment.

If you have any questions our Admissions team are on hand and ready to help. They can be reached on (+44) (0) 1494 897008 or by emailing [email protected].

 

To be considered for a place at Wycombe Abbey, your daughter must be registered by 1 June in the year prior to entry (Year 5).

The assessment has three stages:

Stage 1: Online CAT4

The first stage is an online Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4).  Candidates will need to make arrangements to sit this test at their current school, a recognised test centre in the UK, or at local British Council Office, during a ten-day window in November.  The Admissions department at Wycombe Abbey will provide the appropriate access codes to enable your daughter to sit the test and results will automatically be sent to us.

Stage 2: Assessment Day

The second stage is an Assessment Day, which provides your daughter with a taste of life at Wycombe Abbey, whilst enabling us to assess their academic ability and suitability for life at the School.

The Assessment Day takes place at Wycombe Abbey in the November prior to the proposed year of entry (when your daughter is in Year 6).  Please note that all candidates must come to Wycombe Abbey for assessment.

Candidates will have an individual interview with a member of staff and will take part in small group activities.

Your daughter will also sit entrance examinations in English (1 hour) and Mathematics (1 hour).  No preparation is necessary for any of these elements.  Sample questions will be sent out in the autumn term.  A reference from your daughter’s current school will also be required.

Following the Assessment Day, firm offers will be made in December preceding the year of entry. Firm offers are made on the basis of performance in the entrance examinations, interview and group activity during the Assessment Day.

All places must be accepted, and a deposit paid by early March (date will be confirmed).

Stage 3: Scholarship Examinations

Following the 11+ Assessment Day, selected candidates in receipt of a firm offer, will be invited to take the Wycombe Abbey Scholarship Examinations in January in the year of proposed entry. Candidates will sit papers in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities as well as a Language Aptitude Test.  Sample papers are not available.

To be considered for a place at Wycombe Abbey, your daughter must be registered by 1 June in the year prior to entry (when your daughter is in Year 7).

Stage 1: Online CAT4

The first stage is an online Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4). Candidates will need to make arrangements to sit this test at their current school, a recognised test centre in the UK, or at local British Council Office, in early October. Wycombe Abbey Admissions Department will provide the appropriate access codes to enable your daughter to sit the test, and results will automatically be sent to us. A reference from your daughter’s current school will be requested prior to the CAT4 test.

The CAT4 scores and school reference will be reviewed by the Headmistress, Deputy Head (Academic) and Director of Admissions. Selected applicants will be invited to go forward to the second stage of Assessment.

Stage 2: Assessment Day – selected candidates

The second stage is an Assessment Day for selected candidates, which provides your daughter with a taste of life at Wycombe Abbey, whilst enabling us to assess her academic ability and suitability for life at the School.

The Assessment Day takes place at Wycombe Abbey, in the January of the proposed year of entry (when your daughter is in Year 8). Your daughter will have an individual interview with a senior member of staff and will sit entrance examinations.

All candidates will take Entrance Examinations. Candidates will sit papers* in English, Mathematics, Humanities, and a Modern Foreign Language (French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese), along with a practical Science assessment.  The papers are our own, written by our Heads of Department and are of a standard which will enable us to identify scholars.  There are also optional papers in Latin and Greek.  Those opting to do Latin and Greek will sit ISEB CE at their own schools.

Following the entrance examinations, firm offers and waiting list offers will be made in January. Scholarships will also be awarded at this point.

Firm offers and Scholarships are made on the basis of performance in the entrance exams and Assessment Day.

All places must be accepted, and a deposit paid by early March (date will be confirmed).

A limited number of places are open to girls wishing to join Wycombe Abbey in the Sixth Form.

To be considered for a place at Wycombe Abbey, a pupil must be registered by 1 June in the calendar year prior to entry (end of Year 10, or equivalent). At this stage there is no fee to register.

General Guidance

The Sixth Form course options can be viewed here.

Entry to our Sixth Form is highly competitive. Candidates should expect to achieve the equivalent of at least six GCSE/IGCSE/GCE (or their equivalent) passes at grade A*/A/9/8/7 and A*/9/8 in each of her chosen A level subjects. Most candidates will achieve in excess of this.

Stage 1

Once registered, all candidates, home and international, should arrange to sit a UKiset assessment for Wycombe Abbey. The UK Independent Schools’ Entry Test is an adaptive cognitive online test taken in English and assesses a pupil’s underlying academic ability through Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical Tests along with a creative writing exercise and an English Placement Test. The test takes two and a half hours. For more information or to register for the test, please visit: www.ukiset.com

A valid test should be submitted between January and July (in Year 10, or equivalent). The deadline for receipt of UKiset test results is 12:00 on 31 July. UKiset results received after 31 July cannot be considered.

Once you have registered for the test, the UKiset team will be in touch to arrange the assessment. The UKiset tests can be sat at one of the approved test centres in the UK and only at British Council Offices internationally.

Stage 2

The candidate’s Summer Term report and a summary of co-curricular interests must be submitted by 31 July.

The UKiset scores and school report will be reviewed by the Headmistress, Deputy Head (Academic), Director of Sixth Form and Director of Admissions and all applicants will be notified in September whether they are through to Stage 3.

Candidates wishing to proceed will now be charged a registration fee.

Stage 3

Girls who have met our required standard will be invited to take our Sixth Form Entrance examinations at Wycombe Abbey in the November prior to entry (Year 11, or equivalent). A confidential reference and a request for predicted GCSE/IGCSE/GCE grades from the candidate’s current school will also be requested at this stage.

During the day, applicants will also have an interview with a senior member of staff, lasting 20 minutes.

Girls will sit papers in the four subjects they are proposing to study at A level and the examinations are based on the GCSE/ IGCSE/GCE level syllabuses. Maths and Further Maths counts as one subject, with one paper. Candidates wishing to take Further Maths at A level will be required to choose an additional subject as their fourth paper. The Art exam will be a practical assessment and candidates will be asked to bring their portfolio.

Candidates choosing a subject they have not studied at GCSE/IGCSE/GCE (or equivalent) will still be required to sit the relevant paper. The papers are designed to test a candidate’s aptitude for the subject and will be marked accordingly.

Specimen papers are not available.

Conditional offers are made in late November.  Acceptance forms and deposit are due by the second week in December.

Process summary:

  1. Complete registration online by 1 June (Year 10) – do not pay the registration fee
  2. Submit a UKiset (between 1 January and 31 July)
  3. Submit Summer Term report and summary of co-curricular interests by 31 July (Year 10)
  4. Wycombe Abbey reviews UKiset scores and Summer Term report in August / September
  5. Candidates accepted for Stage 3 and who wish to proceed, now pay a registration fee
  6. Entrance exams and interview at Wycombe Abbey in November (Year 11)
  7. Conditional Offers made late November (Year 11)
  8. Acceptance form to be returned and deposit to be paid by second week in December (Year 11)

If you have any questions please email [email protected]

Deadline for 2023 entry 11+, 13+ and 16+ registrations: 1 June 2022

Online Open Mornings
(Reservations are required)

  • Saturday 17 September 2022        09:00 – 13:15 (Onsite)

Coffee Mornings
(Reservations are required)

We hold three coffee mornings every term – two onsite and one virtual. Coffee Mornings in the coming term will be held on 12 October (onsite), 16 November (virtual) and 7 December (onsite).

You will be able to express an interest in attending by completing an Enquiry Form on the website once dates are published.

11+ Assessments

  • Online CAT4 Test: 7 to 17 November 2022**
  • Assessment Day: 24 November 2022*
  • Scholarship Exams: 2 February 2023*
  • Music Scholarship: 1 and 2 February 2023
  • Firm Offers made by 16 December 2022

13+ Assessments

  • Online CAT4 Test: 3 to 10 October 2022**
  • Assessment Day: 19 and 20 January 2023*
  • Music Scholarship: 20 January 2023
  • Firm Offers made by 31 January 2023

16+ (Sixth Form) Assessments

  • Submission of UKiset: 1 January 2022 – 31 July 2022
  • Entrance Exams and Interview: 1 November 2022*
  • Music Scholarship: 2 November 2022
  • Firm Offers made by late November 2022

All sessions must take place at Wycombe Abbey, apart from:

  • *Choice of Wycombe Abbey or local British Council Office
  • **CAT4 test sat at your current school, recognised test centre in the UK, or local British Council Office.

Fees

Fees cover the many costs associated with running the School and include tuition, board, lodging, laundry, personal accident insurance, some educational materials and educational visits, and the cost of the weekend activities programme. Individual tuition is charged as an extra.

A non-refundable registration fee of £350 is paid on application.

For all entry points an Acceptance Deposit will be payable when Parents accept the offer of a place. The Acceptance Deposit will be refunded when a pupil leaves the School, subject to settlement of her final fees and other charges (further information is provided in our Standard Terms and Conditions)

The Acceptance Deposit is £2,500

Additional Deposit: For those pupils whose normal residence is outside the United Kingdom, or those who require a Child Student Visa, the Acceptance Deposit plus an Additional Deposit of £12,200 is required, making a total Deposit of £14,700.

Fees

Boarding fees include tuition, lodging, laundry, personal accident insurance, the cost of most games activities, the majority of educational materials and many curriculum trips. Fees also include the provision of pastoral care, meals and snacks, and many activities as part of the co-curricular and Weekend Activities programme.

Day fees include the above apart from lodging and laundry. Day Boarders can occasionally stay overnight if a need arises, for instance special events in House or if they are on a school trip which either departs very early in the morning or returns to school very late in the evening and will be charged per night.

There will be further charges for external exams and Paid Extras, such as additional music, dance and drama lessons, specialist sport coaching, some curriculum trips and optional insurances. Paid Extras are billed in arrears and the level of charges varies depending on the activities a pupil chooses. A full list of charges is sent to parents at the start of the academic year.

Fees are charged in advance at the start of each term and are reviewed annually. Fees may be subject to change at the discretion of the Governing Body.

For the academic year 2022/2023, fees are:

£14,700 Boarding per term

£11,050 Day per term

Registration Fee: £350

Acceptance Deposit: £2,500

For all entry points an Acceptance Deposit will be payable when Parents accept the offer of a place. The Acceptance Deposit will be refunded when a pupil leaves the School, subject to settlement of her final fees and other charges (further information is provided in our Standard Terms and Conditions)

Additional Deposit: £12,200

For those pupils whose normal residence is outside the United Kingdom, or those who require a Child Student Visa, the Acceptance Deposit plus an Additional Deposit of £12,200 is required, making a total Deposit of £14,700.

Investing in talent

Bursaries

Wycombe Abbey aims to be as accessible as possible to girls whose parents could not otherwise afford to meet the full cost of fees by offering means-tested Bursaries.

Our Bursary application forms are available from the Admissions Team, and must be completed and returned to the Director of Admissions no later than 1 September in the calendar year preceding entry.

If you would like to find out more about bursaries, please call the Director of Admissions, Ms Laura Chell on (+44) (0) 1494 897008. When applying for a place at Wycombe Abbey, a registration fee of £350 is normally payable. If you are applying for a full bursary and the registration fee presents a difficulty Ms Chell will be happy to discuss this with you.

Bursaries Information

Recognising excellence and achievement

Scholarships

Wycombe Abbey Scholarships and Exhibition Awards carry considerable prestige both inside and outside of the School but are of limited financial value. They are awarded in recognition of excellence, achievement and potential in academia and the arts.

Music Scholarship forms are provided before Assessment, once candidates are Registered for entry.

Wycombe Abbey Academic Scholarship and Exhibition Awards carry prestige but are of limited financial value.

The following awards are available for 2023:
• Academic Scholarships worth up to 5% of the fees per annum
• Academic Exhibitions of £600 per annum

Process
No application is required for a Scholarship or Exhibition Award. Following the 11+ Assessment Day, a small selection of candidates will be invited to take the Wycombe Abbey Scholarship papers. They will sit examination papers in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities, as well as a Language Aptitude test. The Scholarship examinations are sat at Wycombe Abbey in late January/early February prior to entry, while your child is in Year 6.

Specimen papers are not available.

Wycombe Abbey Academic Scholarship and Exhibition Awards carry prestige but are of limited financial value.

The following awards are available for entry in 2023:
• Academic Scholarships worth up to 5% of the fees per annum
• Academic Exhibitions of £600 per annum

The Award will normally be for your child’s entire career at Wycombe Abbey but it is subject to regular review and is conditional upon satisfactory progress.

Process

All candidates will take Entrance Examinations in English, Mathematics, Humanities, and a Modern Foreign Language (French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese), along with a practical Science assessment. The papers are our own, written by our Heads of Department and are of a standard which will enable us to identify scholars. There are also optional papers in Latin and Greek. Those opting to do Latin and Greek will sit ISEB CE at their own schools.

*Specimen papers are available on request from the Admissions team after candidates have been invited to stage two. Please email [email protected]

Wycombe Abbey Music Scholarship and Exhibition Awards carry prestige, but are of limited financial value.

Candidates must be Registered for 11+ Assessment by 1 June in the year prior to entry and must satisfy the academic criteria for entry.

The following awards are available at 11+ entry:

• Music Scholarships providing free tuition on two instruments or one instrument and voice
• Music Exhibitions providing free tuition on one instrument (not voice)
• Choral Awards providing free voice tuition

It is essential that candidates should love music and show an unusual flair at whatever level they have reached. As a guide, they should have reached at least ABRSM Grade 5 standard, or equivalent, on their first instrument to be considered for an instrumental award. Those applying for a Choral Award should have a strong background of choral singing in parts. They may have received individual tuition in singing, working towards ABRSM exam grades or RSCM singing awards.

Click below for more information.

Music Scholarships 11+

Wycombe Abbey Music Scholarship and Exhibition Awards carry prestige, but are of limited financial value.

Candidates must be Registered for 13+ Assessment by 1 June in the year prior to entry and must satisfy the academic criteria for entry.

The following awards are available at 13+ entry:

• Music Scholarships providing free tuition on two instruments or one instrument and voice
• Music Exhibitions providing free tuition on one instrument (not voice)
• Choral Awards providing free voice tuition

It is essential that candidates should love music and show an unusual flair at whatever level they have reached. As a guide, they should have reached at least ABRSM Grade 6 standard, or equivalent, on their first instrument to be considered for an instrumental award. Those pupils applying for a Choral Award should have a strong background of choral singing in parts. They may have received individual tuition in singing, working towards ABRSM exam grades or RSCM singing awards.

Click below for more information.

Music Scholarships 13+

Candidates must be Registered for 16+ Assessment by 1 June in the year prior to entry.

The following Music Awards (open to both external and internal candidates) are offered annually to candidates entering the Sixth Form who have satisfied the academic criteria for entry.

The following awards are available at 16+ entry:

• Music Scholarships providing free tuition on two instruments or one instrument and voice
• Music Exhibitions providing free tuition on one instrument (not voice)
• Choral Awards providing free voice tuition

Girls should have reached approximately Grade 8 standard on their first instrument to be considered for an instrumental award. At Sixth Form level, candidates are expected to have achieved a high level of technical and expressive mastery at least on their first instrument, and to have proven their commitment to musical endeavour through involvement with suitable ensembles.

Those girls applying for a Choral Award should have a strong background of choral singing in parts. They may have received individual tuition in singing, working towards ABRSM examination grades (Grade 7 or above) or RSCM singing awards. Successful applicants will demonstrate excellence in vocal ability, aural perception and sight-reading. They may already have experience of leadership roles in choirs, or will demonstrate potential in this area.

Click below for more information.

Music Scholarships 16+

Frequently Asked Questions

Your daughter does not need to prepare for the assessments – the assessment is not something you pass or fail and it should not be a source of anxiety for your daughter.

Yes, Visa Sponsorship is available for Candidates with an unconditional offer. Those Candidates who are not British or Irish citizens will need to apply for a Child Student Visa. Further information may be obtained from the UK Government Visas and Home Office website. https://www.gov.uk/child-study-visa

We offer a limited number of day places each year for candidates living within a 15 mile radius. All day boarders are members of a Senior House and are fully involved in activities throughout the week and at weekends. With the size of the School now at capacity, we cannot guarantee an automatic switch to full boarding but we will try to accommodate those who wish to convert as they progress through the school as long as we have beds available.

Girls entering Wycombe Abbey at 11+ go into Junior House for their first year and are allocated their future Senior House before they join the School. From LIV they join one of the nine Senior Houses. Girls entering at 13+ and 16+ will be allocated a Senior House during the admissions process. Girls move from their Senior House into Clarence for their final year of Sixth Form.

Parents who live abroad or who spend long periods of time outside the United Kingdom must appoint an official guardian for their daughter. The guardian must be prepared to take full responsibility for her, i.e., must be available to act in loco parentis if parents are not available, including during Short and Long Leaves and any other period of enforced school closure when girls may not remain in the School.

Wycombe Abbey has a modern and sympathetic approach to boarding reflecting the needs and preferences of today’s families. Girls go home regularly and parents are actively involved in the numerous school events.

Most weekends, girls are involved in sports fixtures, performing arts activities or attending one of the many organised outings, such as trips to theme parks, museums, the cinema or theatre. A lot happens here at School too: creative weekend workshops, cooking demonstrations, spas and DVD evenings. Parents and guardians are welcome to visit the School during the weekend to support events or meet your daughter for a drink in our atrium café, The Courtyard.

The ‘House Mother/Daughter’ tradition means that every girl in a Senior House is part of a ‘family tree’ of girls who feel connected, look out for each other, and offer advice and a listening ear.

Girls with specific learning needs are well supported at Wycombe Abbey and flourish here. Every girl learns in her own way and our Learning Enhancement Department helps girls by giving the specific support required to assist with the demands of everyday living and learning, sometimes with specific one-to-one lessons or via drop-in sessions.

We are looking for engaged, motivated girls with potential – young women who will enjoy contributing to all areas of Wycombe Abbey life.