The deadline to apply is 15 October when your child is in Year 6.  To apply, complete the online registration form and send in your £100 fee. By completing the online registration, you have automatically entered your child into the Entrance Exams. You can download a Registration Form if you prefer.

Once we have received notification of your registration and fee, we will send you an acknowledgement detailing what happens next, including draft times for the entrance assessments. 

We are changing the way we do entrance assessments for Year 7 and above. We have contacted anyone who has registered or enquired for a place and have told local feeder schools.  

The entrance procedure is comprised of three main elements: tests, interviews and confidential report from the Head Teacher of the current school.

TESTS TO BE TAKEN IN YEAR 6

Guidance for prospective parents and current teachers

2020 Entrance Examinations

The examinations are scheduled to take place in November (dates to be confirmed). Once you have registered, we will allocate you with an exam date and time. We will send more detailed information and confirmation of timings nearer the date, but the day is likely to run as follows:

Coaching for these tests is not encouraged.  

Interviews

Interviews will take place in January (dates to be confirmed) and will be by invitation only. There will be an hour of group activities where your child will be asked to take part in various task followed by a one-on-one interview to find out more about your child. Questions include things like what they enjoy at school, their hobbies and interests and also some questions to see how they think about things. Interviews for candidates residing overseas can be conducted via Facetime or Skype.

School Report

In the Autumn term, we will request a school report from your child's current school. This school reference and report are an integral part of our assessment for each candidate as they help us get to know your child a little better and to build the wider picture of their academic and non-academic abilities and interests. We may also contact your child’s current Head for more information.

In accordance with HMC Guidelines, Freemen’s will not be able to reach a decision on an application for entry until we have received this report.

Please also be aware that for children attending maintained schools, parents may be charged a fee for this report by their child’s school.

Sitting Overseas

If applicants can sit the papers at Freemen’s, we will invite them to join us for the regular entrance exams in November. Otherwise, we can either arrange for candidates to sit entrance exams at their current school, at their agents’ office, if appropriate, or at a local British Council Office.  If the exams are being taken overseas they will need to take place in November. Interviews can be arranged via Skype or FaceTime. Please make it clear on the Exam Confirmation Form or Registration Form that you intend to sit overseas.

English 11+ (Total 60 marks)

Comprehension: Candidates will be asked to read a short extract from a book and then answer a series of multiple-choice questions about what they have read. (32 marks)

Punctuation: They will be given a short paragraph without any punctuation and be asked to correct it with the appropriate punctuation marks. We will only be using the most common ones – Capital Letters, Full Stops, Commas, Apostrophes and Question Marks. (24 marks)

Word Meaning: Many words in English have similar meanings and candidates will be asked to identify various words from a list that mean or do the same thing. (4 marks) 

Mathematics 11+ (Total 298 marks)

Number: Operations (multiply, divide, add and subtract), Fractions (simplify, add, subtract, multiply), Decimals (add, subtract, multiply, rounding), Negatives (add, subtract, divide, multiply), Percentages.

Shape: Perimeter, Area (triangles, rectangles), Angles (triangles).

Data: Probability.

General Knowledge 11+ (Total 60 marks)

Questions will be on subjects that an interested, outward-looking student of this age from anywhere in the world could be expected to know about and answer confidently. Subjects covered in this section are History, Geography, Science, Current Affairs and Sport. The questions will cover topics from around the world and will not be based purely on the United Kingdom.

There will also be a short 30 minute written exercise.

We do not have sample papers for Non-Verbal Reasoning. These can be found at most retailers. 

You will receive one of the following decisions:

• an unconditional offer
• a place on the waiting list (if your child is offered a place on the waiting list, we will make it clear what this means)
• a decline (you will be asked if you would like to sit again for a future year (eg Year 8 if space)

Feedback

We regret, given the large number of applicants, that we are unable to give feedback on examination results. 

When you accept your place, we will ask for a £1,000 deposit: £500 will be held until the final account is due. £500 will be offset against the first term’s fees. We will then send you links to the New Starter Pack, usually in May or June.This has all the information you need before starting with us. 

In June, we will invite all new starters for a taster day, so that they can meet the rest of their class and their teacher. That evening, we also invite all new parents in for a welcome evening and a chance to meet the Head of Year, the class teachers, current parents and the new parents joining that year.

Then you will be ready to start in September. Over the summer, parents usually set up activities and bonding events for you to meet and our parents' association: the Freemen's School Association (FSA) hold a welcome coffee morning on the first day of school once you have dropped your child off.

Bursaries

Bursary awards can be applied for once a pupil has received an offer of a place from the Headmaster. The application process will include a detailed financial assessment. Any award is subject to the pupil meeting the entry requirements of the School and an annual financial re-assessment. For any initial Bursary enquiries please email our Outreach Officer, Mrs Kerri Martin at kerri.martin@freemens.org .

Scholarships

Music and Academic Scholarships are available for candidates entering Year 7 in September 2019. There is no separate application process for Academic Scholarships; ALL candidates for Year 7 entry will be considered on the basis of the entrance examinations and school reports. Those candidates scoring the top marks will be invited back to sit a critical thinking paper in January. 

Applicants for Music Scholarships must have passed Grade 3 in one instrument and be able to offer a second study/voice. There will be a separate audition which will be arranged by the Director of Music individually with applicants. The audition and interview will be arranged in January.  As part of their audition, candidates will be asked to:

• play two contrasting pieces on their first instrumental study lasting at least four minutes
• play one piece on their second instrumental study (which can include singing)
• take a sight reading test on their first study
• take a series of aural tests assessing musical memory and creativity
• answer questions on their pieces, musical experiences and aspirations

Candidates are recommended to bring an accompanist with whom they have played before. If this is not possible we can supply an accompanist who will be available for 5-10 minutes before the audition time. If you are likely to require an accompanist, please email our Music Administrator, Mrs Grover, via sgrover@freemens.org once you have submitted your application in the Autumn term. You will also need to forward to her a copy of your child’s music.

Candidates for Music Scholarships can contact the Director of Music via pdodds@freemens.org or on 01372 822449 for further information on the Music Awards.