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Introduction
Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic independent boarding and day school located in the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire. Founded in 1845, the school is situated in 100 acres of parkland on the Fosse Way, in buildings designed by the Victorian Gothic revivalist Augustus Welby Pugin.
The broad curriculum comprises art & design, biology, careers education, chemistry, design & technology, drama, English, food science and nutrition, games & PE, geography, history, ICT, Latin, learning support, library, mathematics, media studies, Modern Foreign Languages, music, physics and religious studies.
The co-curricular programme includes a number of activities which help pupils expand their practical knowledge and leadership skills. Chaplaincy, Sport, Music, Drama, Combined Cadet Force and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award are just a few of the activities on offer.
Ratcliffe College enables its pupils to grow into independent thinkers with ‘big’ ideas who accept and welcome failure as a natural part of self-improvement and personal growth. With a strong sense of moral purpose and commitment to doing what is right, Ratcliffians leave school knowing who they are and proceed to make a positive difference to the communities in which they live and work.
Ratcliffe College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2025
Address: Fosse Way, Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicester, LE7 4SG
County: Leicestershire
Admissions info: registrar@ratcliffecollege.com or +44 (0)1509 817072
School type: Independent co-ed day and boarding school
Number of students: 850 (approx.)
Open day: March, October
11+ Exam date: January of Year 6
11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own
Open Events for Ratcliffe College 11 Plus (11+) Entry
Open Mornings are relaxed and informal events which provide you and your child with the opportunity to tour the school and ask any questions you might have. A spot for these must be booked in advance.
The school is open to arranging personal visits, which include an introduction from the Head and a short, pupil-led tour of the school.
Taster days are also an option, giving prospective students a taste of life on campus. For more information, please reach out to Admissions. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
Ratcliffe College 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
Ratcliffe College bases admission on specific criteria. Since it is a Christian school, priority is always given to Catholic families, and to families sympathetic to the Catholic ethos of Ratcliffe College. Ratcliffe also takes into account performance in the entrance examinations and interview, as well as the quality of current-school reports.
Your child’s willingness and/or ability to participate in the rich variety of extra-curricular activities is a very important factor for admission. Formal offers of places will be made in writing, either by the Head or by the Registrar acting on their behalf. The acceptance deposit is £1000 for day pupils and £5000 for boarders.
Ratcliffe College 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries
Ratcliffe College awards a wide range of Scholarships in recognition of your child’s academic, sporting, musical, dramatic and artistic talent. They may cover up to 20% of the school fees.
Academic scholarships are awarded to students who excel in the 11+ entrance examinations. For All-Rounder, Drama, Sport, Art and Design and Music Scholarship assessment dates, please visit the school’s website.
Bursaries are on offer for those children who can’t afford to access a Ratcliffe College education. They usually cover up to 80% of fees (in exceptional circumstances up to 100%). Please note that these awards are subject to means testing and are re-assessed annually. For more information, please reach out to the school directly.
Ratcliffe College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The Ratcliffe College 11+ exam consists of the following papers:
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
The English paper examines both comprehension and writing skills, including inference, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. Marks will be awarded for good use of imagination, creativity, form, purpose, organisation, cohesion and sentence structure.
The maths exam assesses your child’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. The paper will include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.
The Science paper assesses acquired knowledge in the areas of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Ratcliffe College 11+ entrance examination.
How to Prepare for the Ratcliffe College 11 Plus (11+) Exam
To successfully prepare your child for the Ratcliffe College 11+ exam, we recommend that you utilise resources that provide an insight into the types of questions that they could be asked in the actual exam. Our practice papers offer exactly that and much more.
Aside from reflecting the demands of the 11+ exam, our practice tests will help you identify any weaker areas that require additional work, and thus enable you to adjust your child’s study schedule accordingly. Students who approach preparation in such a methodical way generally have a competitive advantage over their peers who prefer a less structured approach.
Our practice tests tend to make the preparation process easily manageable and less demanding in order for your child to feel confident and less stressed about the upcoming 11+ exam. For that reason, they are used successfully by tens of thousands of students every year.
They are age-appropriate, yet challenging, and are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase. Our recommendations to help your child prepare for the Ratcliffe College 11 plus entrance examination can be found below.
Ratcliffe College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
NOTE: The following English and Mathematics practice tests are in standard format, which means that students need to write in their own answers rather than choose from a list of multiple-choice options. This matches the 11+ Exam format used by the school.
English
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the Ratcliffe College 11+ English paper. They will help improve your child’s comprehension skills, such as inference, and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
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11+ English Bundle - Save 30%
If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.
Mathematics
We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Ratcliffe College 11+ maths test:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Ratcliffe College mathematics exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Mathematics Bundle - Save 30%
Science
To develop your child’s skills in Science, we highly recommend the following 11+ packs:
Interviews
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle. Use the code eppdiscount at checkout.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions have been included in Ratcliffe College 11+ past papers. The information provided about Ratcliffe College is believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the article.
Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and resources, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ratcliffe College.
Other entry points for Ratcliffe College:
Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 4 entry via the 8 Plus (8+) Exam
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Author(s)
Louise Lang
Director of Learning
