St Columba’s College, St Albans: 11 Plus (11+)/Year 7 Entrance Exam Information

Introduction

 

St Columba’s College is a Roman Catholic independent day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 18. While the school was established in 1939, its roots date back more than 200 years to the founding of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Lyon by André Coindre. In the 1950s, St Columba’s College joined other schools in the Brothers of the Sacred Heart network.

Academic standards at St Columba’s College are high, with the school’s results in public examinations being a testament to the dedicated staff and motivated pupils. Every pupil is fully supported to reach their full potential. Pupils with learning needs benefit from targeted intervention that helps them develop strategies to overcome the challenges they face.

Outside of the classroom, pupils enjoy a diverse range of co-curricular activities, including photography, stage productions, orchestra and fencing. Getting involved enables pupils to make new friends, grow in confidence and enhance their talents. Additionally, numerous trips are arranged to encourage pupils to experience different cultures and bring their learning to life.   

Pastoral care takes centre stage at St Columba’s College. The school’s warm, respectful community, underpinned by Catholic values, provides the ideal environment for pupils to thrive and be happy. Tutors get to know their tutees well, putting them in a strong position to identify any pupils who require guidance. The school counsellor and Sixth Form mentors are also on hand to provide a listening ear.

If you are interested in your child joining St Columba’s College in Year 7, please read on to learn about the admissions process.

Admissions Process for 11 Plus Entry to St Columba’s College

Visiting St Columba’s College is the best way to learn more about its ethos and get a real insight into what life is like there. Attending an open event or arranging a private tour will give you the opportunity to speak with current pupils, tour the facilities, meet staff and ask any questions you have.  

If you decide that your child would flourish at St Columba’s College, you should then complete the online application form and pay the £150 application fee by the mid-November deadline when your child is in Year 6.

In January of Year 6, your child will sit an online Quest assessment at St Columba’s College. 

As part of the admissions process, they will also be interviewed, and a report and reference from their current school will be reviewed. 

In February of Year 6, your child will receive one of the following:

• An unconditional offer of a place.
• A conditional offer.
• A place on the waiting list.
• No offer.

If your child is offered a place and you wish to accept it, you must submit the acceptance form and pay the deposit by the given deadline. 

St Columba’s College: Scholarships and Bursaries for Year 7 Entry

Scholarships

The following scholarships are available for Year 7 entry:

• Academic scholarships: There is no application form for an academic scholarship, as they are awarded based on performance in the online Quest assessment and interview, as well as the quality of school reports and references. 
• Music scholarships: Music scholarships must be applied for by the November deadline when your child is in Year 6. Applicants who pass the online Quest assessment will attend an audition in late January and are expected to demonstrate musical talent and ideally play at a Grade 4 level or above on at least one instrument or voice. 

Scholarships are reviewed annually and provide a fee reduction. 

Bursaries

Bursaries are means-tested awards that cover up to 95% of the school’s fees. A limited number are offered to families who cannot afford the full fees but whose children are academically able and would make the most of all St Columba’s College has to offer. 

It is unlikely that you would be eligible for a bursary if your household income exceeds £85,000 a year, you have considerable savings or investments, or you own a second property. 

For more details about bursaries, please read the Bursaries and Financial Aid Policy.

St Columba’s College: Entrance Assessments for Year 7 Entry

The 11+ entrance assessments consist of the following:

• An online Quest assessment.
• An interview.

Online Quest Assessment

The online Quest 11+ entrance exam for St Columba’s College lasts for approximately one hour and 10 minutes and comprises the following four modules:

• Maths: The maths module will test your child on what they have been taught at school in their maths lessons, not going beyond Year 5 work. It will also assess their reasoning skills and ability to apply their mathematical knowledge. There are 20 questions, but candidates will not necessarily have time to answer them all.  
• English: The English module will include a text that could be fiction or non-fiction. Questions will be used to evaluate the standard of your child’s reading comprehension, the breadth of their vocabulary and their ability to use grammar and punctuation correctly.  
• Non-Verbal Reasoning: The non-verbal reasoning module will require your child to solve problems that use visual information rather than language. Your child may, for example, have to identify the shape that comes next in a given sequence.   
• Verbal Reasoning: The verbal reasoning module will assess your child’s aptitude for solving problems that are language-based. They may, for example, have to identify synonyms and antonyms. 

The maths, non-verbal reasoning and verbal reasoning modules are adaptive, meaning questions will get easier or more difficult based on a candidate’s performance. The English section is not adaptive, meaning all candidates will answer the same questions regardless of performance. Overall scores are fair because the difficulty levels your child reaches in the adaptive modules will be taken into account.    

Interview

The interview provides St Columba’s College with an opportunity to assess your child’s communication skills and enthusiasm for learning. It is an important way to identify candidates who would thrive academically at the school and engage in life beyond the classroom. Your child can expect to be asked about their interests, hobbies and what they enjoy at school. 

It can be hard to know how to prepare for a competitive entrance assessment and interview. For this reason, we have compiled some top tips for you in the section below.

Top Tips to Help Your Child Prepare for St Columba’s College Year 7 Online Quest Assessment and Interview

We hope the following tips help your child prepare effectively for the Year 7 admissions process at St Columba’s College.      

• Teach your child to have a growth mindset: A growth mindset is about recognising that our capabilities can be improved if we are willing to put in time and effort. Knowing this will help your child stay positive and motivated. Setbacks are merely temporary, and mistakes provide opportunities to learn.
• Keep study sessions short: Your child will need to revise topics that have been covered in their maths and English lessons (up until the end of Year 5). Make revision sessions about 20-30 minutes long, as research shows that most children can focus effectively for about 2-3 minutes per year of their age. 
• Prioritise hobbies, exercise, relaxation and sleep: Your child’s physical and mental wellbeing will be supported if they have plenty of time to relax and participate in activities they enjoy, as well as exercise regularly and get sufficient sleep. This will also help ensure the preparation process feels balanced and manageable rather than overwhelming.
• Encourage your child to read every day: Reading is the best way to improve your child’s reading comprehension, widen their vocabulary and boost their spelling, punctuation and grammar. It is also a great way for them to unwind at the end of the day.
• Promote communication: Being able to express themselves clearly and confidently is crucial for the interview. You can help your child with this by starting discussions at the dinner table or when on a car journey. You could, for example, ask your child what their favourite book is and why. Over time, they will get better at organising their thoughts and articulating them.
• Use puzzles and games to enhance skills: Using puzzles and games is not only fun but can also develop a range of skills. Sudoku develops problem-solving skills and logical reasoning, and chess improves concentration and decision-making when under pressure, to name but two examples.
• Work through practice tests: Working through practice tests is invaluable for knowing what to expect in the online Quest assessment for 11+ entry to St Columba’s College, which is why we have produced tests that closely mirror what your child will encounter on their assessment day. Your child can use our practice tests to become familiar with the assessment format and the types of questions they will be asked. They will also improve at working quickly and accurately under time pressure, resulting in a polished performance when it matters. 

Please look at the section below for our highly recommended resources. 

St Columba’s College: 11 Plus (11+)/Year 7 Entrance Exam Resources

Recommendations for each section of the St Columba’s College 11 Plus Exam can be found below:

St Columba’s College 11+ Online Practice Test

Our St Columba’s College 11+ Online Entrance Assessment Practice Tests are available on our other website, Pretest Plus, and provide realistic and highly accurate preparation for the actual exam. Each full mock test replicates the modules, timings and question types used in the real assessment, ensuring your child becomes familiar with the format and expectations. Covering Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, these tests are all pitched at the same difficulty level, allowing you to benchmark your child’s progress, track improvement and identify key areas for further practice.

11+ St Columba’s College Practice Test 1

11+ St Columba’s College Practice Test 2

11+ St Columba’s College Practice Test 3

11+ St Columba’s College Practice Test 4

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the St Columba’s College 11+ Online Test at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

11+ St Columba’s College Practice Tests Bundle

St Columba’s College 11+ Skill Practice

Our Skill Practice exercises are designed to focus on one specific question type that will come up in the St Columba’s College 11+ exam. They are ideal for targeted practice and an efficient way to quickly improve your child’s scores in the relevant topic.

11+ St Columba’s College Mathematics

Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.

Please do contact us if you have any questions about our resources. We will do our best to help you. We want to take this opportunity to wish your child all the best in their 11+ St Columba’s College online Quest assessment and interview.

The information provided about St Columba’s College was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware that there may be future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you need clarification on anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of the Quest online assessments or any other test publisher.