Canford School 13 Plus (13+) Entrance Exam Information – Key Details
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Canford School is a coeducational independent day and boarding school. Settled in 300 acres of parkland near Wimborne Minster in Dorset, it is one of the largest schools in the area.
Ofsted ranked the school ‘outstanding’, whilst In 2014 and 2016, Canford was among four runners-up for “Public School of the Year” in the Tatler School Awards, receiving the top award in 2019.
Among the school’s alumni are high-ranking military officers, pioneers in industry, computing, and economics, as well as senior figures in the Arts and Sciences.
The school follows the Shell Curriculum, designed to instill habits that shape skills and develop pupils’ literacy to enable them to successfully cope with all the academic challenges they face.
Pupils have lessons in art, biology, chemistry, classical civilisation, design technology, English, drama, French, German or Spanish, geography, history, computing and ICT, Latin or Extra English, maths, music, PE, physics, PSME, philosophy and theology.
The Shell Projects have been designed to develop in pupils Canford School’s eight Cross-curricular Competencies which are applied in academic teaching across all year groups: Literacy, Communication skills, Organisation, Research and Planning, Teamwork, Critical thinking, Independent Learning, Self-Reflection and Global Awareness.
The co-curriculum programme extends across a wide range of activities that take place in state-of-the-art facilities.
The fully-equipped and modern Layard Theatre houses Canford’s drama department, whilst The Canford Sports Centre offers facilities that support a wide range of sports, health and fitness activities.
The Music Department hosts pupil-led school concerts but welcomes numerous professional musicians and musical groups as well, opening its doors to members of the public who attend these events at a very competitive price.
The school offers pupils across all year groups the chance to demonstrate their obtained knowledge in a much wider context through learning that emphasises the ability to ‘read between the lines’ and approaching communication with clarity.
This fully-inclusive school, with an outward-looking focus that is reflected through the 50 community projects currently running, teaches children to be respectful towards others, regardless of their background.
The continued success of Canford School is due to a dynamic learning environment set in a vibrant and inclusive community, which is fully aligned with the motto Nisi Dominus Frustra (Without God, all is in vain).
Canford School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Information
Address: Wimborne BH21 3AD
County: Dorset
Admissions info: admissions@canford.com or 01202 847207
School type: Independent co-ed day and boarding school
Number of students: 660 (approx.)
13+ Open day: During the Spring and Autumn terms
13+ Exam type / Board: ISEB Pretest
Open Events for Canford School 13 Plus (13+) Entry
The school holds two Open Days each year in the Spring and Autumn terms which offer families the chance to meet the Headmaster and staff members after attending a pupil-guided tour. A spot for the next Open Day can be booked here.
Individual visits last approximately 2 hours and comprise a pupil-guided tour of the school and a meeting with the Headmaster. They can be arranged with the Admissions staff.
The third option includes attending Discovery Days which take place prior to the pre-assessments and provide your child with the opportunity to spend a day on campus and take part in activities with other children. Discovery Days include a Q and A session for parents with staff and current pupils.
Canford School 13 Plus (13+) Admissions
After registering your child for a place in Year 9, they are pre-assessed in a two-stage process that includes four possible pre-assessment timeline options to increase flexibility for families:
Option A: ISEB Pre-test (taken in the Autumn of Year 6)
Option B: ISEB Pre-test (taken in the Summer of Year 6)
Option C: ISEB Pre-test (taken in the Autumn of Year 7)
Option D: ISEB Pre-test (taken in the Spring of Year 7)
The ISEB Pretest is an online test used by many senior schools for pupils in Years 6 and 7, comprising multiple-choice questions in Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and mathematics.
It can be taken by pupils at their school, or at Canford, only once per academic year in Years 6 and/or 7. Those who perform well in the ISEB Pre-Test are invited to Canford for a Headmaster’s List Day.
The Headmaster’s List Day is a mix of activities, tests and informal interviews. There are three possible outcomes following the Headmaster’s List day
- A ‘firm’ place at Canford, following the provision of a satisfactory current-school reference. These pupils will then sit an Academic Scholarship, Common Entrance or the Canford Assessment in Year 8 to measure their current level of attainment, but their places would not depend on this.
- A ‘provisional’ place following a satisfactory current-school reference and good results at the Progress Day assessment in Year 8.
- A ‘waiting list’ place with the chance of a place emerging as time goes on.
Canford School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Format
The entry exam is in the form of an online test (ISEB Pretest) that is completed in Year 6 or Year 7.
The test examines your child’s ability in skills such as numeracy, problem solving and vocabulary, with emphasis on how they think and how they will respond to the curriculum. The test includes modules testing maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Please see below our recommended packs to help prepare your child for the Canford School 13+ entrance exam.
How to Prepare for Canford School 13 Plus (13+) Exam
One of the best ways to prepare your child for a highly competitive 13+ entrance exam is to familiarise them with the types of questions and the format of the actual exam. You can achieve this with the use of our practice tests.
Consisting of thoroughly researched and up to date questions, our practice tests will help you identify the strong and weak areas in your child’s knowledge base, and thus remove unnecessary stress from the exam preparation process.
By getting used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure, your child will gain a significant advantage over other candidates who prefer a less structured approach towards preparation for a competitive Year 9 entrance exam.
We highly recommend that you make use of our practice tests in order to increase your child’s confidence ahead of exam day. They are available for immediate use after purchase.
Please see below our recommended packs to help you prepare your child for the Canford School 13+ entrance examinations.
Canford School 13 Plus (13+) Exam Practice Tests
ISEB Pretest
To successfully prepare your child for the Canford School ISEB Pretest, we recommend the following online resources, which are specifically designed to help students familiarise themselves with the online test format in all four key subjects:
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 1
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 2
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 3
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 4
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 5
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 6
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 7
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 8
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 9
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 10
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 11
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 12
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 13
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 14
NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 15
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice resources for the Canford School ISEB Pretest at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-15 Bundle - Save 35%
Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the Canford School ISEB Pretest and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%
ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 11-15 Bundle - Save 25%
The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the ISEB Pretest:
ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning Course
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the Canford School ISEB Pretest at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Video Courses Bundle - Save 25%
Our Skill Practice products consist of focused tests that allow your child to improve targeted skills ahead of the ISEB Pretest:
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Reading Comprehension
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Cloze Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – Shuffled Sentences
NEW ISEB Pretest English – SPAG
NEW ISEB Pretest 2D Non-Verbal Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Spatial Reasoning
NEW ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice resources for the Canford School ISEB Pretest at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:
ISEB Pretest Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%
Don’t forget to use the code ppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200 if you don’t buy a bundle.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Canford School 13+ exam past papers. The information provided about Canford School was 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 post.
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