School of St Helen & St Katharine 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information
Table of Contents
Introduction
In the late 1930s, two girls’ schools in Oxfordshire – St Helen’s in Abingdon and St Katharine’s in Wantage – were forced to merge due to a decline in student numbers. The result was St Helen and St Katharine and the school hasn’t looked back since.
Based in the outskirts of Abingdon, St Helen and St Katherine is a high-achieving independent girls’ school that has grown considerably over the past 80 years – it now educates around 720 girls aged 9–18 and boasts many new facilities; the most recent additions being a Science Centre, 3D Design Centre and Sport Centre.
11 Plus Exam Information for St Helen & St Katharine
Address: St Helen and St Katharine, Faringdon Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1BE
County: Oxfordshire
Admissions info: admissions@shsk.org.uk or 01235 530593
School Type: Girls’ independent day school
Number of Students: 730 (approx.)
Open Day Date: September
Exam Date: January of Year 6
St Helen & St Katharine 11 Plus Admissions
St Helen and St Katherine is an academically selective school. As part of the entrance assessment, all candidates must attend a ‘taster day’ held in October–December of the year prior to entry (while in Year 6), during which they will be interviewed individually by the Headmistress and take part in a group discussion led by a senior member of staff.
Candidates then sit written tests in maths and English in January. A reference from the candidate’s current school will also be obtained.
Academic scholarships may be offered to students who stand out due to excellent performance in the entrance assessment.
The school aims to notify parents or guardians of the outcome of the entrance assessment within 10 days of the tests. The closing date for acceptances is in early March.
A copy of St Helen and St Katharine’s full admissions policy is available on its website along with an Information Booklet, which provides lots of useful information about applications, testing and admissions, including key dates and fees.
If you are unsure whether your daughter is performing at the level required for entry into St Helen and St Katharine, the school offers a diagnostic test, which can be taken one or two years earlier than the 11+. The diagnostic test is intended to give an indication of performance levels and is not part of the entrance assessment.
For further information on applications and admissions to St Helen and St Katharine, including the diagnostic test, please contact the admissions office: admissons@shsk.org.uk or 01235 530593.
How to Apply for 11 Plus Entry to St Helen & St Katharine
Before applying for a place at St Helen and St Katherine, parents and guardians are advised to visit the school with their daughter at least one year prior to entry. A whole school open day is held each September and other open events are held throughout the year.
Parents or guardians of all girls wishing to be considered for a place at St Helen and St Katharine must complete a registration form and send it to the admissions office, with the non-refundable registration fee of £100 (£200 for overseas candidates), by the closing date in mid-November of the year prior to entry.
Details of the entrance exam will be sent to all applicants in mid-October along with relevant paperwork and details of how to apply for a bursary. Information about the scholarships available at 11+ can be found on the school’s website.
St Helen & St Katharine 11 Plus Test Format
The entrance assessment for St Helen and St Katharine includes the following three tests:
Maths
The maths paper covers content and skills mainly found on the Year 6 Programme of Study of the National Curriculum and includes questions that will test arithmetic, problem solving and reasoning. Candidates should show full working and/or reasoning for all questions to ensure that they achieve as many marks as possible. No calculators are allowed.
English: Reading
The reading paper consists of a passage of text followed by a variety of questions to fully test comprehension, including an understanding of the way in which language is used and insight into the author’s intentions.
English: Writing
The writing paper offers a choice of tasks to test creative writing or discursive (persuasive / argumentative) writing skills. Candidates will be assessed on formal skills, such as structure, grammar, spelling and punctuation, as well as creativity.
How to Prepare for the St Helen & St Katharine 11 Plus Tests
One of the best ways of preparing for competitive entrance exams is to use practice papers. These help students familiarise themselves with the format and question types they will encounter in the actual test in an efficient and effective manner. They also provide an excellent opportunity for students to practise working under time pressure.
Our practice papers, which are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase, offer excellent practice and preparation for St Helen and St Katharine’s 11+ tests. They cover all the key skills for English and mathematics and can be used to identify any weaker areas that require additional work ahead of the tests and help build confidence.
Our 11+ practice papers are thoroughly researched and up to date. Every year, they are used successfully by tens of thousands of students targeting schools with a competitive entrance examination process. They are designed to be age appropriate but challenging, to reflect the demands of a competitive independent school’s entrance exam.
English
To prepare for St Helen and St Katharine’s English papers, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers, which will help to improve comprehension and writing skills, including spelling and vocabulary:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
Mathematics
To prepare for the maths test, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers:
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in School of St Helen & St Katharine 11+ past papers. The information provided about School of St Helen & St Katharine 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.
