St. Columba’s College, St Albans 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information
Table of Contents
Introduction
St. Columba’s College is an independent, Roman Catholic day school for boys in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Founded in 1939 by Phillip O’Neil, the college is built around two historic houses, Watling House and Iona House, overlooking the St. Albans Cathedral across the River Ver.
The Senior School curriculum focuses on the core subjects of mathematics, English, religious education and science along with two humanities, history and geography, a core language (French or Spanish) and Latin, and lessons in computer science, design technology, music, art, physical education and games.
Co-curricular activities range from rugby, athletics, swimming, football and tennis to Drama, Choir, Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
The school enables every boy to maximise his own potential through the provision of high quality teaching, superb pastoral care and committed staff that work in partnership with parents and the wider community. At St. Columba’s, each individual is valued, nurtured and encouraged to become a self-motivated, resilient and well-rounded adult who will use his gifts and talents for the benefit of others.
St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information
Address: King Harry Lane, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4AW
County: Hertfordshire
Admissions info: admissions@stcolumbascollege.org or 01727 892040
School Type: Independent day school for boys
Number of Students: 830 (approx.)
Open day: October and June
11+ Exam Date: January of Year 6
11+ Exam Type / Board: School’s own
Open Events for St. Columba’s College 11 plus (11+) Entry
The school holds an Open Morning in October and an Open School Working Day in June. During these events, you and your son will have the opportunity to tour the school, meet the Head and members of the Senior Leadership Team, along with other members of staff and students. If you are unable to attend the Open Events, you can arrange a private visit to the school with the Registrar.
St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
The admissions process for Year 7 entry starts with registration, made via an online form available on the school’s website. St. Columba’s recommends early registration, which is confirmed by paying a non-transferable registration fee of £100.
The 11+ entrance exam is set in January. Your son will also have an informal interview, which does not require any specific preparation. The school will request a current-school reference and reports too.
If your son performs well in the examination, he will automatically be considered for an Academic Scholarship, covering 10%-15% of the fees. Current-school academic references are also taken into account. These awards don’t require separate application forms.
Music Scholarships are also offered to 11+ applicants. They are dependent on your son’s audition and performance in the entrance examination. All scholarships are reviewed annually.
The school offers two separate categories of means-tested bursaries to provide financial support in case you would not otherwise be able to afford to send your son to St Columba’s College. They are available for the duration of your son’s time at the College, but only if he continues to meet specific educational and behavioural criteria. If your financial circumstances change, the bursary award will be adjusted accordingly.
1821 Bursaries are means-tested bursaries available to boys who apply for entry to Senior school and are awarded with an academic scholarship. They cover up to 100% of the fees and may include “extras” required for the delivery of the standard education programme.
Coindre Bursaries are also means-tested and are offered to practising Roman Catholic students who pass the entrance tests and who show exceptional academic potential. They provide financial support valued at up to 95% of the school fees and may also include “extras” required for the delivery of the standard education programme. For more information, please visit the school’s website.
St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The St. Columba’s College 11+ exam consists of the following papers:
- English
- Mathematics
- Reasoning (Verbal+Non-Verbal)
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 son’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. The paper may include questions on number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics.
The Verbal Reasoning paper is primarily designed to test and assess his logical thinking, use of English language and vocabulary. The Non-Verbal Reasoning paper measures his ability to understand, interpret and problem-solve, testing logic and intelligence rather than knowledge.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the St Columba’s College 11+ entrance examination.
How to Prepare for the St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam
At Exam Papers Plus, we recommend that students follow a structured approach towards preparation for the 11+ entrance exam. Such an approach includes practice tests, which consist of thoroughly researched and up to date questions that reflect a competitive 11+ examination format.
By covering all the key skills and the range of question types your son will encounter in the actual test, our practice tests will help them get used to answering questions quickly and effectively. More importantly, they will help identify any weaker areas that require additional work and attention. In this way, our practice tests will assist in boosting your son’s confidence.
Every year, tens of thousands of students make use of our practice tests in order to gain an advantage over peers ahead of competitive and highly selective entrance exams.
Practice tests ensure that candidates find the preparation process easily manageable and less demanding, and help parents and tutors come up with a carefully thought-out revision plan for their son that focuses on studying ‘little and often’.
All our resources are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase. Our recommendations to help your son prepare for the St. Columba’s College 11 plus entrance examination can be found below.
St. Columba’s College 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
Recommendations for each section of the St. Columba’s College 11 Plus exam can be found below:
English
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the St. Columba’s College 11+ English paper. They will help improve your son’s comprehension skills, such as inference, and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
Mathematics
We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your son’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the St. Columba’s College 11+ maths test:
Non-Verbal Reasoning + Verbal Reasoning
To develop your son’s Reasoning abilities ahead of the St. Columba’s College 11+ entrance examination, we suggest that you make use of the following packs that cover all of the key question types:
Non-Verbal Reasoning: Practice tests
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 1
Verbal Reasoning: Practice tests
Verbal Reasoning: Skill specific practice
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Anagrams
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Analogies
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Compound Words
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Embedded Words
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Form a Word
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Insert a Letter
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Calculations
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Sequences
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Move a Letter
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Calculations
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Sequences
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Shuffled Sentences
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Synonyms
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Completion
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Match
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Opposites
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Puzzles
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Relationships
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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included St. Columba’s College 11+ past papers. The information provided about St. Columba’s College 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.
