Candidates who register early for 13+ entry are invited to sit the Independent Schools’ Examination Board (ISEB) Common Pre-Test at their current school. The pre-test can be taken when a candidate is either in Year 6 or 7 (and currently anytime between November and May of those academic years).
The Common Pre-Test is a computer-based test in English, Mathematics, and Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning designed to enable all children to demonstrate their academic potential without excessive preparation. The test is age-standardised, so candidates are not disadvantaged by when they sit it. However, it can only be sat once.
Candidates attending a school that is not able to administer the ISEB Common Pre-Test will be invited to sit the test here at Bedford School.
References and reports from the candidate’s current school are also requested; these are a key component of the assessments.
Candidates who have sat the pre-test are then invited during the summer term to attend an interview and lunch in the Great Hall at Bedford School with both parents and staff.
If a candidate performs well in the pre-test and interview and has strong reference(s) from their current school, we may choose to make an unconditional offer at this stage.
Bedford School will also consider the candidate’s co-curricular interests (and hence their potential to enjoy, to the full, the opportunities that Bedford School has to offer) when making unconditional offers. Following the receipt of an unconditional offer, we will invite parents to reserve a place for their child with a non-refundable deposit of £1,000.
Candidates who receive an unconditional offer are still required to sit the 13+ entrance assessments in the January of Year 8, the results of which will be used to identify support requirements on entry to the school.
