Repton School 13+ entry guide

Are you thinking about applying to Repton School for 13+ entry? Find out everything you need to know about the admissions process and how to prepare for the entrance exam.

Key information for Repton School

• School type: co-educational independent school (day and boarding)
• Location: Repton, Derbyshire
• Admissions contact: admissions@repton.org.uk
• 13+ exam: CAT4, or Common Entrance for pupils coming from a Common Entrance–teaching prep school
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• Scholarships: academic, art, sport, music, drama, design and technology, plus the all-round CB Fry award

Important dates for 2027 entry

Repton doesn't publish fixed calendar dates for 13+ entry — timings are set relative to your child's school year. Based on the school's current admissions guidance:

• September, Year 8: recommended registration point, though enquiries are welcomed throughout the year
• October/November, Year 8 (Michaelmas Term): CAT4 test taken, ahead of September entry the following year
• May, Year 8: Repton 13+ Scholarship examinations, for those entered for an academic scholarship
• Check the school's website for confirmed dates for 2027 entry

How to apply to Repton School

Repton School is selective. This means your child will need to complete an entrance assessment to be eligible for a place.

You can register your child for Year 9 entry at any point, though Repton recommends registering in the September before your child is due to join. A place is offered on the basis of your child's performance in the CAT4 test (or Common Entrance, where applicable), a satisfactory school reference, and a recent positive school report.

What will my child be tested on?

Most Repton candidates take the CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test), set by GL Assessment. Repton's own admissions policy states that pupils from prep schools that teach the Common Entrance syllabus can request to be assessed on that basis instead, either through Common Entrance or the Common Academic Scholarship examination, though Repton's general admissions page describes CAT4 as being taken by all 13+ pupils.

‍Given this inconsistency in the school's own published information, it's worth confirming directly with Repton's admissions team which applies to your child.

CAT4

The CAT4 is an online, non-adaptive cognitive abilities test, usually taken in the Michaelmas Term of Year 8. It assesses four types of reasoning:

• Verbal reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning
• Quantitative reasoning
• Spatial reasoning

Rather than testing subject knowledge, the CAT4 looks at how your child thinks and solves problems, giving the school a picture of their academic potential. No specific preparation is required, and Repton is clear that all CAT4 candidates start on an equal footing.

Common Entrance or Common Academic Scholarship

Families whose child is being prepared for Common Entrance or the Common Academic Scholarship examination at their current prep school can request that Repton assess their child on that basis instead of CAT4.

Interview and school reference

Alongside the CAT4 (or Common Entrance result), Repton asks for a reference and recent report from your child's current school, and candidates are typically interviewed as part of the process.

How are places decided?

Places at Repton are based on:

• your child's performance in the CAT4 (or Common Entrance/scholarship papers, where relevant)
• a reference and report from their current school
• an interview

Financial information

Repton School is a fee paying school. Take a look at the school's fees page for a full breakdown of fees for day and boarding pupils.

Financial assistance

When exploring independent schools for your child, scholarships and bursaries are worth considering. They can ease the pressure of school fees and open doors to opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach.

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded for a child's talent or achievement. While many schools focus on academic excellence, some offer awards in music, sport, drama, art, or other specialist areas.

Scholarships often come with a small fee reduction and acknowledge your child's talents, motivating them and boosting their confidence. Some schools automatically consider all applicants, while others may request an additional application, assessment or audition.

Visit Repton's scholarships page to see the scholarships available and how to apply.

For more information, read: Your guide to independent school scholarships.

Bursaries

Bursaries are means-tested awards (based on a family's financial situation) designed to make independent education more accessible. Depending on your circumstances, a bursary could cover part or all of the school fees and sometimes extras like uniforms, lunches or school trips.

Families provide financial information to qualify, and awards are reassessed each year. For many families, bursaries make an excellent education possible that might otherwise seem out of reach.

Visit The Repton Foundation to find out what bursaries are available and how to apply.

For more information, read: Bursaries: a parents' guide.

Financial support for independent school fees is more available than most families realise.

This free guide is an honest look at how scholarships and bursaries work in practice: what they cover, how the timeline unfolds from Year 4 to Year 6 and how to approach admissions with confidence.

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

One of the hardest parts of exam preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day

Build smart exam technique

As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's mock tests are built to match the format, timing and question styles of real entrance exams. They're also unlimited — your child can take the same test repeatedly and see new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

Atom's mock tests are automatically marked. You'll see your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in preparation for entrance exams.

Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will:

• broaden their vocabulary
• improve comprehension and inference
• build confidence in tackling unseen texts

And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your child through exam preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.