Silcoates School 11 plus guide

Are you thinking about applying to Silcoates School for 11+ entry? Find out everything you need to know about the admissions process and how to prepare for the entrance exam.

Key information for Silcoates School

• School type: co-educational independent day school
• Location: Wrenthorpe, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
• Admissions contact: admissions@silcoates.org.uk
• 11+ exam: the school's own entrance assessment in Maths, English, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• Scholarships: academic, music and sport

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Friday 13th November 2026: Year 7 entrance assessment day
• Friday 15th January 2027: scholarship application deadline
• Friday 22nd January 2027: scholarship assessment day

How to apply to Silcoates School

Silcoates School is selective. This means that your child will need to sit an entrance assessment to be eligible for a place.

The process begins with an enquiry to the school's admissions team, followed by an invitation to complete an enquiry form and submit a school report. Families are then invited to tour the school before completing a Registration Form to formally register their child, along with a non-refundable registration fee.

Once registered, your child will be invited to a Taster Day, where they'll spend the day with their prospective class and be paired with a buddy. The entrance assessment takes place on the morning of the Taster Day.

Children applying for scholarships have an additional stage: academic candidates are assessed on their entrance assessment results, school reference and an interview with the Head, while music and sport candidates attend a separate assessment day in January.

What will my child be tested on?

Silcoates sets its own entrance assessment for Year 7 entry, rather than using an external testing provider. Prospective pupils sit the assessment on the morning of their Taster Day.

Maths

The maths assessment covers the arithmetic, reasoning and problem-solving skills expected for a child's age, testing how confidently they apply core mathematical concepts.

English

The English assessment looks at reading comprehension and written expression, assessing how well a child understands, interprets and responds to a text.

Non-verbal reasoning

Non-verbal reasoning tests use patterns, shapes and sequences to assess logical thinking skills that don't rely on words or numbers.

Verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning tests assess how a child works with words, codes and logic to solve problems, drawing on vocabulary and comprehension skills.

How are places decided?

Places for Year 7 entry are decided on a combination of a child's performance in the entrance assessment and how they come across during their Taster Day.

For scholarship applicants, additional factors are considered:

• Academic scholarships: entrance assessment results, a reference from the child's current school, and an interview with the Head
• Music scholarships: an audition performing two contrasting pieces, plus an interview with the Director of Music
• Sport scholarships: an assessment day including fitness tests, sport-specific assessments and an interview with the Director of Sport and the Head

Formal offers are made in writing. On accepting a place, families are asked to pay a refundable deposit.

Financial information

Silcoates School is a fee paying school. Take a look at the school website for a full breakdown of fees per year group.

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 Silcoates School's website 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 Silcoates School's website to find out what bursaries are available and how to apply.

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

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

Applying to senior school can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.

Stay on track with a clear plan

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 exact replicas 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.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's reading and writing starter kit has suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

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.