Our Admissions team look forward to supporting you and your son through the Sherborne application process. How and when to apply will depend on the year group you are considering for your son, and details for each point of entry are given below. In all cases, by the time your son starts at the School, we hope that a strong relationship with your whole family has been established and that you feel very much a part of the Sherborne community. This will give everyone a head-start in the next phase of your son’s education, ensuring that he has every opportunity to flourish as a Shirburnian, and that you are confident in the care and nurture he will receive during his time at Sherborne.
Sherborne is happy to receive registrations at any time, although we do recommend this by the end of Year 5 for Year 6 testing. To register your son, please request a link to the registration portal from the Admissions Department. The registration will need to be completed alongside a £300, inc VAT, registration fee.
A deposit will be required should a formal offer be made to your son following the assessments. Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information.
For full details of our admissions process, please contact the team at any time: 01935 810403 or [email protected].
Key Entry Timelines
Third Form
The majority of boys will start their journey towards a place at Sherborne some three years prior to admission, but late applications are possible. You are welcome to visit whenever you like, so that you can experience our unique setting and ethos at first hand (please also visit our Virtual Admissions page).
When your son is in Year 5, we’d encourage a School visit followed by registering for Sherborne. During Year 6 and Year 7, we start to involve him in life at Sherborne. He’ll attend activity days and events that give him a chance to experience the School first-hand, while parents use the time to connect with senior staff, build relationships with the Admissions team and start to meet other parents, all of which helps you feel a part of the Sherborne community. Throughout this time, you are invited to visit the School as often you like. We keep in regular contact to answer any questions and help you navigate the process.
Assessment
Every boy is different; some are ready to sit formal assessments in Year 6, others are best to wait until Year 7. As such, we are able to assess your son for a place when he is either in Year 6 or in Year 7, and would urge a discussion with your son's current school for their advice as to which would suit him best.
Boys sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn term, followed by our formal Assessment Days in the January of the same academic year. Place decisions are made shortly afterwards. In Year 8, we ask for your submission of the House Preference Form and, if applicable, your son will sit his Common Entrance which we use for setting purposes.
Third Form Entry
Entry Timeline for Third Form 2025 onward
Third Form Events:
Sherborne at Work Day
This day is an opportunity for boys to experience life in school with their peers. Various academic and co-curricular activities take place intended to be fun and informal. A separate timetable is run for parents which will give them an opportunity to meet with the Headmaster and senior members of staff, including Housemasters.
Assessment Days
In the January of the same academic year that boys sit their ISEB pre-test, they will be invited to join us for one of our Assessment Days. The boys will have an interview with a senior member of our academic staff, complete a piece of creative writing and undertake a group task. We will look at a boy's performance in each of these areas, as well as the information shared in a confidential reference from his current school. Following our Assessment Days, the Headmaster will review and make his offers of places for Year 9 entry, and these decisions are released by February half term.
Please contact the Admissions Department who will be happy to answer any questions about any of the above.
Super Sunday
In the Trinity (Summer) Term of Year 7 we invite all boys who have accepted offers, following their assessment, together with their families, to Super Sunday. This is a family event that provides an opportunity for boys and parents to meet other families joining the School in September of Year 9 and come together as a new year group. The day is designed to be fun and sociable, there are activities, competitions and workshops for the boys to participate in together, allowing the boys to start to familiarise themselves with the School and their peers. It also gives the boys and parents the chance to meet our Housemasters and other members of staff who will be on hand during the day
New Boys' Day
Towards the end of the Trinity Term of Year 8 new boys and their parents are invited to their House for lunch with their Housemaster and year group. This gives the boys and parents another opportunity to meet with the Housemaster and the House team, as well as with each other, before starting in September. We hope that this gives boys reassurance and feeds their sense of excitement at the prospect of joining us in September.
“Thank you and your team for such a fantastic day to help ease us into the next steps for all our sons into Sherborne. I can’t talk for anyone else but for me I found it most informative. I thought the boys who had entered into Sherborne last September provided a real insight into what my boy may experience. The day was a real result” (Quote from a 2023 parent).
Admissions Guide
Fourth Form
Whilst this is a non-standard entry point, there are occasionally places for boys who wish to join the School in Year 10. Please contact the Admissions Team for further information: 01935 810403 or [email protected].
Sixth Form
Sherborne School is a selective school and, following registration, all boys are required to sit our entrance assessments in November of the year preceding entry. Late places do occasionally become available so, if you miss out on the main entrance process, please do still get in touch as we might be able to assist you.
2025 Entry
- Assessment Day / Scholarship Day - Tuesday 19 November 2024
- Results to parents - 1 December 2024
- Acceptance deadline - Monday 9 December 2024
- House allocation confirmation - End of April 2025
- Sixth Form New Boys Lunch & Webinar - June 2025
- GCSE results - August 2025. Places are confirmed by Admissions once we have your son’s results and provided that he has reached the grade condition of entry.
2025 Entry Guide
