Year 7 Entry

Introduction for Entry in 2026

Reading School is a selective boys' grammar school with Academy status. The school caters for day boys and weekly boarders alike and being within the state-maintained sector, all the education provided is free.

All students must be entitled to hold a full British passport or to have the right of residence in the United Kingdom. Boarders pay only for their board and lodging.

Reading School has high academic standards, performing consistently well at all levels. In addition, music, sport and drama flourish. Rugby and cricket have strong fixture lists and most of the other sports are played to a high standard.

The Admissions Policies for September 2026 entry are published.

The entrance test registration form was open from Tuesday 1st April to midday on Friday 13th June 2025. The form has now closed.

Admissions Policy and Guidelines for Entry in 2026 for Year 7.

The Governing Body has agreed its policies for 2026 entry. The policies are published below:

Year 7 Admissions Policy for 2026 Entry for Day Applicants
Year 7 Admissions Policy for 2026 Entry for Boarding Applicants
Reasonable Adjustments Policy
Suitability for Boarding Form (to be completed and sent with the relevant application form if you are applying for a boarding place only)

On-line Registration Form for Entry in 2025 for Year 7

The on-line entrance test registration form for 2026 entry was available from Tuesday 1st April to midday on Friday 13th June 2025.

The on-line registration form for 2026 entry is now closed.

If you feel you have an exceptional reason as to why you could not make an application between 1st April and 13th June 2025, please contact: admissions@reading-school.co.uk.

Year 7 Entry for Prospective Students

Number of Places Available

For entry, there will be 150 places in total comprising of 12 boarders (maximum) and 138 day-boys (minimum). Parents should appreciate that not all boys who are deemed suitable for a place at Reading School can be accommodated, as there are many more applications than places available.

To view our Year 7 admissions guide please click on the following link:

Year 7 Admissions Guide for September 2026 Entry

For boarding fees 2024-2025, please click here.

Key Dates for Entry to Year 7 2026

Online registration form available on school website - 1st April 2025
Open Day - 1st April 2025 - Booking required with details available in the Open Day section
Closing date for receipt of applications at Reading School - Midday on Friday 13th June 2025
Sporting Aptitude Assessment - Tuesday 2nd September 2025
Test date for SEN applicants -Thursday 4th September 2025
Testing date for Day and Boarding applicants - Friday 5th September 2025
Test date for Day applicants outside of catchment - Friday 26th September 2025
Results will be available online mid October 2025
Deadline for submitting application form (CAF) to home LA - 31st October 2025
Offer Date from your Local Authority - 2nd March 2026

Nature of Tests

Familiarisation Booklet for Entry into Year 7

The Familiarisation Guides for the September 2025 entrance test are available at the following links:

Familiarisation Guide for children

Familiarisation Guide for parents

The Familiarisation Guides are designed to inform parents and candidates about the Entrance Test in order to:

Give a feel for the appearance of the actual assessment.
Introduce some of the symbols and phrases used in the assessment.
Provide examples of how questions will be asked.
Inform parents and candidates of the invigilation procedure.
Indicate the range of content that will be tested.
Highlight the range of answer formats used in the test.

The Entrance Test content changes each year therefore the Familiarisation Guide is NOT definitive and the inclusion of any question types does NOT guarantee that they will be found in the actual test.

Please click on the link below to find out more about the FSCE Tests:

FSCE Information on Entrance Test for Year 7 entry in 2026

Please note: there are no commercially available practice test papers for the FSCE Ltd tests.

Results

Results will be available online by mid-October 2025. Please note that when results are issued, being assessed as suitable for Reading School will not guarantee that your son will be offered a place as it is extremely likely that more boys will qualify for places than the School can accommodate. In this case we will apply our oversubscription criteria as listed in our Admissions Policy.

Discover Your Future Story

Discover your ‘Future Story’ at a school for every high attaining student!

Reading School is a state school that provides an exceptional and free education to high attaining students from all backgrounds. Our purpose is to enable all of our students, regardless of background, to thrive on highly selective courses at elite universities and to be happy and successful in their future careers. We help to improve opportunities and life-chances for individuals and communities. As a result, we aim for our admissions process to be as open and accessible as possible.

Year 7 Admissions

Admission to Reading School is primarily based on an entrance test and we want every student to feel confident and happy that they should take this test. Applicants in receipt of Pupil Premium, or who are looked after or previously looked after, are prioritised when offers of places at the school are made. In effect, a lower contextual entrance mark is required.

Financial Support - The Reading School Promise

We know that parents may worry about the cost of sending their child to school and we want to take that worry away.

If your child is currently eligible, a free school meal will be provided. In addition, for any student offered a place at Reading School, who is eligible for pupil premium we will provide:

1. Confidentiality: about financial arrangements with regards to your son. Assistance is given automatically with the minimum of fuss so that no family can be identified as receiving support.

2. Support with uniform costs in the form of PE kit up to the value of £100 supplied by Reading School and £100 of vouchers towards the purchase of compulsory uniform from Stephenson’s at the start of Year 7.

3. Additional support of up to £200 for uniform related expenses at the start of Year 9; claimed back via the Reading Promise form.

4. Access to a ‘fee free’ locker: allocated before the start of each academic year.

5. Free essential equipment for lessons: provided for students before they start Year 7, including free laboratory coats and goggles for science.

6. Free essential school trips: The school will fund Belonging Week trips for all students in Years 7-10, up to £200 per annum. Other trips may be subsidised.

7. A grant of up to £500: towards one international trip in each key stage, during Years 7 – 11. Additional funds may also be available through the Reading Foundation subject to assessment.

8. In Years 7 & 8 there will be the opportunity to take part in a program of instrumental lessons funded by the school and offered to all students.

9. Additional discretionary support may be available, with the Headmaster’s approval. Please contact Mr T Evans for a confidential conversation as required.

Reading School is one of the highest performing school in the region, and we are dedicated to supporting your future. If you have any questions regarding the admissions process, please do contact the admissions team at admissions@reading-school.co.uk.