FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions – Year 7 entry September 2025
Please use this guide to help answer the most common questions.
How will my child be selected?
Please note that Reading School is selective and admission is based on the results of an entrance test. Please take time to carefully read the separate admissions policy, which can be found on the school website. The normal ages of entrance are eleven and sixteen (for the sixth form). In special circumstances, for example when families move into the area, an in-year application form may be requested from the Admissions Officer and returned to the school. However, for a child to be admitted in-year, a vacancy would have had to arise, and this is a rare occurrence. For more information about in-year applications please see our website.
What does the entrance exam entail?
Children take an entrance examination early in the autumn term preceding the September of entry. Papers will test a range of skills in a variety of contexts and they are designed to be predictors of likely future performance. The results from each paper will be standardised, age-weighted and combined into a total standardised age score. The outcome of the test will be communicated to parents in mid-October in time for parents to complete the local authority common application form (CAF) by the deadline which is usually the end of October.
Notification that your child has achieved the eligible score for entry does not necessarily constitute the formal offer of a place since, in recent years, there have been more children achieving the eligible score than there are places available. The formal offer of a place will be communicated via your Local Authority on national offer day in early March.
What happens if there are more people meeting the standard for entry than there are places available?
There are always more people who meet the standard than there are places available. In these circumstances, we apply our over subscription criteria. Full details regarding the definitions of each of the criteria are in the admissions policy on our website at Reading School Admissions. In summary, the over subscription criteria are applied in order, as follows:
Day Applicant:
Category 1: (Previously) Looked After Children and/or Children previously in care outside of England with a score up to 5 marks below an eligible score;
Category 2: Children with Pupil or Service Premium living within the catchment area with a score up to 5 marks below an eligible score;
Category 3: Up to 15 places for children who have demonstrated aptitude in sport, who live within the Catchment area or who have registered for a boarding place, (by achieving a score in the Sporting Aptitude Assessment above the threshold) by rank order of performance in the sporting aptitude assessments;
Category 4: Children whose permanent home address is within the catchment area;
Category 5: Children whose permanent home address is NOT within the catchment area; Evidence of all of the above will need to be submitted and approved in order for a child to be admitted.
Boarding Applicant:
Category 1: (Previously) Looked After Children and/or Children previously in care outside of England with a score up to 5 marks below an eligible score;
Category 2: Children with Pupil or Service Premium with a score up to 5 marks below an eligible score;
Category 3: Children with a boarding need;
Category 4: Up to 15 places for children who have demonstrated aptitude in sport, who live within the Catchment area or who have registered for a boarding place, (by achieving a score in the Sporting Aptitude Assessment above the threshold) by rank order of performance in the sporting aptitude assessments;
Category 5: All other Candidates;
What is Sporting Aptitude?
Up to 15 sporting aptitude places are available for entry to Year 7. A candidate is only eligible for a Sporting Aptitude place if they have achieved eligible scores in both the Maths and English elements of the entrance test, are of the standard in Creative Writing, and have surpassed the threshold for Sporting Aptitude. Sporting Aptitude places will be allocated as per the oversubscription criteria and allocated in rank order of scores from the Sporting Aptitude Assessment Day.
The sporting aptitude assessment will give all participants the opportunity to demonstrate their potential and propensity to develop ability in sport through a variety of tasks and tests. The process will be subject to oversight by an independent assessor. Scores will be awarded for each element of the aptitude assessment. When all assessments have been completed a rank order of applicants for the Sporting Aptitude places will be produced and a threshold will be applied. Parents will be told whether their son has achieved the threshold and is therefore eligible to be considered for a place under the Sporting Aptitude criterion.
What is Pupil Premium?
There are three separate eligibility criteria for the Pupil Premium funding (payable to the school).
- Children who are eligible for free school meals, or have ever been eligible in the last 6 years.
- Children who are, or have ever been, looked after in local authority care.
- Children for whom one of their parents is in the armed forces, or has been, in the last 6 years.
How many places are available in Year 7?
The admission number for the school is 150 (138 day, 12 boarding).
How many applications does the school receive?
Typically, over 1100 pupils register for the entrance examination each year.
Does it matter where we live?
All day places are taken up by students who live within the catchment area; in a typical year, no day places are offered to those applicants living outside of the catchment area. Please see the admissions policy for a prioritised list of the oversubscription criteria. A map of the catchment area is available on the admissions policies page of our website.
What is a ‘looked-after child’?
A looked-after child is a child who is in public care or has previously been in public care. (Children previously in public care are children who were in public care and ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order). Looked-after children are dealt with under Category 1 of the oversubscription criteria.
Do I need to make the school first preference on the LA common application form?
If parents wish for their child to attend Reading School, they are strongly advised to make the school their first preference on the LA common application form. If your child meets the admission criteria for more than one of your chosen schools, the LA will allocate your child to the school of highest preference. If Reading School is not made first preference your child may not receive the offer of a place even if they meet the standard for entry in the entrance examination.
What if my child has special needs?
If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and/or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, or is receiving external agency support for any additional needs, please contact the school to discuss this. Special arrangements may be given by Reading School during the examination.
What if my child is ill on the day of the examination?
If you feel your child is so unwell they can’t take the examination you should inform the Admissions Officer at the school immediately. You should then take your child to your GP and provide a medical note to the school. If appropriate, it may be possible for your child to sit the examination on an alternative date.
Do you operate a waiting list?
If your child has met the standard for entry and is not offered a place, your child will automatically join the waiting list as long as he has not been offered a place at a higher preference school. Places will be offered by the local authority if one becomes available, provided that your child has met the standard for entry. Your child’s position on the waiting list depends on their rank order in the test according to the oversubscription criteria.
What if I apply late?
It is essential for applicants to sit the entrance test according to the admissions schedule so that the outcome can be communicated to parents in time to nominate the school on the CAF where appropriate. Applicants whose registration with the school is later than the test deadline, and those who do not nominate the school on the CAF by the local authority deadline, will be considered after the initial round of waiting list places on 31st March. It is highly unlikely that places will be available at this stage and parents who think they may wish to pursue a place at the school are strongly advised both to register on time for the test and to nominate Reading School on the CAF in the first instance.
Please find links to Frequently Asked Questions relating to admission to Reading School: