Introduction
School Name: City of London Freemen’s School
Description: Co-educational independent school (day and boarding)
Acceptance Ages: 11+
Overview
Freemen’s School is owned by the City of London Corporation and is located in Ashtead Park in the Surrey Hills. The original school was founded in Brixton in 1854 to provide care and education for orphaned children of Freemen of the City (men and women who had the right to carry out their trade or craft within the Square Mile). It moved out of the city to its current home in 1926.
The site has been expanded and added with new facilities. The most recent development work includes a purpose-built boarding house, a new music school and an award-winning swimming pool.
Since the beginning over 160 years ago, the school has been fully co-educational.
Majority of the day students aged 7 to 18 years, with just under 10% boarding. 11+ entrance to the school is competitive, with around 150 applicants competing for just 20 places each year.
City of London Freemen’s School 11 Plus Admissions
Freemen’s School is academically selective and is looking for ‘well-rounded pupils with a genuine interest in education in the broadest sense of the word’. The school’s admissions process combined with competitive entrance exams with interviews outlined to find out about applicants’ character and interests.
The assessment process for Freemen’s School has recently changed. Now, at 11+, all applicants will take online assessments (BUSSATs) in English, Mathematics and General Knowledge, plus a Non-Verbal Reasoning assessment and short written paper in English, in November of Year 6.
A confidential report will be requested from the head teacher of the applicant’s current school. This covers academic ability, aptitudes, behavior and other interests.
Interviews are an important part of the admissions process and will be invited to
in January based on the results of the entrance exams and the report from their current school. Interview days consist of a half-hour group interview and half-hour individual interview, plus other activities.
Letters about the school’s decision are sent out in the first week of February and acceptances must be made within one calendar month.
List of FAQs for admissions and assessments together with the complete admissions policies are available in the school’s website.
How to Apply for 11 Plus Entry to City of London Freemen’s School
Freemen’s School encourages aspiring parents and pupils to visit the school before registering for a place. They host a number of open events throughout the year; some are whole school events, while others are focused at a specific intake. Details are published on the school’s website along with an online attendance request form. Personal visits can also be scheduled for other times via the Admissions Team: 01372 822423 or admissions@freemens.org.
Parents who want their child to be considered for a Upper 3 (Year 7) place at Freemen’s School, must complete a registration form, which can be completed online or downloaded, and pay a non-refundable registration fee of £100.00 (£150.00 for overseas applicants). The deadline for registration will be on 15 October prior to the year of entry. All registered applicants by the published deadline will be examined and assessed for entrance.
Academic scholarships are available at 11+ and are awarded on the basis of the entrance assessments (no separate application). Scholarships take the form of a nominal financial reduction on fees, the main reward being acceptance into an enrichment programme. Music scholarships are also available and must be applied for separately and are awarded based on performance in an audition and interview.
For more information about means-tested bursaries, please contact the Outreach and Partnerships Officer: kerri.martin@freemens.org
City of London Freemen’s School 11 Plus Exam Format
The entrance exam for 11+ entry into Upper 3 at Freemen’s School consist of the following:
- Online BUSSATs assessments in English, Mathematics and General Knowledge for 2 hours.
- Non-verbal Reasoning Assessment for 40 minutes.
- English Writing task is for 30 minutes.
BUSSATs (British Universities & Secondary Schools Achievement Tests) are designed to evaluate academic ability against the school’s own standards – a unique academic performance index (API) based on the performance of a control group of existing students – to find pupils who are a good match to the school.
The online assessment consists of multiple-choice questions that test reading comprehension, punctuation, vocabulary (word meaning), mathematics (knowledge, understanding and application of number and calculation, shape and data skills) and general knowledge. Some example questions are published on the school’s website.
