Pupils can join the Junior School at 8+ (Year 4) and at 9+ (Year 5). The deadline for registration is 31st October of the year preceding entry and all candidates sit an entrance test in January before entry in September.

There may occasionally be places available for late applicants. Please contact the Registrar if you would like your son to be considered outside the timeframe below.

Starting the application process

We would be delighted to welcome you and your son on a visit to the Junior School in the months prior to application. You will gain an invaluable insight into what makes our school so unique from our chatty Junior School boys and have an opportunity to meet the Master, Helen Pike and our Head of Junior School, Mr Skipwith. You will find information about our open events on our Open Events and our Admissions dates will guide you through the timeline for application, including test and interview dates.

Registration

To register please complete the online registration form. You will be required to upload an electronic copy of your son’s birth certificate or passport and make an online payment of the £100 registration fee. We accept applications on a rolling basis throughout the year for Junior School places, but we encourage you to bear the 31st October deadline in mind if you can. In the weeks leading up to our tests, we will contact you to ask more information about your son’s hobbies and interests and we will also ask for a reference from his current school at this stage.

APPLY ONLINE

We can see that the school makes a great effort into getting to know each child, in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Parent of a Junior School Candidate

The entrance tests

We look carefully for potential as well as at current attainment. Our assessments involve a combination of written papers and interviews with the Head of Junior School and form teacher for most candidates. We will also take the school reference into consideration as well as your son’s wider interests and any other relevant information. Boys take tests in English (spelling, composition and comprehension), Maths and Verbal Reasoning. Tests last 15 minutes for spelling, 30 minutes for composition, 35 minutes for comprehension, and 45 minutes for Maths and 50 minutes for Verbal Reasoning. There are breaks and a playtime between them. Please follow the links for information about what to expect for Admission at 8+ or Admission at 9+ and sample papers for 8+ and 9+.

Interviews

Most boys will be invited back to MCS for interviews about a week after the test day. They will meet Tim Skipwith, the Head of the Junior School, for an informal style interview and will also meet a second Junior School teacher, with whom they will do some English or Maths practice. Neither of these interviews will last more than 10–15 minutes. We ask all boys to bring an object (or picture) to to use as an icebreaker (no live animals please!).

Our tests and interviews are designed to explore the way in which each child thinks, no special preparation is expected or required.  However, MCS offers a voluntary Pre-Assessment Service for candidates looking at entry into the Junior School should you wish to gain an idea whether an application would be appropriate for your son at this stage.

Results

We will let you know if your son has been offered a place at the beginning of February and you will need to confirm that you wish to accept the place by returning the correct forms and pay deposit (currently £750 for UK applicants and £1,500 for applicants living overseas) by the agreed acceptance date. If we are unable to offer a place, due to lack of spaces, or because your son is not quite ready for us yet, you remain very welcome to apply to MCS at a later stage.

Induction and joining MCS in September

Important joining information is sent out in May and we hold an induction morning in June for parents and new boys. It is an opportunity to meet other new parents and for boys to meet their class teacher and start making friends before they start. Boys settle into the Junior School very quickly when they join and we find that they embrace their new opportunities and routines with great enthusiasm.

Fees

Please visit our Fees page for an overview of Junior and Senior School Tuition Fees at Magdalen College School.