The changing face of Common Entrance

Main image: Pinewood School

Common Entrance – a series of assessments sat by pupils in their final years of prep school –has been a mainstay of a prep-school education since the early 20th century. Think of it as the 11+ of the private sector: one of the oldest exams in the UK, it has historically been the gold standard for pupils shooting for a place at the country’s most academic and prestigious independent senior schools. But with a number of schools gradually shifting away from it as the core of their curriculum, its relevance has increasingly come under fire, and many parents and schools are asking: is Common Entrance still fit for purpose?

During my career, the future of CE has been endlessly – and heatedly – debated,’ says Will Austen, head of Witham Hall. Many have criticised Common Entrance for its restrictive curriculum and laser focus on academic achievement, while others argue that it dominates the all-important final two years of prep school, burdening pupils with demanding exam preparation and putting them under pressure to achieve the best possible result while taking them away from more valuable, skills-based learning experiences.

‘We must accept that all senior schools, even if they stipulate CE as a vehicle by which you can gain entry to their school, all have alternative methods, not least because much of their intake can be from state schools or abroad,’ says Duncan Sinclair, the head of Somerhill. Coupled with the rise of pre-assessment at 11+ via the ISEB (which leads to some pupils being offered an unconditional place at their senior school, therefore negating the need for them to sit CE other than for setting purposes), it is clear that the exam is no longer as essential or ubiquitous as it used to be. So, with some schools choosing to stop teaching Common Entrance altogether, what does its future look like – and how is the landscape of senior-school entrance exams changing?

With Common Entrance designed as a means for senior schools to academically assess and select pupils, there’s no place for launching into a debate on the issue without getting their perspective. But one thing is clear: many are no longer insisting on the exam as their sole entrance criterion. ‘The decision to move away from Common Entrance is a choice being made in a number of schools which feed us,’ says Ieuan Weir, deputy head academic at Canford. ‘We appreciate that individual schools wish to make their own decision on which route to follow and that, often, they want reassurance and input from us about this. We will continue to work closely with all schools throughout our admissions process.’

‘We do not insist on Common Entrance for admission to St Edward’s, and we welcome the alternative approaches some prep schools have chosen to take, particularly those with formal accreditation such as the [Pre-Senior Baccalaureate, a skills-based curriculum with an emphasis on independent learning, communication and collaboration],’ adds Hugh Stephens, director of teaching and learning at St Edward’s School, Oxford. ‘Terminal examinations continue to have their place in promoting the development of memory and as an event to prepare for to mark the end of a phase of a pupil’s educational journey, though these need not be a suite of Common Entrance exams.’

St Edward's School, Oxford

Malvern College agrees. ‘With a very diverse intake coming from UK prep schools, the maintained sector and internationally, we are adept at seeking out talent in whatever form it comes, whether this is Common Entrance, the PSB or our own assessment system,’ says head Keith Metcalfe. ‘I much prefer Year 7 and 8 pupils to be able to explore the full breadth and depth of a wide academic curriculum rather than being pinned down to a set of relatively narrow criteria to fulfil an exam assessment.’

However, there is agreement that CE retains its relevance. Canford’s Mr Weir says: ‘There is still very much a place for some high-stakes testing in Year 8 as good preparation for GCSEs – and historically CE (in many, but not all subjects) has set the foundations pretty well for many of our pupils, enabling us to build upon that and to achieve excellent outcomes at GCSE.’ ‘Maybe the best solutions are those used by [our prep school] The Downs Malvern: take the best bits of the Common Entrance and adapt to fit, eg by creating The Downs Baccalaureate – a new programme that teaches children to take ownership of their academic journey – which considers and values a truly holistic approach to education,’ suggests Mr Metcalfe.

And that’s exactly what a number of schools have done. In recent years, more and more have adopted a hybrid approach, whereby they retain the Common Entrance curriculum in core subjects (usually maths, English and sciences), while developing their own spin on the Year 7 and 8 curriculum in other areas to create an interesting alternative.

Moulsford was one of the first schools to go down this path. In 2017, it began the process of moving away from CE in all subjects other than maths, English and science. In its place, boys now follow the school’s own Moulsford curriculum, which gives teachers the freedom to explore different topics, make links across the curriculum, develop lateral thinking and encourage creativity. ‘With diminishing relevance of the exams to senior schools, and after much consultation with a wide range of those we feed to – including Abingdon, Bradfield, Eton, Harrow, Magdalen College School, Marlborough, Millfield, Pangbourne, Radley, Shiplake and St Edward’s Oxford – we completely reviewed the curriculum and in particular, what is offered educationally to pupils in their final two years’, says head Ben Beardmore-Grey. A number of senior schools were asked for their direct input into helping devise the new curriculum – and now six years in, it has received hugely positive feedback from both parents and schools.

Another example is Cumnor House Sussex. In 2023, it launched its new Year 7 and 8 curriculum, Kudos, which aims to combine subject knowledge and academic rigour with the development of life skills. While pupils still follow the traditional CE syllabus in academic subjects, Kudos puts less emphasis on cramming for exams and more on developing independent study skills and critical thinking – and even gives pupils the opportunity to take up a new subject such as textiles, computer science or ancient Greek. Notting Hill Prep School has adopted a similar approach, maintaining the CE curriculum in English, maths, sciences and languages, but creating its own bespoke curriculum in humanities, assessed via ISEB’s (a research-led extended project on a topic of pupils’ choice). ‘Is it perfect?’ asks Nicola Swales, the school’s deputy head academic. ‘Absolutely not, and we will continue to review and evaluate our practices as the educational landscape evolves.’

Cumnor House Sussex pupils working on the entrepreneurship module of the school's Kudos curriculum (photo credit Tony Brown Photography)

Pennthorpe – which prepares pupils for CE exams in English, maths and science – agrees. ‘We’ve observed that by blending a skills-based approach with externally assessed core subjects, our pupils excel not only in senior-school assessments but also in lifelong learning, fostering resilience and well-roundedness,’ says the school’s deputy head Jon Marler. ‘While we remain open to evolving our approach, we currently find the balance between CE preparation and our own future-ready, skills-based education to be highly effective.’

Last year, Highfield and Brookham made the decision to teach the Common Entrance syllabus in core subjects only, giving the school much more flexibility with its humanities and languages curriculum. Children in Year 8 are also given the opportunity to create, research and present on a topic of their choice, with the project sent to their chosen senior schools as part of their application. ‘With more flexibility around the curriculum, we have been able to take more time with these two important year groups and not get bogged down with the forcing of understanding and knowledge or simply teaching to the test,’ says head Suzannah Cryer. Crucially, before making the change, they spoke to more than 25 senior schools to get their views. ‘Only five of these schools still require all subjects to be examined using the CE syllabus, and one has its own set of papers. We actively encourage applicants for these five schools and will continue to thoroughly prepare those children using our streaming system as it is vitally important that we give parents and children the choice of as many schools as possible,’ she adds.

Schools that have embraced this hybrid approach certainly aren’t writing Common Entrance off – and many are still vocal about its benefits. ‘The collective experience of these final exams, as well as our desire to send children to a range of leading senior schools, means that the Common Entrance exams are still relevant, not only for entry, but as a valuable first experience in preparing for and sitting public exams,’ says James Large, head of Old Buckenham Hall, which has found a balance by keeping CE for core subjects but moving away from it for history, geography and theology, philosophy and religion, in order to promote topics that are relevant to future studies and the world today.

Old Buckenham Hall (photo credit Tom Soper)

Walhampton School – where the PSB is combined with Common Entrance in core subjects, allowing pupils to study the best of both – also sees the benefits of giving pupils the opportunity to practise revising for and taking an exam in a formal setting. ‘We can focus on providing a deeper, broader curriculum, which can now better represent the skills that senior schools need their pupils to possess,’ says deputy head academic Michael Hamilton-Foyn.

It’s a similar story at Edgeborough. ‘Sustaining a strong work ethic and drive for success among Year 8 pupils is crucial as they prepare to transition to senior school,’ says Jo Hendriksen, the school’s deputy head academic. ‘We find that the demands of Common Entrance help pupils develop a sustained focus, but alongside CE in core subjects, we embrace the opportunity for flexibility in other areas of the curriculum. This balance between structure and creative freedom helps us create a more engaging learning experience and stimulates the growth of creative thinkers, evaluative learners and independent, confident individuals, and the freedom afforded by non-Common Entrance subjects is equally important’.

Adopting a more skills-based approach is reaping rewards for pupils. At Rose Hill School – where Common Entrance is taught in all subjects except humanities – things step up a gear in Year 8 when pupils tackle an iPQ. ‘The iPQ enables children to set their own goals and understand success criteria, as well as all of the other essential skills that you don’t want to leave until they’re in the job market. It really moulds them to appreciate the work of other pupils, look a bit broader and have a go at something different,’ says head Emma Neville.

Pinewood, which teaches humanities in its own autonomous, less-restrictive way, also agrees that CE continues to serve a clear purpose. ‘We appreciate the fact that a common set of examinations still serve as a rite of passage as children progress from their prep-school cocoons into the demanding world of 13+ senior school. If we were sending our pupils off to these schools, whereby a few years later they would be sat in a sports hall taking their GCSEs, and this was actually the first time these children were going through the emotional rollercoaster of exam preparation, nerves and assessment execution, then some might argue that we would be failing in the very description of our schools – as preparatory schools,’ says head Neal Bailey. ‘So whilst we continue to be ambassadors of evolution and improvement, it is prudent to acknowledge that there is no need to change just for the sake of changing.’

Pinewood

Indeed, many schools who are yet to make hugely radical changes are still keeping a close eye on CE’s future. ‘Although we have decided to continue with Common Entrance exams in maths, English and science, these exams are constantly under review by us,’ says Barbara Langford, deputy head at Westbourne House School. ‘We continue with end-of-year exams in all academic subjects, but this is now a culmination of learning and a chance to show how much pupils have learnt, rather than a stressful experience that determines senior-school entry. Pupils used to spend much of Year 7 revising, but now we ensure pupils continue to progress and learn throughout their time at the school, arriving in their senior schools academically confident.’

Cheam – which has historically been a big advocate of CE – is also adapting and evolving. ‘Common Entrance has always been a kite-mark of quality and it continues to provide a standardised measure of children’s knowledge and abilities’, say joint heads Sophie Green and Will Phelps. ‘However, as [senior school] places are secured increasingly in Year 6, the role of CE and its curricula naturally starts to evolve into becoming that of our own curriculum rather than an entrance exam to senior schools and therefore giving us the opportunity of greater ownership and creativity’. To that end, the school recently launched its Cheam Diploma to recognise character development and softer skills beyond academic success. ‘At Cheam we are committed to providing a progressive and wellbeing-focused education for all of our pupils and we recognise that the range of our pupils’ abilities, talents and potential is much wider than that which can be examined in a traditional manner’, they add.

A handful of schools have abandoned CE completely. ‘We must never allow an entrenched assessment system to dictate how we teach children, and for it to be focused solely on passing exams,’ says Ben Evans, head of Windlesham House. ‘We are preparing children for a very different world today than we were twenty or thirty years ago, yet the two-year programme of Common Entrance has, in reality, changed very little.’ Last year, the school boldly launched its brand-new Windlesham Diploma & Futures Programme, designed with future-ready skills such as leadership and entrepreneurship in mind. Instead of following the CE curriculum, pupils now get stuck into hands-on learning, getting mucky down on the school farm, taking part in debates, attending conferences and learning research and presentation skills – and the feedback from senior schools is impressive.

It’s a similar situation at Somerhill, where it’s out with CE and in with the PSB. ‘Everything was about what you were able to learn; the content was rather dry and uninspiring and learning had become didactic and prescriptive,’ says the school, explaining its motivations behind the change. ‘Now, we are free to deliver far more creative, enquiry-based lessons, extending into the creative and performing arts, the practical elements of D&T and also onto the sports pitch and playground.’ Amesbury – one of the country’s leading PSB schools – has done the same.

On the flip side, despite CE’s critics, there are still those who remain staunchly in favour of it. And for good reason: many schools argue that it helps normalises exams, an inevitable fact of life as pupils move through their educational journey. ‘Our parents expect the curriculum to have real rigour, and our boys enjoy the goal-oriented approach to their time at prep school,’ says Tom Bunbury, head of Papplewick School and a firm supporter of Common Entrance. ‘As long as assessment in senior schools is exam-based, it is hard to see how going through the process of revising for, and then actually sitting, a mini set of GSCEs at the age of thirteen can be a negative experience.’

Another proponent of the exam is Saint Ronan’s. ‘Saint Ronan’s children are used to and not afraid of exams, and that is important. Of course, we offer other opportunities, such as an extended project and a broad and diverse co-curricular programme, but by keeping up the rigour and not treading water academically, huge strides are made by our children, who are ready for the challenges of Year 9 and beyond,’ says head William Trelawny-Vernon.

Will Austen agrees. ‘It’s not perfect, but what exams are? CE normalises exams and makes the academic transition to senior school smoother than it could be for those who have not been exposed to a bit of academic challenge. It has become more of an exit (rather than entrance) exam, but it still provides a valuable target and standard for all pupils to work towards.’

Indeed, there’s no arguing with the fact that the exam has stood the test of time. ‘Schools who have removed Common Entrance sometimes struggle to replace it with meaningful, clear and helpful alternative assessments. As a result, there are many schools who continue to see the value of Common Entrance as a tool to measure the achievements and progress of their students – and it is for this reason that at Horris Hill we continue to support Common Entrance as a valuable means of recording the progress of children at the end of their prep-school journey,’ says head Rob Stewart.

Horris Hill

Others disagree with the assumption that swotting up for Common Entrance narrows pupils’ focus. ‘There is nothing restrictive about the Common Entrance curriculum,’ says Dan McSherry, deputy head academic at Shrewsbury House Prep School. ‘It enables and allows an incredible amount of creativity, which is the key ingredient that brings the subjects and topics to life for the children. Importantly, it stretches pupils to achieve their full potential. The level of the Common Entrance is historically recognised as a benchmark of quality and a level that is in advance of a pupil’s academic age.’

At traditional all-boys prep Summer Fields, ‘preparing pupils to sit Common Entrance examinations at the end of Year 8 continues to be central to our approach’, says deputy head David Woolley. Pupils go on to win places at some of the UK’s most prestigious seniors, including Eton, Radley and Winchester, and, adds Mr Woolley, ‘we know from our destination schools that establishing and consolidating the knowledge and expertise required for achievement at Common Entrance provides children with the fundamentals they require to be successful at senior school and beyond. These senior schools are very pleased that we continue to take all of our pupils through the Common Entrance curriculum and examination process, giving them the best possible opportunity to make a successful transition from prep to senior school.’

Whatever a school’s stance on CE, it is important to look at the bigger picture. One of the greatest advantages of a prep school is the whole host of co-curricular activities and opportunities on offer – and pupils are spoilt for choice when it comes to stretching their minds outside the classroom, regardless of which curriculum they are following. Many schools, including The Elms, are thinking outside the box. ‘Common Entrance remains a traditional format in Years 7 and 8, but having a working farm, we diversify our provision by including rural studies on the curriculum,’ says head Ed Lyddon. Earlier this year, Pinewood launched its SKILLS programme, which offers pupils the pick of more than 50 activities broadly encompassing knowledge and curiosity, imagination, creativity and adventure. And The Dragon’s fantastically popular Saturday morning enrichment programme, Dragon Quest – where pupils pick from a dizzying array of activities driven by the three key principles of Discover, Develop and Dare – goes from strength to strength.

Above all, it’s clear that academic outcomes matter. ‘After all, isn't that what parents are paying for, especially when this process is so wonderfully well balanced by the “holiday camp” feel of life at prep school, with all the sport, music, art, drama, and other activities, not to mention climbing trees and muddy knees, that to this day make our prep schools such special places to grow up in?’ says Papplewick’s Tom Bunbury. Whichever side of the debate you are on, it’s hard to argue with that.

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The changing face of Common Entrance

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