Your school guide
Bournemouth Collegiate School
Bournemouth Collegiate School uses an Experience Day, interview and short writing task for Year 7, with CAT4 arranged if a recent cognitive report is unavailable.
Independent school · Bournemouth, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
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Planning your child’s next school? Explore entry to Bournemouth Collegiate School below. For families preparing for the 11+, Plusling makes it easy to build skills and confidence one short quiz at a time.
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Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
College Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH5 2DY
Plan your approach
Entry information
Bournemouth Collegiate School assesses Year 7 applicants through school reports, an Experience Day and an interview. Applicants provide a recent cognitive assessment report, or the school arranges CAT4; all applicants also complete a ten-minute free-writing task. The school considers the full application, assessment information and teacher feedback when making offers.
Entry stage: Year 7
What the assessment covers
- English free writing
- Verbal reasoning (CAT4 if required)
- Non-verbal reasoning (CAT4 if required)
- Quantitative reasoning (CAT4 if required)
- Spatial reasoning (CAT4 if required)
Assessment provider: GL Assessment
The admissions process
- Visit and register, supplying a school report and the requested application documents.
- Provide a cognitive ability assessment report from the current school taken within the previous 18 months; if none is available, BCS arranges CAT4.
- Attend an Experience Day with lessons and an interview with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
- Complete the ten-minute free-writing task. CAT4, where required, covers verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning.
- The school reviews reports, references, assessment data and teacher feedback. Formal offers are made in February under the published general process.
- Request access arrangements in advance with supporting information. The access policy distinguishes the arrangements available for online CAT4 from those for free writing.
Read the official details: Admissions information from Bournemouth Collegiate School
Go to the source
Official links for your shortlist
Use the school’s current admissions information to check which sample papers or familiarisation materials apply to your child’s entry year.
Know what to expect
Follow the school’s assessment guidance.
Bournemouth Collegiate applicants complete a ten-minute free-writing task. The school arranges CAT4 if a recent cognitive report is unavailable. GL Assessment advises against practising for CAT4; writing is a separate part of the assessment.
Read the official guidance: Bournemouth Collegiate School · GL Assessment
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Follow the assessment guidance
Check what the school asks your child to do and whether it recommends any preparation. Use its own instructions and the assessment provider’s advice.
Check fees and financial support
Look at fees, bursaries and scholarships, including any separate forms, evidence and deadlines.
Picture your child’s everyday life here.
An open day is a chance to look beyond the exam. Useful questions to take with you:
- How do you help new pupils settle in and make friends?
- Who can a child turn to when they feel worried or stuck?
- How do you help pupils recover from a setback and discover their strengths?
Know where to focus
Give their preparation a clear direction.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
For families preparing for the 11+
Discover a friendlier way to practise.
Try Plusling together. Five free questions, clear explanations and a useful first step for your family’s 11+ preparation.
Before you apply
- Supply any recent cognitive assessment report and discuss access arrangements before booking the Experience Day. GL advises against coaching or practice for CAT4.
Plusling’s guide to Bournemouth Collegiate School is independently written. The school and its admissions authority publish the official arrangements.
Contains government school-register data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Primary sources
- Senior and Sixth Form Admissions Bournemouth Collegiate School
- BCS Admissions Policy, September 2026 Bournemouth Collegiate School
- Access arrangements for entrance assessments Bournemouth Collegiate School
- CAT4 information for parents GL Assessment