Your school guide
Bryanston School
Bryanston School’s linked Prep Year 7 route: CAT4, taster visits, school references and the separate Senior Year 9 process.
Independent school · Blandford Forum, Dorset
Build skills and confidence.
Support your child’s everyday learning with Plusling’s original questions and clear explanations. Follow Bryanston School’s own admissions guidance.
Try five free questions. See the feedback for yourself.
Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
- Prep Years 6–8 assessment
- CAT4, taster visit and school reference; EAL assessment if required
- Bryanston School
Bryanston, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 0PX
Plan your approach
Entry information
Year 7 admission is to Bryanston Prep, whose pupils stay through Year 8; Bryanston Senior School begins in Year 9. The published policy says Prep applicants for Years 6–8 take CAT4, with a taster day or overnight visit and a current-school reference. An English-language test may be required, and families seeking a through place to Senior School also have an interview.
Entry stage: Year 7 at Bryanston Prep; Senior entry from Year 9
What the assessment covers
- Cognitive ability (CAT4)
- English as an additional language, where required
Assessment provider: GL Assessment, Password (English-language assessment where required)
The admissions process
- Enquire about Year 7 availability at Bryanston Prep and arrange a school visit. Register with recent school and any relevant specialist reports; the school requests a confidential reference.
- Attend a taster day and/or overnight visit for individual academic and pastoral assessment. The published policy specifies CAT4 for entry to Prep Years 6–8, with an online Password English-language assessment where required.
- If considering a through place to Bryanston Senior School, attend the additional interview with a Senior tutor-team member or Director of Admissions.
- After assessment, the school decides whether to offer a Prep place and provides acceptance details. Discuss any proposed Senior transition separately with Admissions.
Read the official details: Admissions information from Bryanston 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.
Year 7 is at Bryanston Prep, where CAT4 is used for Years 6–8. A separate English-language test applies only where required. GL Assessment advises against CAT4 practice.
Read the official guidance: Bryanston 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
See what your child is learning.
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
A little learning, often
Build confidence one question at a time.
Explore Plusling together for everyday learning. Try five free questions and talk through the feedback.
Before you apply
- Contact Prep Admissions about the intended year group, available places and support needs.
- If seeking a place continuing into Senior School, ask Admissions about the through-place assessment and offer arrangements.
- GL Assessment advises against practising or training for CAT4.
Plusling’s guide to Bryanston 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
- Bryanston School: school details Department for Education
- How to Apply Bryanston School
- Year 9 Entry Bryanston School
- Prep School Admissions Bryanston School
- Admissions Policy 2025 Bryanston School
- CAT4: Information for parents GL Assessment
- CAT4 information for parents GL Assessment