Know exactly where your child stands for St. Albans School
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact St. Albans School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact St. Albans School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
St. Albans School
St Albans School is an independent co-educational day school in Hertfordshire offering Year 7 entry for boys and girls. The 11+ admissions process is a single-stage assessment using the Quest Admissions exam board, alongside an interview stage. Located in St Albans, the school transitioned to a fully co-educational intake for Year 7 starting from September 2026.
St Albans School suits a curious, self-motivated child who likes being stretched but would wilt in a pressure cooker. It is an independent day school in the middle of St Albans, Hertfordshire, taking pupils from 11 to 18 with main entry at 11, 13 and 16. Historically a boys' school with a co-educational sixth form, it began admitting girls and boys together into the First Form (Year 7) from September 2026, so a child starting Year 7 in September 2027 joins a fully co-educational year group. There is no boarding; pupils come from the city itself, Harpenden and the surrounding villages, some by coach from up to an hour away.
The school traces its origins to 948 and the abbey founded by Abbot Ulsinus, which makes it one of the oldest in the world. Since 1871 it has occupied the medieval Abbey Gateway beside the cathedral, which once housed one of the earliest printing presses in Britain. Daily life runs through four houses, two of them named after Old Albanians: Stephen Hawking, a pupil in the 1950s, and the archaeologist Colin Renfrew. Around 200 clubs and activities run alongside lessons, including a Combined Cadet Force going since 1903. Tutors see their groups twice a day.
The Good Schools Guide calls it a school that 'does exactly what it says on the tin', and rates the pastoral care and range outside lessons highly, noting a relaxed, tolerant place where pupils of all backgrounds settle. The head describes a place that is 'no one-dimensional academic hothouse'. It suits a child who wants proper teaching and plenty to try, and who would rather be known by name in an ancient building than absorbed into something bigger and glossier.
Key facts
Annual fees
£30,456 per annum (£10,152 per term) from September 2026, including 20% VAT (£25,380 excluding VAT). Lunch for First to Fourth Form is charged separately at £5.72 per day.
Admissions
Admissions contact
admissions@st-albans.herts.sch.uk
Admissions phone
01727 515182
Registration form
Sibling policy
What this school tests
11+ Assessment
English
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
- Spelling
- Vocabulary
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Match to a Group of Figures
- Most Like Three Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Odd Shaped Matrices
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Vertical Codes
Verbal Reasoning
- Alphabet Logic
- Anagrams
- Compound Words
- Embedded Words
- Form a Word
- Insert 2 / 3 Letters
- Insert a Letter
- Letter Analogies
- Letter Sequences
- Move 1 / 2 Letters
- Ordering Words
- Rhyming Synonyms
- Shuffled Sentences
- Synonyms
- Word / Logic Puzzles
- Word Analogies
- Word Completion
- Word Match
- Word Opposites
- Word Pairs
- Word Relationships
- Word Swap
- Words and Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- 2D View of 3D Shape
- 3D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Building Blocks
- Combining Shapes
- Diagonal Reflections
- Figure Missing from Image
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Nets of 3D Shapes
- Shape Completion
Puzzles And Problem Solving
- Number Properties & Proportion
- Logic & Systematic Thinking
- Geometry, Measures & Data
- Equations & Early Algebra
- Magic Shapes & Additive Puzzles
- Calculation Fluency
Critical Thinking
- Logical & Deductive Reasoning
- Inference & Evaluation
- Extracting & Distilling Information
- Visual Sources
- Comparison & Ordering
- Data Analysis
- Codes & Decoding
Catchment area
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
2025: 61% of exams graded 9-8, 80% graded 9-7 and 99.6% graded 9-4, with 100% achieving grades 9-4 in English and Mathematics; 36% of the cohort achieved at least eight grades at 9-8 and 27 candidates (18% of the cohort) at least ten
A-level results
2026: 25.3% of grades at A*, 90.1% at A*-B and a 100% pass rate; 10 candidates achieved straight A*s, 20 gained at least three A*s and 56 achieved nothing below an A
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does St Albans School use for the 11+?
St Albans School uses the Quest Admissions exam board for its 11+ entrance assessment.
Does St Albans School interview candidates as part of the 11+?
Yes, there is an interview stage as part of the Year 7 admissions process at St Albans School.
Is St Albans School co-educational or single-sex?
St Albans School is co-educational, admitting both girls and boys into the First Form (Year 7) from September 2026.
What are the annual fees for St Albans School?
From September 2026, the annual fees are £30,456 per annum (£10,152 per term), which includes 20% VAT. Lunch for First to Fourth Form is charged separately at £5.72 per day.
What is the website for St Albans School admissions?
You can find more details on the official admissions page at https://www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk/admissions/welcome-to-admissions.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d6027.723813532112!2d-0.34189181909477856!3d51.7492636630438!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x487638d6fb3533bf%3A0x45e3967efc4c7561!2sSt%20Albans%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sph!4v1787306580589!5m2!1sen!2sph
