St Thomas More High School 11+ guide

Are you thinking about applying to St Thomas More High School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam.

Key information for St Thomas More High School

• School type: Catholic bilateral school for boys (partially selective)
• Location: Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 180 (including 30 selective places)
• 11+ exam: CSSE 11+
• Catchment area: yes

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Tuesday 12th May 2026: CSSE 11+ test registration opens
• Registration closing date: to be confirmed. Check the CSSE website for updates.
• Saturday 19th September 2026: test day
• Mid-October 2026: parents receive test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

How to apply to St Thomas More High School

St Thomas More High School is a bilateral school; only 30 of its Year 7 places are selective, reserved for boys who pass the 11+ exam. The remaining places are allocated through the school's non-selective admissions criteria.

St Thomas More is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE). There are 10 schools in the CSSE, all using the same CSSE 11+ test. If you would like your child to be considered for a place at more than one CSSE school, they will only need to take the test once.

You must register your child for the test via a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) on the CSSE website. Please note that St Thomas More also requires its own separate SIF, which you can obtain directly from the school.

The CSSE 11+ will take place on Saturday 19th September 2026.

Your child's results will be emailed to you in mid-October. Regardless of whether you are applying for a selective or non-selective place, you will need to name the school on your common application form. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Important note: passing the test doesn't guarantee that your child will be allocated a selective place. After the 31st October deadline, schools use admissions criteria to allocate places.

We've outlined the process for St Thomas More High School below.

What will my child be tested on?

The CSSE 11+ consists of two written papers, both taken on the same day. For more details, take a look at our CSSE 11+ guide.

English (1 hour, plus 10 minutes reading time) — two sections:

• Reading comprehension: your child reads a passage of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, then answers questions to show their understanding
• Creative writing: your child writes a response to a prompt, assessed on vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, grammar, originality and structure

Maths (1 hour) — covers the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Questions are in written answer format, not multiple choice, so your child will need to show their working.

Each paper is marked out of 60 and contributes equally to your child's overall score. Scores are age-standardised to ensure younger children are not disadvantaged.

How are places allocated at St Thomas More High School?

In mid-October, you'll receive your child's test results. These will confirm whether your child has met the required standard for admission.

You must name St Thomas More High School as a preferred school on your common application form to be considered. This must be submitted to your home local authority by the 31st October.

St Thomas More only allocates selective places to boys who live within the catchment area and who achieve a standardised score of at least 303. In recent years, no selective offers have been made on national offer day — in both March 2024 and March 2025, no selective places were offered at the school. This is an important consideration if you are hoping for a selective place. These figures can vary from year to year, so it is worth checking the CSSE's historical guidance sheet for the most up-to-date information.

If more children apply than there are selective places available, the school allocates places following their admissions policy. Most importantly, priority is always given to Catholic children. Always check the school's admissions policy for the full and most up-to-date criteria.

Does St Thomas More High School have a catchment area?

Yes. The catchment area covers postcodes SS0, SS1, SS2, SS3, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS7, SS8 and SS9. Selective places are only available for boys who live within this area.

If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day — how long the journey will take, what transport is available, and how manageable the school run will be for your family day to day.

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

The CSSE 11+ can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's exam date and target schools, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation — particularly for the CSSE, where both the comprehension and creative writing sections reward confident, well-read students.

Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will broaden their vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts. And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.