Wetherby Senior School: a parents’ guide to entry at Year 7 & Year 9

Wetherby Senior School is an independent day school for boys aged 11–18 in Marylebone, Central London. The school aims to provide an outstanding and progressive all-round education to young men, helping them prepare for modern life and instilling a sense of responsibility and compassion towards others.

Boys who enter the Lower School in Year 7 enjoy a smooth transition into a safe, nurturing environment in which to develop their academic skills. There are 17 subjects on the timetable (including two modern languages, Latin, philosophy, IT, PE and PSHE) and over 70 activities available as part of the school’s extensive enrichment programme. Each year group has a dedicated careers programme where pupils are taught key employability skills from Year 7, including entrepreneurship, financial thinking, critical decision making and negotiating.

Pastoral care underpins everyday life at Wetherby Senior School. Pastoral groups at the school are known as Tributaries (or ‘Tribs’ for short) – named after London’s hidden rivers. These groups build vertical links throughout the school, creating smaller communities and opportunities for pupil leadership. All boys from Year 9 and above benefit from the school’s work with Beyond Equality (formerly known as the Good Lad Initiative) which aims to get boys talking about masculinity and gender stereotypes and provides age-appropriate workshops and lectures.

Boys leave Wetherby Senior School for well-regarded higher education institutions. In 2021, 84% of students received a place at their first-choice university, with destinations including Russell Group universities, Bucknell and Georgetown (USA) and ESSEC (France).

Key information for Wetherby Senior School

• Headmaster: Mr Joe Silvester

• Address: Wetherby Senior School, 100 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2QU

• London Borough: City of Westminster

• Admissions contact: Kathryn Easthope – [email protected], 020 7535 3533

• Age range and gender: 11–18, boys only

• Number of pupils: 410

• Number of places in Year 7 and 9: 40 (Year 7), 50-60 (Year 9)

• Ratio of applicants to places: Undisclosed

• Open day date: Saturday 1st October 2022 – book online

• Overview of selection procedure: ISEB Common Pre-Test, interview and school reference

• Registration opens: Currently open – apply online

• Registration closes: Friday 14th October 2022 at midday

• Assessment date: November 2022

• Interview date: Saturday 14th January 2023 (11 plus entry), Saturday 4th February 2023 (13 plus entry)

Wetherby Senior School fees and financial assistance

The tuition fees at Wetherby Senior School are £9,060 per term from 2022. This includes the cost of most clubs and activities and day trips, with a few exceptions.

Wetherby Senior School offers financial assistance to eligible families through the form of bursaries. These are available from the Gold Standard Charitable Trust. Bursaries are subject to a detailed means test and only a limited number of boys will receive support in a given year.

Wetherby Senior School term dates

The term dates at Wetherby Senior School for 2022–23 are:

• Autumn term: 2nd September – 16th December 2022

• Half term: 17th–28th October 2022

• Spring term: 10th January – 31st March 2023

• Half term: 13th–17th February 2023

• Summer term: 18th April – 5th July 2023

• Half term: 29th May – 2nd June 2023

Admissions process for Year 7 and Year 9 entry to Wetherby Senior School

If you have attended an open day at Wetherby Senior School and would like to register your son for entry in Year 7 (2023) or Year 9 (2025), you will need to complete the online application form and pay a non-refundable registration fee of £150 (this is waived for applicants who are currently pupils at Wetherby Prep School). The deadline for submission of this form is Friday 14th October 2022 at midday for both 11 plus and 13 plus entry points.

All boys applying to Wetherby Senior School for Year 7 and Year 9 will then be invited to take the ISEB Common Pre-Test in November 2022. This is normally taken at the candidate’s own school, but Wetherby Senior School will host candidates whose school does not host the test. Following this test, the school will request a reference on your child from their current school. Families of 13 plus candidates will be advised of the outcome of their child’s ISEB Common Pre-Test in mid-December 2022.

Boys who have been successful in the ISEB Common Pre-Test will be invited to an interview at Wetherby Senior School on either Saturday 14th January 2023 (11 plus candidates) or Saturday 4th February 2023 (13 plus candidates).

Successful candidates will receive unconditional offers from Monday 30th January 2023 (11 plus) or February 2023 (13 plus). Offers must be accepted with the deposit paid in full before the deadline (Friday 3rd March 2023 for 11 plus and 31st May 2024 for 13 plus).

Wetherby Senior School entrance exam: 11 plus and 13 plus

All pupils applying to Wetherby Senior School for 11 plus and 13 plus entry will take the ISEB Common Pre-Test in November 2022.

This is an adaptive online exam which covers English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The English and maths sections are based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum taught up until the end of Year 5, while verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning assess children’s logical thinking and problem-solving skills.

It takes about two and a half hours to sit all four sections of the ISEB Common Pre-Test:

• English: questions test comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

• Maths: questions assess the topics of number, measurement, data, algebra and geometry

• Verbal reasoning: questions are split across six different topics. In 2021, the topics that appeared in the ISEB Common Pre-Test were letter codes, homographs, antonyms, join the words, transfer a letter and number codes.

• Non-verbal reasoning: questions are split over three topics. In 2021, The topics featured in the ISEB Common Pre-Test were pairing shapes, matching to a pair and finding a code.

Take a look at our complete guide to the ISEB Common Pre-Test for more detailed information about what the test involves.

Atom's complete guide to the ISEB Common Pre-Test

How to help your child prepare for the selection process at Wetherby Senior School

Build foundational knowledge

For entry to Wetherby Senior School, candidates are tested across the Key Stage 2 curriculum – and beyond – with questions on English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning in the ISEB Common Pre-test.

Atom Nucleus can help your child consolidate everything they need to know for the exam.

Preparation is key

Familiarisation with the question formats and known styles ahead of the exam is essential to help your child build exam confidence.

An exam preparation subscription with Atom Nucleus enables your child to access quality, unlimited practice material with full score breakdowns to help your child feel confident by the time the exam day comes around. Best of all, your child can take unlimited practice tests – including the ISEB Common Pre-Test – for one monthly cost.

Access to immediate support

When working through challenging topics, your child will need immediate clarity with any misconceptions so that they feel truly secure in the exam.

Atom Nucleus includes video tutorials, help sheets and examples with every question to help your child build confidence and competence across all the areas assessed.

Engage with their progress

Celebrate your child’s improvement in areas of challenge together. An accurate and ongoing assessment of their areas of strength and development is helpful.

As an Atom subscriber, you’ll have a parent dashboard which offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress. You can use this effectively to help your child set targets, see a detailed breakdown of their progress by subtopic and set custom practices to target those they find most challenging.

Get started with Atom Learning

It’s our mission to help your child feel prepared and confident before the exam day. Begin your free 5-day free trial of Nucleus today to help your child succeed.

We know how crucial this time is, so our team is on hand to support you and your family every step of the way. You can book a call with one of our Education Experts to ask any questions you might have about 11 plus or 13 plus entry to Wetherby Senior School:

Book a call

If you’re looking for exclusive tips and resources to help your child master key subjects, excel in exams and build academic confidence, join Atom’s email list: