11+ (Year 7) Entry

Timeline

• Register by - 30 September, a year prior to entry
• Assessment date - Early January of the year of intake (e.g. January 2020 for entry in September 2020)
• Offers made - 30 January of the year of intake
• Offers need to be accepted by - 1 March of the year of intake

Prospective pupils will be required to take computer based tests in English, Mathematics and Reasoning Skills. An interview will be held with a senior member of staff and candidates are required to provide copies of recent school reports.

We will ask for a reference from the candidate’s current school and once the assessment process is complete, we will notify parents and guardians with offers of places which will need to be formally accepted.

Admission at other stages may be possible, places permitting - please contact the Registrar on 0118 976 7415. 

Dunbar is Pangbourne's Junior House, catering for boys and girls in Forms 1 and 2. Students are taught in small classes, meaning there is more time for teachers to devote to each pupil.

In contrast to the rest of the school, there are no Saturday lessons for Dunbar students and they do not take part in parades. They also wear a different uniform consisting of grey trousers or skirt, a navy blazer, a white shirt and a College tie. These differences are one way in which the small, co-educational Junior House aids the transition of pupils from primary school to senior secondary school.

In Form 1 and 2 (Year 7 and 8) the College offers a curriculum which reflects, but is not determined by either the National Curriculum or Common Entrance.

Form 1 and 2 pupils study 13 subjects. During the Michaelmas Term of Form 1, pupils study short courses in French, German and Spanish so they can make an informed choice as to which one of those to continue to study from January onwards. Pupils may have the option, dependent upon pupil interest and on staffing, to continue studying a second Modern Foreign Language off timetable in Form 1 and 2.

Other subjects studied in Form 1 and 2 are: Mathematics, English, Science, Geography, History, Art, Drama, Music, Computing, Design Technology (DT), Religious Studies (RS), and Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE).

In Form 1 and 2, only Mathematics is taught in ability-based sets.

On entry to Form 1, pupils are placed in one of two groups. Which group they join is determined by information from their previous schools and their entry tests. One group should have the support of a teaching assistant in some lessons.