Notre Dame School
Independent Catholic Day School for Girls (2–18; boys 2–4 in Nursery) — all-through · Est. 1607
Notre Dame is an all-through Catholic day school for girls set in 26 acres of Surrey countryside near Cobham, about twenty minutes from south-west London. It belongs to the Company of Mary Our Lady — a teaching order founded in Bordeaux in 1607 by St Jeanne de Lestonnac to educate girls — and is the only CoMOL school in the UK. Its defining quality, named by parents, inspectors and reviewers alike, is pastoral care: a warm, kind, 'happiness and success' culture where, in the words of one pupil, school is 'an escape from reality'. Prep and Senior share the site, each with its own headmistress.
Surrey's warmest girls' school — pastoral care is its acknowledged USP, with a strong GCSE value-added record. But the May 2024 ISI report's one improvement note is pointed: classroom teaching should consistently push academic aspiration and challenge the most able.
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Burwood House, Convent Lane, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 1HA
Senior Day Fees
£9,250
per term, Years 7–13 (2026/27, inc. VAT). Year 7 lunches compulsory at £425/term.
Exam Format
Own Papers
60-min online test (Maths, NVR, VR/comprehension) + creative writing + interview — NOT ISEB
Total Pupils
442
girls 11–18 in the Senior School (ISI May 2024); all-through from age 2
Founded
1607
the Company of Mary Our Lady order (Bordeaux); only CoMOL school in the UK
ISI 2024
All Standards Met
Senior School, May 2024 (new framework) — one next step: academic aspiration
GCSE 2025
49% grades 7–9
13% grade 9; school cites value-added of 1.2 — 'top 2% nationally'
Best For
Families — Catholic or of any faith and none — who want a warm, kind, all-through girls' school where pastoral care genuinely comes first, in a beautiful 26-acre Surrey setting. It is an especially strong fit for girls with a leaning towards drama, music, art or sport (a 360-seat professional theatre, all-weather pitches, every girl performs), and for those who would thrive being known and nurtured rather than pushed in a pressure-cooker.
Watch Out For
Academic challenge is the open question. The May 2024 ISI inspection met every Standard but its single recommended next step is pointed: classroom teaching should consistently build academic aspiration and stretch the most able — the report specifically flags inconsistent feedback and early foundation-tier GCSE entry decisions. The sixth form is small, and a recurring forum theme is that very academic girls sometimes move elsewhere at 16. Note also that older (2013–2015) forum accounts raised serious concerns; more recent (2019–2023) accounts are markedly more positive — judge it on a current visit.
Entry Points
- All-through entry: Nursery, Reception, Year 3, Years 5–6 (Early Offers Programme), Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+), and Sixth Form. The 11+ uses Notre Dame's OWN full-day assessment — not the ISEB Common Pre-Test. Most Prep girls move up to the Senior School via continuous assessment.
The Complete Admissions Timeline
Every key date, deadline and decision point — with insider intelligence you won't find on the school website. Click any item to reveal verified insider knowledge.
The critical window: Notre Dame sets its OWN 11+ assessment — it does NOT use the ISEB Common Pre-Test. Register your daughter via the school's OpenApply admissions portal; the registration fee is £150 (non-refundable). For September 2027 entry, registration closes on Friday 6 November 2026 (the school's published 11+ deadline; confirm the exact date for your year) and the 11+ Assessment Day is held on the school site on Friday 20 November 2026. The day is a full-day experience: a 60-minute online entrance test (maths, non-verbal reasoning, and verbal reasoning/comprehension), a 30-minute creative writing task (a choice of two), a 10-minute informal interview with staff, and a roughly 15-minute 'leisure activity' designed to settle nerves — alongside group activities. Scholarship assessments fall in the week of Monday 23 November 2026; offers are sent in January 2027, with acceptances due by March 2027.
Tours and open events
Notre Dame is an all-through, pastorally-led school with a distinctive Catholic foundation — see it in person. If you are weighing it against more selective Surrey alternatives, visit both: the cultures are genuinely different.
Early Offers Programme
Families applying in Years 5–6 can go through the Early Offers Programme — taster visits and continuous academic monitoring rather than the November 11+ Assessment Day. A useful, lower-stakes route to a place.
Register on OpenApply
Register and pay the £150 fee by the school's early-November deadline. Flag any scholarship interest so the strand assessment can be booked.
11+ Assessment Day at Notre Dame
A full day on site: 60-min online test, 30-min creative writing, a 10-min interview, a leisure activity and group tasks — all designed to be low-pressure.
Scholarship assessments
Strand-specific scholarship assessments for candidates who registered interest.
Key Dates — 11+ Entry 2027 (Year 7 from Sep 2027)
- 1
11+ registration deadline (OpenApply portal)
Early November 2026 (Friday 6 November 2026 published for 2027 entry — confirm)
- 2
11+ Assessment Day (on the school site)
Friday 20 November 2026 (for September 2027 entry)
- 3
Scholarship assessments (11+)
Week of Monday 23 November 2026
- 4
Offers sent
January 2027
- 5
Acceptance deadline
March 2027
- 6
Early Offers Programme (Years 5–6)
Ongoing — taster visits + continuous monitoring rather than the 11+ Assessment
Inside the Notre Dame 11+ Assessment
Notre Dame sets its OWN 11+ assessment — it does NOT use the ISEB Common Pre-Test that dominates much of Surrey selective entry. The 11+ Assessment Day is a full day on the school site with four distinct components: a 60-minute online entrance test (maths, non-verbal reasoning, and verbal reasoning/comprehension), a 30-minute creative writing task with a choice of two prompts, a 10-minute informal interview with staff, and a ~15-minute 'leisure activity' designed to ease nerves — plus group activities observed by specialist staff. The school frames the assessment as checking that a girl 'would sit comfortably within her cohort, be happy and thrive' — it is a readiness-and-fit assessment for a broad-ability intake, not a top-decile competitive sift.
Online Entrance Test
60 minutes (single online test, three sections) · Online — maths, non-verbal reasoning, verbal reasoning/comprehension (Notre Dame's own test, NOT ISEB)
Children drilled only on long ISEB-style or paper papers can misjudge pace in a compact 60-minute multi-section online test. Familiarity with on-screen testing and steady pacing across three sections matters more than deep content cramming.
Creative Writing
30 minutes (choice of two tasks) · Handwritten creative writing from one of two prompts
Strong readers who rarely write to time produce unstructured pieces. Thirty minutes is short — a quick plan, a clear shape, and controlled sentences beat an ambitious idea left unfinished.
Interview & Activities
~10-minute interview + ~15-minute leisure activity + group activities · Informal staff interview, a nerve-settling leisure activity, and observed group tasks
Over-coaching backfires here more than at most schools — the whole day is designed to be low-pressure and to see the real child. A rehearsed, anxious-to-impress girl reads worse than a relaxed, genuine one.
Topic Difficulty & Weight
Difficulty (%) and exam weight by topic area
Key takeaway: A single 60-minute online test covering maths, non-verbal reasoning, and verbal reasoning/comprehension. Maths is pitched to appropriate National Curriculum levels for the age group. It is the academic core of the day, but it is one 60-minute test — not three separate hour-long papers.
Topic Breakdown
Known Exam Traps — Online Entrance Test
Notre Dame uses its own test — practise its actual format (one 60-min online test) rather than ISEB adaptive papers
Practise moving steadily through three sections inside 60 minutes on screen
The pattern: Children drilled only on long ISEB-style or paper papers can misjudge pace in a compact 60-minute multi-section online test. Familiarity with on-screen testing and steady pacing across three sections matters more than deep content cramming.
If you can only improve in one area, make it
On-screen pacing across Maths + NVR + verbal reasoning in 60 minutes
What this means in practice:
Dedicate 60%+ of prep time to this area
Practice under timed conditions regularly
Review mistakes immediately after each session
Track progress weekly to spot patterns
All focus areas ranked by impact:
#1
On-screen pacing across Maths + NVR + verbal reasoning in 60 minutes
Online Entrance Test
#2
Timed, well-structured handwritten writing from a prompt
Creative Writing
#3
Relaxed, authentic conversation + warm participation in group tasks
Interview & Activities
Results & League Table Position
Notre Dame Cobham consistently ranks among the top co-educational schools in England. These figures are benchmarked against national averages so you can see the full picture.
A-Level A* Rate
Not published
Public A-Level breakdown not published.
A-Level A*/A Rate
40%
2025 A-level: around 40% A*–A and 79% A*–B (whole-cohort figures per press/search; the school publishes subject-by-subject results). Art & Design, Drama, Economics, English Language, French, Further Mathematics and Psychology each posted 100% A*–B. Most leavers progress to university, with some choosing apprenticeship routes; the sixth form is small and tutorial in style.
GCSE Grade 9-7
49%
Public GCSE breakdown not published.
A-Level A*-B Rate
79%
Notre Dame does not lead with league-table positioning and is not a highly selective school — its broad-ability intake (the May 2024 ISI report identifies 192 of 442 senior pupils with SEND) is part of its identity. The fair read is value-added and pastoral outcomes rather than raw grade share: strong GCSE progress, a small sixth form, and a culture built around happiness and confidence.
A-Level Results vs National Average
Notre Dame Cobham vs England average (%)
What this means: A-level results come from a small, tutorial-style sixth form offering — per the Good Schools Guide — 27 subjects. The 2025 whole-cohort headline (around 40% A*–A, 79% A*–B) reflects a non-highly-selective intake; several subjects (Art & Design, Drama, Economics, English Language, French, Further Maths, Psychology) posted 100% A*–B. The sixth form's small scale is a recurring discussion point for families — it suits girls who want close support, but very academically driven girls sometimes look at larger or co-ed sixth forms.
GCSE Grade Distribution
Notre Dame Cobham vs National distribution (%)
What this means: GCSE is where Notre Dame's progress story is clearest: a school-reported value-added score of 1.2 for 2025 — which it says is top 2% nationally — with 49% of grades at 7–9 and 13% at grade 9. Read alongside the May 2024 ISI report, the picture is nuanced: pupils make good progress and achieve well, but inspectors flagged that classroom challenge for the most able is inconsistent, and that some foundation-tier GCSE entry decisions are made early, capping access to the highest grades. Strong progress; a real question mark over ceiling.
University Destinations
Where Notre Dame Cobham leavers go — % of cohort
The school signals strong progression outcomes, but does not publish a detailed destination split in the public admissions material used for this brief.
Notable Academic Achievements
All ISI Standards Met (Senior School, May 2024)
The Senior School's ISI inspection (30 April–2 May 2024, new framework) found every regulatory Standard met across Leadership & Governance, Quality of Education, Pupil Wellbeing, Social & Economic Education and Safeguarding. Inspectors described a 'calm, purposeful atmosphere in which pupils know that they are valued as unique individuals'. The single recommended next step concerns academic aspiration — see Insider Tips.
Pastoral care is the school's acknowledged USP
Independent reviewers and parents are unusually unanimous on this. The Good Schools Guide reports that 'all parents' highlighted pastoral care as the school's USP, with pupils saying they feel 'heard and supported'. Recent parent forums echo it strongly — 'amazing pastoral care', 'I cannot praise the school highly enough'. The 'happiness and success' ethos is the school's organising idea, not a tagline.
Strong GCSE value-added — a 'top 2%' progress claim
For 2025, the school reports a value-added score of 1.2 at GCSE, which it states places Notre Dame in the top 2% of schools nationally for progress that year — with 49% of grades at 7–9 and more than a quarter of Year 11 leaving with nine or more grades at 7–9.
A 360-seat professional theatre — and every girl performs
Performing arts are a genuine strength. A professional-level 360-seat theatre stages numerous productions a year, and — per the Good Schools Guide — all girls participate, from Early Years to Sixth Form. The Good Schools Guide notes that girls 'with a bias towards art, drama, music and sport will likely do especially well here'.
The only Company of Mary Our Lady school in the UK
Notre Dame belongs to the Company of Mary Our Lady (CoMOL), a Roman Catholic teaching order founded in Bordeaux in 1607 by St Jeanne de Lestonnac specifically to educate girls — described as one of the oldest recognised educational orders in the world, with 300+ schools and projects across 26 countries. Notre Dame Cobham is its sole UK school, and members of the Order sit on the governing body.
26-acre semi-rural Surrey campus, all-through from age 2
The Prep and Senior schools share a 26-acre countryside site near Cobham — about twenty minutes from south-west London — with a swimming pool, all-weather pitches and field sports hub, theatre, and the 'ND Innovate' STEAM space. Girls can stay from Nursery to Sixth Form; most Prep pupils move up seamlessly via continuous assessment.
League Table Position: Notre Dame does not lead with league-table positioning and is not a highly selective school — its broad-ability intake (the May 2024 ISI report identifies 192 of 442 senior pupils with SEND) is part of its identity. The fair read is value-added and pastoral outcomes rather than raw grade share: strong GCSE progress, a small sixth form, and a culture built around happiness and confidence.
The Interview
The 11+ Assessment Day includes a short, deliberately informal interview — the school calls it 'an informal chat with our friendly staff who are keen to find out more about the candidates' — lasting around ten minutes, alongside a nerve-settling 'leisure activity' and group tasks. Notre Dame's whole admissions philosophy is to see whether a girl will be happy and settle well, not to stress-test her. It is a low-pressure, fit-focused conversation, not an eliminatory hurdle.
Format
~10-minute informal interview with staff, plus a leisure activity and observed group activities
Duration
Around 10 minutes for the interview itself; the wider Assessment Day runs across a full day
Role in Admissions
Part of a holistic assessment, not a pass/fail gate
They are reading for happiness and fit, not polish
Notre Dame's ethos places pupils' happiness alongside their success — and that runs straight through the interview. Staff are looking for a girl who is warm, genuine and likely to thrive in the school's nurturing community. Over-coaching is counter-productive here: a relaxed, authentic child reads far better than a rehearsed one. There is no eliminatory 'gotcha'.
What Makes a Strong Impression
Genuine enthusiasm for real interests — a book, a hobby, drama or sport — lands well, as does warmth with peers in the group tasks. The school's character is kind and family-like; a girl who is naturally curious, kind and at ease shows the fit the staff are looking for. Polished, performed answers work against the grain of how the day is designed.
Likely interview themes
Compiled from parent reports (2023-2025)
- What the candidate enjoys — interests, reading, hobbies, drama, sport, music
- How she finds her current school and what she's looking forward to
- Friendships and how she works with other people
- Why she and her family are drawn to Notre Dame
- Light, conversational questions — nothing designed to catch her out
The pattern: Warm, informal and conversational — designed to relax the candidate and see the real child
Never Asked — Don't Over-Prepare
- Trick or 'gotcha' academic questions
- High-pressure problem-solving under interrogation
- Detailed knowledge of the school's history or the founding Order
- A comparative grilling about other schools applied to
What Actually Wins Offers
- 1A relaxed, genuine manner — not an over-rehearsed performance
- 2Real enthusiasm for specific interests, especially creative or sporting ones
- 3Warmth and kindness with other candidates in the group tasks
- 4Looking, and sounding, like a girl who would be happy and settle well
- 5A real, family-level reason for choosing Notre Dame
“We chose the school initially for the pastoral care side and it has not dissapointed, I can not praise the school highly enough.”
“I have also never heard of one single case of bullying in the time my DD has been at the school as it is just not tolerated.”
“We love it, it is a fantastic school, and she is really happy there.”
“The 6th form at ND is very small. If your dd is academic you will need to move her to either a mixed 6th form like Reeds or a college.”
“They even managed to make that fun!!”
Contact Admissions
Notre Dame School Admissions Team
Insider Intel: What Other Parents Don't Know
These are the verified insights you will not find on the school website, in Good Schools Guide, or from any single tutoring agency. Each insight is compiled and cross-referenced from 20+ sources including official documents, parent reports, and tutoring industry data.This is the intelligence that gives ClassAce families an edge.
'Excellent across the board' is the OLD inspection framework — read the May 2024 report
The school markets 'every area judged excellent' — that is from the 2020 ISI inspection, under the old framework. The MOST RECENT inspection (Senior School, 30 April–2 May 2024) is under the new framework, which does not award 'Excellent': it found all Standards Met, with ONE recommended next step. That next step is pointed — 'ensure that classroom teaching consistently creates a climate of academic aspiration and encourages all pupils to explore their full potential.' Read the 2024 report, not just the marketing line.
Academic challenge for the most able is the real watch-point
The May 2024 ISI report is unusually specific. It notes that the school's focus on happiness 'can, at times, result in teaching which limits challenge and academic aspiration'; that feedback quality is 'inconsistent'; that pupils who find a task easy are sometimes 'given more work of the same level, rather than something more demanding'; and — most concretely — that 'decisions on entry to foundation level examinations may be made early in pupils' GCSE pathway, limiting access to higher grades.' If your daughter is academically ambitious, ask admissions directly how setting, tiering decisions and stretch are handled.
The sixth form is small — academic girls sometimes move at 16
Notre Dame's sixth form is small (the Good Schools Guide notes 27 A-level subjects are available, taught in small tutorial-style groups). A consistent forum theme across years is that very academically driven girls sometimes move to a larger or co-ed sixth form (Reed's, a college) at 16. For some families the intimacy and support are exactly the appeal; for others it is a reason to plan a possible move. Decide which camp you're in before committing for the long haul.
Pastoral care is the genuine, universally-cited strength
This is the one thing every source agrees on. The Good Schools Guide reports that 'all parents' named pastoral care as the school's USP; recent parent forums say 'amazing pastoral care' and 'I cannot praise the school highly enough'; the ISI report describes a 'calm, purposeful atmosphere' where pupils 'are valued as unique individuals'. If a warm, kind, genuinely nurturing environment is your priority, Notre Dame delivers it.
It uses its OWN 11+ assessment — not ISEB
Notre Dame does not use the ISEB Common Pre-Test. Its 11+ is a full day on site: a 60-minute online test (maths, NVR, verbal reasoning/comprehension), a 30-minute creative writing task, a 10-minute informal interview, a leisure activity and group tasks. Crucially, it is a readiness-and-fit assessment for a broad-ability intake, not a top-decile sift — and the school deliberately makes the day low-pressure (one parent: 'they even managed to make that fun'). Prepare lightly and to the actual format; heavy ISEB-style drilling is the wrong target.
The Early Offers Programme (Years 5–6) skips the November assessment
Families who apply in Year 5 or 6 can go through the Early Offers Programme — taster visits and ongoing academic monitoring instead of the formal 11+ Assessment Day. It is a lower-stakes route to securing a place earlier, and it's how most Prep girls progress to the Senior School too. Worth asking about if you'd rather not pin everything on one November day.
Strongest fit: girls with a creative or sporting bias
The Good Schools Guide is explicit — girls 'with a bias towards art, drama, music and sport will likely do especially well here'. A 360-seat professional theatre with all girls performing from Early Years up, all-weather pitches and a field sports hub, and scholarship strands in Art, Drama, Music and Sport back this up. A creatively or athletically inclined girl finds genuine provision and a stage here.
Forum evidence splits by era — weigh the recent accounts most
Older Mumsnet threads (2013–2015) carry serious concerns — claims of weak academics and 'mean-girls'/bullying with alleged staff favouritism. More recent threads (2019–2023) are markedly more positive: warm pastoral care, 'bullying just not tolerated', happy daughters. The trajectory is clearly upward, and the 2024 ISI report describes bullying as 'rare and managed firmly'. Treat the old accounts as historical context, not current reality — but do raise behaviour-management directly on a visit.
A genuinely broad-ability intake — and a very high SEND identification rate
The May 2024 ISI report records 192 of 442 senior pupils (~43%) identified with SEND (one with an EHC plan). That is a high figure, and it tells you something true about the school: it is not a narrowly selective hothouse — it takes, supports and values a wide range of learners, and inspectors found pupils with SEND 'learn well and make good progress'. For families whose daughter needs that support, this is a strength; for those wanting a uniformly top-decile peer group, it is context to weigh.
Scholarships give modest fee remission — bursaries are the real support route
Per the Good Schools Guide, scholarship fee remission is around 10% at 11+ and 13+, and up to 25% at 16+ — and the school's own page only attaches a concrete value (10%) to the new 13+ STEM scholarship. Scholarships are largely honorific recognition. Meaningful help with fees comes through the separate means-tested bursary scheme, awarded at the school's discretion. If affordability matters, apply for a bursary — don't bank on a scholarship to move the bill.
It's a coach school — and a London feeder for it
Notre Dame runs an extensive coach network booked through the Vectare portal, and a striking share of pupils commute in. One parent noted over half her daughter's class came in 'on the bus' from London. The flip side of the semi-rural 26-acre setting is that, for most families, this is a coach-or-car school — factor the daily commute and coach booking into your decision, and check your route exists.
Common Mistakes Parents Make
The errors we see most often from families preparing for Notre Dame School. Avoid these and you're already ahead of the majority of applicants.
Preparing for the 11+ as if it were the ISEB Pre-Test
Notre Dame uses its OWN assessment — a 60-minute online test plus creative writing, an informal interview and activities. ISEB-style adaptive drilling is the wrong target and can leave a child misjudging the format and pace.
Fix: Prepare lightly and specifically for Notre Dame's format: steady on-screen pacing across maths/NVR/verbal reasoning, timed 30-minute creative writing, and a relaxed conversational manner.
Reading the '2020 Excellent' rating as the current verdict
The 'Excellent across the board' line is from the 2020 inspection under the old ISI framework. The most recent inspection (May 2024, new framework) found all Standards Met with one recommended next step on academic aspiration — a different and more current picture.
Fix: Read the May 2024 Senior School ISI report directly, and ask the school how it has responded to the academic-aspiration next step.
Assuming a strong GCSE value-added score means uniform academic stretch
The school's value-added score (1.2 for 2025) reflects strong progress — but the same year's ISI report flags inconsistent challenge for the most able and early foundation-tier GCSE entry decisions. Progress and ceiling are not the same thing.
Fix: For an academically ambitious daughter, ask specifically about setting, tiering decisions and how the most able are stretched — don't rely on the headline value-added figure alone.
Over-coaching the child for the Assessment Day
Notre Dame deliberately designs a low-pressure day to see the real child and judge whether she'll be happy and settle. A rehearsed, anxious-to-impress girl reads worse than a relaxed, genuine one.
Fix: Prepare lightly on the test components; for the interview and activities, focus on relaxed, authentic conversation and warm participation — not scripted answers.
Committing for 11–18 without thinking about the small sixth form
The sixth form is small, and a recurring theme is that very academic girls sometimes move to a larger or co-ed sixth form at 16. Families who assume a seamless 11–18 path can be caught out.
Fix: Decide early whether the small, supportive sixth form is what you want — and if your daughter is highly academic, keep a possible 16+ move in mind as a live option, not a failure.
Notre Dame Cobham vs Competitor Schools
How does Notre Dame School compare to the schools your child is most likely also applying to? This analysis covers the key factors that actually matter to families.
Important context: On academic intensity, Notre Dame sits below the most selective Surrey and SW London girls' schools — its broad-ability intake and the May 2024 ISI's academic-aspiration note both confirm that. On pastoral care, it is a genuine standout. On creative and sporting provision (theatre, all-weather pitches), it punches above its size. The fair comparison set is other warm, all-through, non-hothouse schools — not the selective grammars or top London girls' day schools.
| Factor | FeaturedNotre Dame School, Cobham | St Teresa's School, Effingham | St George's College, Weybridge | Reed's School, Cobham | Claremont Fan Court School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Type | Independent Catholic Girls' Day (2–18, all-through) | Independent Catholic Girls' Day & Boarding (2–18) | Independent Catholic Co-Ed Day (11–18) | Independent Day/Boarding — boys 11–16, co-ed Sixth Form | Independent Co-Ed Day (all-through 2½–18) |
| Co-educational | Co-ed Sixth Form | ||||
| VR in Exam | |||||
| Annual Fee | |||||
| 11+ Difficulty | Medium (readiness-and-fit assessment) | Medium | Medium-High | Medium-High | Medium |
| Interview Style | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Why Parents Choose Notre Dame Cobham
- Pastoral care as a genuine, universally-cited USPInspectors, the Good Schools Guide and parents across years all say the same thing: this is a warm, kind, genuinely nurturing school. For families prioritising a happy, well-supported daughter over a pressure-cooker, that is the core draw.
- All-through from age 2 — a settled, continuous pathwayGirls can stay from Nursery to Sixth Form on one 26-acre site, with most Prep pupils moving up seamlessly. For families wanting continuity and a known community, that stability is real.
- Real creative and sporting provisionA 360-seat professional theatre with all girls performing, all-weather pitches and a field sports hub — the Good Schools Guide says girls with a creative or sporting bias 'will likely do especially well here'.
- A broad-ability, inclusive intake that's well supportedNotre Dame takes and supports a wide range of learners (the May 2024 ISI identifies ~43% with SEND, making good progress). For a daughter who needs that support, it is a strength, not a caveat.
Points to Consider
- Academic challenge for the most able is the open questionThe May 2024 ISI report's one next step is on academic aspiration — inconsistent feedback, limited stretch, early foundation-tier GCSE decisions. Ambitious families should probe this directly.
- Small sixth formThe sixth form is small; very academic girls sometimes move to larger or co-ed sixth forms at 16. Plan for that possibility.
- Not a highly selective hothouseIf you specifically want a uniformly top-decile academic peer group and intensity, this is not that school — and isn't trying to be.
- A coach-or-car schoolThe semi-rural site means most families rely on the coach network or driving — factor the commute in.
Scholarships & Financial Support
Notre Dame offers scholarships at 11+ (Academic, Art, Drama, Music, Sport), 13+ (the same five plus a STEM scholarship) and 16+ (Academic, Art & Design, Drama, Music, Sport). Each strand has its own assessment — auditions for Drama and Music, portfolio and observational drawing for Art, an achievement record and practical assessment for Sport, and an online adaptive exam for Academic. Scholarship fee remission is modest: per the Good Schools Guide, around 10% at 11+ and 13+, and up to 25% at 16+.
| Scholarship Type | Value | Available Places | Selection Method | Stackable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11+ Scholarships — Academic, Art, Drama, Music, Sport | Modest fee remission (~10% per Good Schools Guide) + enrichment and ambassador roles | Not publicly disclosed | Strand-specific assessment the week after the 11+ Assessment Day: Academic — online adaptive exam (Maths, English, NVR); Art — digital portfolio + observational drawing; Drama — audition + group workshop; Music — audition (two contrasting pieces, aural tests); Sport — achievement record + practical assessment. Register interest at application stage. | Yes |
| 13+ Scholarships — Academic, Art & Design, Drama, Music, Sport, STEM | Modest fee remission (~10% per Good Schools Guide); 13+ STEM scholarship explicitly 10% fee remission + enrichment and ambassador roles | Not publicly disclosed | Strand-specific assessment. The STEM strand (new) requires evidence of co-curricular participation, an application letter, attainment records and a practical engineering assessment. Applications for 13+ 2026 entry opened January 2026. | Yes |
| 16+ (Sixth Form) Scholarships — Academic, Art & Design, Drama, Music, Sport | Higher fee remission than at 11+/13+ — up to 25% (per Good Schools Guide) | Not publicly disclosed | Strand-specific assessment for Sixth Form entry. Applications for 2026 entry were due before 16 October 2025. External applicants must register on the online admissions system. | Yes |
| Bursary (means-tested) | Means-tested fee assistance; maximum value not publicly disclosed | Awarded at the school's discretion | Means-tested on family financial circumstances and awarded at the sole discretion of the school. ENTIRELY SEPARATE from scholarships — this is the route to meaningful help with fees. Contact admissions / the Fees Office well before entry. Per the Good Schools Guide, parents describe the school as good value with 'no hidden extras'. | Yes |
* Scholarships are largely honorific recognition with modest fee remission. Meaningful help with fees comes through the separate means-tested bursary scheme, awarded at the school's discretion — apply for this if affordability is the real question. The school's own scholarship page attaches a concrete value (10% fee remission) only to the new 13+ STEM scholarship; confirm current values for other strands directly with admissions.
The Preparation Roadmap
Everything here is built around Notre Dame School's specific exam format, interview style, and selection criteria. This is not generic 11+ advice. Every recommendation is calibrated to this school.
Year 4–5 — Visit and decide
Is a warm, all-through, non-hothouse school the right fit?
- Book a private tour or open event at Notre Dame
- Visit at least one more selective Surrey alternative for genuine comparison
- Decide honestly what you want — nurture and happiness, or maximum academic intensity
- If applying in Year 5–6, ask about the Early Offers Programme (no November assessment)
Useful resources
School tours and open events · Good Schools Guide review · Surrey school comparison visits
Year 5 — Light, format-specific foundation
Build readiness for Notre Dame's own assessment
- Light on-screen practice across maths, non-verbal reasoning and verbal reasoning/comprehension
- Weekly short timed creative writing (25–30 minutes) from prompts
- Wide independent reading to feed vocabulary and ideas
- Keep it low-pressure — this is a readiness assessment, not an ISEB sift
Useful resources
Notre Dame 11+ past papers (school/Owl Tutors) · Timed creative-writing practice · Wide reading
September–early November Year 6 — Register
Application and scholarship interest
- Register on the OpenApply portal and pay the £150 registration fee by the early-November deadline
- Flag any scholarship strand interest so the assessment can be booked
- Prepare any scholarship portfolio, audition pieces or evidence record
- Continue light, steady practice on the test components
Useful resources
OpenApply admissions portal · Scholarship strand guidance · Current-school reference
Late November Year 6 — Assessment Day
The full-day 11+ Assessment
- Arrive rested — the day is designed to be low-pressure
- Pace steadily through the 60-minute online test's three sections
- Plan briefly, then write to a clear shape in the 30-minute creative writing
- In the interview and activities: be relaxed, genuine and kind with others
January–March Year 6 — Offers
Decision, acceptance and transition
- Offers sent in January; confirm acceptance and pay the £1,200 deposit by March
- If relevant, progress a separate means-tested bursary application with the Fees Office
- Book a coach route via the Vectare portal if you'll use the school transport
- Attend transition and induction events ahead of joining in September
Useful resources
School transition programme · Vectare coach portal · Fees Office (for bursaries)
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Intelligence Score
Updated May 2026 (incl. Senior School ISI May 2024 report fully extracted + 2026/27 fees PDF + 2025 results) · 20 sources
Coverage
Measures how much of the admissions picture is directly evidenced rather than inferred from comparable schools or legacy material.
Freshness
This edition was last checked May 2026 (incl. Senior School ISI May 2024 report fully extracted + 2026/27 fees PDF + 2025 results). Recency scores fall when public evidence ages or current-cycle detail is sparse.
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Near Notre Dame Cobham