St Anselm's College Wirral 11+ Guide 2026: Admissions, Exam and Preparation

St Anselm's College is a Catholic grammar school for boys in Birkenhead, Wirral, with an Indicated Admissions Number of 156 for Year 7 entry in September 2027. Unlike Wirral's non-Catholic grammar schools, which use a separate assessment provided by Quest Assessments, St Anselm's runs its own entrance examination with its own online registration form. The deadline for registering for the 2026 exam was Friday 31 July 2026; families who registered should confirm the exam date with the school on 0151 652 1408. Results are sent by letter or e-mail before the Local Authority preference-form deadline at the end of October, and Wirral Council's deadline for on-time applications is 31 October 2026.

What Is St Anselm's College and Why Is It Distinct from Other Wirral Grammar Schools?

St Anselm's College is a Catholic grammar school and academy for boys aged 11 to 18, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury and a member of the Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Located on Manor Hill in Birkenhead (CH43 1UQ), the school's admissions policy defines the relevant area for Catholic and Christian applicants as Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester and any other areas within 10 miles of the College.

The most important thing for prospective families to understand is that St Anselm's entrance process is separate from the assessment that Wirral's non-Catholic grammar schools use. Wirral's non-Catholic grammar schools use a single assessment provided by Quest Assessments, with two papers taken on the same day; it was scheduled for Tuesday 15 September 2026. St Anselm's does not use it. It runs its own three-paper entrance examination with its own online registration form, and as its own Admissions Authority it makes its own admissions decisions, with the Local Authority co-ordinating the arrangements. Taking the council's grammar school assessment does not register a boy for St Anselm's — the two processes are separate. Families targeting St Anselm's must register directly with the school using its online registration form and prepare for its own exam format.

Ofsted's page for the school lists a Good rating from its full inspection on 3 July 2019, and a school inspection on 18 March 2025 whose report was published on 13 May 2025.

What Does the St Anselm's College 11+ Entrance Examination Consist Of?

The St Anselm's College entrance examination is a written assessment. It consists of three written papers: English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning, each lasting one hour. Boys should practise under timed, exam-style conditions.

The English paper lasts one hour. Reading widely and practising writing with structure, fluency and vocabulary range will help.

The Maths paper lasts one hour. Boys should practise showing working clearly and applying methods correctly under timed conditions.

The Verbal Reasoning paper lasts one hour.

The school's FAQs say English and Maths sample papers are available on its website (st-anselms.com/admissions) and that Verbal Reasoning papers can be bought from any stationery shop. Working through the sample papers is a practical way to understand the question style.

To learn more about how grammar school 11+ examinations vary across the country, see our guide to what the 11 Plus exam is and how different schools structure their selection process.

What Are the Key Dates for the St Anselm's College 11+ in 2026?

The 2026 cycle covers children entering Year 7 in September 2027 — that is, boys who are now in Year 6 (academic year 2026-27). Registration for the entrance exam is separate from the Local Authority Common Application Form (CAF) and must be submitted directly to the school. The school's deadline for registering for the exam was Friday 31 July 2026 and has passed; Wirral Council's deadline for on-time applications is 31 October 2026, and late applications are dealt with after places have been offered to those who applied on time.

Always verify dates on the school's own admissions pages at st-anselms.com/admissions. The school's next College Open Evening is listed as provisional: Thursday 24 June 2027, from 5pm to 8pm. The school can also be contacted directly on 0151 652 1408 or by email at info@st-anselms.com.

For a broader overview of 11+ exam dates across independent and grammar schools nationally, see our 11+ exam dates guide.

How Does St Anselm's College Rank Students and Allocate Year 7 Places?

Places go to boys who have reached the required standard in the three entrance tests. The school's Entrance Examination Policy 2025-2026, ratified by governors in the Summer Term 2025, covers the Year 6/7 transition and lists pass marks of 55% in Mathematics, 55% in English and 118 in Verbal Reasoning, and says students must achieve the pass mark in 2 papers. The Admissions Policy for 2027/28, which covers entry in September 2027, does not repeat these marks, so ask the school whether they apply to the 2026 exam.

Places are offered to boys who have reached the required standard; if more than 156 boys do so, places are allocated according to the oversubscription criteria. Boys who reached the required standard and have an Educational Health Care Plan are automatically offered a place. With an Indicated Admissions Number of 156, the criteria in the school's Admissions Policy are applied in the following order:

Baptised Catholic Looked After and Previously Looked After boys, then baptised Catholic boys living in the relevant area (Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester and any other areas within 10 miles of the College). All other Looked After and Previously Looked After boys, then baptised Christian, non-Catholic boys living in the relevant area. Non-baptised boys whose parents wish them to have a Catholic education.

Within each category, if there are more qualifying candidates than available places, priority is given first to those who performed most strongly in the exam, and distance from the school may be used as a final tiebreaker. The relevant area in the faith-based criteria is Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester and any other areas within 10 miles of the College.

What Faith Documents Are Required for St Anselm's College?

As a Catholic grammar school, St Anselm's applies faith-based oversubscription criteria when there are more qualifying candidates than available places. To be treated as Catholic or Christian in the oversubscription criteria, a boy needs a copy of one of these certificates:

• Baptismal certificate — confirming your son was baptised
• Holy Communion certificate — confirming he has received Holy Communion

The online registration form asks for a copy of the baptismal certificate, if applicable; if it was not attached, the school's FAQs say it must be sent to baptism@st-anselms.com before the exam date, or the application cannot be considered as a Catholic one.

Baptised Christian, non-Catholic boys living in the relevant area are the fourth priority category and also need a copy of a baptismal or Holy Communion certificate to be treated as Christian. Non-baptised boys whose parents wish them to have a Catholic education are the fifth priority category.

It is important to note that faith criteria are oversubscription criteria — they only apply when more boys qualify academically than there are places. A boy must first meet the academic standard before faith criteria are used to prioritise among those who qualify. Reaching the required standard in the entrance tests is the first requirement for any applicant.

How Does St Anselm's College Compare to Other Wirral Grammar Schools?

Wirral's non-Catholic grammar schools use a separate assessment, which families register for through Wirral Council. Understanding the differences helps families plan their preparation and application strategy carefully.

Children who want a place at a non-Catholic grammar school in Wirral must take the council's assessment: two papers taken on the same day, provided by Quest Assessments and scheduled for Tuesday 15 September 2026. Registration for that assessment closed at 12 noon on 1 June 2026. Preparing for the council's assessment means practising verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics questions; the council says the assessments do not include long written answers.

St Anselm's is separate: a different registration process (the school's own online form, with a deadline of Friday 31 July 2026) and different papers (English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning, with no non-verbal reasoning paper). Families applying to both St Anselm's and non-Catholic grammar schools need to prepare for two different exams — or sequence their preparation to address each in turn.

The table below summarises the key differences:

For families with sons who qualify for and are considering both routes, our specialist 11+ tuition can help structure preparation to cover both St Anselm's written papers and the council's grammar school assessment.

How Should Boys Prepare for the St Anselm's College 11+ Papers?

Preparation for St Anselm's needs a different approach from preparation for Wirral Council's grammar school assessment. Because all three papers are written, boys need to develop the stamina to work accurately across three one-hour papers, with a 15 minute break on the day.

English: The reading comprehension element rewards boys who can read carefully, identify what a question is actually asking, and construct an answer that quotes or references the text accurately. The written expression element rewards planning, structure and confidence with sentence variety. Boys should practise writing for a sustained period on a single topic, focusing on organising ideas before starting and checking written accuracy at the end. Wide reading — particularly of varied fiction and non-fiction genres — is a good long-term preparation for this paper.

Mathematics: Preparation should ensure there are no gaps in what boys have learned at primary school. Key areas to address include: written calculation methods for all four operations; fractions, decimals and percentages; ratio and proportion; algebra (number patterns and simple equations); geometry (angles, area, perimeter, volume); and data handling (reading and interpreting charts and tables). Boys should practise writing each step of their solution clearly.

Verbal Reasoning: the school does not hold sample Verbal Reasoning papers, and its FAQs say they can be bought from any stationery shop. Preparation should include a range of verbal reasoning question types (word relationships, analogies, letter/number codes, logical deduction from written information). Speed matters too — three one-hour papers is a demanding schedule, and boys who have practised under timed conditions are better placed to manage their time across all three papers.

Our guide to the six-month 11+ countdown sets out a structured monthly preparation plan that works well for St Anselm's candidates from the beginning of Year 5 onwards. Families working with a tutor through Leading Tuition will receive a tailored programme aligned specifically to St Anselm's exam format.

Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, and 91% of our students achieve their desired grades.

Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against St Anselm's College's Admissions Policy for 2027/28, admissions FAQs, entrance examination sample papers page, open evenings page and Entrance Examination Policy 2025-2026, Wirral Council's secondary admissions pages, Ofsted and GIAS.

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