Written by Rebecca Miller, Head of Admissions and Communications.
At this time of year, many parents will be anxiously looking ahead to entrance exam season at the region’s independent schools. For the prospective pupil, these exams can feel like mini job interviews, assessing their suitability for their potential future school.
As Head of Admissions at Dame Allan’s Schools in Newcastle, I fully understand how important (and daunting!) these entrance assessments can be to the families and young people putting themselves forward. School is where your sons and daughters will make friends for life, have mind-enriching educational experiences, and bond over shared memories. It is important to find the right fit.
Just as the hiring process has evolved over the years to become more accessible, inclusive, and oftentimes more casual, at Dame Allan’s, we wanted to evolve our entrance assessments to involve less fear, and more fun. And, like job interviews, this process goes two ways – not only are schools evaluating potential candidates, but families and children are also sizing up a school to see if it is indeed the best fit for them. Can they see themselves immersed in the pupil community? Do they like the facilities and the teachers they meet?
The changes to our entrance assessments were multifaceted, consisting of the switch from paper exams to digital assessments, integrating interviews into the same day as the assessments, arranging peer support from Sixth Form ‘buddies’ during the day, and bringing extra fun to the day with the addition of team building games and sport. This new format also means that pupils can be assessed in a single day session. Previously, they would have to return on two separate occasions – once for the initial written assessment, which could take up to three hours – and again for an interview with staff members.
Not only is this single day method less nerve-wracking for pupils undergoing assessment, but logistically it is a lot easier for families too. Earlier this year, we were thrilled to receive a national award for excellence in school admissions, which was a huge nod in recognition of the commitment we made to reimaging the process.
Change is in our nature at Dame Allan’s. We’re a historic school, having been founded in 1705, but have always strived for positive change and to push boundaries. For example, we have been offering quality, challenging education to girls long before it was commonplace to do so – our Girls’ School was thought to be the eighth oldest in the UK. Now, we continue to evolve.
2026 is a momentous year for Dame Allan’s, as we transition to co-education for the first time, with boys and girls side-by-side in classrooms across our Junior School, Senior School, and Sixth Form.
This evolution will also be reflected in our entrance exams at the end of January, where our prospective Year 7 boys and girls will attend together for the first time. We’re making sure to ramp up the fun and team-building aspects of the day, to support with this new structure. It’s an exciting change, one that we feel better reflects the world into which these young people will eventually enter and thrive.
We know that former pupils in their eighties still have vivid and fond memories of their own admissions assessments, and we want to make sure equally positive memories are created in 2026 and beyond. First impressions count, after all, even when you’re eleven-years-old.
Dame Allan’s will be holding entrance exams on Saturday 31 January. For more information, and to sign up, please contact the Head of Admissions on 0191 275 0608 or visit www.dameallans.co.uk