St Thomas More High School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About St Thomas More High School

St Thomas More High School is a Catholic boys’ school in Westcliff on Sea, in the Brentwood Diocese, with a co-educational sixth form.

It is not a grammar school. Most of its intake is admitted on its own faith and distance criteria, with a small number of places held for boys who take the CSSE 11+.

The other consortium schools in the area are Southend High School for Boys, Southend High School for Girls, Westcliff High School for Boys and Westcliff High School for Girls and Shoeburyness High School. One CSSE registration covers all of them.

Key information for 2027 entry to St Thomas More High School at 11 Plus (11+)

• Entrance exam: the shared CSSE 11+, used by ten Essex and Southend schools
• Papers: English (60 minutes plus 10 minutes reading time) and mathematics (60 minutes)
• Mostly written answers, including a continuous writing section; some comprehension questions are multiple choice. No reasoning paper
• Each paper is standardised and weighted at 50 per cent of the marks
• Withdrawal deadline: Monday 31 August 2026
• Test date: Saturday 19 September 2026, with Tuesday 29 September 2026 for religious observance, illness or exceptional circumstances
• Results: emailed after close of business on Monday 12 October 2026, allowing 24 hours for receipt
• Local authority application deadline: Saturday 31 October 2026. Offer day: Monday 1 March 2027
• School type: Catholic boys’ school in the Brentwood Diocese, with a co-educational sixth form
• Selective places for 2027 entry: 30
• A Supplementary Information Form is needed if you name the school

Admissions information for 2027 entry to St Thomas More High School at 11 Plus (11+)

St Thomas More’s published admission number for selective places in 2027 is 30. The school is a Catholic comprehensive with a selective allocation, not a grammar school, so most boys arrive through its ordinary criteria.

If you name St Thomas More on your local authority form, complete the school’s own Supplementary Information Form as well. Without it the governing body cannot apply its admission criteria to your son’s application, and a good CSSE score will not compensate.

Register with the CSSE, sit the test on 19 September 2026, then name the school on your local authority form by 31 October 2026.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at St Thomas More High School?

1. Register with the CSSE, not with the school. One CSSE registration form covers all ten consortium schools.
2. If you need to withdraw your child from the test, email the CSSE office by Monday 31 August 2026.
3. Your child sits both papers on Saturday 19 September 2026. Tuesday 29 September 2026 is available for religious observance, illness or exceptional circumstances only.
4. Results are emailed after close of business on Monday 12 October 2026. Allow 24 hours for receipt before chasing.
5. Apply to your local authority by Saturday 31 October 2026, naming the school on the common application form. Registering for the test is not an application for a place.
6. Send any Pupil Premium form directly to the school you have named, by 31 October 2026, not to the CSSE office.
7. Offers are sent on Monday 1 March 2027.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for St Thomas More High School?

Selection is by the shared CSSE 11+, written by the Consortium of Selective Schools in
Essex rather than by an external test provider, and marked in full rather than by multiple choice.

• English, 60 minutes plus 10 minutes reading time. A comprehension section on a reading
  passage, and a continuous writing section.
• Mathematics, 60 minutes. Key Stage 2 content, with working written out in the booklet.

The two papers are each standardised and weighted at 50 per cent, and results are analysed by
date of birth to see whether an age adjustment is needed.

There is no verbal or non-verbal reasoning paper. Some comprehension questions are multiple
choice, but most of the test is answered in writing, and the continuous writing section is where the
CSSE test differs most from the GL-style tests used in other counties. It is also where otherwise
strong candidates lose marks.

St Thomas More High School 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Practise writing full answers on paper. Most of the CSSE test is answered in writing rather than on a multiple-choice grid.
• Give the continuous writing section real time. It is the part of the English paper that most often separates candidates.
• Show working in maths. Answers are written out in the booklet rather than marked on a grid.
• Skip verbal and non-verbal reasoning. The CSSE test sets neither.
• Work to time. Both papers are 60 minutes, with only the English paper carrying extra reading time.
• Send the Supplementary Information Form as well as the local authority form. The school cannot apply its criteria without it.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) St Thomas More High School exam

Preparation for St Thomas More’s selective places is preparation for the CSSE 11+: written English including a continuous writing section, and written maths.

Registration in the spring and a test in the third week of September leaves the summer as the working window. Full papers under exam conditions, marked together afterwards, do more than anything else, and the writing section rewards regular short pieces rather than occasional long ones.

For St Thomas More High School 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: