Radley College

The school describes itself as academically selective and says its assessment reflects this; every boy applying for Year 9 must sit the ISEB Common Pre-Tests. In the school’s words: “We are an academically selective school and our assessment reflects this”

Independent, full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18. The 2026 inspection records 769 pupils, all boarding, in eleven boarding houses.

1847

In the village of Radley, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire (postal address Radley, Abingdon, OX14 2HR).

Independent Schools Inspectorate routine inspection, 20 to 22 January 2026: all five groups of standards met. One recommended next step: ensure teaching consistently meets the needs of all pupils. The report notes that in a small number of lessons teaching is less effective.

Year 9 (called Shells at Radley), also called 13+. The admissions policy names Year 9 and the Sixth Form as the two main entry points.

150 new boys join Year 9 each year, and 15 to 20 join the Sixth Form.

Year 6 in 2026-27, for Year 9 entry in September 2029. The pre-test is taken in Year 6 and the school labels this cycle 2029 entry.

Boys registered with the fee paid before their fourth birthday are on the Radley List; every later application is Open Entry. Both routes sit the ISEB Common Pre-Tests.

ISEB Common Pre-Tests, required of all boys applying for Year 9, on both the Radley List and Open Entry routes.

ISEB describes four online, adaptive, multiple-choice tests (English, mathematics, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning) taking 2 hours 15 minutes in total.

All boys must have sat the ISEB Common Pre-Tests by 30 November 2026.

Stage one is the ISEB Common Pre-Test and a confidential Head's report from the current school (deadline 6 November 2026). Boys then attend an Assessment Day at Radley with an interview with a senior member of staff and a short written exercise. Radley List boys are interviewed in the Michaelmas Term of Year 6; Open Entry boys are shortlisted on pre-test results and interviewed in the Lent Term.

Radley List entry form: 1 June 2026. Open Entry form: 1 July 2026. Both have passed.

The Schools Guide, key dates and prep school portal read on this date give dates for 2029 entry only. No dates for 2030 entry were found.

£480 including VAT, payable on application.

UK families pay an acceptance fee of £3,000 (inclusive of VAT) and a deposit of £600 (inclusive of VAT). International families pay £3,000 (inclusive of VAT) and one term's fees as a deposit, currently £21,216 (inclusive of VAT).

£21,216 per term for 2026-27, inclusive of VAT (a termly rate of £17,680 plus VAT). Fees for 2029 entry are not published.

Academic, Art, Drama, Innovation, Music and Sport scholarships are available at Year 9 entry, assessed in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms of Year 8. They are honorary and carry no fee remission unless the family applies for means-tested funding.

Radley says awards are means-tested and can be worth up to 115% of the fees, and that it spent more than three million pounds supporting 103 boys last year. Awards are available at 11+, 13+ and 16+.

Final results are sent to schools and parents by mid-March 2027 for 2029 entry; the FAQ says places are offered in March of Year 6.

Radley welcomes overseas boys, with pupils of 43 nationalities. Boys whose parents live outside the UK need an Educational Guardian in the UK. Radley acts as Child Student Visa sponsor and charges £750 for visa administration. Shortlisted boys are encouraged to attend the Assessment Days in person.

Michaelmas Term 2026: 7 and 28 November. Lent Term 2027: 6 February and 20 March. Summer Term 2027: 24 April, 8, 22 May and 12, 19 June. Radley recommends families visit when the boy is in Year 5.