St George’s College vs St John’s School Leatherhead: A Comparison of Entrance Exams

Choosing between St George’s College, Weybridge and St John’s School, Leatherhead often comes down to the type of academic environment a child will thrive in. One of the clearest differences between the two schools can be seen in their entrance exams, which reflect slightly different expectations and philosophies.

St George’s College, Weybridge offers a well-balanced and accessible entrance process. For Year 7 entry, candidates typically sit papers in English and mathematics, alongside an interview and a reference from their current school. The assessments focus largely on core curriculum knowledge, ensuring pupils have a solid grounding in reading, writing and numeracy. While the school expects good academic ability, the papers are generally not designed to be overly abstract or intimidating. Instead, St George’s places significant value on the whole child, looking at attitude, character and how a pupil will contribute to school life as well as their academic performance. You can find more details about their admissions process here: https://www.stgeorgesweybridge.com/admissions/

St John’s School, Leatherhead is academically strong and slightly more selective in its approach. The entrance process for Year 7 usually includes English and mathematics assessments, but these tend to be more stretching, particularly in maths where problem-solving and logical thinking are tested more deeply. English tasks may require more developed comprehension skills and more sophisticated writing. In addition to the written exams, there is typically an interview stage and input from the candidate’s current school. St John’s is looking for pupils who are not only capable but also intellectually curious and able to cope with a more demanding academic pace. Further details can be found here: https://www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/admissions/

The key difference between the two schools lies in the level of academic stretch within the entrance exam. St George’s provides a solid and fair assessment of core skills, with a strong emphasis on pastoral fit and overall character. St John’s, while still holistic in its approach, places slightly greater weight on academic performance and uses its assessments to identify pupils who are ready for a more rigorous academic environment.

In simple terms, St George’s offers a more balanced and accessible entrance process, while St John’s School Leatherhead introduces a higher level of academic challenge from the outset. Both schools are excellent, but they suit slightly different types of learners, depending on confidence, academic strength and preferred pace of learning.