Year 7 Development Awards 2026
What are the Development Awards?
The Ampleforth Development Awards are scholarships awarded to those entering Year 7 in recognition of academic ability or particular talent in the disciplines of Dance, Drama, Music and Sport. Ampleforth Scholarships are highly prestigious, recognising existing skills and talents, together with potential. Our scholars provide leadership to their peers and in return, we offer dedicated, tailored programmes to nurture and develop their talents. Scholars are expected to make the most of the many opportunities on offer to further their talents and each scholar is assigned a personal Scholarship Mentor to monitor and support their progress.
In Years 7 and 8, to encourage junior pupils to further their interests, Academic and Sports Development Awards carry a 10% fee remission, whilst Music, Dance, and Drama Development Awards cover instrumental, LAMDA, or dance tuition.
The Development Awards are held for two years (Year 7 & Year 8).
Why choose to start in Year 7?
Ampleforth College has a dedicated Junior House which is home for all our boarding and day students in Years 7 and 8. Junior House provides the perfect environment for each child to grow, discover their interests, nurture their individual talents and develop their friendships.
Ampleforth’s mission to educate the whole child, mind, body, and soul, enabling each child to flourish to the full in life, is embodied in Junior House in a way that is bespoke to 11 and 12-year-olds with:
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A broad and ambitious curriculum that is designed to enthuse, inspire curiosity, and foster a lifelong love of learning. The curriculum is led by subject specialists – the same staff who teach at GCSE and A Level. This brings academic stretch and rigour with teaching that nurtures independent and inquisitive minds.
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Alongside their academics, pupils benefit from a rich co-curricular programme ranging from electives to sport, music to drama, as pupils participate in school performances in our School theatre.
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A huge range of extra-curricular opportunities and activities to enable the broadest possible experience and encourage the discovery of interests and talents
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Nurturing pastoral care which cherishes and loves each child as a gift from God, and through which they learn to serve the needs of others
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Extensive and varied weekend programme; all our students attend school on Saturday and enjoy an extensive evening and weekend activities programme where there are opportunities for students to explore new interests and develop existing skills.
Admissions process
Development Awards, Friday 16 January 2026: On Friday 16 January, children will take part in a series of assessments, activities, auditions, and an interview relevant to the award for which they are applying. Children can choose to apply for Academic, Dance, Drama, Music or Sport. Digital brochures, application forms and details of how to apply can be found here. The application deadline for the Development Awards is Friday 9 January 2026. Please note Development Award applicants will also be required to sit the Y7 entry test that is taking place on Saturday 17 January 2026 (details below).
Y7 Assessment Day, Saturday 17 January 2026: For most children joining Ampleforth at 11+, entry is through sitting our Ampleforth entrance test in January of Year 6. Our entrance test takes place at Ampleforth. It involves a computer-based CEM assessment in Maths, English and Non-Verbal Reasoning for which no special preparation is required. Children also have an interview with our Registrar, and, after lunch, enjoy an afternoon of activities with potential future classmates. All applicants should be registered with us before sitting the assessments.
Details on the full application process can be found here.
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