Application Information

Please refer to our comprehensive FAQs before contacting the school with any queries. This will enable our Admissions Office to deal with priority calls – thank you.

For a list of relevant dates, including the next opportunity to visit the school  please visit our  Key Dates page.

Dame Alice Owen’s School is a secondary day school for boys and girls aged 11-18. Originally founded in 1613, we are Voluntary Aided in status and admit children across the ability range. 65 children per year out of the available 200 places, however, are selected according to aptitude and ability as determined by the Governors’ Entrance Examination and an additional 10 places are selected by Music Aptitude tests.

Applications are welcome from parents whose children are likely to make a full and committed contribution to the extra-curricular life of the school, and to benefit from the extensive additional facilities and opportunities provided by the Dame Alice Owen Foundation. Our Governors are legally responsible for admissions to the school, and offers of places are approved by our Governors’ Admissions Committee. Governors are fully committed to maintaining our family focus with the sibling criterion, whilst retaining partial selection and musical aptitude.

Please refer to our  Key Dates for a list of all relevant dates

Academic and Music Test Information

Our Test Registration for entry in 2026 closed on 12th June 2025.  We are therefore unable to accept any further  Test Registration requests.

Test Registration for entry in 2027 will open in May 2026. Exact date to be advised.                                                                          

Further Information

• Our Verbal Reasoning paper is produced by GL Assessment
• Our English and Maths tests are set in-house by our school.
• Familiarisation papers to help your child prepare for our tests are available here

Please note: We are not part of the South West Herts Consortium, our tests are unique to our school.

SECONDARY TRANSFER APPLICATION INFORMATION

The information below provides further information about the School and the Admissions process.

Please refer to our  Key Dates for all dates including further rounds of offers.

Movement on Lists Updated 1st May 2025. Further CI places will be allocated as and when vacancies occur from 6 May onwards.

• Academic Places have been offered up to and including ranked position number 114.

  Music Places have been offered up to and including ranked position number 14.

  Distance Places (criteria 2/7)– the furthest home-school distance we have been able to allocate a place to is 740.36 metres from the address point for the school.

• You will be contacted if a place becomes available for your child.
• Please check this page first for updates – do not contact the Admissions Office for this information. This will help us prioritise other inquiries during this busy period.

Continuing Interest/Waiting List

• Action Required: Accept the place you have been offered via your home Local Authority – no further action is needed at this time.
• If you ranked Dame Alice Owen’s School higher than the school you’ve been allocated, you will automatically continue to be considered for a place until the end of the summer term – you do not need to contact us to action this.
• Your home Local Authority will notify you if we are able to offer your child a place in the next round of offers.
• If you wish to be considered for a place after July, you must confirm your interest by completing an In-Year application for Year 7 through Hertfordshire County Council. Details can also be found here.