Abbot's Hill School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Registration and Fees

Entry to Abbot's Hill School at 11+ (Year 7) is by online assessment and an informal interview, with the school looking for potential and enthusiasm for learning across a broad range of abilities. There is no pass or fail mark in the assessment; it is used to check that a child can access the curriculum and to build a picture of them as an individual.

Registration closes in the autumn of Year 6, with the assessment day following shortly after and offers issued a few weeks later. The school, on Bunkers Lane in Hemel Hempstead, is moving from a girls' school to a fully co-educational one, with boys already admitted to the Prep School and the first boys joining Year 7 as part of that change.

How entry works at Abbot's Hill

The main entry points are Nursery, Reception, Year 3, Year 7 and Year 9, with September the usual start date for each. Year 7 (11+) is the principal entry point into the Senior School, and the school also offers a 13+ Deferred Entry route, under which a child sits the Year 7 entrance assessment but joins in Year 9 instead, giving families certainty about a senior place well ahead of transfer.

• Nursery, Reception, Year 3, Year 7 and Year 9 as the published entry points
• Occasional places considered in other year groups, subject to availability
• 13+ Deferred Entry: assessed in Year 6, entry deferred to Year 9

How the 11+ assessment is structured

Candidates sit the Quest Assessment, an online test covering Mathematics, English comprehension, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, usually taken at the child's current prep school where that can be arranged, or at Abbot's Hill on the Assessment Day. That day runs as a whole-day event, with the test in the morning and afternoon activities alongside other candidates, giving children a feel for the school.

Pupils who do well are invited to an informal interview with a member of the Senior Leadership Team, focused on interests, hobbies and what they look forward to at senior school. Parents separately meet the Head and a member of the Executive team; this meeting forms no part of the assessment.

The registration and admissions process

Families apply by completing the online Registration Form, with the place confirmed once a non-refundable registration fee has been paid. The school recommends registering twelve to eighteen months before the intended start date, and asks for a recent school report where available, together with a copy of a passport or birth certificate.

After the registration deadline, candidates attend the Assessment Day, followed by interviews over the following weeks for those invited, and then a round of offers. Accepting a place is confirmed by returning the Acceptance Form with the deposit, which the school describes as forming a legally binding agreement from that point.

• Register online and pay the registration fee by the published deadline
• Sit the Quest Assessment on the Assessment Day, or at the child's own school where arranged
• Attend interview, if invited, in the following weeks
• Receive the offer, then return the Acceptance Form and deposit

Scholarships and bursaries at 11+

Academic Scholarships, in STEM or English, go to candidates who perform well in the entrance assessment and interview, and are considered automatically for a scholarship session. Specialist scholarships cover Music (Grade 3 or above), Art & Design (a portfolio), Drama (a monologue plus improvisation) and Sport (evidence of participation at a high standard), alongside the Baird Scholarship for all-round candidates.

An award is usually around 10% of tuition fees, up to a maximum of 25% for one award, with a combined cap of 20% where a pupil holds more than one. Bursary support, administered separately by the Mill Hill School Foundation, is means-tested and can cover up to the full cost of tuition; it may be held alongside a scholarship.

How to prepare for the Quest Assessment

Abbot's Hill encourages children to arrive well rested and confident, stating that the assessment aims to understand a child's potential ahead of testing specific taught knowledge. Sample papers and guidance notes may be available for older applicants, so working through comprehension, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning examples beforehand can help a child recognise the format on the day.

Because the interview covers interests and hobbies as much as academic performance, it helps to talk through what a child enjoys and why, so they can speak about it naturally on the day. Sitting the Quest Assessment at a familiar school, where that option is offered, removes an unfamiliar venue from the process.

School fees for Year 7 entry

Termly day fees are published for each year group and reviewed annually; basic fees are stated to include textbooks, stationery, lunch, games and dancing lessons other than ballet. Optional extras such as individual music tuition and LAMDA lessons are charged separately and billed directly by the peripatetic teacher concerned.

Fees are collected by termly Direct Debit, and a Fees in Advance scheme offering a flat-rate discount is available on request from the School Bursar. The non-refundable registration fee paid at application is separate from termly fees and does not count towards them.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Abbot's Hill School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Families preparing for the Abbot's Hill School 11+ usually come to us a year or so before the assessment, though shorter runs work where the foundations are already sound. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors build each programme around the format the school actually uses, whether a written paper, an online pre-test, an interview or a combination of them.

More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, so the preparation is led by people who know how selective schools assess. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families work with us online from anywhere in the UK or abroad, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.