Key Facts
| School type | Independent day school, co-educational, 3 to 18, international curriculum (IB Diploma, IB Career-related Programme, Advanced Placement) |
|---|---|
| Location | Hillingdon, Uxbridge, Middlesex |
| Entry points | 7+, 11+, 16+ |
| Assessment | No entrance exam; applications are reviewed as a whole, drawing on records, references, questionnaires and standardised scores, plus an Oxford placement test from Grade 5 for applicants who need English assessment |
| Test provider | No entrance exam; an Oxford placement test is used for English from Grade 5 to Grade 12, and standardised scores from the current school are reviewed |
| Day fees (2026/27) | £7,620 to £18,000 per semester (including VAT), depending on grade; £16,110 per semester for Grades 5 to 6 |
| Scholarships and bursaries | No scholarships listed; means-tested bursaries of up to 100% of tuition in years the programme is open |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly. Compare fees at other independent schools.
ACS Hillingdon International School admissions work on a rolling basis, with no entrance exam at any entry point. Families apply online for Pre-K, the Lower School grades (ages 3 to 10), the Upper School grades (ages 10 to 18) and Grades 11 and 12, and the admissions committee reviews previous school records, teacher references, a student questionnaire and any standardised test scores.
Applicants who do not speak English as a first language may be asked for EAL testing, and an Oxford placement test is part of the application from Grade 5 to Grade 12. A place is offered if the grade has space, and an enrolment deposit then secures it.
| Entry point | Year group | Assessment | Interview | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7+ | Lower School, Grades 1 to 4 (ages 6 to 10) | No entrance exam; applications are reviewed as a whole, drawing on school records, teacher references, a student questionnaire and any standardised test scores | Not mentioned on the admissions pages | Not published |
| 11+ | Upper School, Grades 5 to 10 (ages 10 to 16) | No entrance exam; applications are reviewed as a whole, drawing on records, references, questionnaires and standardised scores, plus an Oxford placement test from Grade 5 for applicants who need English assessment | Not mentioned on the admissions pages | Not published |
| 16+ | Grades 11 and 12 (ages 16 to 18) | No entrance exam; the same whole-application review applies, plus a preliminary subject selection form for IB Diploma, IB Career-related Programme or Advanced Placement courses | Not mentioned on the admissions pages | Not published |
Entry points and places
The school takes students at any grade from Pre-K to Grade 12, so it has no single fixed entry year in the way a 7+, 11+ or 13+ school does. Placement depends on the child's date of birth and the school year applied for, and a grade equivalence chart on the admissions pages compares the international grade system with UK year groups.
The Lower School covers ages 3 to 10 and the Upper School ages 10 to 18. Children can start in Pre-K at the start of, or during, the term they turn four, and a three-year-old must be toilet trained and able to manage a full school day. The pages publish no number of places per grade, only that a full grade leads to a waitlist.
- Lower School: ages 3 to 10
- Upper School: ages 10 to 18, with the IB Diploma, IB Career-related Programme and Advanced Placement in Grades 11 and 12
How the main assessment works
There is no entrance exam; each application is assessed holistically by the admissions committee. The review draws on previous school records, references, the student questionnaire and any standardised test scores the family supplies.
The one test named on the pages is English-related. Families who do not speak English at home can apply, and the team reviews the level of support needed. An Oxford placement test is required from Grade 5 to Grade 12, and English proficiency requirements apply from Grade 8. Older students with very limited English cannot be supported, so the English assessment tends to decide whether a place is workable for them.
11+ tutors
Hannah
Master TutorI am a UK-qualified teacher with 15+ years across private and state schools in the UK and abroad, and hold a BSc from LSE and a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, 11+ and Common Entrance preparation. My approach is personalised, confidence-building and rigorous.
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Sochima
Master TutorI'm a qualified teacher in a London classroom every day, with a BSc in Computer Science from Brunel and a PGCE with QTS. I teach Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science to A-Level, plus 11+ preparation, through project-based work that suits SEND learners well.
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Robert
Master TutorI am a qualified teacher with over twenty years' experience in the UK, Gulf and New Zealand, holding an MA in History and PGCE. I teach English, History, Geography and French from KS2 to A-Level and IB, preparing 11+/13+ candidates. My approach is student-led, focused and diagnostic.
Enquire about this tutorRegistration and the admissions timeline
Registration is an online application that can be made at any time of year, because admissions are rolling and no closing date is published. The child must have the right to study in the UK before starting.
Families usually enquire or visit through an Open Day or Personal Tour, then apply online, upload the required documents and pay the non-refundable application fee. The admissions committee reviews the file and may request further documents, after which a successful applicant receives an offer, or a waitlist place if the grade is full. Paying the enrolment deposit secures the place, and the school then sends welcome information on transport, school platforms, subject selection and visa compliance.
Interviews and references
The admissions pages do not mention an interview or a group activity, so the file itself carries the decision. References come from teachers, who complete reference forms uploaded with the application, alongside school records in English that are signed and stamped by the issuing school and cover the latest and previous two years, depending on age.
Each family also completes a parent questionnaire and an age-appropriate student questionnaire. Where relevant, the school asks for Individual Education Plans, 504 plans and psychological, occupational therapy, speech and language or medical reports, which it uses to judge the support a child would need.
Scholarships and bursaries
The school lists no separate scholarships, and financial support comes through a means-tested bursary programme. Awards can cover up to 100% of tuition fees and, in some cases, specific school-related costs, and each application is assessed individually against parental income and financial assets.
Applicants must show strong personal and academic potential, be UK residents with the right to remain, live within the school's busing catchment area and be unable to meet the full fees. Awards run for up to seven years with annual review, and the programme is paused in some academic years, so the bursaries page is the place to confirm whether it is open.
Fees and what they include
Tuition is charged per semester, varies by grade and includes VAT, with the published amounts on the fees page. It covers digital learning resources, textbook loans, laboratory fees, classroom materials, single-day curriculum field trips and an iPad up to Grade 8. Grades 11 and 12 tuition also covers university placement costs such as transcripts and diplomas.
One-off charges are a non-refundable application fee with each application, an enrolment deposit after acceptance, and a campus and development fee charged once in the first year for Grades K to 12. Busing, exam fees for the IB and Advanced Placement, UCAS and US application costs, an IT service fee in Grades 9 to 12 and SEN support are extra. Payment plans are available through My School Fee Plan.
Where pupils join from
The admissions pages name no feeder or partner schools, so applicants join from a wide range of schools and education systems. The school describes families from over 70 nationalities, and school records in English are requested whatever the previous curriculum.
Within the school, the Lower School for ages 3 to 10 leads into the Upper School for ages 10 to 18 on the same site at Vine Lane. The pages describe no automatic progression, and no formal catchment boundary is stated, though busing by shuttle, door-to-door and late bus (for an extra fee) lets families commute from a broad area.
How 16+ entry to Grades 11 and 12 works
Entry to Grades 11 and 12 follows the same review as every other grade, with one extra requirement: a preliminary subject selection form submitted with the online application. There is no sixth-form entrance paper and no published GCSE grade requirement.
Students choose between the IB Diploma, the IB Career-related Programme and Advanced Placement courses, and the school's high school diploma is also listed. Applicants whose English is not a first language still face the Oxford placement test and may need EAL testing. University and careers counselling begins in Grade 10, so those already in the school have started it before Grade 11.
How to prepare
Because there is no entrance paper, preparation means assembling a complete, accurate file: signed and stamped school records in English, teacher reference forms, both questionnaires and copies of any standardised test results. Asking the current school for these early helps, since applications are advised as early as possible while places are limited.
For applicants from Grade 5 upwards whose English is not a first language, practising for the Oxford placement test and building reading and writing stamina tends to matter most. Families of Grade 11 and 12 applicants can also settle their IB or Advanced Placement course choices before completing the subject selection form.
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Preparing for the ACS Hillingdon International School 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Families preparing for the ACS Hillingdon International 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.
Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there an entrance exam for ACS Hillingdon?
- There is no entrance exam. Applications are assessed holistically using previous school records, references, the student questionnaire and any standardised test scores. An Oxford placement test is required from Grade 5 to Grade 12 for English, and EAL testing may be requested for non-native English speakers.
- How do parents apply to ACS Hillingdon and is there a deadline?
- Apply online and upload school records, teacher reference forms and questionnaires, then pay the non-refundable application fee. Admissions are rolling with no fixed deadline, and students can start at any point in the academic year, subject to availability. The school advises applying early because places are limited.
- How much are ACS Hillingdon fees?
- Tuition is charged per semester, varies by grade and includes VAT. The fees page lists amounts for each grade band, plus a non-refundable application fee, an enrolment deposit and a first-year campus and development fee. Busing, exam fees and SEN support are extra. Payment plans are available through My School Fee Plan.
- Does ACS Hillingdon offer scholarships or bursaries?
- No separate scholarships are listed. A means-tested bursary programme can cover up to 100% of tuition fees, assessed on parental income and assets, and awards run for up to seven years with annual review. The programme is paused in some academic years, so check the bursaries page.
- What happens if the grade is full?
- A successful applicant is placed on a waitlist until a place opens, and the admissions team keeps the family updated. It contacts the family as soon as a place becomes available to complete enrolment. Chances of a place vary by grade.
- Does ACS Hillingdon have a catchment area or a sixth form?
- No formal catchment boundary is stated, though busing for an extra fee serves a broad area. The school has no sixth form by that name, but Grades 11 and 12 offer the IB Diploma, IB Career-related Programme and Advanced Placement, with a subject selection form required at application.
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