Chigwell School 11+ Admissions: Entrance Exam, Registration and Fees

Getting into Chigwell School at 11+ starts with registering online for a Year 7 place, after which candidates sit an online entrance assessment covering English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, puzzles and creative comprehension, complete a separate written English task, and attend an interview. The test is delivered through the Quest Assessments platform, which the school says is designed to assess a broader range of skills than a traditional entrance exam, and applicants can try a familiarisation test on the same platform beforehand.

Year 7 is one of five entry points at the school, alongside 4+, 7+, 13+ and 16+, and the same broad principles, assessment, interview and a report from the child's current school, apply at every stage even though the papers themselves differ by age. Places at 11+ also carry the chance to be considered for an academic, music or sport scholarship, or for a means-tested bursary.

How 11+ entry works

Entry at 11+ leads into Year 7 of the Lower School, one of five entry points the school runs alongside 4+, 7+, 13+ and 16+. Candidates must fall within the birth-date window the school publishes for the relevant entry year on its admissions site. The same three-part process, an entrance assessment, an interview or meeting, and a report from the child's current school, applies to every 11+ applicant, whether or not they are also being considered for a scholarship or bursary. The school notes it can occasionally admit children at other ages when places allow, but 11+ and 13+ remain its two main routes into the senior school.

What the 11+ entrance assessment involves

The 11+ assessment is sat online on the Quest Assessments platform and is split into two timed sections, followed by a separate written English task completed on paper. The school describes the format as intended to test a broader range of knowledge and skills than a conventional entrance exam. An interview or meeting and a report from the child's current school form part of the same admissions decision alongside the test.

• Part 1 (70 minutes): English 30 minutes, Verbal Reasoning 10 minutes, Mathematics 20 minutes, Non-Verbal Reasoning 10 minutes
• Part 2 (35 minutes): Puzzles and Problem Solving 15 minutes, Creative Comprehension 20 minutes
• Written English task (30 minutes): a creative writing task completed after the two online sections
• An interview or meeting, plus a report from the child's current school

The admissions process, step by step

Families register online for the entry point they want and pay a registration fee, which is non-refundable. The child then sits the online Quest Assessments test and completes the written English task, and attends an interview or meeting; the current school is asked for a report. Scholarship or bursary interest is indicated by ticking the relevant box on the same registration form. Once a place is offered and accepted, an acceptance deposit becomes due, part of which is later credited against the first term's fees.

• Register online and pay the registration fee
• Sit the online assessment and the written English task
• Attend an interview or meeting
• School report requested from the child's current school
• Scholarship or bursary applications considered where indicated at registration
• Offer made; deposit paid to accept the place

Scholarships and bursaries at 11+

Scholarships at 11+ are awarded on merit, regardless of financial means, and can carry a monetary value or be honorary. Candidates who perform especially well in the entrance assessment may be called for a further scholarship interview and assessment, including individual interviews in English and mathematics and a general interview with senior staff. Music scholarship candidates are expected to hold around Grade 4 on their first instrument and Grade 2 on a second instrument or in singing, with auditions held separately from the main assessment. Sport scholarships recognise talent and achievement in competitive sport.

Bursaries are means-tested and can cover up to the full cost of tuition fees depending on household income and assets, assessed through Bursary Assessment Associates. They are aimed at candidates who meet the entrance requirements but whose families could not otherwise afford the fees, and interest is expressed on the same registration form used for the entrance assessment.

Fees, deposits and what's included

Termly fees rise in bands from Reception through to Sixth Form, with a further boarding charge for the small number of full boarders in Years 12 and 13. Fees are stated to include tuition, meals, textbooks, games and most clubs, though exam fees and individual music lessons are charged separately. A non-refundable registration fee is payable when a child is registered for 11+, and an acceptance deposit is payable once a place is offered; part of this deposit is credited towards the first term's fees and part is refundable.

How to prepare for the 11+ assessment

Because the test runs on the Quest Assessments platform, the most direct preparation is to work through the school's own familiarisation test so the on-screen format and timings feel routine before the real sitting. Within that, English, verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning make up the longer first part, so broadly Year 6 curriculum practice in each strand is useful groundwork. The puzzles and problem-solving section rewards logical thinking under time pressure, drawing on reasoning skills over memorised facts, and the creative comprehension section and the separate written English task both reward a child who reads widely and writes with some fluency and confidence. Since the school frames the process as broader than a traditional exam, calm, varied practice tends to matter more than drilling one paper type.

Related guides

• Independent school fees compared

Preparing for the Chigwell School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Chigwell School 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. 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.