Colfe's School 11+ Entrance Exam: A Guide for Parents

Colfe's School sets and marks its own 11+ entrance exam for entry to Year 7, testing Mathematics and English through written papers ahead of an interview for shortlisted candidates. Academic scholarship candidates sit a separate assessment from this standard entrance route. The written papers are sat early in January of Year 6.

About Colfe's School

Colfe's is a co-educational school in Lee, within the borough of Greenwich, south-east London.

The entrance exam

The Year 7 entrance examination at Colfe's is set internally by the school, without external testing board involvement, and covers Mathematics and English in written, paper-based papers. Shortlisted candidates are then invited to interview as part of the wider assessment. Academic scholarship candidates sit a separate assessment process, distinct from the standard entrance route described here.

The English assessment is split across two papers, covering comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPAG), and creative writing, whilst Mathematics is assessed in a single written paper. Exact paper lengths and timings are published by the school on its admissions pages.

• Mathematics: written, paper-based
• English: written, paper-based, two papers covering comprehension, SPAG and creative writing

Registration and key dates

Registration for the Colfe's 11+ entrance exam opens on the school's admissions pages ahead of each cycle, and the school confirms when applications open instead of publishing a fixed opening date. The registration deadline usually falls in November of Year 5. Written papers are then sat early in January of Year 6, with offers issued in mid-February of the same school year.

• Registration deadline: usually November of Year 5
• Written assessment: usually early January of Year 6
• Offers issued: usually mid-February of Year 6

Current dates are in the key facts table at the top of this page, taken from the school's own admissions pages below, which remain the reference for each round.

• Entry at 11+
• Sample paper (PDF)

Past papers and familiarisation

Colfe's publishes downloadable sample papers for Mathematics, English Paper 1 and English Paper 2 on its website, giving families a direct sense of the paper-based format and question style used in the actual assessment. Working through these under timed conditions is generally the most useful way to prepare, since it mirrors the structure of the real exam; children who practise the school's own materials tend to arrive more familiar with the two-paper English format, and the mix of comprehension, SPAG and creative writing tasks, than they would from generic 11+ resources alone.

Preparing with Taylor Tuition

The Colfe's 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 in London and further afield work with us online, 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.