Henrietta Barnett School 11+ Admissions: Entrance Test and How to Apply

Entry to Henrietta Barnett School at 11+ is decided entirely by a two-round entrance test for Year 7 places, since the school is a girls' grammar academy with no catchment area and no fees. Round One, set by GL Assessment, narrows the field to the top 300 candidates by score; Round Two, marked by the school's own staff, produces the final ranking from which its 120 places are allocated.

Families apply by completing their home local authority's Common Application Form, naming the school as a preference, alongside the school's own Entrance Test Entry Form; admission then depends on test performance and, for the small number of places covered by Round Two's priority groups, on eligibility for Pupil Premium or living within three miles of the school.

How entry works at the school

The school admits girls only at age 11, into Year 7, with a published admission number of 120 places each September. It does not select by catchment area or faith; a small number of places sometimes arise in Years 8 to 11 through in-year vacancies, but the school describes these as rare and manages them via the local authority's waiting list, with no further entrance test involved.

The school holds academy status while keeping its grammar school character, and admission rests on the entrance test result; which primary school a girl attended plays no part, beyond the priority given to distance within Round Two.

How the 11+ assessment works

The 11+ assessment runs in two rounds. Round One, set by GL Assessment, tests Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and English using multiple-choice questions answered on a separate answer sheet; every registered candidate sits this round, and the top 300 by score are invited to Round Two.

Round Two consists of two papers written by the school's own staff: an English paper lasting 60 minutes and a Maths paper lasting 50 minutes, neither of which is multiple-choice. The school does not publish past papers or detailed content guidance for Round Two, beyond confirming the format and timings.

• Round One: Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English (GL Assessment, multiple-choice)
• Round Two: English (60 minutes) and Maths (50 minutes), school-set, not multiple-choice

How to register and apply

Registering involves two separate steps. Families first complete the Common Application Form from their home local authority, naming the school as one of their preferences; they also complete the school's own Entrance Test Entry Form, available from the school's website when registration opens, and return it directly to the school by its published deadline.

Both forms are required: the Common Application Form alone does not enter a candidate for the entrance test. Round One results are communicated directly by the school, and only candidates ranked in the top 300 receive an invitation to Round Two; successful candidates are later invited to an offer holders' event, while unsuccessful applicants are placed on a ranked waiting list.

Catchment and oversubscription criteria

The school has no catchment area; distance affects only a portion of Round Two places, not eligibility to apply. Where Round Two produces more qualifying candidates than places, the admissions policy sets a priority order: looked-after and previously looked-after children first, then candidates eligible for Pupil Premium who rank within the top 300 by score, then candidates living within three miles of the school measured in a straight line from home to the main entrance, and finally the remaining places filled by score.

This ordering reflects the founder's stated aim of keeping the school open to girls from a wide range of backgrounds, alongside selection that otherwise rests purely on academic performance in the two rounds.

How results, offers and the waiting list work

Round One results go out to every candidate, stating whether she has been invited to sit Round Two; candidates ranked below the top 300 are not invited to the second round. After Round Two, the school notifies families of the outcome and invites successful candidates to an offer holders' event ahead of the start of term.

Unsuccessful candidates are placed on a waiting list in score order, and the school has previously confirmed candidates' position within it; places that become free are offered down the list as they arise.

The appeals process

Parents of unsuccessful Year 7 applicants have a legal right to appeal to an independent panel that sits apart from the school and the local authority. Appeals are lodged online, with the family setting out their grounds and submitting any supporting evidence by the panel's published deadline; evidence submitted after that deadline is not accepted.

The school's published appeal outcomes show that Year 7 appeals have not resulted in places being awarded in the rounds it has reported, reflecting the fact that a panel can only uphold an appeal where the admission arrangements were not properly applied or the decision was otherwise unreasonable; a candidate narrowly missing the mark is not sufficient grounds on its own.

How to prepare for the assessment

Because Round One uses multiple-choice Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and English papers in GL Assessment's format, practising with GL-style questions and timed multiple-choice papers helps a child get used to the format before the test itself; the school signposts GL Assessment's own free familiarisation booklets for this purpose.

Round Two rewards different skills, since its English and Maths papers are written by the school's own staff and are not multiple-choice, so extended writing practice and non-calculator problem-solving matter more here than further reasoning drills. Because only the top 300 from Round One progress, pacing across both rounds matters, and a calm, steady approach to unfamiliar question types tends to serve a child better than last-minute cramming.

Related guides

• London grammar schools guide
• Tutors for families in London
• Grammar schools in England: the full directory

Preparing for the Henrietta Barnett School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Henrietta Barnett School 11+ tends to go best when it starts early and stays steady, and most families who work with us begin between twelve and eighteen months out. Our tutors, who have prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, plan the work backwards from the school's own assessment format and registration deadline.

The tutors we match to 11+ preparation are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools. 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.