Lady Eleanor Holles School 11+ Admissions: Entrance Assessment and Fees

Entry to Lady Eleanor Holles School at 11+ runs through a two-stage assessment: the ISEB Common Pre-Test, taken on computer, followed by LEH's own Problem-Solving Examination sat at the school, with strong performers across both stages then invited to interview. Around 120 places are offered at this entry point, roughly a third of them going to girls already at the LEH Junior School, so the majority of 11+ places are contested by external applicants.

Registration runs through the school's online admissions portal in a window that opens in the spring before entry and closes in the autumn, with a reference requested from the candidate's current head teacher alongside the assessment. Academic scholarships are considered automatically as part of the same entrance process, and means-tested bursaries, covering part or all of the fees, are open to internal and external candidates alike.

How entry works at 11+

The senior school's main entry point is 11+ (Year 7), sitting alongside separate points of entry at 7+ into the Junior School and 16+ into the Sixth Form. Around 120 places are offered at 11+, with roughly a third of these going to girls already at the LEH Junior School and the remainder offered to external candidates, so an external place is contested more tightly than the headline number implies.

Registration is completed through the school's online admissions portal within a window that opens in the spring before entry and closes in the autumn, with a registration fee payable at the point of application (a higher fee applies for candidates sitting an overseas assessment, and a waiver is available for bursary applicants already receiving Free School Meals or Universal Credit).

What the 11+ assessment involves

The process has two assessment stages before interview. Stage 1a is the ISEB Common Pre-Test, a computer-based, age-standardised assessment covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English, sat either at the candidate's current school or at LEH itself. Stage 1b is LEH's own Problem-Solving Examination, testing linguistic and logical problem-solving across maths, critical thinking and English without requiring specific curriculum knowledge, and including a short writing task of two paragraphs assessing spelling and punctuation.

A reference from the candidate's current head teacher also forms part of the overall assessment. Additional time can be arranged for candidates with documented special educational needs, supported by an educational psychologist's report.

Registration, assessment and offers: the 11+ process in order

The stages run in sequence: registration through the online portal; a reference requested from the candidate's current head teacher; the ISEB Common Pre-Test (Stage 1a); LEH's own Problem-Solving Examination at the school (Stage 1b); results letters sent to families; interviews with senior teaching staff for candidates who performed well across the earlier stages (with music scholarship auditions run alongside for those who applied); offer letters; and an acceptance deadline by which a place deposit is due.

• Registration via the online admissions portal
• Reference requested from the candidate's current head teacher
• Stage 1a: ISEB Common Pre-Test
• Stage 1b: LEH Problem-Solving Examination
• Results letters sent to families
• Stage 2: interview with senior teaching staff for shortlisted candidates
• Offer letters issued
• Acceptance and deposit due by the deadline

Scholarships and bursaries at the school

Academic scholarships, worth a percentage reduction in fees, are considered automatically for every candidate who sits the 11+ entrance assessment; there is no separate application. Music scholarships and exhibitions require ticking a box on the application form and attending an audition, typically expecting Grade 5 Distinction on the candidate's main instrument (Grade 8 Distinction if piano is the only instrument); exhibitions are offered to promising candidates whose playing falls just below scholarship standard. Sport and drama scholarships are not offered at 11+: the school instead runs a Talented & Aspiring Athletes Programme and, from a later intake, a dedicated drama programme.

Bursaries are means-tested and can cover anywhere from a partial contribution to the full cost of tuition, plus related costs such as uniform, lunch, transport and curriculum trips in the same proportion as the award. They are open to internal and external 11+ candidates, assessed through a financial disclosure form and a household review by an external agency, and can be held alongside a scholarship, though total assistance is capped at full fees.

What it costs to join at 11+

A registration fee is payable when the application is submitted, with a higher rate for candidates sitting an overseas assessment. A deposit is payable once a place is accepted and is refundable after the pupil's final term, subject to the notice period set out in the Governors' regulations. Termly tuition fees are charged in addition to a separate, mandatory lunch charge, and families with three or more daughters attending at once receive a sibling discount on the youngest daughter's fees. A fees-in-advance scheme offers a discount for prepaying a set number of terms.

Preparing for the 11+ assessment

Because Stage 1a is computer-based, candidates benefit from practising reasoning and English questions on screen as well as on paper, to get used to the format before the day. Stage 1b's problem-solving paper rewards clear logical reasoning and controlled written English over specific taught knowledge, so practice with unfamiliar problem types and with writing a short, well-organised two-paragraph piece tends to be more useful than rote revision.

With the two assessment stages set roughly a fortnight apart, and the reference from a candidate's current school forming part of the process throughout, steady preparation paced across the autumn term tends to suit this format better than concentrated last-minute cramming.

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Preparing for the Lady Eleanor Holles School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the Lady Eleanor Holles 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 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.