Maida Vale School 11+ Admissions: The ISEB Test, Interview and Fees

Entry into Year 7 at Maida Vale School runs through online registration, the ISEB Common Pre-Test and a group interview, with occasional Year 8 and Year 9 places considered case by case and separate entry available at 16+ for the Sixth Form.

The school is a coeducational day school for ages 11 to 18 in Maida Vale, part of the Gardener Schools Group, admitting up to 600 pupils across the school. Registration opens well before the assessment window each cycle, and the school publishes exact dates on its admissions pages.

How 11+ entry works

Year 7 is the school's main entry point, filled through online registration followed by the ISEB Common Pre-Test and a group interview. Occasional places also arise in Year 8 and Year 9, considered case by case, while a separate application route covers Sixth Form entry at 16+.

The school states there is no automatic sibling priority, though sibling preference may apply where a sibling applicant also meets the admissions criteria.

What the 11+ assessment involves

Candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test, a computer-based assessment run by the Independent Schools Examination Board. It has four timed sections covering the English and Maths content of the National Curriculum up to the end of Year 5, together with Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Pupils can sit the test at their own school if it offers ISEB testing, or at Maida Vale School itself. All applicants then attend a group interview with senior leadership, including the Headmaster, and are asked to prepare a short talk or presentation on a subject of their choice.

The admissions process, step by step

Families are encouraged to visit first, typically by attending an Open Morning, before registering online. A registration fee, non-returnable, is payable at this stage, securing an interview invitation without guaranteeing a place.

After registration, the child sits the ISEB Common Pre-Test and attends the group interview. Offers follow, and a place is secured on acceptance with payment of a refundable deposit, held throughout enrolment and returned when the pupil completes their schooling.

• Register online (registration fee payable, non-returnable)
• Sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test, at own school or at Maida Vale
• Attend the group interview and prepared talk
• Receive the offer decision
• Accept the place and pay the deposit

Scholarships at 11+

The school awards scholarships at Year 7 in six areas: academic, art, design and technology, drama, music and sport. Each carries fee remission alongside mentoring and support, and scholars are expected to mentor peers and represent their subject within the school community.

Academic scholars are considered automatically from ISEB test scores, so no separate application is needed. Specialist scholars submit a subject-specific application and attend a further assessment; music applicants need at least ABRSM practical Grade 4 on one instrument, and sport applicants are expected to have represented their current school at the highest level, ideally in county or national competition.

Preparing for the assessment and interview

Because the ISEB Common Pre-Test is computer-based, children usually benefit from practising on-screen question formats before sitting it, alongside the English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning content it covers. Consolidating Year 5 curriculum topics in reading, writing and arithmetic tends to matter more than last-minute cramming.

For the interview, preparing a short talk on a genuine interest gives a child something to speak about with confidence, and practising this aloud beforehand, calmly and without pressure, helps it come across naturally on the day.

Fees and what they cover

Termly tuition fees are charged in advance or by monthly direct debit across three terms and include standard textbooks and stationery, plus most after-school clubs. Fencing, boxing and peripatetic instrumental lessons are charged separately, as is lunch.

Families with three or more children across the Gardener Schools Group receive a 5% discount per child; the discount ends once a sibling leaves the group. A full term's written notice is required to withdraw a pupil, given to the Headmaster and Registrar by the last teaching day of the penultimate term, otherwise a term's fees are charged in lieu.

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Preparing for the Maida Vale School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Maida Vale 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.