Sutton High School 11+ Admissions: Assessment, Registration and Fees

Entry to Sutton High School at 11+ turns on a single entrance assessment day, sat online and on paper in the autumn term before September entry, with places offered on the strength of that performance alone, without reference to a catchment area or a fixed local intake.

Families apply through the school's own online portal, sit the assessment at the school, and receive an outcome letter the same term; the same papers double as the basis for academic scholarship consideration, so no separate scholarship exam is needed unless a girl is applying for a performance award in art, drama, music or sport.

How the 11+ admissions process works

The process is split into a sequence of separate steps. Families typically visit through an open event or a personal tour before applying, then submit an online application form through the school's Applicaa-based portal. A daughter then sits the entrance assessment on a designated morning at the school, after which successful candidates receive an offer and secure their place with an acceptance deposit.

Girls applying for a performance scholarship in art, drama, music or sport follow an additional shortlisting and audition process alongside the standard assessment; academic scholarship consideration needs no extra step, since every candidate sitting the 11+ assessment is automatically considered for it.

• Open event or personal tour
• Online application via the school's portal
• Entrance assessment day at the school
• Offer letter and acceptance deposit to confirm the place

What the 11+ assessment involves

The assessment has three parts: an online Mathematics test, an online English comprehension and verbal reasoning test, and a paper-based non-verbal reasoning test, each described by the school as nationally standardised and age-appropriate. After the written papers, candidates take part in an unassessed taster lesson with a Senior School teacher, giving them a feel for lessons without affecting the result.

The school states that girls achieving securely against the national curriculum in Maths and English by the end of Year 5 will be well prepared, which points preparation towards solid Key Stage 2 fluency, not exam-specific tricks. Overseas candidates sit the same three papers plus an online EAL assessment to establish their level of English proficiency.

• Mathematics test (online)
• English comprehension and verbal reasoning test (online)
• Non-verbal reasoning test (paper-based)
• Unassessed taster lesson with a Senior School teacher

Registration, assessment dates and results

Registration for 11+ entry closes in the autumn of Year 6, with the exact date published on the admissions page each year; a non-refundable registration fee applies and covers the entrance assessment itself, and is not transferable between entry years or between siblings. Assessment sessions run on weekday mornings during November and December.

Outcome letters are emailed to parents as soon as the school is able to issue them, with a published December deadline for doing so. Families who receive an offer are invited to an Offer Holders' Afternoon, with the option of an individual meeting with the Head, and confirm the place with an acceptance deposit that is held until the pupil leaves the school.

Scholarships at 11+ entry

Academic scholarships are awarded on rank order of performance in the 11+ entrance assessment itself, so every candidate is automatically considered without a separate application; awards typically range up to fifty per cent of fees, with the average award lower than the maximum.

Performance scholarships are offered in art, drama, music and sport, generally at more modest levels with higher awards reserved for the strongest candidates. These require a separate application: shortlisted girls are invited to a practical assessment or interview, where subject specialist teachers judge ability, interest and potential, not assessment-day performance alone.

Bursaries at 11+ entry

Bursaries are means-tested and can cover up to the full cost of fees, awarded to a limited number of pupils each year based on both academic merit in the entrance assessment and the family's income and financial resources. Families indicate an interest in a bursary on the application form, and assessment of financial need is handled centrally by the Girls' Day School Trust.

Awards go to the highest-ranking applicants who also meet the financial criteria, and a successful bursary continues throughout a pupil's time at the school, subject to annual reassessment of both family finances and academic progress. Bursaries and scholarships are both available at 11+ and at Sixth Form entry, but not into the Prep School.

Fees, deposits and sibling discounts

Senior School tuition is charged termly and does not include lunches, which are compulsory for all girls and billed separately, nor trips, activities or public examination fees, which are also charged separately. A non-refundable registration fee is payable to sit the entrance assessment, and an acceptance deposit follows any offer, held by the school until the pupil eventually leaves.

Families with three or more daughters attending Girls' Day School Trust schools at the same time qualify for a sibling discount on tuition for the third and any further daughter. Bursary recipients at the higher award levels also have examination fees waived in the senior years.

How to prepare for Sutton High's 11+ assessment

Because two of the three papers are sat online, it helps to give a child practice working through timed questions on a screen as well as on paper, so the format itself is not a surprise on the day. Non-verbal reasoning, the one paper-based element, rewards familiarity with pattern and sequence question types.

The school's own guidance points towards secure Key Stage 2 Maths and English, not material beyond the national curriculum, so steady classroom-level fluency in both subjects by the end of Year 5 matters more than early acceleration. The unassessed taster lesson is not a hurdle to fear; treating it as an ordinary lesson, and keeping the whole day low-key at home beforehand, helps a child perform closer to her normal standard in the papers that do count.

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Preparing for the Sutton High School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Sutton High 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.