Key Facts
| School type | Independent day school for girls, ages 11 to 18, with a separate junior school for ages 3 to 11 |
|---|---|
| Location | Sevenoaks, Kent |
| Entry points | 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9, including deferred Year 7 places), 16+ (Year 12 / Sixth Form) |
| Assessment | ISEB Common Pre-Test (English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning), an interview with senior staff and a head's report from the candidate's current school |
| Test provider | ISEB Common Pre-Test |
| Registration deadline | Friday 2 October 2026 (for Year 7 entry in September 2027) |
| Assessment date | ISEB Common Pre-Test: Wednesday 11 November 2026 (for candidates unable to sit it at their own school); academic scholarship assessment Saturday 7 November 2026; sport scholarship assessment Thursday 12 November 2026; music scholarship assessment Friday 13 November 2026 |
Figures correct at the time of writing — always confirm current fees and deadlines with the school directly.
Entry to Walthamstow Hall at 11+ runs through Year 7, one of three points into the senior school alongside Year 9 and Year 12 (Sixth Form), and every candidate, including girls already at the school's own junior school, registers and sits the ISEB Common Pre-Test, attends an interview and is assessed against a head's report from her current school. Applications are drawn from a wide range of feeder schools across the state and independent sectors, with places allocated once assessments, interviews and reports have all been considered together.
How entry works at 11+
The senior school takes girls at Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12, with Year 7 the main 11+ entry point. Applications for Year 7 come from a wide variety of around forty schools across the state and independent sectors, including the school's own junior school, whose pupils do not receive automatic entry and go through the same registration, testing and interview process as everyone else. Parents whose daughter is staying at her prep school through Year 8 can register her for the Year 7 process and defer any offer so that she joins at Year 9 instead, sitting the same assessments in Year 6 as direct applicants.
How the 11+ assessment is structured
Every Year 7 candidate sits the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an adaptive, online, multiple-choice assessment covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, taken in the autumn term before entry either at the candidate's current school or at the school itself for those unable to sit it there, ahead of any scholarship testing that follows.
Beyond the pre-test, senior staff interview every candidate and the admissions team requests a report from her current head; scholarship candidates take further papers, auditions or assessments depending on the award sought. Special arrangements are made for candidates with special educational needs supported by an educational psychologist's report, arranged in advance with the admissions team.
How registration and the admissions process run
The 11+ process follows a set order: registering online, sitting the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn term, attending an interview with senior staff, and having a head's report requested from the candidate's current school. Scholarship applicants add a further stage, sitting subject-specific papers, auditions or assessments after registering for the relevant award. Registration closes ahead of the assessment period, and the school publishes exact dates on its admissions pages each cycle. Offer letters follow once the pre-test, interview and report have all been reviewed, arriving towards the end of the autumn term.
Scholarships and bursaries for Year 7 entry
The school offers Year 7 scholarships in four areas: academic, music, sport and allrounder, for candidates combining strengths across more than one discipline. Awards are worth up to twenty per cent of tuition fees per discipline, with five to twenty per cent typical; academic candidates sit extra English and maths papers set by the school, music candidates audition with a principal study performance, sight reading and aural tests, and sport candidates attend an assessment morning judged on skills, teamwork and potential.
Bursaries sit alongside scholarships and are assessed separately, on a sliding scale based on gross income, property value and other assets, up to a maximum covering the great majority of tuition fees for families in the greatest need. Parents apply through an online form with full financial documentation, submitted no later than the date of the entrance exam for support to begin the following September.
How to prepare for the ISEB Common Pre-Test
Because the ISEB Common Pre-Test is adaptive and multiple choice, practical preparation centres on familiarity with the format: working through timed multiple-choice questions in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning builds the speed and pattern-recognition the test rewards, alongside subject knowledge. Non-verbal reasoning in particular draws on manipulating and analysing two- and three-dimensional figures, a skill that benefits from regular, low-pressure practice in the months beforehand.
Candidates can sit all four sections in one visit, with a short break between each, or split them across separate sittings, so pacing and stamina are worth practising alongside subject content. The interview and head's report carry weight too, so a calm, familiar routine in the weeks beforehand tends to serve preparation better than a last-minute push.
What happens after the assessment
Interviews with senior staff run alongside the testing window, and the admissions team weighs the pre-test result, the interview and the head's report together before making a decision. Scholarship and bursary applications are considered in parallel, with scholarship offers depending on performance in the additional papers, audition or assessment sat for that discipline. The school issues offer letters towards the end of the autumn term, once every element of the application has been reviewed.
Related guides
Preparing for the Walthamstow Hall 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Preparation for the Walthamstow Hall 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.
Frequently asked questions
- What entrance test does Walthamstow Hall use for Year 7 entry?
- Candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an adaptive, online, multiple-choice assessment covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, taken in the autumn term before entry either at the candidate's current school or at Walthamstow Hall for those unable to sit it elsewhere.
- Is there an interview as well as a written test?
- Yes. Senior staff interview every Year 7 candidate, and the admissions team also requests a report from her current head teacher; scholarship candidates take further papers, an audition or an assessment depending on the award sought, alongside the standard entrance process.
- Do Junior School pupils get an automatic place at 11+?
- No. Girls already at the school's own junior school follow exactly the same registration, ISEB Common Pre-Test, interview and head's report process as external candidates applying for Year 7, and receive no automatic or guaranteed place ahead of anyone else.
- Can a Year 7 offer be deferred to Year 9?
- Yes. Parents whose daughter is continuing at her prep school through Year 8 can register her for the usual Year 7 process and then defer any offer so she joins the senior school at Year 9 instead, sitting the same assessments as direct Year 7 applicants in Year 6.
- How are scholarships assessed at Walthamstow Hall?
- Academic candidates sit extra English and maths papers set by the school. Music candidates audition with a principal study performance, sight reading and aural tests, while sport candidates attend an assessment morning judged on skills and teamwork. Allrounder awards combine assessments across more than one discipline.
- Are bursaries available for 11+ entry?
- Yes. Bursaries are means-tested and assessed on a sliding scale based on family income, property and other assets, and can be combined with a scholarship; applications are submitted online with full financial documentation no later than the date of the entrance exam.
Enquire about 11+ preparation
Start your enquiryHow Taylor Tuition can help
Expert, one-to-one support from specialist tutors.
Editorial Notice
We use automated research tools to help collate and maintain information across our website. While each post is reviewed before publication, some details may be incomplete or inaccurate.
Free 11+ familiarisation pack
English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with mark schemes.
Taylor Tuition
Educational Consultancy
Contributing expert insights on education, exam preparation, and effective learning strategies to help students reach their full potential.