All independent secondary schools for girls start at age 11 (year 7) however independent secondary schools for boys have a choice of two entrance years – aged 11 (year 7) and 13 (year 9). The 13+ entry appears to slowly be disappearing – some schools will support it, some wont.
For year 9 entry most schools use a single set of exams called the “Common Entrance” which is taken in year 8. To be able to go for that Common Entrance exam you first have to pass a pre-test exam in year 6. Again this single exam is shared among many schools.
If your child is presently in a state primary school – which finishes after year 6 – then you would only have the option of 11+ as they would not be able to remain in their primary for the additional two years. If presently in a private (prep) school then you have the additional option of Common Entrance entry at year 9.
Process
- For each school you can only apply for either 11 or 13 – you can not apply for both for any given school
- The Common Entrance Pretest is just on four subjects: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning. The pre-test is an online exam, the question’s difficulty dynamically change during the exam depending on how you’re doing. The pass mark required will depend upon the school you are applying to.
- The actual Common Entrance exam is across many subjects, for example: Maths, English, Science, French, Latin, Geography, History and RE. The pass mark can vary by school but it is usually somewhere between 60 – 75% for all of the subjects.
- If going for Common Entrance (year 9) entry then note that many schools also have their own exam in addition to the pre-test – so you have to get a high enough score on the pre-test to be shortlisted by the school, You will then be invited to take the school’s own exams in year 6, followed by an interview in order to be allowed to wait until year 8, when you take the Common Entrance.
- For entry in Eleven Plus (year 7) each school has its own set of exams your child will have to take – there is no shared pre-test. If your child is shortlisted following the exam, you will be invited for an interview.
- It is a commonly held belief that the actual Common Entrance exam in year 9 is less difficult than the pre-test and school exams in year 6, however the tricky part is getting through the initial pre-test hurdle which is certainly as difficult as the Eleven Plus.
Decisions
Some things to take into account when deciding whether to go for 11+ or Common Entrance:
- How many pupils will be left in the prep school – if the class size becomes too small it can impair the child’s enjoyment and motivation.
- Would they have more time to mature – if they were summer babies then those extra couple of years will be long enough to bring them up to the mean academic age.
- How much confidence will your child gain from being the top of the school, admired by the lower years versus moving to a new school at the bottom, but potentially with a bigger cohort than that at the 13+ entry?
- Are their chances of passing the exam better at 13+? There will be less (probably zero) applications from kids in state primary schools so there will be far fewer applicants but there will also be fewer places available. There is a tipping point and you will have to ask some probing question during the school visits to get the information for this calculation.
- Does the prep school have a good track record of educating through years 7 and 8?
Constant Exams
You could say the upside of taking exams again in year 8 is that the prep school will keep your child on the boil – they will be used to taking exams and so become less worried by GCSEs and more skilled in taking exams. They will be disciplined and have good study skills.
An alternate view would be that the poor kid hardly gets a break from the constant iteration of exams and becomes a nervous wreck.
Which of these is true will depend on the child and the only person who will really know which would be the reality for them is of course… you.