SW London Grammar and private senior school entry 2026

[firsttrax]

Setting up this thread for those of us with DC joining year 7 SW London schools in 2026.

We’re planning to apply to KCS, Hampton, Epsom and Reed’s.

Have been living in Dubai for three years, returning in August for year 6 at DS’ old prep school.

DS has an online tutor focussing on exam technique and any gaps in the curriculum, plus Atom. Current school is great but definitely not preparing him for 11+!

@firsttrax , your U.K. based prep school will advise but you need a back up school like Claremont Fan court or Halliford on your list.

@tennissquare thanks for the advice. Reed’s and Epsom are our back ups, but maybe we also need a back up for the back ups 😊
Are you going through the process now too? How are you finding it so far?

@firsttrax , I went through it pre pandemic but am familiar with all the schools. Epsom gets more popular each year, your prep will advise but it's not a back up school.
My ds is at Hampton. On another thread a parent said Hampton has had more applications than ever this year despite the vat on fees and 1 theory is that parents are ditching the boarding school option due to cost and focusing on London day schools instead.

Hi everyone! Joining this thread as my DD will take her 11+ exams later this year and we are hoping for G&L or Putney for her!

Hi @W4mamabear ! It’s strange seeing all of the results coming out this week and knowing it’ll be us in a year!

It’s my second time round going through the process, feeling slightly more chilled out, just slightly! Different child/different needs!

That’s great to hear! Second time round for us too - DD currently in year 9 and had to do the same 11+ prep as her London classmates for the selective school she attends in Dubai. First time going through the SW London process for DS though!

Does anyone on this thread know of any good mock exams for children to sit?

Hi @ellie2468 . We haven't done any mock exams yet but I've heard Examberry in Ealing are recommended by others. So far my DD has only done a few mock tests on Atom Learning.

Hi, we also looking at the process . it will be long summer!

Does anyone have experience of quest assessments for 11 plus?

Does anyone know how this year’s waiting lists moved before and into the summer? Specifically asking about Putney, G&L, FHSS and Ibstock? I’ve heard that there wasn’t much movement from a couple of friends but keen to hear if this is the trend overall and if VAT has had any impact so far. FYI I have a child who will be taking 11+ this coming November, hence the interest - thanks!

@firsttrax Reed's can have substantial numbers of exam candidates for a more limited intake. When DS did his entrance exams (2019 for Sept 2020 start), I wasn't aware that there were only 2.5 forms in First Form (Yr7). That year, 600 sat the exam - ~50 boys were taken into First Form. We thought of Reed's as our back-up, but DS only made the waiting list (it was the first exam he sat).

Things may have changed, but my advice is to do your research around how many forms/tutor groups that the school have in each year. It's not to say it's impossible to get in, or that it's not the right school for your DS... merely, don't make the same mistake as I did 😊

How are DC coping with 11+ work over the summer break? We went away for ten days and my DD is struggling to gain any momentum with her work since we got back three days ago - I’m thinking we should have continued with some Atom learning while on holiday but she needed a break.

We did some of the 10 minute tests whilst on holiday, and continued those once we got back then slowly ramped up again to longer papers, plus atom. We are on a break from our tutor over the holidays. Its a struggle and I feel guilty making him do so much over the holidays but if we dont I worry he’ll slip backwards / we’ll struggle to get him back into the routine of it come September!

That was a good idea! We will have to start slow again and then build to the longer papers as for now her mind is on holiday mode and I don’t want to push/cause too much stress!

How is everyone finding he registration process/ last open day viewings going? Also, is there a more active chat for those with children doing 11+ this year for private school secondaries in SW London? I recall there being a very busy chat for last year’s short but cannot seem to find a similar one for this year :) thanks!

We’ve got open days next Saturday and the following Saturday. Still haven’t actually submitted registrations, will do ISEB this weekend then the others next weekend. It feels like the end is in sight (phew) but still some way off (which is both good and bad)!

I was wondering the same, if there was a more active chat and I might have missed it! We aren’t going to as many open days as it’s our second time round for 11+ independent schools (second DD). Have just applied to two schools so far - still unsure about how many/which schools to apply to as completely different children

Following this thread as we will be applying to the same school the following year so very interested to hear more about the process and how you all get on.

following this thread but applying for 10+ is anyone else in the same situation ?

Anyone applying to G&L for their DD? Any ideas on what kind of scores on the Quest tests on Atom Learning we should be aiming for? Thank you!

Was also wondering re. more active chat but haven't seen one yet! We're on our third and final 11+ now, a few more open days to do and then must remember to actually register for the schools 😬

Wow, third one! 👏 We’re only on our second and I’m already over it 😆 Agreed on the registrations - I actually made a spreadsheet a few days ago with all the dates for each of the schools. Prompted by being genuinely concerned I might have missed one!

In terms of prep, is anyone using Atom practice tests for the London Consortium and ISEB 11+ exam? What are your thoughts on this? Do you think they reflect the difficulty of the actual tests? I can’t seem to find any other papers that would allow me to get a sense of these tests (apart from the sample questions on the consortium site!)