Babington House School 11 plus guide

Are you thinking about applying to Babington House School for 11+ entry? Find out everything you need to know about the admissions process and how to prepare for the entrance exam.

Key information for Babington House School

• School type: co-educational independent day school
• Location: Chislehurst, South East London
• Admissions contact: vstanding@babingtonhouse.com
• 11+ exam: school-set papers in English, Mathematics and an online multi-skill test
• Scholarships: academic, art, performing arts, music and sport

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Saturday 26th September 2026: whole school open day
• Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th October 2026: Year 7 taster days
• Friday 6th November 2026: examination and scholarship registration deadline
• Friday 20th November 2026: entrance examination
• 16th to 27th November 2026: music, sport, drama and art scholarship assessments
• Week commencing Monday 7th December 2026: offer letters sent
• Tuesday 2nd March 2027: deadline for accepting offers

How to apply to Babington House School

Entry to Babington House's Senior School at Year 7 is competitive, with only 40 places available. To apply, you'll need to complete an application form and pay a non-refundable £120 registration fee as soon as possible.

Offers are not based on the entrance exam alone. The school places significant weight on getting to know each child through taster days, where they look at personality, talents and aspirations, alongside a reference from your child's current school. If your child is offered a place without having been met in person, this will be subject to an interview with the Headmaster and Head of Seniors.

Children already in the school's own Year 6 are offered automatic entry into Year 7.

What will my child be tested on?

External applicants sit three separate one-hour papers, set by the school rather than an external exam board.

English

A one-hour paper assessing your child's English ability.

Mathematics

A one-hour paper assessing your child's mathematical ability.

Online test

A one-hour, computer-based assessment covering vocabulary, proofreading, spelling, punctuation, grammar, perceptual speed and accuracy, and non-verbal reasoning.

Children applying for a scholarship also sit an additional assessment relevant to their chosen area (academic, art, performing arts, music or sport), held between 16th and 27th November 2026.

How are places decided?

Places are based on a combination of exam performance, the taster day experience, and a reference from your child's current school. Where a child hasn't been met in person before an offer is made, this is followed up with an interview with the Headmaster and Head of Seniors.

Offer letters are sent out the week commencing 7th December 2026, and families have until 2nd March 2027 to accept a place.

Financial information

Babington House School is a fee-paying school. Take a look at the school website for a full breakdown of fees per year group.

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded for a child's talent or achievement. While many schools focus on academic excellence, some offer awards in music, sport, drama, art, or other specialist areas.

Scholarships often come with a small fee reduction and acknowledge your child's talents, motivating them and boosting their confidence. Some schools automatically consider all applicants, while others may request an additional application, assessment or audition.

Visit Babington House School's website to see what scholarships are available and how to apply.

For more information, read: Your guide to independent school scholarships.

Bursaries

Bursaries are means-tested awards designed to make independent education more accessible. At Babington House, bursary assistance is limited and is normally only offered as short-term support to existing pupils facing a change in circumstances, rather than to families applying for a new place.

Visit Babington House School's website or contact the Bursar directly to find out more.

For more information, read: Bursaries: a parents' guide.

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

Applying to senior school can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of exam preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way, little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's mock tests are exact replicas of real entrance exams. They're also unlimited, so your child can take the same test repeatedly and see new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

Atom's mock tests are automatically marked. You'll see your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in preparation for entrance exams.

Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10 to 15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will:

• broaden their vocabulary
• improve comprehension and inference
• build confidence in tackling unseen texts

And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading, not just see it as exam preparation.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's reading and writing starter kit has suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3 to 6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your child through exam preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction, not just how they scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.