Bancroft's School 11+ entry guide

Considering Bancroft's School for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about 11+ entry. Learn how to apply, what’s on the entrance exam, and how to help your child prepare for success.

Key information for Bancroft's School

• Address: Bancroft's School, 611-627 High Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 0RF
• Age range and gender: boys and girls aged 11–18
• Type of school: independent day
• Number of students: 850+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• 11+ open days: October
• 11+ selection criteria: CEM test, English paper, Maths paper, interview
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• 11+ scholarships: academic, music

About Bancroft's School

Bancroft's School is an independent day school for boys and girls aged 11 - 18. It’s located in Essex. The school has a long history, being first established in 1737.

The school is ‘unashamedly aspirational’. Staff have high expectations of students. Academic focus is strong and examination results at GCSE and A Level are consistently high. The curriculum is broad and inspiring for every student. Alongside study, there are a huge range of activities and opportunities for pupils. There are over 100 different clubs and societies. Bancroft’s emphasises a ‘Learning for Life’ attitude, preparing students for their futures. The school fosters a friendly, safe yet challenging environment.

Pastoral care is at the core of the school. It embraces a ‘holistic’ approach to pastoral care for all pupils. Bancroft’s has six core values — Curiosity, Kindness, Integrity, Courage, Balance and Excellence. It’s a place where ‘pupils challenge themselves and learn by taking part wholeheartedly in school life.’

The Good Schools Guide says of Bancrofts School: ‘Tributes to the teaching staff, overall friendliness, care and attention given to individuals pour in from everyone and are a delight to hear.’

The school is located close to London with easy access to the capital. It benefits from great transport links by road, rail and air, to the rest of the UK and beyond.

Dates for your diary

• Registration closes: beginning of December in Year 6
• Entrance exam: January in Year 6
• Interviews: end of January in Year 6
• Offers of places: February in Year 6
• Acceptance deadline: March in Year 6

Bancroft's School 11+ entrance exam

All children applying for 11+ entry to Bancroft's School take the CEM Select exam. This is a computer assessment designed by the Centre of Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM). Schools use the exam to get an idea of a child’s academic potential and ability.

The CEM Select exam has a time limit of one hour and is split into six sections. This is a non-adaptive test, so all children see the same questions in the same order. Question types include multiple-choice, drag and drop, and auto-complete.

The core sections in the test are comprehension, missing words, numerical ability and pictures. These sections are often supplemented with one or two more sections which test verbal reasoning.

• Comprehension: the reading comprehension section is one of the longest in the test. Your child will need to read a passage of fiction or non-fiction text, and answer questions to assess their understanding of the text and the extent of their vocabulary.
• Missing words: your child will see two passages of text, one after the other. Both contain missing words. They will need to work out the missing words in each passage.
• Numerical ability: this section of the test assesses your child’s maths skills and knowledge. These questions are aligned to the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum.
• Pictures: the pictures section assesses non-verbal reasoning. For each question, your child will need to choose a picture to complete a set.

On the same day as the CEM test, applicants take a paper in English and one in maths. Following the performance in the tests, successful applicants are invited back to the school for an interview.

Atom’s top tips for applying to Bancroft's School

Bancroft's School is a selective school, and competition for places can be high. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the selection process.

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before school entrance exams. Your child should have a good understanding of the content they’ve been taught at school before testing their knowledge with practice tests.

Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

With Atom Home, you don’t need to worry about creating a study schedule. When you enter your target schools, you’ll get a bespoke learning plan tailored to your schools’ entrance exams. Know exactly what your child needs to do each week to confidently pass.

Read widely

Entrance exams test children’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Looking for reading inspiration? Check out our Key Stage 2 reading list.

Hone curiosity

Selective schools are often looking for children who are interested in learning. You can help by supporting your child’s broader learning, their intellectual curiosity, and their passion for developing an understanding of the world.

Talk to your child about the world we live in and inspire an interest in current affairs with age-appropriate journalism. It’s also a good idea to make sure they’re benefitting from a rich variety of experiences, such as visiting libraries, museums and galleries.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with their knowledge of the exam topics, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Mock tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and refine exam technique. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning, while highlighting any knowledge gaps they might want to tackle before exam day.

When you set Bancroft's School as a target school on Atom Home, your child will get CEM Select mock tests as part of their learning plan. Know what to expect on exam day.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.