Benenden School 11+ entry guide

Considering Benenden 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 Benenden School

• Address: Benenden School, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 4AA
• Age range and gender: girls aged 11–18
• Type of school: independent day and boarding
• Number of students: 560
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• 11+ open days: regularly throughout the year
• 11+ selection criteria: English and maths tasks, interview, school report, and ISEB Common Pre-Test
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• 11+ scholarships: music, sports

About Benenden School

Benenden School is an independent day and boarding school in Cranbrook, Kent for girls aged 11 to 18. The school provides modern boarding, which is central to its educational approach. Most girls balance full boarding with long breaks at home, helping them develop social and emotional skills.

The school occupies 250 acres of parkland, less than one hour by train from central London. In 2015, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (a former pupil) launched Benenden's 10-year development plan. This includes a new state-of-the-art music school and school hall, and an all-weather sports pitch and pavilion.

Benenden School offers a unique academic programme to encourage learning and discovery. Pupils in Years 7–8 study a bespoke diploma which fosters curiosity, intellectual growth, and critical thinking. For a few days each term, the structure of the normal school day is suspended to allow pupils to work on projects in a cross-curricular way.

The school is one of the only schools in the UK to provide a comprehensive professional skills programme. Sixth formers learn skills such as coding, understanding finances, and negotiating tenancy agreements. In 2023, 15% of students secured a place at a Top 10 World University.

Dates for your diary

• Registration opens: two years in advance of entry is recommended (end of Year 5 at the latest)
• Interviews: September in Year 6
• English and maths tasks: September in Year 6
• Entrance exam: between October and November in Year 6
• Offers of places: December in Year 6

Benenden School 11+ entrance exam

All children applying for 11+ entry to Benenden School sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test. This is an exam created by the Independent Schools Examination Board which is usually taken in the autumn term of Year 6.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is taken online and consists of multiple choice questions. It is entirely adaptive, which means the questions become more difficult depending on how your child is performing. The questions span four subjects:

• Maths: questions are based on the Year 5 national curriculum – although children in Year 6 may find this section challenging. The questions range from arithmetic to multi-step problem solving.
• English: questions are split into two sections: reading comprehension, and spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Verbal reasoning: your child will be tested on their ability to reason and solve problems with written information, such as letters, words, symbols and numbers.
• Non-verbal reasoning: these questions assess your child’s logic, critical thinking and problem-solving skills using figures and diagrams. They will need to show that they can analyse and manipulate 2D and 3D figures.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test takes around 2 and a half hours to complete. Your child can sit the four subjects together or at separate times. If they are taking all four subjects on the same day, they will be allowed a short break between each section.

Before the ISEB, Benenden holds a Preview Assessment Day in September of Year 6. It lets candidates visit the school. During the day, all candidates will do English and maths tasks. They will have an informal interview with a Benenden staff member. Following the Preview Day, the admissions team will write to you with their feedback from the pre-assessment.

Atom’s top tips for applying to Benenden School

Benenden 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 Benenden School as a target school on Atom Home, your child will get ISEB mock tests as part of their learning plan. Atom’s mock tests mirror the real ISEB – the curriculum, the timings, the controls and even the colours. 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.