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Considering Brighton College 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 Brighton College
Address: Brighton College, Eastern Road, Brighton and Hove, Brighton, BN2 0AL
Age range and gender: boys and girls aged 11–18
Type of school: independent day and boarding
Number of students: 1,200+
Admissions contact: [email protected]
11+ taster days: May, September and November
11+ selection criteria: entrance exam, interviews and activities
Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries and sibling discounts
11+ scholarships: academic, junior (academic plus one additional interest from sport, music, art, dance and drama), chess and choral
About Brighton College
Brighton College is an independent school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1845 in the popular southern seaside city of Brighton. In 2021, The Sunday Times named Brighton College ‘United Kingdom School of the Decade’. It praised the school's culture of kindness and ‘remarkable upward journey’.
Brighton College has a strong focus on pastoral care and wellbeing. This provision includes weekly mindfulness classes, meditation workshops and yoga. All pupils belong to a house and socialise with pupils from different age groups. Boarding is available for pupils in Year 9 and above, with around half of students living in boarding houses.
The school is one of the leading sports schools in the country, with 50 matches played every week. Some of the state-of-the-art sports facilities include a rooftop running track and a 25-metre swimming pool. Music, dance, drama and art are also thriving, with a musical, carol service, art exhibitions and pupil-directed plays featuring in the annual calendar.
Dates for your diary
Registration closes: November in Year 6
Entrance exam: December in Year 6
Interviews and further activities: January in Year 6
Offers of places: January in Year 6
Brighton College 11+ entrance exam
All children who are registered for 11+ entry to Brighton College take an entrance exam in December in Year 6.
Brighton College sets its own 11+ assessment. Questions cover four subjects:
English: Typical English papers assess reading comprehension and creative writing
Maths: questions based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum
Verbal reasoning: verbal reasoning tests your child’s ability to solve problems with written information, like letters, words, symbols and numbers
Non-verbal reasoning: non-verbal reasoning involves analysing and solving problems with visual information, such as shapes, diagrams and pictures
All children who take the Brighton College 11+ assessment are invited back to the school in January for an interview and activities day. Children take part in a range of immersive activities with teachers, and have two short interviews with teachers. Learn top tips in our guide to independent school interviews.
Atom’s top tips for applying to Brighton College
Brighton College is a popular 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 Brighton College as a target school on Atom Home, your child will get tailored mock tests for Brighton College 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.
Tailored exam preparation for Brighton College
Get your child’s roadmap to success with Atom Home. Atom has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
Know what to revise with clear weekly plans tailored to Brighton College
Enjoy learning with 90,000+ questions and 500+ hours of videos
Refine exam technique with mock tests for Brighton College
See your child’s performance compared to other candidates
School offers – easy with Atom.
In 2024, 91% of Atom kids got offered a place at their top-choice school. Your child could be one of them. Get started with Atom for free today.
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