Enfield 11 plus: 2024 entry guide

Are you considering grammar school in the London Borough of Enfield? Find out how to apply and prepare for the Enfield 11 plus for September 2024 entry here. We've collated everything you need to know to ensure you and your child are fully prepared.

Enfield 11 plus: key info

• Register for test: via Latymer School
• Registration opens: 3rd May 2023
• Registration closes: 16th June 2023
• Exam dates: 1st, 2nd & 3rd September 2023
• Exam board: GL Assessment and school's own English papers
• Results: mid-October 2023
• Apply for schools: via your local authority website (e.g. Enfield Council)
• Local authority application form deadline: 31st October 2023
• National school offer day: 1st March 2024
• Appeals: heard by an independent panel

Dates can be subject to change, so always check with your target schools!

What is the Enfield 11 plus test?

The 11 plus is an entrance exam used by UK grammar schools (state selective secondary schools). It's used to estimate children's academic potential and decide whether a grammar school environment will suit them. Children can take the test in September while they are in Year 6.

There is only one grammar school in the London Borough of Enfield – The Latymer School. You may want to consider including Barnet grammar schools on your child's secondary school application too (you will need to register for those schools' 11 plus exams separately).

While there is a school called Enfield Grammar School, it is no longer a grammar school and does not have a selective entrance test.

How to apply to grammar school in Enfield

1. Register for the 11 plus test

Before you register you should speak to your child’s teacher to see if the 11 plus and grammar school is right for them.

Register with The Latymer School on their website. Registration opens on 3rd May and closes on 16th June 2023. You will get an email invitation at least seven days before the test takes place. Tests in 2023 take place on 1st, 2nd and 3rd September.

If you are considering grammar schools outside Enfield, remember to register for their 11 plus exams too.

2. Apply for school places

Once you have the results of your child's 11 plus test (and any other 11 plus exams outside Enfield), you can decide which schools to include on your local authority application form.

Before listing a school on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. In particular, make sure you live in the catchment area.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023.

5. National school offer day

On 1st March 2024, you will find out which school your child has been allocated a place at. They will be allocated a place at your highest-preferred school for which they meet the entry criteria and which has places available.

If no places are available at your preferred schools, they will be offered a place at another school in your area. You can appeal admissions decisions for The Latymer School here. Appeals are heard in May by an independent panel.

The Latymer School catchment area

The Latymer School only admits students who live in these postcode areas. There is no preference within this list.

• E2, E4, E5, E8, E9, E17, EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4, EN5 (Sectors 1, 2, 4, 5 only), EN8 (Sectors 7, 8, 9 only).
• N1 (not N1C), N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N16, N17, N18, N19, N20, N21, N22.

What's on the Enfield 11 plus test?

The Latymer School's 11 plus test consists of two papers:

1. Maths and verbal reasoning
2. English

Maths

The maths section is provided by GL Assessment. It is in multiple-choice format. Children record their answers in a separate answer booklet which is marked by a computer.

The maths questions assess your child's understanding of Key Stage 2 national curriculum content, including Year 6 objectives that they will not yet have covered at primary school. The examiners don't expect children to have covered this content at school yet, but the exam tests their ability to reason and apply their knowledge accurately in these unfamiliar formats.

Topics covered:

• Number
• Measurement
• Data
• Algebra
• Geometry

Verbal reasoning

Like the maths section, the verbal reasoning section is provided by GL and is in a multiple-choice format.

The questions assess a child’s ability to connect, spot patterns with, and manipulate written information. It is not typically taught at school, so it's helpful to familiarise your child with these types of questions early on.

Verbal reasoning relies on a broad vocabulary base and understanding of word meanings both in and out of context. It can identify pupils whose strengths lie in English, history, languages and the arts.

English

The English paper is set by the school and marked by school staff. It is a written exam consisting of:

• Reading (30 minutes)
• Writing (30 minutes)

In the reading section, your child will be given an extract of about one side of A4 in length. In a separate question-and-answer booklet, there are about 12 questions asking your child to analyse and interpret the text. The questions assess your child's comprehension skills, particularly their ability to identify literary devices used and to infer and deduce information from the text.

The answer boxes are standard format for written answers. There is a total of 27 marks in this section and each question indicates the number of marks available. Children are told when it is time to move on to the writing task.

For the writing task, your child is asked to continue the passage in their own words. There are suggestions for things they might want to include, such as descriptions and dialogue. There are 25 marks available:

• 5 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar
• 20 marks for the content (creativity and how well they have managed to imitate the tone and style of the passage)

How is the Enfield 11 plus test scored?

Each paper is marked to provide 'raw' scores. The raw scores are combined and standardised to even out any age disadvantage for children born later in the year. The combined standardised scores are then ranked in order.

What's the pass mark for The Latymer School?

Students are selected from the highest-scoring 700 applicants and priority criteria are applied. For example:

• 20 places are available for children on Free School Meals or Universal Credit who achieve a ranking of 900 or above in the maths and verbal reasoning test.
• Up to 20 places are available for children who have exceptional musical ability and rank within the top 900 applicants. (To apply under these criteria, complete a separate music form available at the school’s open day or on the website.)

The Latymer School has a total of 192 Year 7 places available.

Achieving a specific score doesn't guarantee a place, as the school is oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area. Often, schools are more likely to admit a lower-scoring pupil who meets their priority criteria than a higher-scoring child who does not.

How can I help my child prepare for the Enfield 11 plus test?

Here are our top tips on how to help your child prepare for the 2023–24 exam:

Cover all the content

The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives. Starting at least one year before the test, using a little-and-often approach will give your child time to build the skills and knowledge they need.

When preparing, avoid falling into the trap of over-focusing on either the topics your child enjoys or the topics they find hardest.

Atom Home is an 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey to cover all elements of The Latymer School 11 plus test at the right pace for them.

No surprises

Make sure your child is familiar with all styles of questions they will experience in the test. This reduces the potential for stress on the day and will give them confidence to answer the questions to the best of their ability. Building exam technique with 11 plus test papers will help your child to feel fully prepared.

Celebrate their progress

Setting regular goals and celebrating achievements will help keep motivation high. Nucleus offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress towards mastering the 11 plus curriculum, making it easy to see where they need to focus next.

Personalised 11 plus prep for your child

Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!

Atom Home is the award-winning online 11 plus practice platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for grammar school exams.

Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in English, maths and reasoning. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.

Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.