Guildford High School 11+ entry guide

Considering Guildford High 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 Guildford High School

• Address: Guildford High School, London Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1SJ
• Age range and gender: girls aged 4–18
• Type of school: independent day
• Number of students: 1,000+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• 11+ open days: throughout the year
• 11+ selection criteria: CEM entrance test, interview, school report
• Financial assistance: available to daughters of the clergy
• 11+ scholarships: academic, music

About Guildford High School

Guildford High School (GHS) is an independent day school for girls aged 2 - 18. The senior school is for girls aged 11 - 18. The school is located in Surrey. GHS describes itself as a ‘happy, purposeful and vibrant community’.

The values of curiosity, compassion and resilience are encouraged by the school. A love of learning is fostered through an enriching curriculum. Academic results are strong across the board. Traditional subjects are at the centre of learning, however there is a broad range of other subjects on offer. For example, younger pupils take lessons in current affairs and oracy. All pupils use an iPad and Apple Pencil in their lessons at Guildford High School, enhancing their learning and embracing technology.

Sport, music and drama are celebrated. Excellent facilities are on offer to help students with their learning and co-curricular activities. There are multiple top-tier sports facilities at the school, in addition to art and technology workrooms.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate has said of GHS: ‘The personal development of pupils is excellent. The school is a caring and friendly community in which everyone is valued and the pupils do not see differences in each other or if they do, they celebrate the fact’.

GHS is located in the town of Guildford and benefits from good transport links locally and to London, which is only 30 minutes away by train.

Dates for your diary

• Registration closes: October in Year 6
• Stage 1 entrance exam (CEM test): November in Year 6
• Interview day: January in Year 6

Guildford High School 11+ entrance exam

All children applying for 11+ entry to Guildford High School take the Cambridge Select Insight exam. This is a computer assessment previously known as CEM Select. Schools use the exam to get an idea of a child’s academic potential and ability.

Cambridge Select Insight 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.

Following the Cambridge Select Insight test, students are required to attend Interview Day at the school. This consists of an informal interview designed to explore creative thinking and analytical skills as well as providing candidates with the opportunity to talk about themselves. Interview Day also consists of a variety of activity sessions.

Atom’s top tips for applying to Guildford High School

Guildford High 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 exams.

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 Guildford High School as a target school on Atom Home, your child will get Cambridge Select Insight 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.