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Thinking about applying to Ilford County High School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus.
Key information about Ilford County High School
Address: Ilford County High School, Fremantle Road, Barkingside, Ilford, IG6 2JB
Number of pupils: 1,150+
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 180
11+ exam: Redbridge 11 plus selection test
Catchment area: yes
Dates for your diary
The 2025 exam dates haven’t been published yet. However, they are likely to be the same as 2024. Please use the dates below as a guide.
11+ registration opens: Wednesday 1st May 2024
11+ registration closes: Saturday 15th June 2024
11+ exam date: Friday 20th September 2024
11+ results released: mid–October 2024
Secondary school application deadline: 31st October 2024
School allocations: 3rd March 2025
About Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School is a grammar school for boys aged 11 to 18 in Barkingside, East London. It used to be known as Park High Grade School and former pupils are sometimes known as Old Parkonians.
Students at Ilford County are encouraged to be free-thinking and kind. They are supported to excel within a supportive and cheerful environment. A broad curriculum includes subjects such as economics, computer science, and food prep and nutrition. A thriving enrichment programme provides activities in sports, creative arts, languages and more.
How to apply to Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place. In Redbridge, this is known as the Redbridge 11 plus selection test.
The deadline to register for the 11 plus exam at Ilford County High School is May 2025. The exam will take place in September 2025 and you’ll receive your child’s results in mid-October. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Ilford County High School.
To apply, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October.
Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Ilford County High School below.
What subjects are on the entrance exam?
Children applying to Ilford County High School take the Redbridge 11 plus selection test. This consists of two multiple-choice papers:
English and verbal reasoning: 1 hour
Maths and non-verbal reasoning: 1 hour
Guide to the Redbridge 11 plus selection test
Find out everything you need to know in our complete guide to the Redbridge 11 plus selection test. Plus, get access to free 11 plus resources to help your child feel confident for their exam!
How does place allocation work at Ilford County High School?
The pass mark for the Redbridge 11 plus is 104. Any child who scores 104 or higher will be eligible for a place at Ilford County High School.
The Redbridge 11 plus is very competitive. In 2023, nearly 500 boys applying to Ilford County High School scored 104 or more, but the school only has 180 places available.
When the number of children who have met the qualifying standard for entry to the school exceeds the number of places available, Ilford County High School applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:
‘Looked after children’ and ‘previously looked after children’
45 places (25% of the total places) will be offered to children entitled to the pupil premium. These places will be ranked according to the child’s total standardised score
Other children living in the common catchment area, ranked according to their total standardised score
Children living outside the common catchment area, ranked according to their total standardised score
Ilford County High School catchment area
Ilford County High School has a catchment area. It’s known as the Redbridge common catchment area and covers an area from Woodford to the north, Goodmayes to the east, Ilford to the south and Wanstead to the west.
No child who lives outside of this area – regardless of their score – has ever been offered a place at Ilford County High School. In 2023, over 1,000 children who applied for Ilford County High School lived within the common catchment area.
Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation
The 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in the country. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!
Bitesize learning
It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. 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.
Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.
Read widely
11 plus exams test your child’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.
Refine exam technique
When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.
Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.
With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.
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 preparation for the Redbridge 11 plus selection test
Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the Redbridge 11 plus selection test? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.
Online and printable 11 plus practice papers
90,000+ adaptive questions
500+ hours of on-demand video lessons
Automatic marking and instant progress data
Navigate the Redbridge 11 plus selection test with confidence.
Start your free trial today. Our local admissions specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, Redbridge 11 plus selection test prep is sorted.
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