Ilford County High School 11+ guide

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 Redbridge 11 Plus.

Key information for 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

• Tuesday 1st May 2025: registration opens for the Redbridge 11 Plus selection test
• Sunday 15th June 2025: registration closes for the Redbridge 11 Plus selection test at 5pm
• Friday 19th September 2025: Redbridge 11 Plus selection test takes place
• Mid-October 2025: parents receive results from the Redbridge 11 Plus
• Friday 31st October 2025: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national school offers day

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.

The school offers a broad and challenging curriculum that includes subjects such as economics, computer science, and food prep and nutrition. As a member of the Leading Edge partnership, ICHS is committed to innovative teaching practices and continuous improvement.

Students at Ilford County are encouraged to be free-thinking and kind. Beyond academics, ICHS provides a wide array of extracurricular activities, including music, sports, and various clubs, fostering holistic development. The school places a strong emphasis on pastoral care, creating a supportive environment with high expectations for behaviour and mutual respect.

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.

Registration for the Redbridge 11 Plus selection test for entry in 2026 opens on Tuesday 1st May 2025 and closes at 5pm on Sunday 15th June 2025.

Registered children are invited to take the Redbridge 11 Plus exam. This will be held on Friday 19th September 2025. In mid-October, you'll find out if your child has met the eligible score for entry to Ilford County High School. If your child has met the pass mark and you would like to apply for a place, 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 2025.

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

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 September 2024, 1,116 boys took the Redbridge 11 Plus, and 447 boys met the pass mark of 104. However, Ilford County High 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:

1. ‘Looked after children’ and ‘previously looked after children’
2. 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
3. Other children living in the common catchment area, ranked according to their total standardised score
4. 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 2024, 807 boys who took the Redbridge 11 Plus lived within the common catchment area.

How can I help my child prepare for the Redbridge 11 Plus?

The Redbridge 11 Plus selection test is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the exam in September 2025.

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.

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