North Bridge House Senior (Hampstead): a parents’ guide to Year 7 entry

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead is a co-educational independent school for ages 11 to 16 located in North West London. The school is part of a family of North Bridge House schools, including nurseries and pre-preps in Hampstead and West Hampstead, a prep school in Regent’s Park and another senior school in Canonbury.

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead is committed to ensuring that pupils receive the very best in individualised learning. Pupils have differentiated classes and sets for core subjects, with specialised on-site facilities to make the most of the curriculum. Pupils achieve impressive grades at GCSE, with 25% of grades awarded the highest score of 9 (compared to 6.6% nationally).

As well as lunchtime and after-school clubs, pupils at North Bridge House Senior Hampstead take part in a weekly timetabled Enrichment Programme, which allows them to explore new and often unusual activities in vertical age groupings. The 25 activities change each term and can include astronomy, ancient cultures, songwriting, yoga and engineering.

GCSE leavers at North Bridge House Senior Hampstead often go on to join the sixth form at the Canonbury site or move to sixth forms at some of the major London day schools including Highgate, UCS and City of London School.

Key information for North Bridge House Senior Hampstead

• Head Master: Mr Brendan Pavey

• Address: North Bridge House Senior Hampstead, 65 Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, London NW3 5UD

• London Borough: Camden

• Admissions contact: seniorsch[email protected], 020 7428 1520

• Age range and gender: 11–16, co-educational

• Number of pupils: 291

• Number of places in Year 7: Undisclosed

• Ratio of applicants to places: Undisclosed

• Open day date: Saturday 17th September 2022 – book online.

• Overview of selection procedure: Interview, online exam, reference and school report

• Registration opens: Registration for Year 7 entry in 2023 is currently open – apply here.

• Registration closes: Friday 25th November 2022

• Assessment date: Early December 2022

• Scholarship assessment date: January 2023

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead fees and financial assistance

The current fees at North Bridge House Senior Hampstead are £6,840 per term. Lunch is compulsory for all years and costs £385 per term.

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead offers a range of scholarships to prospective pupils for Year 7 entry. Scholars are expected to act as school ambassadors (both academically and recreationally) and lead their peers in enrichment and extracurricular activities. The following scholarships are available:

• Academic Scholarships

• Computer Science Scholarships

• Creative Arts Scholarships

• Music Scholarships

• Performing Arts Scholarships

• Sports Scholarships

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead term dates

The term dates at North Bridge House Senior Hampstead for 2022–23 are:

• Autumn term: 5th September – 14th December 2022

• Half term: 17th – 28th October 2022

• Spring term: 4th January – 31st March 2023

• Half term: 13th – 17th February 2023

• Summer term: 19th April – 7th July 2023

• Half term: 29th May – 2nd June 2023

Admissions process for Year 7 entry to North Bridge House Senior Hampstead

If you would like to register your child for 11 plus entry to North Bridge House Senior Hampstead in 2023, you will need to submit an online application before Friday 25th November 2022. An application fee of £150 will need to be paid at the same time.

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead will write to your child’s current school to request a reference, which will explore the pupil’s potential and willingness to engage with the school’s curriculum. Consideration will also be given to your child’s most recent school reports. All candidates will be invited to an assessment day at the beginning of December 2022. This consists of a small group interview with a member of the school’s senior leadership team and an online assessment.

If your child is applying for a scholarship, you will need to complete the scholarship application form and send this to [email protected]. Those applying for scholarships will then be invited for additional reviews:

• Academic Scholarships: children who perform exceptionally well in the initial entry assessment for the school will be invited to sit for either a Single or a Double Academic Scholarship. They will take assessments in maths, English or both (depending on the scholarship invitation).

• Computer Science Scholarships: potential scholars will meet with the head of computer science and will be assessed on how they are going to solve a problem. They will have the chance to discuss their experiences in programming or an area related to computer science.

• Creative Arts Scholarships: candidates will meet with the head of art and will be assessed on their portfolio of work, with a particular focus on drawing skill, creative thought, use of media and interest in art movements.

• Music Scholarships: candidates will spend a morning with the school’s music department, where they will perform with other candidates and discuss any groups with which they are involved, concerts or performances in which they have played and their musical grade achievements.

• Performing Arts Scholarships: potential scholars will be asked to perform a 1–2 minute dialogue from a published play in front of the head of drama. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their experiences in the performing arts.

• Sports Scholarships: exceptional athletes are invited to apply and will take part in a practical lesson and meet with the head of PE. They will be asked to talk about their dedication to teams, participation in competitions and tournaments, their leadership positions and how they expect to contribute to sport at North Bridge House.

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead will send offers of places by January 2023, including details on how to accept the place. Priority will be given to existing North Bridge House pupils (i.e. those who attend one of the North Bridge House prep schools) and siblings of existing pupils.

North Bridge House Senior Hampstead entrance exam format

Children who are applying for 11 plus entry to North Bridge House Senior Hampstead will take an online assessment at the school in early December 2022.

This assessment is adaptive – the questions become more difficult depending on how your child is performing. The test will include a tailored set of questions which determine where your child is in terms of their learning and their academic potential. This style of assessment is similar to the ISEB Common Pre-Test.

The test consists of sections in English, maths and non-verbal reasoning.

How to help your child prepare for the selection process at North Bridge House Senior Hampstead

Build foundational knowledge

The 11 plus at North Bridge House Senior Hampstead will assess your child’s knowledge and understanding of the Key Stage 2 core curriculum, which includes English and maths up to the end of Year 5.

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Preparation is key

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Access to immediate support

When working through challenging topics, your child will need immediate clarity with any misconceptions so that they feel truly secure in every topic.

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Engage with their progress

Celebrate your child’s improvement in areas of challenge together. An accurate and ongoing assessment of their areas of strength and development is helpful.

As an Atom subscriber, you’ll have a parent dashboard which offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress. You can use this effectively to help your child set targets, see a detailed breakdown of their progress by subtopic and set custom practices to target those they find most challenging.

Get started with Atom Learning

It’s our mission to help your child feel prepared and confident before the exam day. Begin your free 5-day free trial of Nucleus today to help your child succeed.

We know how crucial this time is, so our team is on hand to support you and your family every step of the way. You can book a call with one of our Education Experts to ask any questions you might have about 11 plus entry to North Bridge House Senior Hampstead:

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