Oxford High School 11 plus guide

Are you thinking about applying to Oxford High School for 11+ entry? Find out everything you need to know about the admissions process and how to prepare for the entrance exam.

Key information for Oxford High School

• School type: girls' independent day school
• Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire
• Admissions contact: admissions@oxf.gdst.net
• 11+ exam: Quest Admissions and an interview
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• Scholarships: academic, art & design, textiles, drama, music and sport

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Sunday 8th November 2026: application deadline for Year 7 (11+) entry‍
• Open days: Open days are held throughout the Autumn Term‍
• Selection process: Assessments are held in late November

How to apply to Oxford High School

Oxford High School is selective. This means that your child will need to complete an application and take part in an assessment day to be eligible for a place.

You must apply for Year 7 entry online via the school's application portal. Applications for September 2027 entry must be submitted by Sunday 8th November 2026. If you would like to apply outside of this deadline, or for a different year group, you should contact the Admissions Team to check whether a place may be available.

Once your daughter's application has been submitted, she will be invited to an Experience Day. This includes taster lessons, her entrance assessments, and the chance to meet her future classmates.

Results are usually sent to families in December. If your daughter is offered a place, successful candidates are then invited to a New Joiners Day, which takes place in June ahead of starting in September.

What will my child be tested on?

Oxford High School uses Quest Admissions to assess candidates for Year 7 entry, alongside an interview with the Head or a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Quest Admissions

Quest Admissions is taken online and combines adaptive questions, which get more or less challenging depending on how your child is performing, with non-adaptive questions. Each school selects which subjects to include from English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, alongside a further section covering puzzles, problem-solving and creative comprehension.

At Oxford High School, the assessment covers:

• English: assesses reading comprehension, vocabulary and understanding of a written text
• Mathematics: assesses problem-solving and arithmetic skills based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum
• Verbal reasoning: assesses logical thinking and use of the English language

Interview

Every candidate who sits the entrance assessment is invited to an interview with the Head or a member of the Senior Leadership Team. This is an opportunity for your child to talk about her interests and enthusiasm for school life, while the school gets to know her a little better.

How are places decided?

Places are offered based on:

• performance in the entrance assessment
• the interview

Academic Scholarships and Exhibitions are also awarded on the basis of performance in the entrance assessment and interview; there is no separate scholarship exam.

Financial information

Oxford High School is a fee paying school. Take a look at the school website for a full breakdown of fees per year group.

Financial assistance

When exploring independent schools for your child, scholarships and bursaries are worth considering. They can ease the pressure of school fees and open doors to opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach.

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded for a child's talent or achievement. While many schools focus on academic excellence, some offer awards in music, sport, drama, art, or other specialist areas.

Scholarships often come with a small fee reduction and acknowledge your child's talents, motivating them and boosting their confidence. Some schools automatically consider all applicants, while others may request an additional application, assessment or audition.

Visit Oxford High School's website to see the scholarships available and how to apply.

For more information, read: Your guide to independent school scholarships.

Bursaries

Bursaries are means-tested awards (based on a family's financial situation) designed to make independent education more accessible. Depending on your circumstances, a bursary could cover part or all of the school fees and sometimes extras like uniforms, lunches or school trips.

Families provide financial information to qualify, and awards are reassessed each year. For many families, bursaries make an excellent education possible that might otherwise seem out of reach.

Visit Oxford High School's website to find out what bursaries are available and how to apply.

For more information, read: Bursaries: a parents' guide

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of exam preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way, little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

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As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's mock tests are exact replicas of real entrance exams. They're also unlimited, your child can take the same test repeatedly and see new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

Atom's mock tests are automatically marked. You'll see your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in preparation for entrance exams.

Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will:

• broaden their vocabulary
• improve comprehension and inference
• build confidence in tackling unseen texts

And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading, not just see it as exam preparation.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's reading and writing starter kit has suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your child through exam preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction, not just how they scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.