Sevenoaks School 11+ entry guide

Are you thinking about applying to Sevenoaks 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 Sevenoaks School

• School type: co-educational independent school (day and boarding)
• Location: Sevenoaks, Kent
• Admissions contact: regist@sevenoaksschool.org
• 11+ exam: ISEB Common Pre-Test (or, where unavailable, a state grammar school entrance test such as the Kent Test), school-set English and maths papers, and a group discussion activity
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• Scholarships: academic and music

Important dates for 2027 entry

• Tuesday 15th September 2026: application deadline
• Autumn term 2026 (ISEB Common Pre-Test to be completed by Friday 27th November 2026): pre-test process
• Tuesday 5th January 2027: entrance assessment day at Sevenoaks
• Early to mid-January 2027: Music Scholarship assessments
• Friday 12th February 2027: results released to parents
• Saturday 27th February 2027: Post-Offer Taster Day
• Early March 2027: deadline to accept offers (exact date confirmed in the offer letter)

How to apply to Sevenoaks School

Sevenoaks School is selective. This means that your child will need to take an entrance exam and attend an assessment day to be eligible for a place.

You can register your child for Year 7 entry at any time up to 15th September in the year before entry, via the online application form on the school website. A non-refundable registration fee applies.

Between July and September in the year before entry, you'll be asked to confirm you wish to proceed with the assessment process. At this stage, you'll provide further information about your child's co-curricular interests, as well as any medical conditions or additional learning needs. Families wishing to apply for means-tested financial assistance should also do so at this stage.

The first stage of assessment is a pre-test in the autumn term of Year 6. Most candidates take the ISEB Common Pre-Test, though children who don't have access to this through their current school can submit a score from a state grammar school entrance test, such as the Kent Test, instead. If neither is available, parents should contact the Registrar directly to discuss alternative arrangements.

Following the pre-test, most candidates are invited to an assessment day at Sevenoaks in January, where they sit written papers in English and maths and take part in a 40-minute group discussion activity.

A confidential reference is also requested from your child's current school.

You will receive your child's results by email in February. If they are offered a place, you will need to pay a deposit and complete an Acceptance Form by the deadline given in your offer letter, in early March.

What will my child be tested on?

The Sevenoaks School 11+ assessment process has two stages: a pre-test in the autumn term, followed by an assessment day at the school in January.

Part 1: Pre-test

Most candidates take the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an adaptive online assessment covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. If your child's current school doesn't offer the ISEB, Sevenoaks will also accept a score from a state grammar school entrance test, such as the Kent Test, as an alternative.

Part 2: Assessment day at Sevenoaks

Candidates invited to the assessment day sit two written papers and take part in a group discussion activity.

English

The English paper lasts around one hour, with five minutes of extra reading time at the start. It is split into two sections:

• Section A tests reading comprehension. Your child will read a passage and answer questions demonstrating their understanding, with around 35 minutes allocated to this section.
• Section B is a creative writing task, based on one of two prompts. Your child should spend around 25 minutes on this, including planning time.

Maths

The maths paper also lasts around one hour and is based on Key Stage 2 maths topics. Questions require written answers rather than multiple choice, and your child should show their working, as marks may be awarded for correct method even where the final answer is wrong.

Group discussion activity

Candidates also take part in a 40-minute group discussion activity, led by Sevenoaks teachers, which gives the school a chance to see how your child interacts and communicates with their peers.

How are places decided?

Sevenoaks School does not hold formal interviews for 11+ entry. Instead, offers are based on:

• your child's pre-test score
• their performance in the English and maths papers
• their contribution to the group discussion activity
• a reference from their current school

Offers of places, including Academic and Music Scholarships, are emailed to parents in mid-February. Some candidates are held on a reserve list and may be offered a place in early March, once grammar school places have been confirmed.

To accept an offer, you'll need to pay a deposit and complete an Acceptance Form by the deadline given in your offer letter, in early March.

Financial information

Sevenoaks School is a fee paying school. Take a look at the school website for a full breakdown of fees per year group and for boarding students.

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 Sevenoaks School's website to see what scholarships are 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 Sevenoaks 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?

Applying to senior school can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.

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.