St John's School Leatherhead 11+ guide

Considering St John's School Leatherhead for your child? We’ve collated everything you need to know about 11+ entry. Learn how to apply, what’s on the entrance exam, and how to help your child prepare for success.

Key information for St John's School Leatherhead

• Address: St John's School Leatherhead, Epsom Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8SP
• Age range and gender: boys and girls aged 11–18
• Type of school: independent day and boarding
• Number of students: 850+
• Admissions contact: admissions@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk
• 11+ open days: September in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6
• 11+ selection criteria: ISEB Common Pre-Test, interview, school report
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries, including for children of practising Anglican clergy
• 11+ scholarships: academic, art, music, drama, dance, sport, design and engineering, all-rounder

About St John's School Leatherhead

St John's School is an independent day and boarding school for girls and boys aged 11–18 in Leatherhead Surrey. It prides itself on an energetic, creative atmosphere. The school’s mantra is ‘High Hopes, High Standards, and High Spirits’.

Founded in 1851, St John's was originally a school for the children of poor clergymen. Its 50-acre mixes Victorian architecture and state-of-the-art facilities. These include a science centre, sports centre, two chapels and a performing arts centre. St John’s has an excellent academic track record, with students achieving high grades at GCSE and A Level. This opens the door to higher education and further career paths.

St John's guiding value is kindness, and this has a direct impact on how the school operates. The school stitches ‘a sense of fun and enthusiasm into the fabric of school life’. Students are encouraged to be confident in their skills and their ability to achieve. The school’s house system ‘fosters bonds of friendship and loyalty.’ St John’s strikes a balance between academic achievement and pastoral care — whether students are boarders or day pupils.

Dates for your diary

• Registration closes: November in Year 6
• ISEB Common Pre-Test: October / November in Year 6
• St John’s Experience Day and Interviews: January in Year 6
• Offers of places: February in Year 6
• Acceptance deadline: March in Year 6

St John's School Leatherhead 11+ entrance exam

All children applying for 11+ entry to St John's School Leatherhead sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test. This is an exam created by the Independent Schools Examination Board which is usually taken in the autumn term of Year 6.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is taken online and consists of multiple choice questions. It is entirely adaptive, which means the questions become more difficult depending on how your child is performing. The questions span four subjects:

• Maths: questions are based on the Year 5 national curriculum – although children in Year 6 may find this section challenging. The questions range from arithmetic to multi-step problem solving.
• English: questions are split into two sections: reading comprehension, and spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Verbal reasoning: your child will be tested on their ability to reason and solve problems with written information, such as letters, words, symbols and numbers.
• Non-verbal reasoning: these questions assess your child’s logic, critical thinking and problem-solving skills using figures and diagrams. They will need to show that they can analyse and manipulate 2D and 3D figures.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test takes around 2 and a half hours to complete. Your child can sit the four subjects together or at separate times. If they are taking all four subjects on the same day, they will be allowed a short break between each section.

Following the ISEB Common Pre-Test, applicants are invited to an informal interview with a senior staff member at the school. A school reference is also required. For more tips and advice, take a look at our guide to private school interviews.

Atom’s top tips for applying to St John's School Leatherhead

St John's School Leatherhead is a selective school, and competition for places can be high. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the selection process.

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before school entrance exams. Your child should have a good understanding of the content they’ve been taught at school before testing their knowledge with practice tests.

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.

With Atom Home, you don’t need to worry about creating a study schedule. When you enter your target schools, you’ll get a bespoke learning plan tailored to your schools’ entrance exams. Know exactly what your child needs to do each week to confidently pass.

Read widely

Entrance exams test children’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.

Looking for reading inspiration? Check out our Key Stage 2 reading list.

Hone curiosity

Selective schools are often looking for children who are interested in learning. You can help by supporting your child’s broader learning, their intellectual curiosity, and their passion for developing an understanding of the world.

Talk to your child about the world we live in and inspire an interest in current affairs with age-appropriate journalism. It’s also a good idea to make sure they’re benefitting from a rich variety of experiences, such as visiting libraries, museums and galleries.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with their knowledge of the exam topics, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Mock tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and refine exam technique. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning, while highlighting any knowledge gaps they might want to tackle before exam day.

When you set St John's School Leatherhead as a target school on Atom Home, your child will get ISEB mock tests as part of their learning plan. Atom’s mock tests mirror the real ISEB – the curriculum, the timings, the controls and even the colours. Know what to expect on exam day.

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.