Streatham & Clapham High School: parents’ guide to Year 7 entry

Streatham & Clapham High School is an independent day school in South London for girls aged 3 to 18. It is a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST).

Girls at Streatham & Clapham High School are encouraged to achieve beyond expectations in a setting that provides challenge and opportunity. In the senior school, girls are taught to develop resilience, resourcefulness and confidence. Every Wednesday, pupils participate in ‘Kinza’ – a unique enrichment programme.

Streatham & Clapham High School is dedicated to sustainability and its newest facilities are amongst the most environmentally efficient in South West London. The school boasts a meadow and wildflower roof, which benefits the ecosystem of the adjacent Tooting Bec Common.

Girls at Streatham & Clapham High School receive high exam results. In 2021, 86.6% of GCSE grades were 9–7 and 95.7% of A level results were graded A*–B. 95% of girls secured a place at their first-choice university – with almost half of the leavers defying gender stereotypes by progressing to study STEM-based subjects.

Key information for Streatham & Clapham High School

• Acting Head: Mr Richard Hinton

• Executive Head: Mrs Isabel Tobias

• Address: Streatham & Clapham High School, 42 Abbotswood Road, London SW16 1AQ

• London Borough: Lambeth

• Admissions contact: Mrs Janine Fusch – [email protected], 020 8677 8400

• Age range and gender: 3–18 (girls)

• Number of pupils: 889

• Number of places in Year 7: Undisclosed

• Ratio of applicants to places: Undisclosed

• Open day date: Small group tours run most weeks on Wednesdays

• Overview of selection procedure for Year 7 entry: ISEB Common Pre-Test, group observation activity and creative writing task

• Registration deadline: 31st October 2022

• Assessment date for Year 7 entry: 7th–9th November 2022 and 3rd December 2022 (see below for more details)

• Scholarship assessment date: Disclosed to parents after the scholarship application has been submitted

Streatham & Clapham High School fees and financial assistance

The 2022-23 school fees for Streatham & Clapham High School for Years 7–11 are £6,573 per term. School lunch is compulsory; the cost of this is £321 per term and this is added to the fee invoice.

Streatham & Clapham High School has a small number of means-tested bursaries available. These are worth between 30% and 100% of fees and are granted to girls who score highly in the entrance exam and whose families are in need of financial assistance. Higher-value bursaries tend to be awarded to pupils whose family’s total income is less than £42,500 per year; if your household’s total income exceeds £92,500, it is unlikely that your daughter will be eligible for a bursary.

There are a number of scholarships available for girls at Streatham & Clapham High School – Academic, Art, Drama, Music and Sports Scholarships. These all carry a financial value of up to 25% of school fees.

Streatham & Clapham High School term dates

The 2022-23 term dates for Streatham & Clapham High School are:

• Autumn term (Michaelmas): 6th September – 16th December 2022

• Half term: 17th – 28th October 2022

• Spring term (Lent): 10th January – 31st March 2023

• Half term: 13th – 17th February 2023

• Summer term: 19th April – 11th July 2023

• Half term: 29th May – 2nd June 2023

Admissions process for Streatham & Clapham High School

If you would like to register your daughter for Year 7 at Streatham & Clapham High School, you will need to complete the online registration form. There is a non-refundable registration fee of £150 per child (£175 for overseas applicants).

The school states that it is interested in finding and celebrating the unique potential of girls whom it believes will flourish at Streatham & Clapham. As well as a copy of your daughter’s most recent school report, there are four elements to the assessment process:

• 11 plus entrance exam: all candidates take the ISEB Common Pre-Test. This is an adaptive online test covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. You will need to register your daughter directly with the ISEB from 1st September 2022. The test will be taken on Saturday 3rd December 2022.

• Group observation activity: candidates will undertake a fun and interesting problem-solving challenge in small groups, with plenty of support and encouragement from staff.

• Creative writing task: a short creative-writing task will be assigned for completion and submission on-site during the same day as the group observation activity and interview. These all take place on 7th, 8th and 9th November 2022.

Candidates applying for a scholarship will have additional steps in the assessment process, such as the submission of a portfolio, an audition or a sports assessment. These details will be communicated to you once you complete the relevant application form.

Offers of 11 plus places will be sent by first-class post to parents/carers on Thursday 9th February 2023. Offers need to be accepted by noon on Monday 6th March 2023.

Streatham & Clapham High School entrance exam format

Applicants for Year 7 at Streatham & Clapham High School take the ISEB Common Pre-test. This is an online test that is completely adaptive, meaning the questions become easier or more challenging depending on how your child is performing. The exam covers four subjects:

• English: tests comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar

• Maths: tests children on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum taught up to the end of Year 5. The topics are number, measurement, data, algebra and geometry.

• Verbal reasoning: tests logic and problem-solving

• Non-verbal reasoning: tests your child’s ability to understand and analyse visual information

Each child will be given a Standardised Age Score (SAS), which is calculated based on the number of correct and incorrect answers, the level of difficulty in each question and their date of birth in years and months (to prevent younger children from being disadvantaged). The scores will be sent directly to the school you’re applying for.

As a guide, competitive selective schools like Streatham & Clapham High School will generally require candidates to reach an ISEB Common Pre-test score of 120 or more.

How to help your child prepare for the selection process at Streatham & Clapham High School

To prepare for the entrance exams at Streatham & Clapham High School, we suggest starting preparation early – ideally at the end of Year 4 or beginning of Year 5. Break down the different sections of each test into smaller, manageable parts – encourage your child to get familiar with the different exercises, celebrate their progress and work with them to improve any areas they find more challenging.

The exam for Year 7 entry at Streatham & Clapham High School will include Key Stage 2 National Curriculum content in English and maths. Ensure your child is familiar with everything she has covered in these subject areas at school up until the end of Year 5.

Regular reading time alongside revision will help your child boost their vocabulary and concentration. As the exam day gets closer, we suggest that your child completes online mock tests to help them practice time management. Atom Learning has adaptive mock tests available for the ISEB Common Pre-test:

Atom Learning can help

We have over 90,000 teacher-written practice questions, video tutorials, help sheets, live exam preparation courses and unlimited mock tests that mirror the format of the ISEB Common Pre-test. It’s our mission to help your child feel prepared and confident on exam day.

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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 Streatham & Clapham High School or the ISEB Common Pre-test:

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