The Perse School 11+ guide

Considering The Perse School 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 The Perse School

• Address: The Perse Upper School, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8QF
• Age range and gender: boys and girls aged 11–18
• Type of school: independent day
• Number of students: 1,200+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• 11+ open days: September in Year 6
• 11+ selection criteria: entrance exams, group activity and interview
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• 11+ scholarships: music (invitation only at the end of Year 7)

About The Perse School

The Perse School is an independent day school in Cambridge for boys and girls aged 3–18. It consists of a pre-prep school (Pelican School), a prep school, an upper (senior) school and a sixth form. The school values endeavour, intellectual curiosity and scholarship, breadth and balance, and one another and the environment.

The Perse Upper School teaches children aged 11–18, with around 1,200 students on roll. There is a strong emphasis on pastoral care, developed through a positive peer culture and high-quality teaching. Students can get involved in the school's vast range of extracurricular activities. Many aim high in national and international competitions. Previous successes include the International Biology Olympiad, National French Debating Competition and Senior Schools' Challenge.

In 2024, The Perse School was named 'Independent School of the Year for Academic Performance in East Anglia' by the Sunday Times.

Dates for your diary

• Registration closes: 1st December in Year 6
• Entrance exam: January in Year 6
• Interviews: January in Year 6
• Offers of places: February in Year 6

The Perse School 11+ entrance exam

Children applying for 11+ entry to The Perse School take an entrance exam in January in Year 6. This consists of English, maths and verbal reasoning papers.

English

The English paper lasts around 45 minutes. Your child will need to read a passage of text and choose one of two tasks to complete. Both tasks test reading comprehension and creative writing skills.

Marks will be awarded for:

• the content of their writing (including how well they understand the passage)
• the techniques they have used in their writing
• their written accuracy (e.g. spelling, punctuation and grammar)

Maths

The 11 plus maths paper is a 40-minute non-calculator paper. This tests the knowledge and skills your child will have learned in Key Stage 2 maths, up to and including Year 5.

The paper is designed to be challenging. It will assess skills such as reasoning, problem-solving, and basic fluency with maths. It might test topics such as:

• calculations using the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)
• fractions, decimals and percentages
• units of time, money and measurement (e.g. perimeter, area, mass and capacity)
• names for geometric shapes
• angles (e.g. acute, obtuse and reflex) and parallel and perpendicular lines
• bar charts, pictographs and line graphs
• working with positive coordinates
• simple ideas on probability
• concept of negative numbers
• calculation of the mean (average)

Verbal reasoning

The verbal reasoning paper will last 40 minutes. This paper will test your child’s ability to use logic and reasoning to solve problems with written information. This might include words, letters, symbols and numbers.

Verbal reasoning is not taught on the national curriculum. Getting started early, with regular practice in bitesize chunks, can help your child get familiar with these question types.

In addition to the assessments, your child will have a group activity and a short informal interview. The staff at The Perse School will be looking for evidence of your child’s ability to engage with extracurricular activities and support the school values. For more top tips and exclusive resources, take a look at our guide to senior school interviews.

Atom’s top tips for applying to The Perse School

The Perse School is a popular selective school with many families in Cambridge and the surrounding area. With around 70 places available in Year 7, 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 your target school on Atom Home, your child will get tailored mock tests as part of their learning plan. 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.