Wimbledon High School: parents’ guide to Year 7 entry

Wimbledon High School is an independent day school for girls aged 4–18 in leafy Wimbledon, South West London. The school was founded in 1880 and is a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) – a network of 25 girls’ independent schools in England and Wales.

The school’s aims and approach to education, development and community are centred around its pupils stepping in – for girls to be known, supported, confident and able to shine – and stepping out – for girls to leave the school prepared to shape society. Wimbledon High School has held an annual ‘Failure Week’ since 2012, which is dedicated to building resilience in its pupils.

There are an extraordinary number of clubs for pupils to get involved in at Wimbledon High School (72 currently on offer) including textiles up-cycling, STEM, women in politics, sign language and bioinformatics (computer-aided biological research on a molecular level). The school also excels in music, drama and sports, where the core focus is on hockey, netball, rowing, swimming, cross country, gymnastics, cricket, tennis and athletics.

Wimbledon High School is regularly featured in the top 20 schools for its A level and GCSE results. In 2021, 95% of GCSE grades were the very top A* or 9–9 and 91% of A levels were A*–A. 42% of sixth form leavers went on to study science and maths courses at university, while three pupils secured places at prestigious colleges in North America.

Key information for Wimbledon High School

• Headteacher: Ms Fionnuala Kennedy

• Address: Wimbledon High School, Mansel Road, Wimbledon SW19 4AB

• London Borough: Merton

• Admissions contact: [email protected], 020 8971 0900

• Age range and gender: 4–18, girls only

• Number of pupils: 1,050

• Number of places in Year 7: 60 (external)

• Ratio of applicants to places: 10:1

• Open day date: Saturday 1st October and Thursday 13th October 2022 – book online

• Overview of selection procedure for Year 7 entry: academic testing, creative assessment and school report

• Registration opens: 1st April 2022 – apply online

• Registration closes: 3rd November 2022 at midday

• Assessment date for Year 7 entry: 17th/18th November 2022 and 9th January 2023

• Scholarship assessment date: 7th December 2022 (sports) and 11th January 2023 (music)

Wimbledon High School fees and financial assistance

The school fees at Wimbledon High School as of April 2022 are £6,772 per term. Lunch is compulsory and this costs £244.80 per term.

Wimbledon High School has a number of means-tested bursaries for families who meet the eligibility criteria. The amount varies according to the family’s circumstances but bursaries can be worth up to 100% of fees (which becomes 110% when additional help is added to cover the cost of uniform, lunches, travel, trips and other expenses). Visit the school website for more detailed information about its bursary provision.

There are also scholarships available to successful Year 7 applicants for Wimbledon High School:

• Academic Scholarships: worth up to 20% (but typically 5–10%) of school fees

• Music Scholarships: worth up to 20% (but typically 5–10%) of school fees

• Sports Scholarships: worth up to 20% (but typically 5–10%) of school fees

Wimbledon High School term dates

The 2022–23 term dates at Wimbledon High School are:

• Autumn term: 7th September – 14th December 2022

• Half term: 17th – 28th October 2022

• Spring term: 5th January – 30th March 2023

• Half term: 13th – 17th February 2023

• Summer term: 18th April – 7th July 2023

• Half term: 29th May – 2nd June 2023

Admissions process for Wimbledon High School

If you are interested in registering your daughter for Year 7 entry to Wimbledon High School in 2023, you will need to complete the online application form and pay the non-refundable registration fee of £150 before midday on 3rd November 2022. If your daughter is entitled to free school meals, or you are in receipt of benefit payments or working tax credits, the admissions office may be able to waive this fee for you.

The first round of the selection procedure for 11 plus entry to Wimbledon High School is academic testing. All candidates will sit verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning papers at the school on either 17th or 18th November 2022. Candidates are shortlisted based on the results from these tests and their school references, with those who are successful invited to the second stage on 9th January 2023. This is a creative assessment, consisting of group and individual activities to challenge applicants within a fun and collaborative environment.

If your daughter is applying for a scholarship, there will be additional steps in the admissions process:

• Academic Scholarships: All 11 plus applicants are considered for Academic Scholarships and awards are given by the headteacher to the girls who achieve the highest scores in the entrance assessments. There is no need to make a separate application.

• Music Scholarships: Eligible candidates for Music Scholarships are girls who are currently working at Grade 5 minimum. If you would like to submit your daughter for a Music Scholarship, you will need to return the completed Music Scholarship application form by midday on Thursday 3rd November 2023. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an audition on 11th January 2023 and they may additionally be asked to submit a 3–8 minute video of themselves playing their instrument(s) and talking about their passion for music.

• Sports Scholarships: Eligible candidates for Sports Scholarships are girls who are performing highly in a particular sport, or they show considerable potential at their primary school. If you would like to submit your daughter for a Sports Scholarship, you will need to return the completed Sports Scholarship application form by midday on Thursday 3rd November 2023 and submit a short video for each sport listed on the application. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an assessment on 7th December 2022, where they will be asked to demonstrate their skills in one or more of their chosen sports, as well as participate in netball skills and gameplay.

Once all stages have been held, the results will be considered alongside the candidate’s school report. Offers will be made on Friday 10th February 2023. The deadline for accepting offers of a place will be in March 2023.

Wimbledon High School entrance exam format

There are two stages to the entrance exam for Year 7 entry to Wimbledon High School:

Stage one: academic testing

Candidates will sit two paper-based tests:

• Verbal reasoning: questions include finding common words and combinations, identifying antonyms, letter transfer and number codes.

• Non-verbal reasoning: questions include applying logic and finding patterns in shapes.

Wimbledon High School recommends that all candidates should have tried at least six to eight verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers before the entrance exam. Atom Nucleus can help your child prepare effectively for the first stage of entry to Wimbledon High School with unlimited mock tests that cover all the known 11 plus question types for verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning:

Stage two: creative assessment

The second stage for 11 plus entry to Wimbledon High School includes group and individual activities based around an exciting theme, so that candidates are challenged within a fun and collaborative environment. The session allows the school to get to know the candidates and how they think, express themselves, solve problems and collaborate with others.

There will also be a small element of English and maths within these sessions, with content based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum.

How to help your child prepare for the selection process at Wimbledon High School

Build foundational knowledge

The 11 plus assesses a huge amount of content – and for entry to Wimbledon High School, your daughter will be tested on verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning (then English and maths if she is successful in the first stage). Atom Nucleus takes your child through personalised learning journeys across the entire Key Stage 2 core curriculum as well as verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with over 90,000 teacher-created questions.

Preparation is key

Familiarisation with the question formats and known styles ahead of the exam – particularly for verbal and non-verbal reasoning, which are not taught in school – is absolutely essential. Access to quality, unlimited practice material ensures that your child will feel confident when tackling the test. Atom gives your child access to unlimited mock tests that mirror the content, format and structure of the 11 plus exam:

Access to immediate support

When working through challenging topics, your child will need immediate clarity with any misconceptions so that they feel truly secure in every topic. Atom gives your child access to video tutorials, help sheets and examples for each question to help build confidence and competence across all areas of the Key Stage 2 core national curriculum.

Engage with their progress

Celebrate your child’s improvement in areas of challenge together. An accurate and ongoing assessment of their areas of strength and development is helpful. Atom’s Parent Portal offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress to help you prepare effectively, including targets achieved, a detailed breakdown of progress by subtopic and the ability to set custom practices to target your child’s most challenging subtopics.

Atom Learning can help

It’s our mission to help your child feel prepared and confident on exam day. Begin your free 5-day free trial of Nucleus today to unlock success in the classroom, entrance exams and more.

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 Year 7 entry to Wimbledon High School:

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