Eltham College 11 plus guide

Are you thinking about applying to Eltham College 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 Eltham College

• School type: co-educational independent day school
• Location: Mottingham, London SE9 4QF
• Admissions contact: admissions@eltham-college.org.uk
• 11+ exam: written papers in English and Maths, plus computer-adaptive verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests
• Financial assistance: means-tested bursaries
• Scholarships: academic, art, drama, music, sport and chess

Important dates for 2026 entry

• Saturday 19th September 2026: Whole School Open Day
• Monday 9th November 2026: 11+ registration deadline (4pm)
• Tuesday 5th January & Wednesday 6th January 2027: 11+ entrance exams
• Thursday 21st January – Friday 29th January 2027: scholarship assessments (music, sport, drama, chess and art) (tbc)
• Friday 12th February 2027: 11+ offer day
• Wednesday 3rd March 2027: 11+ acceptance deadline (midday)

How to apply to Eltham College

Eltham College is selective. This means that your child will need to take an entrance exam to be considered for a place.

To register your child for Year 7 entry, you will need to complete the online registration form on the school's website and pay a non-refundable registration fee of £234 (including VAT). Registration for 2027 entry opens in the last week of April 2026 and closes on Monday 9th November 2026 at 4pm.

All registered candidates are invited to sit the entrance exam at the school in early January of Year 6. Candidates will also have a one-to-one interview with a senior member of teaching staff on the same day.

Offers are made in February. If your child is offered a place, you will need to pay a deposit and sign a contract to accept. The offer is also subject to a satisfactory reference from your child's current school.

Learn more and get top tips in Atom's guide to private school interviews.

What will my child be tested on?

The Eltham College 11+ entrance exam consists of four written and online tests, taken in a single sitting in January of Year 6.

English

Candidates sit a 45-minute written paper that includes English comprehension and creative writing.

Maths

Candidates sit a 45-minute written Maths paper that includes both multiple-choice questions and problem-solving questions. Calculators are not permitted.

Verbal reasoning

Candidates take an online, computer-adaptive verbal reasoning test. Because it is adaptive, the questions become more or less challenging depending on how your child is performing.

Non-verbal reasoning

Candidates also take an online, computer-adaptive non-verbal reasoning test, which assesses their ability to analyse visual information and solve problems using shapes, diagrams and pictures. Sample papers for English and Maths are available on the school's website.

How are places decided?

Every candidate who sits the entrance exam also has a one-to-one interview with a senior member of teaching staff. Places are awarded on the basis of:

• performance in the entrance exam
• the interview
• a reference from the headteacher at the candidate's current school

Academic Scholarships are awarded at the Headmaster's discretion to candidates who excel in both the exam and the interview. Candidates who pass the academic threshold and wish to be considered for Music, Sport, Art, Chess or Drama Scholarships will be invited to further assessments during the week following the entrance exam results.

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

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, and 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 recommended reading lists have 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.