Alleyn's School

Entry points and who can apply

Alleyn's is a co-educational day school in Dulwich. For families applying from outside, the main way into the Senior School is at 11+, into Year 7. (There is also 16+ entry into the Sixth Form, and the junior schools take children at 4+, 7+ and 9+.)

• 11+ (Year 7). For entry in September 2027. Your child should normally be under 12 on 1 September 2027 and must be in Year 6, or its equivalent, when they sit the exams. A child can normally go through the 11+ process only once.
• Places. The school offers around 150 places. About two-thirds go to children joining from a wide range of state and independent schools. The rest go to children moving up from Alleyn's Junior School, who sit the same exams and interviews as everyone else.
• Siblings. There are no automatic places for siblings. Where two candidates perform similarly, the school says it will give priority, where possible, to a sibling of a current pupil.

Registration for 2027 entry opened on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and closes at midday on Friday 13 November 2026. The school will not accept late forms "for whatever reason". The registration fee is £225 plus VAT and is non-refundable. It is waived if your child qualifies for the Pupil Premium or you receive Universal Credit; some of the school's pages also include Income Support. You must upload written evidence when you register.

Senior School year groups are currently full, but the school says "occasionally spaces arise"; you can register your interest through its Occasional Vacancies page. The school will not fill vacancies in Year 11 or Year 13.

Everyone who registers is invited to sit the exams. There are no alternative dates, so tell the Registrar early if another school's exam clashes. Children living abroad may sit the papers at an approved test centre by prior arrangement.

The assessment: what your child will sit

The ISEB Common Pre-test is not part of the process. Instead, your child comes to Alleyn's on Friday 8 January 2027 to sit the school's own written papers in English, maths and reasoning. Overseas candidates sit on Thursday 7 January 2027.

The school does not publish the order of the papers or the length of breaks.

From the school's syllabus:

• English. The multiple-choice answers go on a separate answer sheet. The writing must be in black or blue pen, not pencil. The writing is marked for detailed comprehension, clarity, fluency and accuracy, and the school says imaginative and linguistic flair "will also be rewarded".
• Maths. Bring a pen, pencil, ruler and eraser. The syllabus lists the topics: number and algebra (including fractions, ratio, percentages, order of operations, simple formulae and sequences), shape and measures (angles, area, volume, coordinates, speed, distance and time) and handling data (pie charts and the mean).

What this means in practice

• It is a paper exam. Your child writes by hand and fills in multiple-choice answer sheets. Neat, accurate box-marking matters.
• The writing grows out of the reading. It is a continuation of the passage, not a free choice of topic. Close reading feeds directly into the writing.

Interview, group activity and the decision

The school looks at the exam results and a confidential report from your child's current school. Children whose results and report show they will "flourish both inside and outside of the classroom" are invited back on Saturday 23 January 2027.

The day has two parts: a small-group activity and a one-to-one interview. The school's 11+ syllabus says parents are not interviewed, and that children will be asked about their interests in and out of school. It also says an invitation to interview does not guarantee an offer.

The school does not publish when offers are sent or when you must reply. If you accept a place, a deposit is payable; the school says it is returned when your child leaves, but it does not publish the amount. It also says that candidates are not entitled to feedback and that there is no appeal. If your child cannot attend a scheduled assessment day, there is no guarantee of a later date.

If your child needs access arrangements, such as extra time, a word processor, supervised rest breaks or a small room, send the supporting evidence to the Registrar by the registration deadline. The school will not accept late requests. Its policy explains what evidence it needs.

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

For 2026-27, Senior School fees are £9,025 a term excluding VAT, or £32,490 a year including VAT. Lunch, a personal device for use in class, uniform and trips are extra.

Bursaries are means-tested and can cover up to 100% of fees. At 11+ they are awarded on family need and on academic ability shown in the entrance assessments. The school says there is considerable competition, and priority goes to the most able children who need very significant help. Its policy says that on average over 20 bursary places are awarded each year. Fully funded pupils also get help with uniform, travel, lunches, IT devices and trips.

To apply, say on the online registration form that you want to be considered for a bursary. Once you have submitted the registration form, the school sends you a Bursary Application Form. Part of the process is a meeting with the finance team at your home or at the school. The school does not publish the bursary form deadline, but it says it cannot accept late applications under any circumstances, so ask for the date when you register.

Scholarships are not means-tested and can sit alongside a bursary. Every 11+ candidate is automatically considered for an academic scholarship, including the Saddlers' Scholarships, the school's top academic awards. Academic awards are usually worth up to £5,000 a year. You can also apply at registration for a scholarship in art, design and technology, drama, music or sport; the published scholarship assessments run from November to late January. The school's Apply page also lists dance, but no dance assessment date is published, so ask the Registrar if this matters to your child. Shortlisted academic candidates are invited to workshops on Friday 29 January 2027.

How to prepare

The school says its aim is for the entrance assessments "to allow children to demonstrate what they are capable of". Start with its syllabus.

1. Read the syllabus together. The syllabus, an English sample paper, two maths sample papers and reasoning samples are on the school's 11+ page. Use them to see the format together.
2. Work through the maths topic list. The list is specific. Tick off each topic once your child is confident, and keep returning to the ones that wobble. Practise without a calculator.
3. Practise maths against the clock. Thirty minutes is short. Help your child work steadily through the core questions and still leave time for the harder ones at the end.
4. Read, then write on. Read a passage, answer a few questions on it, then write a page that continues it in the same voice. Use the school's suggested 10/35 split. Write in pen.
5. Try all three kinds of reasoning. The school says any commercial or free practice questions will help, but the exact question types and difficulty may differ from its own test. Include spatial questions, and practise filling in a multiple-choice answer sheet in pencil.
6. Let your child talk about what they enjoy. The interview asks about interests in and out of school. Conversations at home about books, hobbies and activities are the most natural preparation.

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