Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Exam 2024, Year 7 Entry – Key Details
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Alleyn’s School is a co-ed independent day school in Dulwich, London. Dating back to 1619, it has one of the largest Combined Cadet Forces in the country and boasts a number of cutting-edge facilities, including a modern Drama department that features the Michael Croft Theatre. [1]
Alleyn’s offers a broad and balanced programme of academic and non-academic disciplines, ranging from Classics, art and computing to RS, MFL and humanities. The school’s main goal is to provide pupils with a progressive environment where they can plan and execute activities that will both interest them and benefit their future educational endeavours.
According to the ISI, the provision of extras at Alleyn’s is of outstanding quality, boasting a rich selection of club activities which aim to maximise pupils’ prowess across a range of abilities. Over 180 opportunities are on offer, including molecular gastronomy, film & photography, debating, gardening and Model United Nations, helping children discover a world of possibilities, accessible to them after classes. [2]
Pastoral care is the highlight of the school’s extensive offering. Supported by highly-experienced and qualified staff, the system caters for individual needs through a personalised approach, typically addressing pupils’ concerns jointly with parents. As a result, children progress through the school feeling at ease with themselves, achieving excellent outcomes and exploring their capacity for learning within a secure environment of multicultural dimensions.
Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2024
Address: Townley Road, London SE22 8SU
County: Greater London
Admissions info: registrar@alleyns.org.uk or 020 8557 1500
School type: Independent co-ed day school
Open day: In the Spring and Autumn terms
11+ Exam date: January 2024
11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own
Pass mark: Aim for 80%+ in our practice tests. See below for more details.
Open Events for Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Entry
Open Days at Alleyn’s allow prospective families to learn more about the school’s offering through presentations (from the Head) and meetings with staff members. Tours of facilities are an essential part of the events’ programme, as are refreshments, over which you and your child can chat with some current pupils.
The Alleyn’s Taster Afternoon events are held with the aim of familiarising your child with the school’s atmosphere and activities, hence it is strongly advised that your child attends these. For Music Scholarship applicants, the school also hosts Music Department Open Days. Details on how to book are available here. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
The deadline for 11+ applications is in November of the year preceding entry. The admissions process comprises paper-based assessments, taking place in January of Year 6.
Near the end of the same month, selected candidates will come back to the school to partake in a group activity and attend an interview.
Please note that registration includes a payment of a £175 fee, which is non-refundable, and acceptance of places includes a payment of a deposit, refunded when your child leaves Alleyn’s.
Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries
Alleyn’s School offers Academic Scholarships, Design and Technology (DT) Scholarships & Exhibitions, Music Scholarships & Exhibitions and Sports Scholarships & Exhibitions.
Academic Scholarships are awarded on the grounds of your child’s performance in the 11+ entrance examinations. Candidates will be invited to attend an academic scholarship interview and, if they perform successfully, they will be awarded the Saddlers’ Scholarship, valued at £5000 per annum.
DT Scholarships and Exhibitions are awarded on the basis of a piece of written work. Shortlisted applicants will be invited back to the school to partake in a workshop.
Music Scholarship applicants will be expected to perform at a minimum of Grade 5 standard on their principal instrument. The awards are offered on the basis of an audition.
Sports Scholarships and Exhibitions are awarded following scholarship assessment day. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate all-round ability or exceptional talent in one particular sport.
For Arts Scholarships, the school will evaluate applicants on the basis of a portfolio and practical session, supervised by the Head of Art.
Alleyn’s offers means-tested bursaries to applicants from low-income families who perform exceptionally well in the entrance examinations. Their value can be at up to 100% of fees.
Smaller bursaries can be awarded in conjunction with a scholarship. For applicants with particular talent in music, who have performed outstandingly well in the audition, the WJ Smith Trust offers means-tested assistance of up to 100% of fees. More details about scholarships and bursaries are available here.
Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The Alleyn’s School 11+ admissions process consists of:
Stage 1: Entrance examination
- English (40 minutes)
- Mathematics (30 minutes)
- Reasoning (45 minutes)
The English exam involves a creative writing task extending from a provided prose passage. Your child should allocate 10 minutes for reading/planning and 30 minutes for writing. They will be asked to use a black or blue pen/biro, not a pencil. Success in this paper depends on understanding the extract and displaying creativity and accuracy.
For the Maths exam, your child will be asked to bring a pen, pencil, ruler and eraser. Calculators are not allowed. The test mainly covers National Curriculum topics, including number and algebra; shape, space and measures, and handling data. The last questions are harder and focus on multiple-step problem solving.
The Reasoning paper is produced by GL Assessment, testing Verbal, Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning. Verbal Reasoning sections assess skills with words through varied question types. Non-Verbal Reasoning sections involve abstract figure logic and the identification of common features and patterns. Spatial Reasoning sections require the mental manipulation of visual images. Answers are marked in pencil on a multiple-choice answer sheet.
Stage 2: Group activity and one-to-one interview
Candidates who perform well in the exam are invited for interview day. This includes group assessments and individual interviews, focusing on in-school and out-of-school interests. Please note that an invitation doesn’t guarantee a place at Alleyn’s. Parents are not interviewed.
How to Prepare for the Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Exam
Consisting of thoroughly researched and up to date questions, our practice tests successfully reflect the actual 11+ exam. They offer a methodical approach towards 11+ exam preparation which can help you identify the strong and weak areas in your child’s knowledge base.
Aside from identifying potential weaknesses, our practice papers will help you recognise your child’s strengths, and thus you will be able to adjust their study schedule accordingly. The preparation process should become a little less demanding with a carefully thought-out revision plan that focuses on studying ‘little and often’.
Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
Pupils who are able to score 80%+ consistently in our 11+ practice tests should be on track to pass the Alleyn’s School 11+ assessment.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the Alleyn’s 11+ exam.
Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice papers from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!
Alleyn’s School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
NOTE: The following English and Mathematics practice tests are in standard format, which means that students need to write in their own answers rather than choose from a list of multiple-choice options. This matches the 11+ Exam format used by the school.
English
We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the Alleyn’s School 11+ English paper. They will help improve your child’s writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the English section of the Alleyn’s School 11+ Exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Alleyn’s English Bundle - Save 15%
If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.
Mathematics
We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Alleyn’s School 11+ maths test:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the Mathematics section of the Alleyn’s School 11+ Exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Alleyn’s Maths Bundle - Save 30%
Reasoning
To develop your child’s Verbal (VR), Non-Verbal (NVR) and Spatial Reasoning (SR) abilities ahead of the Alleyn’s School 11+ entrance examination, we suggest that you make use of the following resources that cover all of the key question types:
VR Practice Tests
VR Skill Practice
VR Masterclasses
11+ Verbal Reasoning Masterclass
NVR Practice Tests
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 1
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 2
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 3
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 4
NVR Masterclasses
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Masterclass
SR Practice Tests
11+ Spatial Reasoning – Pack 1
SR Skill Practice
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended resources for the Reasoning section of the Alleyn’s School 11+ Exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Alleyn’s Reasoning Bundle - Save 40%
Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.
Group Activity & Interview
This guide covers all the key concepts your child needs to be aware of for the Alleyn’s 11+ group activity and interview:
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Alleyn’s School 11+ past papers. The information provided about Alleyn’s School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.
Other entry points for Alleyn’s School:
Click here to learn about Year 1 entry via the 5 Plus (5+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 2 entry via the 6 Plus (6+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam
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