Durham School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information 2026

Introduction

Durham School is an independent boarding and day school in Durham, North East England. Founded in 1414, the school first started admitting girls in 1985 and became fully coeducational in 1998. It is the city’s oldest educational institution.

Pupils at Durham School study mathematics, English, French, science, history, geography, religious studies, music, art, drama, design and technology, ICT and PE. 

The co-curricular programme offers a vast timetable of activities. Those run by members of staff are usually free of charge, whilst those offered by an outside provider are charged and payment for them is made direct to the provider.

On a weekly basis, pupils take part in a wide range of clubs, such as Bushcraft Club, Ceramics Club, Chess Club, Design Club, Debating Club, Drama Club, ICT Club Model and many more.

Nurturing a Christian ethos whilst being respectful of the beliefs of others, Durham School enhances pupils’ learning by encouraging them to succeed through the continuous provision of an outstanding education. 

Open Events for Durham School 11 Plus (11+) Entry

The whole school Open Morning is set in March. The school also holds Taster days for prospective pupils, during which they attend all lessons and other activities held on that particular day. They will be assisted by a hand-picked guide while staff members keep a friendly and watchful eye on them.

Individual visits include a meeting with the Head and a pupil-guided tour of the school. Each visit can be tailored in accordance with your child’s particular interests and can include a meeting with the Head of Music or the Head of Art or any other relevant member of staff. To arrange one, please reach out to the Admissions Team. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:

Durham School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions

Admissions are considered at any stage of a child’s education from nursery through to the sixth form. However, the majority of pupils join the school in Years 7, Year 9 or Year 12.

Entrance examinations for 11+ entry are held at the end of January each year, following registration and receipt of a non-refundable registration fee. Note that admission greatly depends on the reference from your child’s current school. 

Durham School 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries

The school’s financial assistance comes in the form of scholarships and bursaries. The Headmaster’s Scholarship, worth 100% of school fees, is awarded to one outstanding boy or girl on entry at 11+ and is based on talent across a number of areas, including academic ability and the capacity for all-round contribution to the school’s community. 

King’s Scholarships are awarded on the basis of performance in the entrance assessments plus an interview with the Headmaster. The scholarship is available for the entirety of a pupil’s education and is worth £1,000 per annum.

Peter Lee Scholarships are ONLY available for academically and musically elite pupils of Chinese ancestry and allow up to 100% funding for the top performing candidate. For more information about the scholarships and bursaries on offer, please follow this link.

How to Prepare for the Durham School 11 Plus (11+) Exam

One of the best ways to prepare for a competitive entrance exam is to use our practice tests. Getting to know the types of questions and the format of the actual exam will help boost your child’s confidence.

Aside from becoming familiarised with the exam format, our practice tests will ensure that your child responds to the questions in an efficient and effective manner. 

They also provide an excellent opportunity for your child to practise working under time pressure. Whilst doing the tests under timed conditions, children can get used to answering questions quickly, with a close attention to detail.

Our 11+ practice tests are thoroughly researched and up to date. They are designed to reflect the demands of a competitive entrance exam and are successfully used by hundreds of thousands of students every year.

They are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase. Please see below our recommended packs to help prepare your child for the Durham School 11+ entrance exam.

Durham School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers

English

15 Products

The following practice papers are highly recommended for successful preparation for the Durham School 11+ English paper. They will help improve your child’s comprehension and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and inference.

Practice Papers

11+ English (Independent Schools) Pack 1

11+ English (Independent Schools) Pack 2

11+ English (Independent Schools) Pack 3

11+ English (Independent Schools) Pack 4

11+ English (Independent Schools) Pack 5

The Complete Guide to 11+ Comprehension

11+ English: Poetry Comprehension

11+ Reading Workbook

11+ English: Inference Skills Pack 1

11+ English: Inference Skills Pack 2

11+ English: Writing Prompts

11+ English: Rewrite & Improve

11+ English: Spelling Pack 1

11+ English: Spelling Pack 2

The Complete Guide to 11+ Writing

English

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Durham School English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more.

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Mathematics

26 Products

We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Durham School’s 11+ maths test.

Practice Papers

11+ Mathematics (Independent Schools) Pack 1

11+ Mathematics (Independent Schools) Pack 2

11+ Mathematics (Independent Schools) Pack 3

11+ Mathematics (Independent Schools) Pack 4

11+ Mathematics: Problem Solving (Independent Schools) Pack 1

11+ Mathematics: Problem Solving (Independent Schools) Pack 2

11+ Mathematics: Mental Arithmetic

11+ Mathematics: Algebra (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Angles & Degrees (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: BODMAS (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Estimation & Place Value (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Factors & Multiples (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Fractions, Decimals & Percentages (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Measurements (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Money (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Operations (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Perimeter, Area & Volume (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Position & Direction (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Probability (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Properties of Shapes (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Ratio & Proportion (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Sequences (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Special Numbers (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Speed, Distance & Time (Independent Schools)

11+ Mathematics: Statistics (Independent Schools)

Mathematics

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Durham School mathematics exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more.

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Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning

30 Products

To further develop your child’s Verbal (VR) and Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) abilities ahead of the Durham School 11+ entrance examination, we suggest that you make use of the following packs.

Practice Papers

11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 1

11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 2

11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 3

11+ Verbal Reasoning Pack 4

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Anagrams

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Analogies

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Codes

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Compound Words

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Embedded Words

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Form a Word

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Insert a Letter

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Analogies

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Calculations

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Codes

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Grids

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Sequences

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Move a Letter

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Analogies

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Calculations

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Sequences

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Related Words

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Rhyming Synonyms

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Shuffled Sentences

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Synonyms

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Completion

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Match

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Opposites

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Pairs

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Puzzles

11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Relationships

Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Durham School Verbal Reasoning exam and Masterclasses at a large discount. Click the buttons below to learn more.

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Non-Verbal Reasoning

18 Products

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Durham School Non-Verbal Reasoning exam and Masterclasses at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more.

Practice Papers

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 1

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 2

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 3

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Pack 4

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Analogies

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Classes Like

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Classes Unlike

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Extended Series

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Figure Classification

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Figure Matrices

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Horizontal Codes

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Operations

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Series

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Triangle Matrices

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Triangle Series

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Star Matrices

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: Vertical Codes

Video Masterclasses

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning XL Masterclass

11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Bundle

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Durham School Non-Verbal Reasoning exam and Masterclasses at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more.

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Non-Verbal Reasoning Masterclass

11 Products

Video Masterclasses

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Analogies Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Classes Like Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Classes Unlike Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Figure Classification Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Figure Matrices Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Horizontal Codes Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Series Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Star Matrices Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Triangle Matrices Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Triangle Series Mini Masterclass

11+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning: Vertical Codes Mini Masterclass

1+ GL Non-Verbal Reasoning Mini Masterclass

You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Durham School Non-Verbal Reasoning exam and Masterclasses at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more.

View Bundle

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Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions have been included in Durham School 11+ past papers. The information provided about Durham School is 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 article.

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and resources, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Durham School.

Other entry points for Durham School:

Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam