Birkdale School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information – Key Details 2024

Introduction

 

Birkdale School, an institution with a strong Christian ethos, is an independent day school for children aged 4-18. It was founded in 1904 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. The school has a co-educational Sixth Form, and the rest of the school will be fully co-educational in September 2028, with girls having been admitted in year groups Reception (PP1) to Year 3 (P1) in 2020.

 

Academically, Birkdale School is excellent. Outstanding teaching enables pupils to reach their full potential, resulting in superb results in public examinations. Pupils are encouraged to be independent, curious learners, which means they are in a strong position to successfully access higher education. 

 

An extensive extra-curricular programme means that pupils can develop their existing skills and discover new talents. Activities on offer include coding, hockey, brass band and circus skills. In addition to this, pupils have the opportunity to go on thrilling trips abroad. Recent destinations include Nepal, North America and Belgium.

 

In 2013, Birkdale School was awarded the accolade of becoming a Confucius Classroom by the Confucius Institute because of the way in which it promotes the study of Mandarin Chinese. Not many schools have been awarded this prestigious title. Pupils get involved in a range of activities that help them become familiar with Chinese culture, and there is an annual Chinese Day for those in Year 7 (S1).

 

Pastoral care is taken very seriously at Birkdale School. Every member of the school community is expected to be kind and compassionate, and a committed pastoral team works hard to ensure every pupil feels supported and cared for. Form tutors, the school chaplain, the school counsellor and the wellbeing coach are all on hand to offer any specialised help that might be needed, contributing to the wellbeing of pupils.

 

Birkdale School: Contact Details and Admissions Process for Year 7 (S1) Entry

 

Address: 4 Oakholme Road, Sheffield, S10 3DH

County: South Yorkshire

Admissions: admissions@birkdaleschool.org.uk or 0114 2668409

School type: Independent day school

11+ exam date: January of Year 6

Entrance exam: ISEB Common Pre-test

 

For 2024 entry onwards, Birkdale School will be welcoming girls and boys into Year 7, another step in the process of becoming fully co-educational and leaving behind its previous identity as a boys’ school.

 

Before registering your child, it is a good idea to visit Birkdale School. You will be able to explore the facilities, meet members of staff and ask any questions you have. You can arrange a visit by filling out the booking form.

 

The next step in the admissions process is to complete the registration form and pay the £50 registration fee. You will also need to send a scanned copy of your child’s birth certificate to the email provided in the contact details or a photocopy of it can be sent to the address given in the contact details. This should be done by early December of Year 6.

 

Birkdale School is a selective school, so your child will sit an entrance exam. This exam is the ISEB Common Pre-test, and you will need to register your child with ISEB by early December of Year 6.

 

Most candidates will sit the ISEB Pre-test at Birkdale School in January of Year 6. They sit the different elements of the test over the course of a day and will take part in activities during a long lunch break. If your child is going to sit the test elsewhere, you will need to let Birkdale School know, and your child will need to have sat the test before candidates sit it at Birkdale School.

 

A report from your child’s current school will be requested and reviewed as part of the admissions process.

 

Within two weeks of the test, you will be told the outcome by email. All formal offers, made by letter, will be sent out before the end of February. If your child is offered a place and you decide to accept it, you will need to fill out the acceptance form and pay the £250 acceptance fee (refundable at the end of your child’s time at Birkdale School).

 

Please note that if more children reach the required standard in the ISEB Common Pre-test than there are available places, the school will fill the places in the order in which parents return the acceptance form and pay the acceptance fee, i.e. they will operate a first-come-first-served system.

 

Birkdale School: Scholarships and Bursaries for Year 7 (S1) Entry

 

The following scholarships are available for pupils entering Year 7 (S1) at Birkdale School:

 

• Academic
• Music
• Sports

 

Candidates who score exceptionally well in the ISEB Common Pre-test will be invited to sit the 11+ Academic Scholarship exam. It will take place towards the end of January of Year 6 and comprises an English paper and a maths paper.

 

If you want to apply for a Music and/or Sports Scholarship for your child, you should indicate this on the registration form. You will also need to fill out the relevant scholarship form/s.

 

Scholarships typically carry a 5-15% remission of fees. Your child can be awarded more than one scholarship, but the maximum combined scholarship fee remission will be 25%. 

 

A limited number of bursaries are available for children who do well in the entrance exam and would benefit from an education at Birkdale School but whose families cannot afford the fees. Bursaries are means-tested, so if you apply for a bursary, your financial circumstances will be thoroughly assessed. A bursary can be worth up to 100% of the fees.

 

For more detailed information about scholarships and bursaries, please click here.

 

Birkdale School: Online Entrance Exam for Year 7 (S1) Entry

 

The ISEB Pre-test assessment is an online exam that comprises the following areas:

 

• English – evaluates reading comprehension and grammar (using cloze sentences, shuffled sentences and SPaG question types)
• Mathematics – measures mathematical ability relative to the national curriculum stage
• Verbal reasoning – tests thinking and problem solving with words
• Non-Verbal reasoning – assesses thinking with shapes, space, diagrams and pictures

 

In total, the four parts of the ISEB Common Pre-test take 2 hours and 15 minutes to administer and complete. The test is age-standardised, meaning students are not disadvantaged by their age when they sit the test. 

 

Preparing for the Birkdale School 11+ Online Entrance Exam

 

Working their way through our online practice tests will help your child in the following ways:

 

• Your child will get used to the online format and be adept at moving between the online test and written workings.
• Your child will become familiar with the types of questions that will be asked in the actual exam, meaning there will be no surprises on the day that might negatively impact their performance.
• Your child will get used to working under time pressure, meaning the time constraints of the actual test will not be a problem for them.
• Your child can learn from their mistake using the answers and explanations provided with the practice tests. This means they will avoid making similar mistakes in the ISEB Common Pre-test.
• Your child can use the practice tests to identify any weak areas they have. They can then focus on these weak areas to ensure they are areas of strength by the time they sit the real exam.
• Your child will grow in confidence as they improve across all the areas that will be tested, which will help to alleviate any nerves and lead to a polished performance on the day.

 

Birkdale School: Online Entrance Exam Practice Materials for Year 7 (S1) Entry

 

ISEB Pretest

Birkdale School use the online ISEB Pretest for their 11+ entrance exam. We thus recommend the following online practice tests, which are specifically designed to help students familiarise themselves with the online test format in all four key subjects:

 

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 1

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 2

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 3

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 4

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 5

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 6

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 7

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 8

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 9

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 10

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 11

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 12

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 13

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 14

NEW ISEB Pretest Practice Test 15

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended full practice tests for the Birkdale School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

 

ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-15 Bundle - Save 35%

 

✅ Alternatively, you can choose a bundle of five of our recommended full practice tests for the Birkdale School ISEB Pretest exam and still save 25%. Select the relevant bundle below to learn more:

 

ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 1-5 Bundle - Save 25%

 

ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 6-10 Bundle - Save 25%

 

ISEB Pretest Practice Tests 11-15 Bundle - Save 25%

 

The following video courses cover everything your child needs to know to do well in the ISEB Pretest:

 

ISEB Pretest English Course

ISEB Pretest Maths Course

ISEB Pretest Non-Verbal Reasoning Course

ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning Course

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended video courses for the Birkdale School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

 

ISEB Pretest Video Courses Bundle - Save 25%

 

Our Skill Practice products consist of focused tests that allow your child to improve targeted skills ahead of the ISEB Pretest:

 

NEW ISEB Pretest English – Reading Comprehension

NEW ISEB Pretest English – Cloze Sentences

NEW ISEB Pretest English – Shuffled Sentences

NEW ISEB Pretest English – SPAG

NEW ISEB Pretest Mathematics

NEW ISEB Pretest 2D Non-Verbal Reasoning

NEW ISEB Pretest Spatial Reasoning

NEW ISEB Pretest Verbal Reasoning

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended skill practice tests for the Birkdale School ISEB Pretest exam at a large discount. These are available on our other site, Pretest Plus. Click the button below to learn more:

 

ISEB Pretest Skill Practice Bundle - Save 30%

 

If you don’t buy a bundle, don’t forget to use the code ppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200!

 

 

If you have any questions about any of our resources or need any help with them, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

The information in this post was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of possible future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

 

Please note that Pretest Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of the ISEB Common Pre-test or any other test publisher.