The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information 2024
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The Leys School is a co-educational independent school in Cambridge. The school opened in 1875 upon the initiative of The Methodist Conference to provide education for the sons of lay church members.
In Year 7, pupils study the core subjects of English, mathematics, Science and divinity plus history, geography, art, computing, design technology, drama, music, Latin, French, PE and PSHE.
The Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, along with Bridge, Street Dance, experimental science, ceramics, life drawing, photography and numerous STEM activities are at the core of the co-curricular programme.
Leysians are highly motivated to work hard to achieve their goals. They are encouraged to take an increasing level of personal responsibility for everything they do. Furthermore, in line with the school’s Christian ethos, pupils are taught to be generous-spirited and respectful of one another within an environment where they can express their creativity freely.
The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information 2024
Address: Cambridge CB2 7AD
County: Cambridgeshire
Admissions info: admissions@theleys.net or +44 (0)1223 508904
School type: Independent co-ed boarding and day school
Number of students: 560 (approx.)
Open day: Throughout the year
11+ Exam date: January of Year 6
11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own
Open Events for The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Entry
Open Mornings provide you and your child with the opportunity to see the school in action. The events consist of a pupil-led tour of the school, a coffee break, a tour of a Day or Boarding House by a Housemaster or Housemistress, and a Q&A session. Open Morning places are limited so it is recommended that you book in advance.
You may also join one of the school’s Small Group Visits. They are similar to the Open Mornings and are usually limited to six families per event. They are very popular so it is recommended that you book in advance. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
Registering your child is the first step in the admissions process. This can be done via an online form available on the school’s website. The deadline for registration is in November of the year preceding entry.
Candidates for entry into Year 7 will sit entrance examinations in the January of the year of entry. Please note that the quality of the report from your child’s current school plays a very important role in the admissions process.
The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries
If your child is awarded a scholarship, they may, in exceptional circumstances, gain a fee concession of up to 100% of the fees. This can happen only when a scholarship, which covers no more than 5% of the fees, is coupled with a means-tested bursary.
There are no formal applications for Year 7 scholarships. If your child performs well in the entrance exam and has a strong supporting recommendation from their current Head, they will be invited back for a series of interviews with the Headmaster, the Head of Mathematics and the Head of English in order to be considered for an academic 11+ scholarship.
Besides academic awards, scholarships can be awarded in the areas of Art, Music, Drama, Sports and Technology. The school also has a limited amount of funds available for Bursaries and seeks to allocate the funds to assist as many families as possible. An application for a Bursary must be made prior to the entry assessments.
The Application Process involves several procedures:
- You will be required to complete a Bursary Application Form which seeks to establish the financial circumstances of the household. The form can be obtained from the Finance Bursar and must contain details of income and capital, accompanied by full documentary evidence.
- The form is then assessed by Bursary Administration Ltd, who will contact you to make an appointment to discuss the application (at your home).
- Bursary Administration Ltd will write a confidential report to the Bursar containing their findings. The Bursar will then make a recommendation for the Bursary Committee.
- Once the Bursary Committee makes a decision, the school will inform you on whether or not a bursary will be awarded.
- In case of a positive response, you will be expected to sign a letter accepting the offer and acknowledging any conditions relating to the bursary.
For more information about scholarships and bursaries, please visit the school’s website.
The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The Leys School entrance assessment consists of the following papers:
- English comprehension (30 mins)
- English writing (30 mins)
- Maths (no calculators, 45 mins)
- Reasoning (Verbal, Non-Verbal, Spatial)
The English papers examine both comprehension and writing skills, testing inference, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. For the writing task, your child will be expected to demonstrate their abilities by writing in an accurate, detailed and lively way.
The maths exam is based upon the National Curriculum Year 6 programme of study. It assesses your child’s problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. It contains both multiple-choice and open-answer questions.
The Verbal Reasoning paper is primarily designed to test and assess your child’s logical thinking, use of English language and vocabulary, whilst the Non-Verbal Reasoning assessment is designed to measure their ability to understand, interpret and problem-solve, testing logic and intelligence rather than knowledge.
There will also be some Spatial Reasoning. This paper assesses your child’s ability to interpret shapes and space across 3D planes.
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for The Leys School 11+ entrance examinations.
How to Prepare for The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Exam
One of the best ways to prepare your child for The Leys School 11+ entrance exam is to familiarise them with the types of questions and the format of the actual exam. You can achieve this with the use of our practice tests.
Consisting of thoroughly researched and up to date questions, our practice tests will help you identify the strong and weak areas in your child’s knowledge base, and thus remove unnecessary stress from the exam preparation process.
By getting used to answering questions quickly and under time pressure, your child will gain a significant advantage over other candidates who prefer a less structured approach towards preparation for a competitive Year 7 entrance exam.
We highly recommend that you make use of our practice tests in order to increase your child’s confidence ahead of exam day. They are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase.
Please see below our recommended packs to help you prepare your child for The Leys School 11+ entrance examinations.
The Leys School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
Recommendations for various parts of The Leys School 11 Plus exam can be found below:
English
We strongly suggest the following packs for successful preparation ahead of The Leys School 11+ English papers. They will help improve your child’s comprehension skills, such as inference, and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for The Leys School English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ English Bundle - Save 30%
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 your child prepare for The Leys School 11+ mathematics test:
Full Practice Tests (multiple-choice)
Full Practice Tests (standard format)
To access our 11+ maths topic packs in the multiple-choice format, please click here.
To access our 11+ maths topic packs in the standard format, please click here.
Verbal Reasoning
To further develop your child’s Verbal Reasoning abilities ahead of The Leys School 11+ entrance examination, we suggest that you make use of the following packs that cover all of the key question types:
Full Practice tests
Skill Specific Practice
Masterclasses
11+ Verbal Reasoning Masterclass
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for The Leys School Verbal Reasoning exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Verbal Reasoning Bundle - Save 30%
Non-Verbal Reasoning
To further develop your child’s Non-Verbal Reasoning abilities ahead of The Leys School 11+ entrance examination, we suggest that you make use of the following packs that cover all of the key question types:
Full 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
Skill Specific Practice
Masterclasses
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Masterclass
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for The Leys School Non-Verbal Reasoning exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Bundle - Save 30%
Spatial Reasoning
To boost your child’s Spatial Reasoning skills ahead of The Leys School 11+ entrance examination, we highly recommend the following resources:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
Video Tutorials
Get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250. Use the code eppdiscount at checkout.
Interviews
This interview guide covers all the key concepts your child needs to be aware of for the 11+ Interview:
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Why do some of the recommendations above show me grammar school papers?
The main difference between independent and grammar school papers is the question format. Independent schools usually assess with standard format questions, which means students need to write out full answers. Grammar schools usually use multiple-choice format questions.
Whilst The Leys School is an independent school, they actually use the grammar school (multiple-choice) format for some of their exams, which is why they are included in the recommendations above.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in The Leys School 11+ past papers. The information provided about The Leys 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.
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