If you have relocated to the UK with a child between Year 3 and Year 6, you may be starting to think about independent secondary or grammar schools. Many of the families I tutor have moved from Hong Kong, China, Dubai and elsewhere. In my experience, families discover the entrance exam requires more prep and forward planning than they anticipated.
That’s why I’ve written this guide explaining how the admissions process works and what a sensible timeline looks like.
The examples are drawn from South West London, where I tutor, but the timeline applies to schools across England.
Overview
Children normally start secondary school in Year 7 at the age of 11 and the school year runs from September to July.
There are three routes:
- Independent schools that run their own admissions.
- Grammar schools that are selective state schools. They hold entrance exams, but the application itself goes through your local authority.
- State secondaries that have no exam. Places are allocated on criteria such as catchment distance, and not exams.
This article covers the first two types of school, since they’re the routes families relocating mid-primary-school most often need to plan for.
One note for families arriving with a child already in Year 7 or 8: occasional in-year places do come up at selective schools, but they are scarce. Tiffin, for example, says that places in Years 8–11 are rarely available. The two real entry points are 11 Plus and 13 Plus, and the earlier you plan ahead, the more options you have.
The 11 Plus route
Independent day schools typically hold their exams for year 6 students between November and January.
Exam formats differ more than families expect. In SW London, Hampton sets its own written papers, while Lady Eleanor Holles uses the ISEB Common Pre-Test followed by its own problem-solving exam. English papers usually include an unseen comprehension and a piece of creative or persuasive writing, and some schools such as Kingston Grammar School even publish specimen papers. Check the format for every school on your list before preparation begins.
Grammar schools run earlier and to stricter deadlines. For the Sutton grammar schools, registration for September 2027 entry ran from May to July 2026 more than a year before the children start. Tiffin by contrast registers over the summer and tests in October of Year 6.
Nobody registers your child for you: you register with the grammar consortium yourself and apply to each independent school separately. A child sitting for Tiffin and Hampton, for example, needs two applications, made by you, months apart. Check every deadline on the school’s own admissions page, as dates shift each year.
The 13 Plus route
The distinctive feature of 13 Plus entry is that the application is made several years before they join the school. A typical pattern: a child sits an entrance assessment (often the ISEB Common Pre-Test) and interviews in Year 6. If they’re successful, they stay at their current school through Years 7 and 8 before joining their secondary school in Year 9. While this route is less common, it is still quite popular among the most selective secondaries. For example, in my area, St Paul’s, Westminster and King’s College School offer 13 Plus entry.
This raises a practical question for relocating families: what does your child do between the offer and Year 9? Some UK prep schools run through to Year 8, but state primary schools finish at Year 6. If you’re considering the 13 Plus route, make sure your child has a confirmed school place in the interim.
At both 11 Plus and 13 Plus, most selective schools also request a reference from your child’s current school, and interviews form part of the decision.
A sample timeline
24 + months before entry; start structured English preparation. For many children arriving from countries with a strong maths focus, English is their weaker subject. UK papers test inference, fully developed written answers and extended creative writing, and these take sustained practice to build.
Regular reading of good English fiction is part of the preparation, and it is the part that takes longest: Hampton’s own guidance assumes candidates have read widely, naming authors such as Terry Pratchett and Philip Pullman. Even if your child is not a keen reader or dislikes writing, it’s not too late. One of my students disliked creative writing when he started tuition in Year 4; he passed Hampton’s 10 Plus, where writing is one of only two subjects tested, and then later received 13 Plus offers from St Paul’s and Westminster.
For a child not yet fluent in English, or one targeting the most selective schools, you should consider starting a year earlier.
16–18 months before entry: build your school list. A balanced list has a stretch school, a solid middle tier, and a safe choice. This is the approach used by most families who navigate the process successfully. Applying to five or more schools is common, but consider your child’s workload. They still need time for regular schoolwork and clubs outside of school. If fees are a factor, check for bursary and financial assistance deadlines at the same time, since these are often due alongside the main application.
12 to 15 months before entry: register. A missed deadline is the one mistake tutoring cannot address.
3 months before the exams: mocks and timed practice. By now the core skills should be in place, and the focus shifts to practice papers, exam technique and time management. Sit at least one mock for each type of exam on your school list. Some schools will tell you the exact piece of writing being tested so check the official school website for an exam syllabus or specimen paper. For example, St Paul’s 13 Plus second stage English exams ask students to write a discursive essay and they have a guide for the assessment.
Exam season, November to January. Keep up tuition for the best chance of success but go through practice papers for your target schools and work on exam technique.
After exams: interviews. Most schools interview successful candidates in January and February. An interview gives schools an opportunity to see how a child thinks, what they read, whether they can talk to an adult they have never met and how they might behave in class. Rehearsed answers may count against a child. Have your child sit two or three interviews with a tutor. You can also ask them interview questions on a regular basis to get them used to the types of questions which may come up and used to speaking at length.
Preparing before you arrive
If you are not in the UK yet, preparation can start remotely. I run lessons over video call with a shared whiteboard and send a written report after every session, so families can plan the move around a realistic admissions timeline. For families in Hong Kong and similar time zones, after-school hours align with the UK morning and early afternoon.
Results and next step
If you’re looking for a tutor who can help guide you through the admissions process, then I can help.
Recent students have received offers from St Paul’s, Westminster, Hampton, St Paul’s Girls’, North London Collegiate School, City of London, Highgate and South Hampstead, the last with an academic scholarship. I do not guarantee results, but I will give you a frank assessment of your child’s chances at specific schools before you commit to any long-term tuition.
Book a free consultation and bring your rough school list and timeline. Free 11 Plus and GCSE model answers are available via the Blue Fish Substack.