How to prepare for the Al-Madani Independent Grammar School 11+

Exam format not yet verified. We have not confirmed this school's exam board or paper format from an official source. Where this guide describes the test, treat it as a working assumption and check the school's admissions page before relying on it.

The exam at a glance

Al-Madani Independent Grammar School (AMIGS) uses its own entrance paper for Year 7 entry. For 2028 entry, the test format is paper-based and covers Maths and English only. Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning are not part of the assessment, so preparation can stay focused on building strong core skills in these two subjects.

The school’s admissions information for the current published cycle shows a selective process with an entrance exam followed by interviews for shortlisted applicants. That matters for preparation: children need secure written skills for the test itself, but they also need to be able to talk calmly and confidently about their learning if invited to interview.

Because this is the school’s own paper rather than a consortium test, parents should not assume the question style will match GL or CEM exactly. The safest approach is to prepare broadly and thoroughly in the National Curriculum core for Upper Key Stage 2, especially accuracy, comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, problem-solving and clear written working.

What the day usually looks like, based on the school’s published admissions calendar, is a single entrance exam date in early December for the main round, with results released later in January and interviews after that. The school has also published interview dates and offer dates for the most recent cycle, which suggests a staged process rather than an immediate same-day outcome.

Exam board: the school’s own paper
Format: paper-based
Subjects: Maths and English
Selection process: entrance exam, then interview for selected applicants
Best preparation focus: depth in Maths and English rather than spreading effort across reasoning papers

Registration and key dates

AMIGS publishes its admissions calendar on the school website, and for the currently available cycle the application form is made available through the school rather than through a local authority grammar-school portal. As this is an independent school, parents should expect to apply directly to the school using the form or instructions on the AMIGS admissions page.

For the most recently published calendar, the form became available on 14 September 2026 and the deadline for applications for the main entrance exam was 1 December 2026. The entrance exam was scheduled for 5 December 2026. Results were due on 14 January 2027, interview invitations on 19 January 2027, interviews on 13 and 14 February 2027, and offers on 25 February 2027.

For children starting Year 7 in September 2028, those exact dates have not been published on the school website at the time of writing. The safest wording is that registration usually opens in mid-September, the deadline is typically early December, and the main exam is usually in early December, based on the latest admissions calendar the school has published.

The same calendar also listed open evenings on 13 October 2026 and 10 November 2026. If your child is considering AMIGS for 2028 entry, it is worth watching the school site from early autumn 2027 for the new calendar and any booking details.

Because the school runs its own process, check whether supporting documents are requested when the new form appears. Independent schools commonly ask for basic pupil details, parent contact details, current school information and sometimes a recent school report, but parents should follow the school’s own instructions for the live cycle rather than relying on assumptions.

Who runs registration? The school
Where to check: the school admissions calendar page and admissions information on the AMIGS website
Typical timing for 2028 entry, based on the latest published cycle: opens mid-September, deadline early December, exam early December
Keep updated: Free email alerts for this school's key dates

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

AMIGS is an independent fee-paying boys’ secondary school in Slough for Years 7 to 11. The school’s selective admissions process includes an entrance exam and interview.

For Year 7, ElevenReady’s directory (not yet verified with the school)s 24 places. The school’s published fee information for 2026–27 gives annual tuition fees of £5,000. As with all independent schools, parents should check the current fee schedule before applying in case this changes for a later intake.

At the time of writing, we have not found a reviewed official source that clearly sets out a catchment area, distance rule or postcode priority for Year 7 admissions. If the school publishes one for the live 2028 entry cycle, it should appear on the admissions pages or in the application materials. Until then, it is best to treat catchment as not published rather than assume there is none.

We also have not found an official published pass mark, qualifying score or previous lowest admitted score. Independent schools often do not publish these. Parents should therefore focus on a strong all-round performance in both tested subjects and be ready for the interview stage if invited.

Competition data such as the number of applicants has not been clearly published in the sources we reviewed, so it is better not to rely on hearsay. A small intake of 24 places means families should apply in good time, keep paperwork organised and make sure their child is prepared well ahead of the test date.

School type	Independent, boys
Age range	Years 7 to 11
Year 7 places	24
Published 2026–27 fees	£5,000 per year
Catchment	Not clearly published in the sources reviewed

For a quick overview of the school’s format and updates, see The Al-Madani Independent Grammar School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

A month-by-month preparation plan

For 2028 entry, the exam is likely to be in the autumn term of Year 6, most likely around early December if the school follows the same pattern as the latest published cycle. A sensible plan is to begin gently in Year 5 and build steadily. Because only Maths and English are tested, children do not need a huge spread of materials; they need regular, careful practice.

January to March of Year 5: keep it light. Aim for 1 to 1.5 hours a week split across two or three short sessions. Focus on arithmetic fluency, times tables, fractions basics, reading comprehension, vocabulary building and accurate spelling and punctuation. This is the stage for filling gaps, not racing ahead.

April to June of Year 5: increase to around 2 hours a week. Introduce more written Maths problem-solving and longer English comprehension tasks. Encourage your child to explain answers aloud, especially in Maths, because clear reasoning often supports accuracy. In English, mix fiction and non-fiction reading and ask for brief written summaries.

July to August before Year 6: keep work consistent but manageable at about 2 to 3 hours a week. Summer is a good time for steady reading, revising key Maths topics and practising writing short responses under gentle time limits. Avoid turning the holiday into a full school timetable.

September of Year 6: move to 3 hours a week. This is the point to begin regular timed work, but start with sections rather than full papers. In Maths, practise completing questions accurately within a time target. In English, work on comprehension under time pressure and on planning written answers efficiently.

October of Year 6: build up to 3 to 4 hours a week. Start using full or near-full papers once your child is comfortable with the basics. Review every mistake carefully. The aim is not simply to score marks but to spot patterns: rushing, missed instructions, weak vocabulary, untidy working or difficulty with multi-step problems.

November of Year 6: keep work focused and calm at around 4 hours a week. By now, most children benefit from one timed Maths paper, one timed English paper and one or two shorter targeted sessions each week. Do not overload. Sleep, school work and confidence matter as much as one extra worksheet.

The final week: reduce intensity. Use short refreshers, key topic checklists and a couple of confidence-building tasks. Avoid introducing brand-new content unless there is a very obvious gap. The goal is a child who feels prepared, not exhausted.

Start early enough to build habits, not panic
Keep sessions short and regular
Review mistakes in detail
Begin timed papers in September of Year 6
Use November for consolidation, not cramming

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

With a school-written paper, the exact question mix is not publicly standardised, so children should prepare across the range of Upper Key Stage 2 Maths rather than trying to second-guess a narrow format. Core areas to practise include arithmetic accuracy, place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, averages where taught, measurement, time, money, perimeter, area, shape, angles, coordinates and multi-step word problems.

Make sure your child is used to showing clear written working. Even when a paper is marked by final answers only, neat working helps children catch their own errors. Regular mental arithmetic practice is useful, but it should sit alongside written problem-solving, because many selective Maths papers reward persistence and careful reading more than speed alone.

A good weekly routine is one fluency session, one problem-solving session and one mixed review. If a child is strong in arithmetic but weak in application, shift more time to worded questions. If accuracy drops under time pressure, practise shorter timed sets before moving to full papers.

English

English preparation should cover reading, comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, spelling and written expression. Because this is the school’s own paper, the balance between these elements may vary, so it is wise to prepare broadly. Children should be comfortable reading age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction, retrieving information, inferring meaning, identifying tone and explaining word choices in simple but precise language.

Vocabulary matters more than many families expect. Encourage wide reading, discuss unfamiliar words in context and revisit them later. For grammar and punctuation, focus on sentence control, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, apostrophes, direct speech punctuation, commas and paragraphing. For spelling, revise common rules and high-frequency words, but also check errors that repeatedly appear in your child’s own writing.

If the paper includes a writing task, quality usually matters more than length. Practise planning quickly, writing clearly and leaving time to check capitals, punctuation and spelling. Short but well-organised writing often scores better than a long piece full of avoidable mistakes.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most useful when they are used as a learning tool rather than a score-chasing exercise. Start untimed so your child can understand the style of questions. Once confidence grows, bring in timed sections, and only after that move to full papers. After every paper, spend time on review: which topics caused trouble, which mistakes were due to knowledge gaps, and which were simply rushed?

For AMIGS, keep your materials centred on Maths and English. There is no need to devote precious preparation time to Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning for this school.

If you use mocks, choose them carefully. A mock is most helpful when it gives a child practice with timing, stamina and exam-room routines. It is less helpful if it leaves them discouraged by covering content far beyond the level they have been taught. One or two well-timed mocks in early autumn of Year 6 are usually enough for most children.

Keep a simple error log after each paper. Divide mistakes into three groups: didn’t know it, knew it but made a mistake, and ran out of time. That makes revision much more efficient.

On the day

Keep the morning straightforward. Aim for a calm start, a familiar breakfast and plenty of time to travel. Bring any documents or equipment the school asks for in the exam instructions, and avoid overloading your child with last-minute tips in the car.

The best final reminders are simple: read every question carefully, underline key words if that helps, show working in Maths, leave nothing blank if an educated attempt is possible, and keep an eye on time without panicking.

If your child feels nervous, reassure them that nerves are normal and not a sign that they are unprepared. A few slow breaths before the paper begins can help. Encourage them to move on from a difficult question and come back later if time allows. One hard question does not decide the whole outcome.

After the exam, try not to conduct a full post-mortem. Most children feel better if the conversation turns quickly to the rest of the day rather than replaying every answer.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For the latest published AMIGS admissions cycle, the school said that results would be released on 14 January 2027. It then scheduled interview invitations for 19 January 2027, interviews on 13 and 14 February 2027, and offers on 25 February 2027. That gives parents a useful guide to the overall sequence for future years, even though the exact 2028-entry dates have not yet been published.

Because AMIGS is an independent school, offers are handled directly by the school rather than through National Offer Day in the way state schools are. Families should therefore follow the school’s instructions closely on accepting a place, paying any deposit if required, and completing enrolment paperwork.

We have not found a clearly published appeal procedure in the sources reviewed for Year 7 admissions. Independent schools do not use the same statutory school-admission appeal process as state schools. If your child is unsuccessful and you want feedback, a waiting-list position or details of any review process, the practical next step is to contact the school admissions team directly.

The school’s admissions calendar also mentioned a second round entrance exam on 22 April 2027, but marked it as not confirmed. Parents should therefore rely on the main published cycle and check the live admissions page for any later testing opportunities.

What has changed recently

In the sources reviewed, the main published update is the school’s detailed 2027 entry admissions calendar, which set out a full timeline from September application opening through February offers. It also listed a possible second round entrance exam on 22 April 2027, but this was explicitly marked not confirmed on the school page.

We did not find an officially announced recent change to the tested subjects, board, or a published catchment rule in the last two years beyond the current admissions calendar details. If the school announces any change for 2028 entry, it should appear first on the AMIGS admissions pages.

Frequently asked questions

Does Al-Madani Independent Grammar School test Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning?

No. For 2028 entry, our working assumption, not yet verified with the school, is that AMIGS tests Maths and English only.

Is the Al-Madani Independent Grammar School 11+ computer-based?

No. The test for 2028 entry is paper-based.

How many Year 7 places are available at AMIGS?

There are 24 Year 7 places, according to ElevenReady’s directory (not yet verified with the school).

When should we start preparing for the AMIGS 11+?

For most children, a gentle start in Year 5 works well, with more structured timed practice from September of Year 6.

Does AMIGS publish a pass mark or cut-off score?

We have not found a published pass mark or cut-off score in the sources reviewed. Check the school’s admissions page for any updates.

Who do we apply to for AMIGS admissions?

You apply directly to the school, not through a local authority grammar-school testing portal, because AMIGS is an independent school.

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Sources

AMIGS Admissions Calendar: Application form available on 14 September 2026; open evenings on 13 October 2026 and 10 November 2026; final day for applications for the 5 December exam is 1 December 2026; entrance exam on 5 December 2026; results released on 14 January 2027; interview invites sent on 19 January 2027; interviews
Al-Madani Independent Grammar School website: AMIGS is an independent school in Slough; it caters to Years 7 to 11; admissions involve an entrance exam and interview.
AMIGS Fees: Tuition fees for the 2026–27 academic year are £5,000.

Preparing for other schools in Slough

Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.