The exam at a glance
For 2028 entry, Colfe’s School uses its own paper for Year 7 entry and assesses children in Maths and English only. There is no Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning, so preparation is best kept tightly focused on strong core literacy and numeracy rather than trying to cover every possible 11+ style.
The assessment is paper-based. For families, that changes the preparation slightly: children should be comfortable writing by hand at speed, setting out maths clearly on paper, and checking work without relying on a screen.
Colfe’s describes Year 7 entry as academically selective and competitive. In practice, most children will sit written papers first, and successful candidates may then move on to the next stage of the admissions process if the school requires it for that year. Because the school’s published admissions material can change from one cohort to the next, it is sensible to check the current Senior School admissions page as soon as registration opens for your child’s year.
What the day usually looks like is straightforward: arrival and registration, time in exam rooms for the written assessments, supervision between papers, and collection afterwards. Schools normally give families practical instructions nearer the date covering arrival time, what to bring and any lunch or refreshment arrangements.
- School type: Independent, co-educational day school
- Entry point: Year 7 at 11+
- Exam board: School’s own paper
- Subjects tested: Maths and English
- Delivery: Paper-based
- Competition: Competitive entry
If you want a quick overview alongside this guide, see The Colfe's School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).
Registration and key dates
Colfe’s runs its own admissions process, so families should apply directly to the school rather than through a local authority 11+ testing portal. The starting point is the Senior School admissions page on the school website.
For the most recently published dated Year 7 timeline available on the school site, the application deadline was Friday 13 November at 5pm, the entrance assessment was Tuesday 5 January, offers were made by Friday 12 February, and the acceptance deadline was Wednesday 3 March at 12pm. The same page also says that 11+ entrance examinations take place in January of the year of entry and offers are made by the February half-term break for a September start.
For 2028 entry, not all dates may yet be published. Based on the school’s published pattern, parents should expect registration and application steps to be handled directly by Colfe’s, with the assessment typically in January 2028 and offers usually by February half term. As soon as the school releases the 2028 timeline, use that rather than relying on previous-year dates.
When registering, independent schools commonly ask for a completed application form and a registration fee, and may later request supporting school information. Because document requirements can change, it is best to follow the checklist on the live admissions page for your child’s year rather than using an old list.
- Who runs registration? Colfe’s School admissions team
- Where to apply? Via the school’s admissions process on its website
- Verified previous deadline: Friday 13 November, 5pm
- Verified previous exam date: Tuesday 5 January
- Verified previous offers date: Friday 12 February
- Verified previous acceptance deadline: Wednesday 3 March, 12pm
- Typical timing if 2028 dates are not yet live: deadline in November, exam in January, offers by February half term
To avoid missing the release of the 2028 dates, parents can sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.
Who can apply: catchment and admissions
Colfe’s is an independent school and does not operate a state-school style catchment area for 11+ entry. Families can apply from across London and beyond, provided they are content with the daily journey and the school’s admissions process.
For Year 7 entry, the school’s published admissions information explains that a third of the year group is made up of pupils from Colfe’s Junior School. That is important context for external applicants: there are places available from outside the school, but not the whole year group is open to new entrants at 11+.
The school also states that it offers merit-based and means-tested scholarships, and that in a typical year group it expects around a quarter of pupils to benefit from fee assistance. For some families, that makes it especially worth reading the bursary and scholarship sections early, as timelines and evidence requirements can sit alongside the main admissions process.
Colfe’s describes admission as competitive. The school does not publicly publish a simple pass mark or a standardised-score threshold for Year 7 entry on the sources reviewed, so parents should not assume there is a fixed score that guarantees a place. Decisions at independent schools are usually based on ranked performance and the school’s wider admissions process rather than a single published cut-off.
A month-by-month preparation plan
For a child aiming for an exam in January of Year 6, the most effective approach is steady preparation through Year 5 and the start of Year 6. Because Colfe’s tests only Maths and English, most children do better with regular, focused practice than with very broad 11+ materials.
January to March of Year 5
Keep it light and skills-based. Around 1 to 2 hours a week in short sessions is usually enough. Focus on reading fluency, comprehension habits, spelling accuracy, vocabulary growth and secure arithmetic. In maths, make sure number bonds, times tables and written methods are reliable. In English, encourage precise written answers and regular reading from fiction and non-fiction.
April to June of Year 5
Increase to roughly 2 to 3 hours a week. Start introducing more deliberate exam-style practice in both subjects, but still untimed for much of the time. In maths, cover multi-step problems, fractions, decimals, percentages and careful interpretation of worded questions. In English, work on comprehension, grammar in context, punctuation, and short bursts of clear written expression.
July to August before Year 6
This is a good point to build familiarity without making summer feel like school all over again. Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week. Use one or two short pieces each week rather than long sessions. Children can review weak areas, keep reading daily, practise mental maths and complete occasional mixed papers in calm conditions. By the end of summer, your child should know what each paper feels like.
September of Year 6
Now move into more structured preparation at about 3 to 4 hours a week. Start timed sections if your child has the core skills in place. Mark work carefully and keep a simple error log: careless arithmetic, missed instructions, weak vocabulary, rushing, and incomplete written answers are common themes worth tracking.
October of Year 6
Continue at 3 to 4 hours a week with one stronger timed task in each subject most weeks. The goal is not endless papers. It is to learn from them. After each paper, spend time correcting errors, rewriting poor English answers and reworking maths questions using a better method.
November of Year 6
By now, children should be doing regular timed practice, but still not every day. Around 4 hours a week is realistic for many families. Keep one session for consolidation only: spellings, vocabulary, arithmetic fluency or grammar recap. This prevents all preparation turning into test-taking.
December of Year 6
In the final month, keep things steady and calm. Sit one or two full or near-full papers under realistic conditions, then taper slightly. The best final preparation is sleep, routine and confidence. Cramming rarely helps on English and Maths papers where depth of understanding matters.
If your child is bright but not yet very exam-ready, start earlier but keep the workload modest. Consistency matters much more than intensity.
Subject by subject: what to practise
Maths
For Colfe’s, maths preparation should centre on secure Key Stage 2 content used in an academically selective setting. Children should be comfortable with arithmetic accuracy, place value, written methods, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio ideas at an accessible level, measures, shape, area, perimeter and multi-step word problems. Because this is a paper-based school exam, clear working matters. Encourage your child to set out steps neatly, underline key information in worded questions and check whether the final answer is sensible.
A good routine is to mix fluency and reasoning. One session might be quick arithmetic and times-table recall; another might be slower work on longer problems. If a child often gets maths wrong through rushing, practise finishing a little early and using the last few minutes to check calculations line by line.
English
English preparation should cover both reading and writing. For comprehension, children should practise retrieving information, explaining word choice, inferring meaning, supporting answers from the passage and writing in clear, complete sentences. Strong readers still need practice in answering precisely rather than giving vague impressions.
For writing, the key habits are planning briefly, staying on task, using accurate punctuation, varying sentence openings, and choosing vocabulary carefully rather than extravagantly. Handwriting should be legible and reasonably quick. Grammar and spelling matter because they affect the overall standard of the response even when there is no separate reasoning paper.
A useful way to prepare is to read a short passage and discuss it aloud before writing answers. This builds the habit of noticing tone, viewpoint and detail. For composition, encourage your child to write little and often: a paragraph improving exercise, a short description, or a compact piece of narrative is usually more useful than very long unfocused writing.
Practice papers and mock exams
Practice papers are most useful when they are used sparingly and reviewed properly. Children do not improve simply by sitting large numbers of papers. They improve when each paper shows them something: a maths topic to revisit, a type of comprehension question they misread, or a timing habit that needs attention.
A simple pattern works well:
- Choose one paper or section with a clear purpose.
- Sit it under calm, realistic conditions.
- Mark it carefully.
- Go through every mistake and sort it into a type of error.
- Redo the hardest questions a day or two later.
For Colfe’s-specific preparation, use these free resources:
- Free Colfe's School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers)
- The Colfe's School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates)
- Free email alerts for this school's key dates
If you book a mock exam elsewhere, choose one that matches the school’s broad format: Maths and English only, on paper, with an emphasis on strong curriculum knowledge and clear written responses. Avoid overloading your child with mocks; one or two can be useful for confidence and stamina, but too many can dent morale without adding much learning.
On the day
Keep the morning simple. Lay out clothes, stationery and travel plans the night before. Aim to arrive in good time without making the journey feel dramatic. A normal breakfast, familiar water bottle if permitted, and calm conversation are usually better than last-minute quizzing.
Remind your child of just a few practical rules:
- Read every instruction fully before starting.
- If a maths question looks hard, write down what you know and move methodically.
- In English, answer the question that is actually being asked.
- Keep handwriting neat enough to be read easily.
- If stuck, move on and come back if there is time.
- Check the final few answers rather than rereading everything from the beginning.
Emotionally, the best message is that this is a chance to show what they can do, not a test of their worth. Children usually take their cue from the adults around them. Calm helps.
After the exam: results, allocation and appeals
For the dated Year 7 admissions timeline published by Colfe’s for the cycle reviewed, offers were made by Friday 12 February and the acceptance deadline was Wednesday 3 March at 12pm. The school also says more generally that 11+ offers are made by the February half-term break for entry the following September.
As an independent school, Colfe’s does not follow the same National Offer Day process used by state secondary schools. If your child is successful, the school will write directly with the offer and the steps needed to accept it, usually including a deadline and any deposit or paperwork required. If your child is not offered a place, the school may explain whether a waiting list operates for that year; policies vary, so this is something to check directly with admissions.
Appeals at independent schools are not handled in the same way as statutory admission appeals for state schools. If you need to query an outcome, the first step is to contact the admissions team courteously and ask about the school’s process, waiting list position if applicable, and whether any further review is possible.
What has changed recently
From the sources reviewed, no newly announced change in the last two years was found to the core 11+ subjects for Colfe’s: the school’s Year 7 entry remains focused on Maths and English and uses the school’s own assessment. The most useful published admissions update available was the dated Year 7 timeline showing a November deadline, January assessment and February offers for the cycle listed on the school site.
As always with independent school admissions, parents should check the live Senior School admissions page for their child’s entry year in case Colfe’s publishes a revised timetable, different application steps or updated scholarship information.
Frequently asked questions
Does Colfe’s School test Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning at 11+?
No. For 2028 entry, Colfe’s assesses Maths and English only.
Is the Colfe’s 11+ paper computer-based?
No. The assessment is paper-based, so children should practise writing by hand neatly and efficiently.
When is the Colfe’s School 11+ exam usually held?
The school says 11+ entrance examinations take place in January of the year of entry. The dated timeline reviewed showed an assessment on Tuesday 5 January for that cycle.
Does Colfe’s have a catchment area?
No catchment area is stated for Year 7 entry. It is an independent school, so families apply directly to the school.
How many Year 7 places are available to external applicants?
The school states that a third of the year group is made up of pupils from Colfe’s Junior School, but the exact number of external places was not published in the sources reviewed.
Does Colfe’s publish an 11+ pass mark?
Not in the sources reviewed. Parents should check the school’s admissions page directly for the latest information.
Sources
- Colfe's School Senior School Admissions: Colfe’s is an independent co-educational day school with Senior School entry at Year 7; families apply directly to the school; 11+ entrance examinations take place in January of the year of entry and offers are made by the February half-term break.
- Colfe's School homepage: School identity and context: Colfe’s School is in South East London and educates pupils aged 3 to 18.
Preparing for other schools in Greenwich
- How to prepare for the Blackheath High School GDST 11+ · practice papers
- Greenwich Waldorf School · practice papers
- Pulse and Water College · practice papers
- Riverston School · practice papers
- StreetVibes Media Academy · practice papers
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.