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How to prepare for the Francis Holland School 11+

A practical parent guide to Francis Holland School 11+ admissions, exam format, dates, preparation and what happens after the test.

Consortium paper Last reviewed 4 October 2026

The exam at a glance

Francis Holland School, Sloane Square uses a shared entrance assessment through the London 11+ Consortium for Year 7 entry. For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that the school is using a consortium-set paper, and the subjects to prepare are Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

The school’s admissions page for current entry rounds explains that candidates sit an entrance examination in early December, and that all candidates who take the assessment are then invited to interview in January. In practice, that means families should expect the process to have two parts: the written assessment first, followed by an interview stage later in the admissions cycle.

The exact paper structure for 2028 entry should be checked carefully once the school and consortium publish their updated familiarisation information. The consortium format can change in details even when the broad subject list stays the same. For that reason, the safest approach is to prepare across all four areas rather than narrowing revision too early.

What the day usually looks like is: arrival and registration, the written assessment, then a wait until interview invitations and next steps are confirmed by the school. The school page does not, from the sources reviewed, set out a detailed minute-by-minute timetable or confirm whether delivery is on paper or computer, so parents should watch the admissions page for the candidate instructions released for the relevant year.

  • School type: independent day school for girls
  • Main senior entry point: Year 7
  • Assessment route: London 11+ Consortium shared paper
  • Subjects to prepare: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning
  • Interview: the school says all candidates are invited to interview after the assessment

Registration and key dates

For Francis Holland School, registration is handled by the school through its admissions process rather than through a local authority grammar-school test system. The school’s joining page links families to its admissions team and publishes the timetable for the current Year 7 round.

For the admissions cycle that is currently published on the school website for September 2027 entry, the key dates are:

  • Open Evening: 7 October 2026
  • Open Morning: 15 October 2026
  • Registration deadline: 6 November 2026
  • Assessment date: 1 December 2026
  • Interviews for all candidates: 8 January 2027
  • Offers sent: 12 February 2027
  • Acceptance deadline: 3 March 2027

Because you are preparing for September 2028 entry, these dates are best treated as the typical pattern until the school publishes the 2027–28 timetable. Based on the school’s current page, parents should expect registration to usually be open by October, close in early November, with the assessment typically in early December.

The school also publishes scholarship dates separately. For the currently listed round, scholarship assessments are scheduled between 10 January 2027 and 15 January 2027. If scholarships may be relevant for your child, check the scholarship section as soon as registration opens, because schools often ask for an additional application or supporting information.

What documents are needed are not fully itemised on the public page reviewed, so it is sensible to be ready with basic admissions information such as your child’s details, current school information and contact details for parents or guardians. If the online form asks for anything extra, follow the school’s instructions exactly.

If you want a simple way to keep track of updates, you can bookmark The Francis Holland School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/francis-holland-school-2 and sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=francis-holland-school-2.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Francis Holland School is an independent girls’ school, so it does not operate in the same way as a state grammar school with council catchment maps and coordinated 11+ eligibility rules. From the sources reviewed, there is no published geographical catchment area for Year 7 entry.

The school describes Year 7 as one of its main entry points and says entry is by assessment and interview. It also states that all candidates are invited to interview after the written assessment. Beyond that, the public admissions page reviewed does not publish a detailed order of priority, cut-off score, or a fixed number of Year 7 places on the page reviewed for this guide.

As an independent school, Francis Holland also publishes school fees. For pupils in Year 7 to Year 13, fees are £11,058 per term with effect from 1 September 2026, according to the school’s fees page.

Competition data such as the number of applicants, the number who sit the exam, or any minimum score has not been found in the official sources reviewed. The school does not appear to publish a pass mark or interview threshold on the pages checked, so parents should avoid relying on forum claims and use the school’s own admissions team for anything more specific.

  • Who can apply: girls seeking Year 7 entry
  • Catchment: no catchment information found on the official pages reviewed
  • Selection route: written assessment plus interview
  • Published fees: £11,058 per term for Years 7–13 from 1 September 2026

A month-by-month preparation plan

For a child sitting the Francis Holland 11+ in the autumn term of Year 6, the healthiest preparation is steady and varied rather than intense. Because the school uses a consortium paper and you should be ready for Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, it helps to build all four gradually through Year 5 and the start of Year 6.

January to March of Year 5

  • Aim for around 1 to 1.5 hours a week in short sessions.
  • Focus on core habits: careful reading, tidy written working, secure arithmetic, and learning the standard verbal and non-verbal reasoning question styles.
  • Read widely at home. Strong comprehension and vocabulary help across English and reasoning.

April to June of Year 5

  • Increase to about 1.5 to 2 hours a week.
  • Start topic-based practice in each subject rather than full papers.
  • In Maths, check number fluency and multi-step problem solving.
  • In English, work on comprehension, spelling accuracy, punctuation and planning short written responses.
  • In reasoning, learn methods, not just answers: spotting patterns, using elimination and working accurately under light time pressure.

July to August before Year 6

  • Keep work light but regular: around 2 hours a week.
  • Use the summer to close gaps rather than race ahead.
  • Introduce short mixed exercises that switch between subjects, because consortium exams often reward flexibility.
  • Right at the end of the summer, begin a few untimed or lightly timed mini papers so your child gets used to moving on when stuck.

September of Year 6

  • Increase to around 3 hours a week, split across several sessions.
  • Now is the time for regular timed sections, but not necessarily full papers every weekend.
  • Review mistakes carefully. Ask: was the issue knowledge, speed, reading the question, or nerves?
  • If the school or consortium publishes updated familiarisation material, switch your practice to match it.

October of Year 6

  • Stay at roughly 3 to 4 hours a week, depending on your child’s stamina.
  • Start doing fuller timed papers, then mark and analyse them properly.
  • Practise exam routines: filling in answers carefully, checking work, and leaving a difficult question to return to later.
  • Keep one session each week for confidence-building work in weaker areas.

November to the exam

  • Use 2.5 to 3.5 hours a week and protect energy levels.
  • Prioritise accuracy and calmness over cramming.
  • In the final two weeks, reduce the volume slightly and focus on short, familiar tasks.
  • Make sure your child knows the practical plan for the day so nothing feels uncertain.

For most children, timed full papers make sense only once the methods are reasonably secure. Starting them too early can dent confidence. A good rule is to begin serious timed paper practice in late summer or at the start of Year 6, then build up steadily through September and October.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

Prepare for a broad 11+ maths range: arithmetic accuracy, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, basic algebraic thinking, measures, geometry and worded problem solving. For consortium-style tests, children often need to work quickly but still show disciplined thinking. Practise mental fluency alongside written methods, and include multi-step questions where your child must choose the method rather than being told what topic is being tested.

Good practice habits are: doing a few calculations daily, estimating before solving, checking whether an answer is sensible, and revisiting weak topics until they feel routine.

English

Because the school’s verified subject list includes English, prepare for both comprehension and written accuracy. Depending on the consortium paper for the year, English may include reading, vocabulary in context, spelling, punctuation, grammar and a short piece of writing or structured response. Use varied texts at home: fiction, classic children’s literature, quality non-fiction and articles suitable for this age.

Focus on careful reading, retrieving evidence, inferring meaning, understanding tone, and writing in clear sentences with accurate punctuation. If writing is included, practise planning quickly, staying on task and leaving time to check spellings and endings.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning usually tests how confidently a child works with language patterns and coded information. Common preparation areas include vocabulary, letter sequences, word relationships, codes, combinations, hidden words and logical deductions based on words or letters. The exact mix depends on the consortium paper, so use official familiarisation materials when they are released.

The best way to improve is to learn question types one at a time, then mix them together. Build vocabulary steadily, because strong word knowledge often makes these questions much easier and faster.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning tests pattern recognition and visual logic rather than school-taught content. Children commonly need to identify changes in shape, rotation, reflection, symmetry, sequences, codes, nets or odd-one-out patterns. Success depends on spotting the rule quickly and checking it methodically.

Practise by teaching your child to look for one change at a time: shape, size, position, shading, number and direction. It helps to talk through patterns aloud at first, then gradually move to timed sets once accuracy is improving.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most useful when they are used as a diagnostic tool, not just as a score-chasing exercise. For Francis Holland, start with untimed or lightly timed work, then move to timed sections, and only later to fuller papers once your child knows the main question types.

  • Use one paper to identify weak areas.
  • Spend more time reviewing mistakes than taking the paper itself.
  • Keep an error log: rushed reading, method gaps, careless slips, or timing problems.
  • Repeat the topic, then try similar questions a week later to check that the improvement has stuck.
  • Do not overload the final fortnight with endless papers; confidence matters.

For school-specific practice, use Free Francis Holland School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers): /schools/francis-holland-school-2-mock-tests.

You can also keep the overview page handy here: The Francis Holland School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/francis-holland-school-2.

If you want reminders when the next admissions timetable is published, use Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=francis-holland-school-2.

A mock exam can be worthwhile if your child is likely to be unsettled by an unfamiliar room, formal timing or working around other children. The aim is not to create pressure, but to make the real assessment feel ordinary.

On the day

Keep the morning calm and predictable. Aim for a normal breakfast, comfortable uniform or clothing if the school has given instructions, and plenty of travel time. Last-minute tutoring on the way in rarely helps; a relaxed chat is usually better.

  • Check the reporting time and location from the school’s instructions.
  • Pack any requested documents or equipment the night before.
  • Remind your child that one difficult question does not mean a bad paper.
  • Encourage neat working and careful reading of instructions.
  • If they get stuck, move on and return later if time allows.

Emotionally, the most helpful message is simple: the assessment is there to see how your child thinks and learns, not to catch them out. A settled child will usually perform more like themselves than one who feels they must be perfect.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For the current published Year 7 round, Francis Holland says that all candidates are invited to interview on 8 January 2027, with offers sent on 12 February 2027 and an acceptance deadline of 3 March 2027. For families applying for 2028 entry, expect a similar sequence unless the school publishes changes: assessment in December, interviews in January, then offers in February.

As an independent school, Francis Holland’s admissions process is separate from the state secondary allocation day used by local authorities. If your child also sits other schools’ tests, keep a clear calendar because interview dates, scholarship assessments and acceptance deadlines can overlap.

The school page reviewed does not set out a public appeals process in the way a state school would. Independent schools usually handle queries, waiting lists and declined offers directly through the admissions office. If your child is not offered a place, it is reasonable to ask politely whether a waiting list operates and whether any further information is available about next steps.

If your family is considering a scholarship route, note that the currently published scholarship assessment window for 2027 entry is 10 to 15 January 2027.

What has changed recently

The main confirmed recent point for families targeting 2028 entry is that ElevenReady’s verified school data records a consortium-set paper via the London 11+ Consortium for 2028 entry. Parents should still check the school and consortium pages when the new admissions round opens, because consortium papers sometimes update their detailed format or familiarisation materials.

From the official pages reviewed for this guide, we did not find any separately announced recent change to catchment rules, place numbers or a newly published pass mark.

Frequently asked questions

Does Francis Holland School have a catchment area for 11+?

From the official admissions pages reviewed, no geographical catchment area is published for Year 7 entry. It is an independent school, so admissions work differently from state grammar-school catchments.

What subjects should my child prepare for?

For 2028 entry, prepare Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The exact balance within the consortium paper should be checked when the school and consortium publish the current year’s details.

When is the Francis Holland 11+ exam usually held?

The currently published timetable for 2027 entry gives 1 December 2026 as the assessment date. For 2028 entry, early December is the best guide until the school publishes the new dates.

Is there an interview after the exam?

Yes. The school’s current Year 7 admissions page states that all candidates are invited to interview after the assessment.

Does the school publish a pass mark or cut-off score?

We did not find any published pass mark, cut-off score or interview threshold in the official sources reviewed. If you need the latest position, check directly with the admissions team.

How much are the fees?

The school’s fees page lists Years 7 to 13 at £11,058 per term, effective from 1 September 2026.

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Sources

Preparing for other schools in Westminster

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.