How to prepare for the Greenfields School 11+

The exam at a glance

Greenfields School is an independent day and boarding school in Forest Row, East Sussex, offering education from early years through to sixth form. For senior school entry, the school’s own website makes clear that admission is handled directly by Greenfields rather than through a grammar-school style consortium process.

For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that Greenfields uses the school’s own paper. However, the school’s publicly available admissions material we found does not clearly publish the exact test format, provider, delivery method or full list of tested subjects for Year 7 entry. Because of that, parents should treat any unofficial descriptions with caution and check the school’s admissions page directly before planning preparation in detail.

What parents can say with confidence is that Greenfields’ admissions process includes contact with the admissions team, a visit to the school, and an application route managed by the school itself. In practice, independent school assessment days often combine academic assessment with an interview or taster element, but because Greenfields does not clearly publish the precise Year 7 assessment structure on the pages we found, it is best to ask the school for the current 2028 entry process.

Exam board: the school’s own assessment
Format: not clearly published on the official pages we found
Tested subjects: not clearly published on the official pages we found
Delivery: not clearly published on the official pages we found
Who runs registration: Greenfields School admissions

If you are preparing now for September 2028 entry, the safest approach is broad, steady preparation in English and maths, with reading, writing and problem solving at the centre, while you wait for the school to confirm its exact assessment arrangements.

Registration and key dates

Greenfields appears to manage admissions directly through its own admissions team. The school website provides admissions contact details and invites families to get in touch, arrange a visit and discuss entry.

At the time of research, we did not find a clearly published Year 7 2028 registration window, assessment date or results date on the school’s website. We also did not find a separate local-authority registration process, which is normal for an independent school.

So, for 2028 entry, the practical next step is to contact Greenfields admissions and ask for:

the Year 7 application form or online registration route
the deadline for 2028 entry applications
the date or month of the assessment day
whether school reports or a reference are required
whether an interview, group activity or taster day forms part of the process

Because no official 2028 dates were clearly published in the sources we found, we cannot responsibly give exact deadlines here. Parents who want updates can use Free email alerts for this school's key dates and keep an eye on The Greenfields School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

When you contact the school, it is sensible to have the following ready in case they are requested:

your child’s full name and date of birth
current school details
parent contact details
recent school reports
any information the school may need about boarding interest, if relevant

Independent schools sometimes assess candidates over a longer admissions season than grammar schools, so do not assume there is only one national deadline. The school’s own timetable is the one that matters here.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Greenfields is an independent school, so there is no local-authority catchment system published in the way parents may be used to with grammar schools. In the official material we found, the school presents itself as a day and boarding school and handles admissions directly.

We did not find an official published catchment area, distance rule or priority map for Year 7 entry. We also did not find a clearly published number of Year 7 places for 2028 entry on the school pages we reviewed. That means parents should not rely on forum claims about priority rules, pass marks or whether living nearby matters. If Greenfields applies any oversubscription priorities or has limits on places in a year group, the admissions team is the right place to confirm them.

For independent schools, admissions decisions commonly take account of whether a child is likely to thrive in the school’s setting, alongside assessment performance and school reports. Greenfields’ website also emphasises visiting the school and speaking with admissions, which suggests a personal admissions process rather than a purely score-based one.

If you are applying from further afield, including for boarding, ask the school whether there are different application steps or timelines for boarders and day pupils.

Catchment: no official catchment rule found in the sources reviewed
Places: no official Year 7 place number found in the sources reviewed
Oversubscription or priority rules: not clearly published in the sources reviewed

That may feel less tidy than a grammar-school admissions policy, but the practical answer is simple: speak to Greenfields early, visit if you can, and ask for the current senior admissions process in writing.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because Greenfields uses its own assessment and does not clearly publish a detailed Year 7 test specification on the pages we found, the best preparation is balanced and low-pressure. The aim is to build secure English and maths first, then add timed work only once core skills are settled.

Below is a realistic plan for a Year 5 child working towards an autumn 2027 assessment for September 2028 entry.

January to March in Year 5

Keep it gentle: around 1 to 2 hours a week in short sessions is enough. Focus on reading fluency, vocabulary, arithmetic accuracy and clear written expression. This is the stage for building confidence, not chasing speed.

Read widely, including fiction and non-fiction
Review number bonds, tables and written methods
Practise comprehension using short texts
Write one well-structured paragraph or short response each week

April to June in Year 5

Increase to around 2 to 3 hours a week. Start mixing skill practice with short mixed exercises. If the school has still not published the exact format, keep preparation broad rather than trying to guess question styles.

Continue regular reading aloud and independent reading
Practise inference, retrieval and vocabulary in context
Build confidence in fractions, decimals, percentages and problem solving
Do short writing tasks with attention to punctuation and organisation

July to August before Year 6

Use the summer for consolidation, not overload. Around 2 to 3 hours a week is usually enough, spread over several days. This is a good time to spot weaker areas.

Review anything that still causes hesitation in maths
Keep a reading habit going through the holidays
Practise comprehension from a range of text types
Encourage your child to explain methods out loud, especially in maths

September to October in Year 6, before the assessment

If the assessment is in the autumn, this is the point to become more focused. Aim for roughly 3 to 4 hours a week, still in manageable chunks. Once the school confirms the format, match your practice to it. If the format remains unpublished, use mixed English and maths papers and short timed sections to develop stamina and accuracy.

Introduce timed practice gradually
Review mistakes carefully instead of racing through paper after paper
Practise working neatly and checking answers
Keep one session each week deliberately untimed to protect confidence

For most children, timed papers should start only once they are secure on the underlying skills. Starting too early can make a child feel that they are bad at the subject when really they just need more practice.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Because Greenfields does not clearly publish the tested subjects for Year 7 entry on the sources we found, the safest plan is to prepare the core areas most commonly used in independent school assessment and then adjust once the school confirms details.

English

Prioritise reading comprehension, vocabulary and clear writing. Many school-set assessments look for whether a child can understand a passage, support an answer with evidence and write accurately in full sentences.

Practise retrieval, inference and explaining word meanings in context
Build vocabulary through reading, not word lists alone
Write short descriptive, narrative and discursive pieces
Check punctuation, spelling and paragraphing carefully

A useful routine is one comprehension task and one short writing task each week, with time spent reviewing what would make the answer clearer.

Mathematics

Focus on secure arithmetic first, then multi-step problem solving. Children often lose marks not because topics are unknown, but because basic number work is not fluent enough under mild time pressure.

Keep mental arithmetic and times tables sharp
Review fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio at an age-appropriate level
Practise word problems that require choosing the right method
Encourage neat layout so working can be checked

If Greenfields later confirms a written maths paper, move from topic practice into mixed sets so your child gets used to switching between question types.

Reasoning or other assessed areas

We did not find an official statement that Greenfields tests verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, interview skills or any other separate component for Year 7 entry. So do not overcommit to specialist preparation unless the school confirms it.

If the school later mentions interview or discussion, practise speaking in full sentences and answering calmly
If there is a taster or group activity, encourage good listening and polite participation
If additional papers are confirmed, switch to targeted practice once you have the official details

The key principle is to build adaptable skills rather than trying to reverse-engineer an unpublished paper.

Practice papers and mock exams

When a school uses its own assessment and does not publish a full specification, practice papers are most useful when they build confidence in broad skills rather than trying to imitate an unknown test too exactly.

Start with one paper or one section at a time. Mark it carefully, then spend more time reviewing errors than your child spent completing the work. Look for patterns:

misreading the question
rushing easy arithmetic
weak vocabulary
untidy presentation
running out of time because of slow starts

It is better to do fewer papers well than many papers badly. For a school-set assessment, depth of review matters more than volume.

Useful starting points:

If you use mock exams, choose them for experience rather than prediction. A mock can help your child learn how it feels to work quietly in a room with other pupils, manage nerves and keep going after one difficult question. It cannot tell you the exact outcome of a school-specific assessment.

In the final weeks, shorten sessions slightly and focus on accuracy, confidence and routines. Cramming rarely helps.

On the day

Keep the morning calm and ordinary. Lay out clothes, stationery and directions the night before. Allow plenty of travel time so there is no sense of rushing.

Make sure your child has had breakfast and water
Arrive in good time
Remind them to listen carefully to instructions
If they get stuck, move on and come back if allowed
Encourage neat working and checking where possible

The most helpful message is simple: this is a chance to show what they can do today, not a judgement on their worth. Children do best when they feel steady, not over-briefed.

If Greenfields includes an interview, taster session or meeting as part of the day, remind your child to be polite, answer naturally and ask if they do not understand something. Schools are usually looking for readiness and engagement, not polished performance.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For an independent school such as Greenfields, the post-exam process is usually different from grammar-school allocation through the local authority. The school assesses candidates, communicates outcomes directly and then, where appropriate, makes offers according to its own admissions timetable.

At the time of research, we did not find a clearly published results date or offer timeline for Year 7 entry on the official pages reviewed. We also did not find a publicly set-out appeal process in the same form used by state schools. If your child sits the assessment, ask the admissions team:

when results will be released
whether outcomes are pass/fail, ranked, or holistic
when offers are made
what deposit or acceptance deadline applies
whether there is a waiting list process

If your child is not offered a place straight away, it is still worth asking whether a waiting list operates and whether further evidence, such as a newer school report, can be considered. Independent schools vary in how they handle this, so the school’s own procedure is what matters.

If you also plan to apply to state schools, keep those deadlines separate in your diary. Independent and state admissions timetables do not always line up neatly.

What has changed recently

In the sources reviewed, we did not find a clearly announced recent change to Greenfields School’s Year 7 entrance assessment format, provider, catchment, places or admissions timetable for the last two years. If the school publishes updated information for 2028 entry, parents should treat the school’s own admissions page as the main source.

Frequently asked questions

Does Greenfields School use GL or CEM for 11+?

No official source we found says that it uses GL or CEM. ElevenReady’s verified information is that Greenfields uses the school’s own assessment.

What subjects are in the Greenfields School 11+?

The publicly available official pages we found do not clearly confirm the tested subjects for Year 7 entry. Check directly with Greenfields admissions for the current assessment details.

When is the Greenfields School 11+ registration deadline?

We did not find a clearly published 2028 deadline on the official sources reviewed. Contact the school’s admissions team for the current timetable.

Is there a catchment area for Greenfields School?

We did not find an official catchment rule published in the sources reviewed. As an independent school, Greenfields appears to manage admissions directly rather than through a local-authority catchment system.

How early should my child start preparing for Greenfields School?

For most children, gentle preparation from Year 5 is enough: regular reading, secure maths and short written work. Increase the amount only once the school confirms the assessment format.

Are Greenfields practice papers worth doing if the format is unclear?

Yes, if you use them to build broad English and maths confidence rather than to guess the exact paper. Review mistakes carefully and avoid doing too many papers too quickly.

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Sources

Greenfields School website: Greenfields School is an independent day and boarding school in Forest Row, East Sussex, offering education from early years through sixth form; admissions are handled directly by the school; parents are invited to contact admissions and visit the school.
Independent Schools Inspectorate - Greenfields School: Greenfields School is an independent school; supports the general description of the school as independent.

Preparing for other schools in East Sussex

Written by ElevenReady from the school's published information and reviewed by a person before publishing. Last reviewed 20 October 2026. Exam arrangements change. Check the school's admissions page for the current year.