How to prepare for the Holme Grange 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

For September 2028 entry, Holme Grange School uses its own admissions process. The assessment format combines a GL Assessment-style paper across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, and the school’s admissions information also refers to an Admissions Day with reasoning and maths assessments plus an English writing task. In practice, parents should prepare across all four subjects rather than treating this as a single-subject test.

The school describes its Senior School entry process as including taster days and an Admissions Day. That means children are usually being considered on more than one element: written assessment, how they cope with a school day, and how comfortably they engage with staff and activities.

For families, the useful takeaway is this:

Build steady skills in English and Maths.
Add regular practice in Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Expect a mixed delivery rather than one long paper in one format.
Prepare your child for both academic work and the feel of an in-school assessment day.

Because Holme Grange is an independent school, the day is not the same as a large consortium test taken by thousands of children at once. It is usually more personal and school-led. That can feel less intimidating for some children, but it also means parents should read each year’s instructions carefully when registration opens.

Registration and key dates

Holme Grange handles admissions through the school’s own admissions team, not through a local authority 11+ portal. The school’s admissions page asks families to make contact directly and describes the application route through enquiry, visiting, registration and assessment.

For the current published cycle, the school confirms a Senior School Admissions Day in November before entry. ElevenReady’s directory (not yet verified with the school) also confirms a registration deadline of 9 November 2026 and a typical exam date of 21 November 2026 for the following cycle. For 2028 entry, families should treat those dates as a guide only until Holme Grange publishes its own timetable.

What is published for the recent cycle is helpful for planning:

A Whole School Open Morning on 3 October 2026.
An Open Taster Day & Year 6 Discovery Day on 13 October 2026.
Scholarship assessments in the week commencing 23 November 2026.
The school says scholarships are awarded during the Autumn Term of Year 6.

So, if your child is aiming for September 2028 entry, the most sensible planning assumption is:

Enquiries and visits: usually in the first half of the autumn term of Year 6.
Main assessment day: typically in November of Year 6.
Scholarship activity, where relevant: later in the autumn term.

When registration opens, check whether the school asks for a registration form, a fee, school reports or any identification documents. The published admissions page confirms the school-led process, but families should always use the latest instructions on the school website before submitting anything.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Holme Grange is an independent, co-educational school and there is no catchment area. Families do not need to live within a particular boundary to apply.

The school’s admissions page explains entry through its own process rather than through a state-school rank order system. For Senior School entry, the school refers to visits, taster opportunities and assessment. That is typical of independent-school admissions, where decisions are based on whether the school believes it can offer a suitable place and whether the child is a good fit for the school’s academic and pastoral environment.

Holme Grange publishes its senior fees. From September 2026, fees are £7,781 per term for Years 7–8 and £8,022 per term for Years 9–11, inclusive of VAT.

The school website also highlights scholarships. The current published timeline shows scholarship assessments in late November, so families interested in scholarships should ask early what evidence, auditions, portfolios or separate assessments may be required for the year they are applying.

The school does not publish a standardised pass mark or a state-style qualifying score on the pages reviewed. Independent schools usually do not frame offers in those terms, so parents should rely on the school’s own admissions guidance rather than looking for a cut-off score.

A month-by-month preparation plan

For Holme Grange, a calm and steady build is usually better than very heavy tutoring. Because the process is school-led and covers four areas, the aim is broad confidence rather than chasing one narrow test style.

January to March of Year 5

Keep it light. Around 1 to 1.5 hours a week is enough for most children at this stage.

Secure arithmetic facts and written methods in Maths.
Read widely for comprehension and vocabulary.
Introduce Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning gently, as short puzzle-style sessions.
Build stamina by asking your child to complete small tasks neatly and independently.

April to June of Year 5

Increase to around 2 hours a week, split into short sessions.

Start regular comprehension practice, including retrieval, inference and vocabulary-in-context.
Revise core maths topics from school: place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, measures and word problems.
Learn the main VR question families so they become familiar rather than surprising.
Add simple NVR work on shapes, codes, rotations and patterns.

Summer holiday before Year 6

Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week. Keep sessions short and consistent.

Mix all four subjects each week.
Begin short timed sections, not full papers yet.
Keep reading every day, including fiction and non-fiction.
Practise neat English writing under gentle time limits.

September of Year 6

Move up to around 3 to 4 hours a week.

Start proper timed practice in all four subjects.
Review mistakes carefully, especially avoidable ones.
Visit the school if possible and attend open events.
If scholarship entry is relevant, ask the school what extra preparation is needed.

October of Year 6

This is usually the key consolidation month. Around 4 hours a week is realistic for many children, with one rest day after any full mock.

Use mixed papers to practise switching between subjects.
Work on timing discipline: do not get stuck on one hard question.
Keep one weekly writing task for structure, punctuation and clarity.
Practise calm exam routines: listening carefully, checking pages, moving on sensibly.

November of Year 6

Taper slightly in the final days.

In the first half of the month, complete a few final timed papers.
In the last week, focus on confidence, sleep and quick refreshers rather than cramming.
Talk through what the day may feel like, especially if there is a taster or group element as well as written work.

If your child is bright but anxious, less is often more. A relaxed child who knows the routine will usually do better than a tired child who has worked through too many papers.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Maths

Prepare for a broad 11+ style maths paper rather than highly unusual problem-solving. The most useful areas to secure are number fluency, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measures, perimeter and area, simple algebraic thinking, and multi-step word problems.

Practise mental arithmetic for speed and confidence.
Make sure your child shows clear working.
Use timed sets of mixed questions rather than one topic at a time only.
Teach your child to underline the actual question in word problems.

English

The school’s published admissions information refers to an English writing task, so preparation should include both comprehension and written expression.

For comprehension, practise retrieval, inference, authorial choice, vocabulary and summarising.
For writing, work on planning quickly, writing in paragraphs and checking punctuation.
Build vocabulary through reading, discussion and light word-study rather than memorising long lists.
Ask for neat, legible handwriting under time pressure.

Verbal Reasoning

GL-style Verbal Reasoning usually rewards familiarity. Children do better when they recognise the task type immediately.

Work on codes, letter sequences, related words, opposites, hidden words and logical language patterns.
Keep a notebook of any question types that repeatedly cause errors.
Strengthen vocabulary alongside technique.
Use short timed drills, because speed matters once the method is secure.

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning often tests pattern recognition and visual logic. Many children improve quickly once they learn how to look systematically.

Practise rotations, reflections, shape sequences, analogies, odd one out and visual codes.
Encourage your child to look for one change at a time: shape, size, shading, position or number.
Use squared paper or rough notes if that helps them track a rule.
Do little and often; NVR responds well to regular exposure.

Practice papers and mock exams

Use practice papers to build familiarity, not fear. For Holme Grange, balanced preparation matters because the admissions process covers Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

A good pattern is:

Learn the method untimed.
Practise in short timed sections.
Move to mixed papers.
Review every mistake and classify it: knowledge gap, vocabulary gap, timing issue or careless slip.

Two or three well-reviewed papers are usually more valuable than ten rushed ones. If your child keeps making the same mistake, pause the papers and reteach the underlying skill.

Useful ElevenReady resources for this school:

If you use a mock exam elsewhere, treat it as a confidence-building rehearsal. The aim is to practise timing, stamina and recovery after a hard section, not to attach too much importance to one score.

On the day

Keep the morning simple. Aim for a normal breakfast, comfortable uniform or clothing if specified, and a calm journey with plenty of time. Avoid last-minute teaching in the car.

Check the school’s instructions the night before.
Pack any requested stationery early.
Arrive in good time so your child is not rushed.
Remind them that some questions are meant to feel hard.
Encourage sensible pacing: answer what you can, move on, come back if there is time.

Because Holme Grange’s process may include a taster or school-based element as well as written assessment, remind your child to be polite, listen carefully and ask if they are unsure what to do. Schools are not expecting perfection; they are often looking for children who can engage positively and cope with the day sensibly.

After the test, avoid a detailed post-mortem. A snack, some fresh air and an ordinary afternoon are usually best.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

At an independent school such as Holme Grange, the post-exam process is different from state grammar school allocation. Families are usually informed directly by the school whether a place, waiting list position or another next step is being offered.

The school’s published pages reviewed for this guide do not give a public pass mark or a published cut-off score. They also do not set out a local-authority style National Offer Day process for Year 7 entry, because the school runs its own admissions.

In general, families should expect:

assessment and school review;
direct communication from the admissions team;
separate information, where relevant, about scholarships;
acceptance paperwork and deposit arrangements if a place is offered.

If your child is not offered a place, the next step is to ask the school politely whether a waiting list operates and whether there is any formal review or appeal route. Independent schools do not always use the same appeal framework as state schools, so the school’s own terms are the ones to follow.

What has changed recently

The recent published changes and confirmed points we found are as follows:

The school’s fee schedule confirms that from September 2026, Years 7–8 are £7,781 per term and Years 9–11 are £8,022 per term, inclusive of VAT.
The published 2027 admissions timeline includes a Whole School Open Morning on 3 October 2026, an Open Taster Day & Year 6 Discovery Day on 13 October 2026, and scholarship assessments in the week commencing 23 November 2026.
The school states that the Senior School Admissions Day is held annually in the November before entry.

We did not find an announced recent change to the exam board or a published new catchment rule, and Holme Grange does not use a catchment area for Senior School entry.

Frequently asked questions

Does Holme Grange School have a catchment area for Year 7 entry?

No. Holme Grange is an independent school and does not use a catchment area for Senior School admissions.

What does Holme Grange test for 11+ entry?

For 2028 entry, preparation should cover Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The school’s admissions information also refers to reasoning and maths assessments plus an English writing task.

When is the Holme Grange Year 7 assessment usually held?

The school says its Senior School Admissions Day is held annually in November before entry. For 2028 entry, check the school website for the exact published date once released.

Does Holme Grange publish a pass mark?

We did not find a published pass mark or qualifying score on the school pages reviewed. Independent schools often assess more holistically and do not always publish score thresholds.

Are scholarships available for Holme Grange Senior School?

Yes, the school’s recent timeline includes scholarship assessments, with scholarships awarded during the Autumn Term of Year 6. Ask the admissions team early about the categories and requirements for your child’s year of entry.

Who runs the application process for Holme Grange?

The school runs its own admissions process. Families should apply through Holme Grange rather than a local authority 11+ portal.

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Sources

Holme Grange School admissions – How to apply: The school runs its own admissions process; Senior School entry includes taster days and an Admissions Day; the school says the Senior School Admissions Day is held annually in the November before entry.
Holme Grange School fees: From September 2026, Years 7–8 fees are £7,781 per term and Years 9–11 fees are £8,022 per term, inclusive of VAT.
Holme Grange School open events: Whole School Open Morning on 3 October 2026; Open Taster Day & Year 6 Discovery Day on 13 October 2026.
Holme Grange School scholarships: Scholarship assessments in the week commencing 23 November 2026; scholarships are awarded during the Autumn Term of Year 6.

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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.