How to prepare for the LGS Stoneygate 11+ exam

The exam at a glance

LGS Stoneygate is an independent school within the Leicester Grammar School Trust, and for Year 7 entry it uses the school’s own entrance assessment process rather than a local grammar-school consortium test.

For the current published Year 7 entry information on the school’s admissions page, the school says that once it receives an application, it invites the child to a taster and assessment day. The same page gives a named entrance assessment date for Year 7 to Year 10 applicants. That tells parents two useful things: first, admissions are run directly by the school; second, the assessment is part of a wider visit day rather than a stand-alone public test centre experience.

What is not currently confirmed in official information we found is the detailed paper format for 2028 entry: the school does not publish, on the pages reviewed, the exact paper structure, the subjects tested, the length of each section, or whether the assessment is computer-based or paper-based. Because of that, it is best to treat this as a school-set assessment and check the school’s admissions page regularly for the most up-to-date guidance.

In practical terms, parents should expect the day to include:

an application made directly to the school;
an invitation to attend a taster and assessment day;
an entrance assessment on the date the school publishes for that entry round;
communication from the school later in the admissions cycle about the outcome.

If you want a simple overview page to keep bookmarked, see The LGS Stoneygate 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Registration and key dates

For LGS Stoneygate, registration is handled by the school itself, not by a local authority grammar-school portal. The admissions page includes an enquiry/application route and explains that after an application is received, the school invites the child to a taster and assessment day.

For the most recently published Year 7 admissions round we found, the school states:

Application deadline: 7 December 2026.
Entrance assessment date for Year 7 to Year 10: Thursday 14 January 2027.
Parents informed: by the end of January 2027.
Acceptance deadline: to be confirmed in early March 2027.

For children starting Year 7 in September 2028, the school had not yet published the full set of 2027–28 entry dates on the pages reviewed. So the safest way to think about timing is that the process typically works like this, based on the school’s published 2027 entry page:

apply in the autumn term of Year 6;
deadline typically in early December;
assessment day typically in January;
results communicated by the end of January.

If you are planning ahead for 2028 entry, start checking the school’s admissions page from early autumn 2026 onwards and sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

The school pages reviewed do not set out a published list of supporting documents for Year 7 applications. In practice, independent schools commonly ask for basic pupil details, current school information and parent contact details, but because this was not specified on the pages fetched, parents should follow the school’s own application instructions when the 2028 process opens.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

LGS Stoneygate is an independent, coeducational school for pupils aged 4 to 16. Unlike state grammar schools, it does not operate a catchment-area admissions model on the information reviewed. Families do not need to live within a defined priority area to apply.

Admissions are run directly by the school and form part of the Leicester Grammar School Trust’s own process. The school’s admissions page makes clear that pupils are invited to a taster and assessment day after application, which suggests that decisions are not based only on a form submitted by parents.

We did not find an official published number of Year 7 places for the entry round in the sources reviewed, and the school pages reviewed do not publish a pass mark, a lowest qualifying score or a cut-off score. If you need those details, the sensible approach is to ask the admissions team directly and to rely only on the school’s own written information.

Because this is an independent-school process, it is worth thinking about admissions in two parts:

Suitability for the school — the assessment day and the school’s broader view of whether the setting is right for your child.
Practical decision-making — whether a place is offered, and the timescale for accepting it once the school writes to families.

If your child has special educational needs, a disability, or access arrangements already used in school, contact LGS Stoneygate admissions early. We did not find a published access-arrangements policy specific to the Year 7 assessment on the pages reviewed, so it is best to ask the school what evidence they require and by when.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because LGS Stoneygate sets its own assessment and does not publicly set out a detailed paper specification on the pages reviewed, the best preparation is broad, calm and well paced. The aim is to build strong reading, clear mathematical thinking and confidence in working independently under gentle time pressure.

For a child sitting in January of Year 6, this is a realistic plan.

March to May of Year 5

Keep it light: around 1 to 1.5 hours a week in short sessions. Focus on the basics that feed almost any entrance assessment: secure arithmetic, reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling accuracy and clear written expression. This is also a good time to build steady habits rather than chase test technique.

Read widely, including fiction and non-fiction.
Revise number facts, times tables and written methods.
Practise explaining answers aloud.
Write short pieces regularly and edit them for accuracy.

June to August of Year 5

Increase to around 2 hours a week, still split across a few sessions. Begin introducing unfamiliar material and slightly longer tasks. Summer is useful for confidence-building, but avoid turning every week into test week.

Work on careful reading of instructions.
Practise mental arithmetic and problem solving.
Build vocabulary from reading, not just word lists.
Encourage neat, fluent handwriting if your child writes slowly.

September of Year 6

Move to about 2 to 3 hours a week. Once the school publishes current information, match your preparation more closely to anything it says about the assessment day. If detail is still limited, continue with balanced preparation across English and maths and add short timed tasks.

Introduce mini timed exercises of 10 to 15 minutes.
Practise checking work at the end of a task.
Talk about staying calm when a question feels unfamiliar.

October to November of Year 6

This is the point to become a little more structured: roughly 3 hours a week for most children is enough. You do not need marathon sessions. One full practice task at the weekend plus two shorter weekday sessions is usually more effective.

Use mixed-topic work so your child switches between skills.
Practise accuracy first, then speed.
Review mistakes carefully and redo them a few days later.

December of Year 6

Keep the work steady but not intense, especially if the application deadline falls in early December and the assessment is in January. Around 2 to 3 hours a week is usually plenty.

Do a small number of timed pieces under quiet conditions.
Revisit weak spots rather than constantly starting new material.
Protect sleep, sport and downtime.

January of Year 6, just before the assessment

In the final one to two weeks, reduce volume and focus on routine. Short refreshers are better than heavy last-minute cramming.

Do brief warm-up tasks only.
Pack what is needed the night before.
Keep the morning calm and familiar.

The most important principle is this: if the school has not published a detailed breakdown, do not over-specialise too early. Build strong core skills and adaptability instead.

Subject by subject: what to practise

The school does not currently publish, in the official material we reviewed, a full subject-by-subject specification for the Year 7 assessment. That means parents should avoid assuming a particular commercial test style and instead prepare broadly for the kinds of skills independent-school entrance assessments often draw on.

English

If English is part of the assessment, the most useful preparation is usually a mix of reading comprehension, vocabulary development and accurate writing.

Practise reading passages carefully and answering from evidence.
Work on inference: how a character feels, why an author chose a phrase, what a paragraph suggests rather than states.
Revise punctuation, spelling and sentence control.
Write short responses that are clear, organised and proofread.

Good preparation is not only about getting the right answer. It is also about showing understanding clearly and avoiding careless copying or vague explanations.

Mathematics

If maths is included, aim for secure Year 5 and early Year 6 fluency plus confidence with multi-step problems.

Revise place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages.
Practise word problems that require choosing the correct method.
Include mental arithmetic as well as written working.
Encourage tidy layout so errors are easier to spot.

Many children know the method but lose marks through rushing. A little timed practice helps, but accuracy matters first.

Reasoning or broader school-set tasks

Because the school’s exact format is not published on the pages reviewed, it is sensible to prepare your child for unfamiliar instructions and independent thinking.

Use short exercises where your child must spot patterns or explain their thinking.
Practise listening carefully to instructions and completing a task in one sitting.
Build confidence with unfamiliar vocabulary through regular reading.

If the school later publishes more specific guidance for 2028 entry, use that as your main source and narrow your preparation accordingly.

Practice papers and mock exams

When a school uses its own assessment and publishes limited detail, practice papers are most useful when they build transferable skills rather than encourage guesswork about the exact paper.

A sensible approach is:

Start untimed. Make sure your child can do the work accurately before adding pressure.
Use short timed sections. Ten or fifteen minutes is enough at first.
Review every paper properly. Go through errors, classify them and redo the hardest questions later in the week.
Do not overdo full mocks. A small number of well-reviewed papers is better than a large pile rushed through.
Practise stamina gently. If the assessment day includes several activities, children need focus and resilience as well as subject knowledge.

You can use these ElevenReady resources alongside the school’s own admissions information:

If you book a mock exam elsewhere, choose one for confidence and routine rather than because it claims to replicate the LGS Stoneygate paper exactly. Unless the school itself publishes that detail, no external provider can confirm the precise format.

On the day

Because LGS Stoneygate describes the process as a taster and assessment day, it helps to present the day to your child as a chance to experience the school, not just a test to be endured.

Keep the morning ordinary. Familiar breakfast, familiar routine, no last-minute revision in the car.
Arrive in good time. A calm arrival is worth far more than squeezing in one extra question at home.
Dress and equipment: follow the school’s instructions exactly once you receive them.
Remind your child of the basics: read carefully, listen closely, ask if instructions are unclear, and move on if one question feels hard.
Afterwards, keep the conversation light. Start with how the day felt, not a detailed post-mortem of every answer.

For children who become anxious, one simple script helps: do the question in front of you, one step at a time. That is often enough to stop a wobble turning into a difficult paper.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For the most recently published Year 7 round we reviewed, the school says parents are informed by the end of January 2027 after the January assessment day. It also says that the deadline for acceptance of places would be confirmed in early March 2027.

For 2028 entry, unless and until the school publishes a new timetable, parents should treat that as the typical pattern: assessment in January, outcome by the end of January, then a later acceptance deadline communicated by the school.

As an independent school, LGS Stoneygate’s offers and acceptances sit outside the state secondary national offer day system. In practical terms, that means families should read offer letters carefully, note any acceptance deadline, and check what happens if they need more time to decide.

We did not find a published appeals process for Year 7 entrance assessment decisions on the pages reviewed. Independent schools do not use the same statutory admissions appeal system as state schools. If your child is not offered a place, the right next step is to ask the school politely whether there is a waiting list, whether further assessment is possible, and whether feedback can be given.

What has changed recently

In the official sources reviewed, we found the school’s published admissions information for the current Year 7 round, including a named assessment date and the note that applicants are invited to a taster and assessment day after applying. We did not find a separately announced recent change to the exam board, test format, catchment policy or number of places for the last two years on the pages reviewed.

That means there is no confirmed recent change to report from the sources we found. Parents should still check the admissions page regularly, because school-set assessments can be updated without the kind of public consultation seen in state-sector admissions.

Frequently asked questions

Does LGS Stoneygate use the local grammar school 11+ test?

No. The admissions information reviewed shows that LGS Stoneygate runs its own entrance assessment process directly through the school.

What is the deadline for LGS Stoneygate Year 7 applications?

For the latest published round we found, the deadline was 7 December 2026. For 2028 entry, check the school’s admissions page because new dates may be published later.

When is the LGS Stoneygate entrance assessment usually held?

The most recently published Year 7 to Year 10 assessment date we found was Thursday 14 January 2027. For 2028 entry, January is the typical timing unless the school announces otherwise.

Does LGS Stoneygate have a catchment area?

No catchment area was published in the admissions information reviewed. As an independent school, applications are made directly to the school rather than through a catchment-based grammar admissions system.

What subjects are in the LGS Stoneygate 11+?

The official pages we reviewed did not publish a full subject breakdown for the Year 7 assessment. It is safest to treat it as a school-set assessment and check the admissions page for any updated guidance.

When do parents hear the result?

For the latest published round we found, parents were to be informed by the end of January 2027. Expect a similar pattern for 2028 entry unless the school publishes a different schedule.

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Sources

LGS Stoneygate Admissions: LGS Stoneygate is part of the Leicester Grammar School Trust; it serves pupils aged 4–16; admissions are run directly by the school; once the school receives an application it invites the child to a taster and assessment day; for the published Year 7 round the application deadline is 7 December 2026
LGS Stoneygate Website: LGS Stoneygate is an independent coeducational school in the Leicester Grammar School Trust for ages 4–16.

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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.