How to prepare for the Longridge Towers School 11+

The exam at a glance

Longridge Towers School is an independent co-educational school in Berwick-upon-Tweed for ages 3 to 19. For Year 7 entry, the school’s website says admissions involve an entrance assessment as part of its admissions process, but the school does not appear to publish detailed familiarisation information about the test format on its website.

For 2028 entry, ElevenReady’s verified information is that Longridge Towers School uses its own paper. Beyond that, the format, subjects and delivery are not confirmed from the sources reviewed. That means it is best to treat this as a school-set assessment and avoid assuming it will follow a standard grammar-school style.

What parents can say to a child now is simple: expect an assessment as part of the application, expect the school to use it alongside its wider admissions process, and expect the school to give direct instructions once you enquire or register.

Exam board: school’s own assessment
Format: not publicly confirmed
Subjects tested: not publicly confirmed
Delivery: not publicly confirmed
Day itself: likely arranged directly by the school as part of admissions, but parents should confirm the schedule with the admissions team when applying

If you want the latest school-specific summary in one place, keep an eye on The Longridge Towers School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Registration and key dates

Longridge Towers School appears to run its own admissions process rather than using a local-authority 11+ registration portal. The school’s admissions pages invite families to make direct contact, arrange a visit and discuss entry with the school.

From the official website, two useful points are clear:

Taster Days can be organised at any time of the school year.
The homepage advertises an Open Morning on Saturday 20 March 2027, 9am to 12 noon.

Those are not the same as an entrance-test deadline, and in the sources reviewed the school does not publish a full Year 7 assessment timetable for 2028 entry. Because of that, parents should contact the school directly for the live admissions schedule.

For families applying for September 2028 entry, a sensible approach is:

Make contact with the admissions team during Year 5 or early Year 6.
Book a visit, open event or taster day.
Ask specifically when Year 7 assessments for 2028 entry will be held, what paperwork is needed, and whether a school report or reference is required.
Request written confirmation of the assessment date, arrival time and any materials your child should bring.

As the school has not published verified 2028 dates in the sources reviewed, it is safest not to rely on third-party date lists. You can also sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

Documents commonly requested by independent schools may include a recent school report, date of birth details and contact information for a current school, but parents should check exactly what Longridge Towers School wants before submitting anything.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Longridge Towers School is an independent school, so the admissions process is different from a state grammar-school catchment system. In the sources reviewed, the school does not publish a catchment boundary for Year 7 entry, and ElevenReady’s verified directory also lists catchment and priority as unknown.

The school website confirms that it is co-educational and serves pupils aged 3 to 19. It also states that boarding is available, including full, weekly, flexi and occasional boarding. For some families, that may make distance from home less important than it would be for a state school.

What is not published in the sources reviewed is equally important:

no verified catchment map
no published Year 7 pass mark or qualifying score
no published oversubscription ranking for Year 7 entry
no published number of Year 7 places found in the reviewed sources

So, if you are trying to judge your child’s chances, the most useful step is to ask the school directly how Year 7 offers are decided after assessment, whether previous school reports are considered, and whether boarding and day places are handled differently.

For an independent school like this, parents should also ask practical admissions questions early: whether there is a waiting list, whether late applications can be considered, and whether there are scholarship or bursary routes relevant to Year 7.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because Longridge Towers School sets its own assessment and does not publicly confirm the paper structure, the best preparation is broad, steady and low-pressure. The aim is to build secure reading, writing and maths habits, plus confidence in working independently.

Below is a realistic plan working back from an autumn Year 6 assessment for September 2028 entry.

January to March of Year 5

Keep preparation light: around 1 to 2 hours a week in short sessions. Focus on strong core skills rather than test technique. That means reading widely, keeping arithmetic fluent, and making sure your child can explain how they worked something out.

Read fiction and non-fiction regularly.
Revise number facts, times tables and written methods.
Encourage clear handwriting and full-sentence answers.
Visit the school website and note open events or taster opportunities.

April to June of Year 5

Increase to about 2 hours a week. Start introducing short mixed tasks that require concentration and accuracy. At this stage, avoid overloading your child with full papers, especially when the format is not confirmed.

Practise comprehension from short passages.
Use problem-solving maths, not just routine arithmetic.
Build vocabulary naturally through reading and discussion.
Arrange a visit or taster day if possible.

July to August before Year 6

Summer is useful for gentle consolidation. Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week, broken into manageable chunks. Keep one session each week deliberately easy so your child does not start Year 6 feeling worn out.

Mix reading, maths and short written responses.
Practise working carefully under light time limits, such as 10 to 15 minutes.
Review any weaker areas from Year 5 schoolwork.
Contact the school if you still need admissions details for 2028 entry.

September of Year 6

This is the point to become more structured. If the school has given assessment guidance, follow that first. Without confirmed format details, keep preparation general and balanced at about 3 to 4 hours a week.

Use short timed tasks rather than guessing the exact paper style.
Practise answering clearly, checking work and moving on when stuck.
Make sure your child is sleeping well and keeping school work steady.

October and the weeks before the assessment

Keep work focused and calm. Around 3 hours a week is usually enough. Do not try to cram. If you use any mock-style materials, treat them as confidence-building practice, not as a prediction of the actual paper.

Do one or two mixed timed sessions each week.
Review mistakes the next day, not late at night after practice.
Reduce workload in the final few days.
Prioritise routine, meals and sleep.

When should timed papers begin? For this school, where the public format is unclear, most children only need light timed practice from late summer or early Year 6. Full paper practice is less important than secure fundamentals and calm exam habits.

Subject by subject: what to practise

Longridge Towers School does not appear to publish confirmed tested subjects for Year 7 entry in the sources reviewed. So the wisest approach is to prepare the subjects most commonly assessed for independent-school entry, while checking the school’s admissions page for any update.

English

Build strong reading comprehension and clear written expression. Practise finding evidence in a passage, explaining meanings in context, summarising briefly and writing in accurate sentences. Also work on punctuation, spelling and paragraphing. If your child writes creatively, encourage planning before writing so ideas are organised rather than rushed.

Mathematics

Focus on secure arithmetic first: the four operations, times tables, fractions, decimals and percentages at an age-appropriate level. Then add worded problems that require careful reading. Children should get used to showing steps neatly and checking whether an answer is sensible. Mental fluency matters, but so does written accuracy.

Reasoning or general problem-solving

Because the school has not published the assessment content, do not assume formal verbal or non-verbal reasoning will appear. A safer way to prepare is through general pattern-spotting, logic, vocabulary building and multi-step problem-solving. These skills help whatever the school sets.

Writing and interview-style communication

Some independent-school admissions processes include a written task, a discussion, or both. This is not confirmed here, but it is worth helping your child speak clearly about books, hobbies and school life, and practise writing short, thoughtful responses. The goal is not polish; it is confidence, clarity and composure.

The key principle is breadth. If the school later confirms a narrower format, you can sharpen preparation then. Until that point, broad literacy, maths confidence and careful working are the best use of time.

Practice papers and mock exams

When a school sets its own assessment and does not publish detailed specifications, practice papers should be used carefully. They are most useful for building exam habits: reading instructions properly, managing time, checking answers and staying calm when a question feels unfamiliar.

A good routine is:

Start with untimed practice to secure method and accuracy.
Move to short timed sections rather than long papers straight away.
Review every mistake and sort it: misunderstanding, rushing, forgotten knowledge or weak vocabulary.
Repeat the skill a few days later to make sure it has stuck.

For school-specific support, use these ElevenReady resources:

If you use mock exams from any provider, treat them as a rehearsal for stamina and nerves, not as a precise copy of the real assessment. For this school especially, no parent should assume that an external mock will match the exact content or style of the school’s own paper.

On the day

Keep the morning straightforward. Children do best when the adults around them are calm and predictable.

Lay out clothes, stationery and directions the night before.
Give your child a normal breakfast they know suits them.
Aim to arrive in good time so there is no rushed start.
Remind them that some questions may feel easy and some may not; that is normal.
Tell them to read carefully, show working where relevant, and move on if they get stuck.

If the school provides specific instructions about arrival, equipment or breaks, follow those rather than general advice. Once the assessment begins, the most helpful mindset is simple: one question at a time, no panic, and no dwelling on anything that has already gone.

For children who become anxious, avoid last-minute drilling in the car or on the train. A light chat, a reassuring routine and confidence in familiar methods usually work far better.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

For Longridge Towers School, the school appears to manage its own offers and admissions decisions directly. In the sources reviewed, no verified publication explains exactly when Year 7 assessment results are issued or how quickly offers follow.

That means parents should ask the school these practical questions when registering:

When will we hear the assessment outcome?
Will we receive a result, an offer decision, or both?
Is there a deadline for accepting a place?
Is there a waiting list if no place is available immediately?

Because this is an independent school, the process is usually different from National Offer Day arrangements used for state secondary admissions. Any appeal or review process is likely to be handled under the school’s own admissions arrangements rather than through local-authority grammar-school procedures, but parents should confirm the exact route directly with the school.

If your child is not offered a place straight away, it is worth asking politely whether a waiting list operates and whether the school can explain the next steps. Keep records of emails, deadlines and any forms you submit.

What has changed recently

In the official sources reviewed, I did not find a published announcement from the school setting out a recent change to the Year 7 entrance assessment format, subjects, catchment or places. The most visible dated update on the school’s website is the advertised Open Morning on Saturday 20 March 2027, alongside the standing note that Taster Days can be organised at any time of the school year.

As always with independent-school admissions, the practical details can change from one entry round to the next, so parents should check the school’s admissions page and confirm arrangements directly for 2028 entry.

Frequently asked questions

Does Longridge Towers School use GL or CEM for Year 7 entry?

No published source reviewed confirms GL or CEM. ElevenReady’s verified information is that the school uses its own assessment.

What subjects are in the Longridge Towers School entrance exam?

The school does not appear to publish confirmed tested subjects in the sources reviewed. Prepare broadly in English and maths, and check the admissions page for any update.

Is there a catchment area for Longridge Towers School?

No catchment information was published in the sources reviewed. As an independent school, it may not operate like a state grammar-school catchment system.

When should my child start preparing for Longridge Towers School?

For most children, steady preparation from Year 5 is enough. Start with core reading, writing and maths, then add light timed work in late Year 5 or early Year 6.

Are there boarding places at Longridge Towers School?

Yes. The school website states that boarding is available, including full, weekly, flexi and occasional boarding.

How do we apply for Year 7 entry?

The school appears to handle admissions directly. Contact Longridge Towers School through its admissions route, arrange a visit if helpful, and ask for the current Year 7 assessment process and dates.

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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.