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 to Year 7, Northampton High School GDST uses its own entrance assessment. The school’s 11+ assessment is a computer-based, timed test covering Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. In practice, that means girls need a balanced preparation plan across all four areas, and they should get used to answering questions accurately and briskly on screen.
The school’s admissions pages explain that most Senior School entrants join at 11+ for Year 7, and that parents apply directly to the school rather than through a grammar-school consortium or local authority test process. For 2028 entry, treat this as an independent-school admissions journey: registration, assessment, interview or follow-up steps if requested, then an offer timetable set by the school.
Because the assessment is sat on a computer, preparation should not be limited to paper workbooks. It is sensible to include screen-based practice, short timed tasks and careful reading of instructions. Children often find computer testing comfortable once they have seen how multiple-choice and on-screen navigation work, but unfamiliarity can still slow them down.
- Board/setting: the school’s own entrance assessment process
- Question style: GL-style assessment across four subjects
- Subjects: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning
- Delivery: computer-based
- Timing: timed assessment; the school has not published a detailed public minute-by-minute breakdown for 2028 entry
- Who runs it: Northampton High School GDST admissions
What does the day usually look like? Independent-school assessment days are typically calmer and more guided than many parents expect. Children usually arrive, are registered in, complete the assessment in a supervised setting and then leave, with any further admissions steps communicated afterwards. If the school publishes a more detailed 2028 schedule later, use that rather than relying on previous cycles.
Registration and key dates
For Northampton High School GDST, parents apply directly to the school through its admissions process. The school’s How to apply page says families should complete a registration form and pay the registration fee. It also states that a child’s most recent school report and a copy of their birth certificate or passport are needed as part of registration.
For 2028 entry, the school had not yet published a full Year 7 timeline at the time of writing. The most useful official guide is the latest Year 7 timetable visible on the school site for the previous cycle. The school says it recommends registering by mid October 2026 for September 2027 entry, with the entrance assessment day on Friday 15 January 2027. Offers were due week commencing 8 February 2027, and the deadline to accept was Wednesday 3 March 2027. For families aiming at September 2028, that suggests the process is typically autumn registration, a January assessment, and offers in February — but parents should check the school page regularly for the 2028 dates once published.
If you are also considering scholarships or bursaries, the school’s published timetable for the previous cycle included a Friday 20 November 2026 deadline for scholarship and bursary applications. Again, treat that as the latest published pattern rather than a confirmed 2028 deadline.
| Step | What to expect |
| Registration opens | Not yet published for 2028 entry on the school site |
| How to register | Directly with Northampton High School GDST via the school’s registration form |
| Documents | Most recent school report plus birth certificate or passport copy |
| Registration fee | £120, non-refundable |
| Typical deadline pattern | Latest published cycle says registration is recommended by mid October |
| Typical assessment timing | Latest published cycle had the Year 7 entrance assessment in mid January |
| Typical offer timing | Latest published cycle: offers in early February |
If you want a simple way to keep track of updates, you can use Free email alerts for this school's key dates. It is also worth bookmarking The Northampton High School GDST 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates) alongside the school’s own admissions page.
Who can apply: catchment and admissions
Northampton High School GDST is an independent girls’ school, so there is no catchment area in the way many grammar schools use one. Families do not need to live within a defined priority zone to apply. Instead, the main questions are whether the school is the right fit academically and pastorally, whether a place is available, and whether the child performs strongly in the admissions process.
The school’s website states that most girls join the Senior School at 11+ for Year 7 and at 13+ for Year 9. That makes Year 7 the main entry point for many families.
Independent schools do not always publish a fixed number of Year 7 places in the same way state schools do. For Northampton High School GDST, we did not find a clearly published official figure for the number of Year 7 places for 2028 entry on the pages reviewed, so it is best to ask admissions directly if you want the latest intake picture.
In practical terms, admissions are likely to consider:
- the child’s performance in the entrance assessment
- school reports and broader evidence of current attainment
- any interview or admissions meeting if the school includes one in the process
- whether the family completes registration and accepts any offer by the stated deadlines
Because this is an independent-school application, parents should also look carefully at the financial side early on. The school states that there is a £120 non-refundable registration fee and a £500 deposit to secure a place.
A month-by-month preparation plan
For a child hoping to start Year 7 in September 2028, the assessment is expected to fall in January 2028 if the school follows its latest published pattern. A calm plan is usually better than an intense one. For most Year 5 children, 2 to 3 hours a week at the start is enough, rising gradually later.
March to May of Year 5
Keep it light and diagnostic. Spend time finding strengths and weaker areas across Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Aim for two or three short sessions each week rather than one long one. Build secure arithmetic, careful reading habits and familiarity with common reasoning formats.
- Weekly time: about 2 hours
- Focus: core skills, vocabulary, number fluency, pattern recognition
- Goal: identify what needs the most support
June to July of Year 5
Begin more structured practice. Rotate all four subjects so none is neglected. At this stage, use untimed work first, then introduce gentle time awareness. If your child has done little screen-based work, start adding it now so it feels ordinary by autumn.
- Weekly time: 2 to 3 hours
- Focus: method, accuracy, understanding instructions on screen
- Goal: cover the full range of question types steadily
August before Year 6
Keep momentum without letting preparation dominate the holiday. Short, regular sessions work best. This is a good month for consolidating weaker topics and doing one mixed practice task each week.
- Weekly time: 2 to 3 hours
- Focus: revision and consistency
- Goal: return to school feeling confident, not tired of the process
September of Year 6
Now move into more exam-specific preparation. Increase timed work a little, but still review mistakes properly. If your child rushes, focus on accuracy under moderate time pressure. If she is accurate but slow, practise making sensible decisions about when to move on.
- Weekly time: 3 to 4 hours
- Focus: timed sections, pacing, stamina
- Goal: become comfortable switching between different subjects and question styles
October of Year 6
This is often the point to start occasional longer mixed papers or back-to-back sections. Do not do them too often; one useful paper with careful review is better than several rushed ones.
- Weekly time: 3 to 4 hours
- Focus: timing strategy, spotting recurring errors
- Goal: develop a reliable routine for each subject
November of Year 6
Use targeted practice based on patterns you can now see. Perhaps Maths accuracy drops on multi-step problems, or Verbal Reasoning is slowed by unfamiliar vocabulary. This is the month to fix those patterns.
- Weekly time: 4 hours
- Focus: weak-area repair plus one timed mixed task weekly
- Goal: lift weaker subjects without losing stronger ones
December of Year 6
By now, timed papers should feel normal. Do not overload the final weeks. Keep practice regular, review calmly and make sure your child still has school, hobbies and rest.
- Weekly time: 3 to 4 hours
- Focus: consolidation, confidence, screen familiarity
- Goal: stable performance rather than last-minute cramming
January of Year 6
In the final fortnight, reduce volume slightly. Use short refreshers, one or two realistic timed tasks and plenty of sleep. The aim is to arrive alert and steady.
- Weekly time: 2 to 3 hours
- Focus: confidence and routine
- Goal: feel prepared, not pressured
Subject by subject: what to practise
Maths
For a GL-style Maths assessment, children should be ready for arithmetic, place value, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio basics, measures, geometry, data handling and worded problems. The most useful preparation combines secure Year 5 classroom maths with fast, careful interpretation of short questions.
- Practise mental arithmetic and written methods until they are dependable
- Use short timed sets to build speed without losing accuracy
- Include word problems, because reading errors often cost marks
- Teach your child to skip and return if one question is taking too long
English
English preparation should cover comprehension, vocabulary and grammar-style accuracy. Because this is a timed computer-based assessment, children need to read briskly, locate evidence efficiently and stay precise with meanings.
- Read fiction and non-fiction regularly and discuss tone, inference and meaning
- Build vocabulary actively, not passively, using word families and context
- Revise punctuation, sentence structure and common grammatical terms
- Practise answering from the text rather than from general impression
Verbal Reasoning
GL-style Verbal Reasoning usually rewards familiarity. Children do better when they have seen the main task types many times and know what each is asking them to do. Vocabulary breadth matters here too.
- Cover the full spread of common verbal reasoning formats
- Learn any recurring methods step by step before timing them
- Build spelling confidence and word knowledge alongside question practice
- Keep sessions short and frequent, because technique improves with repetition
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-Verbal Reasoning tests visual logic: patterns, shapes, rotations, reflections, codes and similarities. Children often improve quickly once they learn to look systematically rather than guessing from first impressions.
- Teach your child to check shape, size, position, shading and rotation in order
- Practise spotting the rule before looking at the answer choices
- Use mixed sets so she learns to identify question types quickly
- Do some timed work on screen, as visual scanning can feel different digitally
Across all four subjects, the key is balance. Northampton High School GDST’s format means no single area should be ignored, even if your child already seems strong in one or two of them.
Practice papers and mock exams
Practice papers work best when they are used as a learning tool, not just a score generator. Start with untimed or lightly timed work so your child understands the task types. Move to timed sections once methods are secure. After each paper, spend longer reviewing mistakes than taking the test itself.
A helpful review routine is:
- Mark the paper calmly and note every wrong answer.
- Sort errors into three groups: didn’t know, knew but rushed, and misread the question.
- Redo just those questions a day later.
- Keep a short notebook of recurring patterns.
Because this assessment is computer-based, include some digital practice too. Even confident children can lose time if they are not used to reading dense question sets on screen or managing timed tasks without writing all over the page.
For subject-specific practice, use Free Northampton High School GDST practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers). For a wider overview of the school’s admissions route, see The Northampton High School GDST 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates). If you want reminders when the school publishes new deadlines, sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates.
If you use mock exams, choose them carefully. A mock is most useful when it helps with timing, stamina and confidence under formal conditions. It is less useful if it simply raises anxiety. One or two well-timed mocks in the autumn of Year 6 are usually enough for most children.
On the day
Keep the morning simple. Lay out clothes, directions and any essentials the night before. Aim to arrive in good time, with enough margin that nobody feels rushed.
- Have a normal breakfast your child is used to
- Avoid last-minute cramming in the car
- Bring any confirmation details the school has requested
- Use calm language: steady effort matters more than perfection
For the child herself, a few reminders help:
- Read the instructions carefully before starting each section
- Work at a sensible pace rather than racing the clock from the first question
- If stuck, move on and return if there is time
- Keep focus on one question at a time, not on how others might be doing
After the assessment, try not to dissect every answer. Most children feel better if the family treats the day as complete and moves on until results arrive.
After the exam: results, allocation and appeals
For Northampton High School GDST, the process after the assessment is the school’s own admissions timetable rather than the national offer day system used for state secondary schools. In the latest published Year 7 cycle on the school site, offers were made in the week commencing 8 February 2027, and families had until Wednesday 3 March 2027 to accept. For 2028 entry, expect a similar independent-school pattern unless the school publishes otherwise.
If a place is offered and you want to accept it, the school states that a £500 deposit is required to secure the place. Parents should always read the current offer letter and terms carefully, as those documents set out the exact acceptance steps.
Independent-school admissions do not work like local-authority allocations, and formal appeal arrangements are not the same as state-school statutory admission appeals. If your daughter is not offered a place, the practical step is to speak to the admissions team politely and ask whether there is a waiting list, whether feedback is available, and whether any later vacancies sometimes arise.
Where bursaries or scholarships are relevant, check the school’s current financial assistance information early. Deadlines can fall well before the assessment date.
What has changed recently
The latest official Year 7 information visible on the school site sets out a published timeline for the 2027 entry cycle, including recommended registration by mid October 2026, an entrance assessment day on Friday 15 January 2027, scholarship and bursary applications by Friday 20 November 2026, offers in the week commencing 8 February 2027, and acceptance by Wednesday 3 March 2027. For 2028 entry, no newer official timeline was published on the pages reviewed, so there is no announced change yet to report beyond that latest published schedule pattern.
We did not find an official announcement on the pages reviewed of a recent change to catchment, because the school is an independent school and does not operate a catchment area. We also did not find a published announcement changing the tested subjects from the current four-part assessment of Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Frequently asked questions
Does Northampton High School GDST have a catchment area?
No. It is an independent school, so there is no catchment area in the grammar-school sense.
What subjects are in the Northampton High School GDST 11+?
For 2028 entry, families should prepare for Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning in a computer-based timed assessment.
Is the Northampton High School GDST entrance exam on paper or on a computer?
It is computer-based. That makes screen practice and timed digital work worth including in preparation.
When is the Northampton High School GDST Year 7 entrance assessment usually held?
The school’s latest published Year 7 timeline showed an entrance assessment day on 15 January 2027 for the previous cycle. For 2028 entry, check the school site for the confirmed date once published.
How do I register for Northampton High School GDST?
You apply directly to the school using its registration process. The school says families complete a registration form and provide a recent school report plus a birth certificate or passport copy.
How much does it cost to register?
The school states there is a £120 non-refundable registration fee. If a place is offered and accepted, a £500 deposit is required to secure it.
Sources
- Northampton High School GDST – How to apply: Direct application to the school; registration form process; most recent school report and birth certificate or passport copy required; £120 non-refundable registration fee; £500 deposit to secure a place; most Senior School entrants join at 11+ and 13+.
- Northampton High School GDST – School website: Northampton High School GDST is a girls’ school with Senior School and Sixth Form.
Preparing for other schools in West Northamptonshire
- Bosworth Independent School · practice papers
- Oneschool Global Uk, Northampton Campus · practice papers
- Pitsford School · practice papers
- Quinton House School · practice papers
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.