How to prepare for the Priory School 11+

The exam at a glance

For September 2028 entry, Priory School says its admissions process begins with registration, a visit to the school and then two taster days during which your child is assessed. The school’s admissions page does not currently publish a separate 11+ test specification in the way many grammar schools do.

The safest way to think about Priory’s process is that it is school-run and based around the school’s own assessment arrangements rather than a standardised consortium exam. However, the school does not currently publish the detailed format, tested subjects, timings or whether any part is paper-based or computer-based on the admissions page we found.

What parents can say with confidence from the official page is:

You register first.
Families are invited to visit the school.
Children then attend two taster days.
Assessment takes place during those taster days.

Because the published information is broad rather than highly technical, parents should avoid assuming the assessment matches GL, CEM or any other familiar 11+ style. Priory’s own page is the best place to check for updates: /schools/priory-school is a useful starting point for an overview, but always compare it with the school’s latest admissions page before booking preparation or travel.

In practice, the day is likely to feel more like a school experience than a one-off hall test. That means preparation should cover not only academic confidence, but also listening carefully, settling into an unfamiliar routine, speaking politely with adults and approaching classroom tasks calmly.

Registration and key dates

Priory School’s admissions page says families should complete a registration form before taster days are arranged. The same page also says there is a £60 registration fee including VAT. At the time of writing, the school page we found does not publish a full timetable of dates for 2028 entry such as registration opening day, registration deadline, assessment dates or results day.

That means parents should plan on two tracks:

Check the school’s admissions page regularly for the next published intake information.
Contact the admissions team directly if your child is aiming for Year 7 entry in September 2028 and dates are still not shown.

From the school’s own page, the sequence appears to be:

Submit the registration form.
Pay the registration fee.
Visit the school.
Your child attends two taster days and is assessed during them.

The school page we found does not set out a list of required documents on the public admissions-process page, so it is sensible to have the usual details ready when you enquire: your child’s full name, date of birth, current school, current year group, parent contact details and any recent school reports if requested.

If you want reminders rather than checking manually, you can sign up for Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=priory-school.

For a quick overview page that we update when official information appears, see The Priory School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/priory-school.

At present, no verified public deadline or exam date is available from the sources fetched, so parents should not rely on forum posts or old social-media comments. Use the school’s admissions page as the decision-maker.

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

Priory School is an independent coeducational school in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Unlike many state grammar schools, independent schools do not usually operate through local-authority catchment rules in the same way. On the public admissions page we found, Priory does not publish a catchment area, priority map or distance rule for Year 7 entry.

It does, however, publish the school address as 39 Sir Harry’s Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2UR, which is useful for journey planning when considering school visits and taster days.

The official page we reviewed also does not publish a verified number of Year 7 places, an oversubscription policy, historic competition figures or a lowest score for entry. Because those details are not publicly given on the page fetched, it is best to assume that admissions decisions are based on the school’s own assessment of whether a child is a good fit for the school, together with space available in the year group.

So, what should parents do?

Ask early whether places are still available for your child’s intended entry year.
Book a visit if offered, because the school’s process places clear emphasis on getting to know the school.
Treat the taster days seriously: they are not just a tour, but part of the assessment process.
Ask admissions directly whether any reports or references are considered alongside the taster-day assessment.

For families comparing schools, this is an important distinction: preparation for Priory should support your child in showing their everyday classroom readiness, not just their performance in a highly standardised one-morning exam.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because Priory assesses children during two taster days rather than publishing a narrow test blueprint, the best preparation is steady, low-pressure and broad. For a Year 5 child aiming for autumn 2027 assessment, you do not need an extreme schedule. A calm routine is usually more effective.

Month	What to do
January to March in Year 5	Build core habits: regular reading, neat written work, accurate arithmetic and listening carefully to instructions. Around 2 hours a week in short sessions is plenty.
April to June in Year 5	Increase familiarity with school-style tasks: comprehension, writing from a prompt, mental maths and presenting answers clearly. Aim for 2 to 3 hours a week.
July to August before Year 6	Keep work light but consistent. Use short mixed tasks and plenty of reading. Visit the school website and talk positively about what a taster day feels like. Around 2 to 3 hours a week is enough.
September in Year 6	Once dates are known, begin more structured practice. Include one or two timed mini-tasks each week, but keep most work untimed so accuracy and confidence stay strong. Around 3 hours a week.
October to November in Year 6	Practise transitions between subjects, following instructions first time, and producing your best work in class conditions. If your child is attending a taster day soon, focus on stamina, organisation and confidence rather than cramming.

When should timed papers start? For Priory, I would use them gently and later than for a purely exam-driven grammar school route. Start with short timed sections in the first term of Year 6, not endless full papers in Year 5. The aim is to help your child feel comfortable working at a reasonable pace, not to turn preparation into a race.

Weekly structure that works well:

Two short English sessions: reading and written response.
Two short maths sessions: fluent arithmetic plus one reasoning-style task.
Daily reading, even 15 to 20 minutes.
One conversation each week about school confidence: asking for help, joining in and managing nerves.

If your child is already very busy with clubs and homework, do less, not more. Consistency matters far more than volume.

Subject by subject: what to practise

The school’s admissions page does not currently publish a confirmed list of tested subjects for the taster-day assessment. So the sensible approach is to prepare the areas most commonly observed during independent-school entry assessments and classroom visits, while keeping expectations broad and flexible.

English

Focus on strong everyday literacy. That means reading comprehension, vocabulary in context, spelling patterns, punctuation and writing in full, clear sentences. Your child should be comfortable reading a passage, picking out evidence, explaining what a word suggests and writing a thoughtful response. For writing, practise planning briefly, staying on topic and checking work at the end.

Good preparation includes:

Reading fiction and non-fiction regularly.
Answering questions in full sentences.
Summarising a paragraph in one or two lines.
Writing from simple prompts such as a picture, a memory or a short opening line.
Editing for capital letters, punctuation and awkward wording.

Mathematics

Even where a school does not publish a subject list, maths fluency is commonly important. Practise secure arithmetic first: number bonds, times tables, written methods and checking answers. Then add short reasoning tasks where your child explains how they know. Priory’s process may include class-based maths or teacher observation rather than a formal published paper, so presentation and method matter as much as getting the final answer.

Useful areas to revisit include:

The four operations.
Fractions, decimals and percentages at Year 5 level.
Measures, time and money.
Word problems with more than one step.
Showing workings clearly.

Writing and classroom response

Because assessment happens during taster days, your child may be judged partly through normal classroom activity. Practise listening to a set of instructions, starting promptly, completing a task independently and reviewing work before handing it in. Children sometimes prepare only for question papers and forget these everyday school skills.

Try short activities such as:

Listening to a verbal instruction and repeating it back.
Completing a task in a set time without constant reassurance.
Taking turns in discussion.
Writing neatly enough for a teacher to read easily.

Speaking, listening and confidence

Taster-day assessment can include softer skills even when the school does not label them as a separate test. Encourage your child to greet adults politely, ask sensible questions, join group work and cope with unfamiliar routines. This is not about polishing them into a performance; it is about helping them feel settled enough for their real personality and strengths to show.

If the school later publishes more detailed assessment subjects, switch to those official details straight away. Until then, broad academic readiness is the best fit for the information currently available.

Practice papers and mock exams

When a school does not publish a tightly defined exam specification, practice papers are still useful — but they should be used as skill builders, not as a promise that the real assessment will look the same.

A sensible approach is:

Use short papers or sections to identify strengths and gaps.
Review every mistake slowly, especially missed instructions and avoidable slips.
Keep a notebook of targets such as fractions, inference or punctuation.
Repeat similar question types a week later to check improvement.
Mix paper practice with reading, writing and discussion, so preparation stays broad.

If your child attends any mock, use it mainly to practise working in unfamiliar conditions and staying calm. For Priory in particular, I would not overload your child with constant formal mocks, because the school’s own process centres on taster days and school-based assessment.

Useful ElevenReady resources:

Free Priory School practice papers (one per tested subject, with answers): /schools/priory-school-mock-tests
The Priory School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates): /schools/priory-school
Free email alerts for this school's key dates: /school-alerts?school=priory-school

Use any practice papers in short bursts. One paper can often give you enough material for several sessions: first attempt, then corrections, then reteaching, then a retry. That is usually far more effective than racing through paper after paper.

On the day

If your child is attending one of Priory’s taster days, frame it as a chance to experience the school rather than a looming ordeal. Children usually do better when they understand that adults are trying to see how they learn and settle, not trying to catch them out.

A practical checklist:

Confirm arrival time and what to bring with the school in advance.
Make sure your child has slept well for several nights beforehand, not just the night before.
Choose comfortable, tidy clothes if the school does not specify otherwise.
Eat a steady breakfast with slow-release energy.
Leave plenty of travel time so the morning starts calmly.

Useful reminders for your child:

Listen to instructions all the way through before starting.
If you are unsure, pause and think rather than panicking.
Show your workings and write clearly.
Be friendly and polite with staff and other children.
If one task feels hard, move on and reset for the next one.

Afterwards, avoid an immediate detailed post-mortem in the car. A simple “Well done, you handled that carefully” is often enough. Save any discussion for later, when your child has had time to decompress.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

Priory School’s public admissions page explains the registration and taster-day assessment process, but the page we found does not publish a specific results date, a formal National Offer Day process or an appeals timetable equivalent to local-authority grammar school admissions.

That is consistent with many independent-school admissions processes, where offers and next steps are handled directly by the school rather than through the local authority’s secondary transfer system.

In practical terms, parents should expect to:

Wait for the school to contact them after the taster-day assessment.
Read any offer communication carefully for response deadlines.
Ask promptly about deposit arrangements, acceptance forms and start-of-term information if an offer is made.

If your child is not offered a place, ask politely whether a waiting list operates and whether there is any formal review route. Because no published appeal procedure was found on the admissions page reviewed, it is best not to assume one exists in the same format as maintained-school admissions appeals.

If you are applying to both independent and state schools, keep the two processes separate in your planning. Priory’s offer process is school-run, while local-authority secondary applications follow their own deadlines and rules.

What has changed recently

From the official sources reviewed, we did not find a publicly announced recent change to Priory School’s Year 7 assessment format, catchment rules, published places or key dates within the last two years. The current admissions page continues to describe a process of registration, visiting the school and attending two taster days during which assessment takes place.

Because the school publishes only limited timetable detail on the public admissions page, the most important “change” for families to watch is simply whether the school updates that page with new entry-year dates or more detailed assessment information for 2028 entry.

Frequently asked questions

Does Priory School use GL or CEM for 11+ entry?

No official source we found says that it does. Priory’s admissions page describes the school’s own process of registration, a visit and two taster days during which the child is assessed.

What subjects are tested for Priory School Year 7 entry?

The public admissions page we reviewed does not publish a confirmed subject list. Until the school provides more detail, prepare broadly in English, maths and general classroom readiness.

How much is the Priory School registration fee?

The school’s admissions page states a non-refundable registration fee of £60 including VAT.

Are there published 2028 entry dates yet?

We did not find published registration, assessment or results dates for 2028 entry on the sources reviewed. Check the school’s admissions page regularly and contact admissions directly if needed.

Is there a catchment area for Priory School?

We did not find a published catchment area or distance rule on the admissions page reviewed. Priory is an independent school, and the public page focuses on registration and assessment rather than catchment.

What are the taster days like?

The school says children attend two taster days during which they are assessed. The public page does not give a detailed timetable, so ask admissions what your child should expect and bring.

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Sources

Priory School Edgbaston – Admissions Process: Families complete a registration form before taster days are arranged; children attend two taster days during which they are assessed; the admissions process includes visiting the school; the registration fee is £60 including VAT; the school publishes the address 39 Sir Harry’s Road, Edgbaston, Birm
Priory School Edgbaston – Home: Confirms the school identity and website for Priory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

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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.