How to prepare for The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School 11+

The exam at a glance

The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School uses its own entrance assessment for Year 7 entry. For 2028 entry, the confirmed tested subjects are Maths and English only. Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning are not part of the test, so preparation is best kept tightly focused on those two core subjects.

The assessment is computer-based, which matters for preparation. Children need not only secure subject knowledge, but also enough familiarity with answering questions on screen and under time pressure. That usually means practising reading carefully from a screen, entering answers accurately and keeping a steady pace.

The school’s admissions information says that prospective students are interviewed by the Principal and also sit a computerised test. For parents, that suggests the process is broader than a single exam score: academic readiness, communication and overall fit with the school are likely to matter.

Because the school does not publish a detailed paper-by-paper breakdown on its admissions page, parents should expect the broad shape rather than an official minute-by-minute running order:

an application to the school
a visit or contact with admissions
a computerised English and Maths assessment
an interview with the Principal
an offer if a place is available and the child is considered suitable

Unlike many selective schools, this is not presented as a once-a-year county-wide test process. The school states that children can join at any time if there is a place available in their year group. For Year 7 entry in September 2028, it is still sensible to enquire early, but parents should read the school’s current admissions page carefully because availability may vary by year group.

Registration and key dates

For this school, registration is handled by the school itself, not a local authority grammar-school testing system or a consortium. The admissions page asks parents to complete an enquiry form, after which the school arranges the next steps.

The school’s published application process says families should:

Complete the enquiry form.
Visit the school.
Arrange for the child to be interviewed by the Principal and to sit a computerised test.
If offered a place, accept the offer and pay the deposit.

The school does not currently publish a standard Year 7 registration opening date, deadline, or one fixed 11+ test date on the admissions page. Instead, its published wording indicates that admission can be considered whenever there is a place in the relevant year group.

For that reason, the most practical advice for families aiming at September 2028 entry is to contact the school well ahead of time in Year 5 or early Year 6, ask about Year 7 availability, and request the school’s current timetable for testing and interviews.

Two school events are published for autumn 2026 and give a useful indication of how the school introduces itself to families:

Open Morning: 7 October 2026, 9:30am to 12:00pm
Year 7 Experience Day: 13 October 2026, 8:30am to 3:30pm

Those dates are for the school’s 2026 events rather than confirmed 2028-entry admissions deadlines, but they show that autumn events form part of how families can explore the school. If you want updates, keep an eye on the school site and use Free email alerts for this school's key dates.

For a quick overview of the school’s current exam format, admissions notes and any newly published timings, see The The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School 11+ guide (format, catchment, dates).

Who can apply: catchment and admissions

The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School is an independent co-educational school, so its admissions process is run by the school rather than through Buckinghamshire’s grammar-school allocation system.

The key published admissions point for parents is that the school says children can join at any time if there is a place available in their year group. In practice, that means there is no published catchment area for admission in the way parents may expect from a state grammar school. Your child’s application is not described as depending on living within a defined distance.

The school’s admissions page sets out a straightforward process centred on enquiry, visit, interview and assessment. It does not publish a pass mark, standardised score, cut-off score or ranked waiting-list threshold. If you are trying to gauge competitiveness, the safest approach is to ask the admissions team directly how Year 7 availability is looking for your child’s entry year.

The school describes its educational offer as including the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme. For some children, that curricular approach will be an important part of deciding whether the school is the right fit, especially if they enjoy cross-subject learning, independent thinking and discussion-based lessons.

The school also publishes its fee schedule. For 2026/2027, fees are listed as £7,128 per term for MYP and £8,283 per term for DP, with VAT where applicable included in the schedule. Parents considering Year 7 entry should always check the latest schedule directly with the school, as fees can change from year to year.

A month-by-month preparation plan

Because this assessment covers only Maths and English, your child does not need the broad multi-paper preparation often used for grammar-school consortium tests. A narrower plan, done steadily, is usually more effective.

Below is a realistic timeline working back from an autumn Year 6 test. It is written for an average Year 5 child who is aiming to build confidence without burning out.

January to March in Year 5: Keep it light. Around 1 to 1.5 hours a week is enough. Focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary in context, arithmetic fluency and clear written methods in Maths. At this stage, do not rush into full timed papers.
April in Year 5: Increase gently to about 1.5 to 2 hours a week. Identify weaker areas. In English, that may be comprehension or accurate writing; in Maths, it may be fractions, problem solving or multi-step questions.
May in Year 5: Start short computer-based practice sessions. Children often work differently on screen from paper, so this is a good point to get used to reading passages and solving questions digitally.
June in Year 5: Continue at 2 hours a week. Mix topic practice with short timed sections of 10 to 15 minutes. The aim is not speed for its own sake, but learning how long a sensible answer should take.
July in Year 5: Try one short mixed English session and one short mixed Maths session each week. If your child is coping well, introduce the first mini timed paper on screen. Keep feedback calm and specific.
August before Year 6: Do not make summer all about the test. Two or three short sessions a week is enough. Prioritise reading, mental maths and one timed digital task. If your child is tired or resistant, reduce the volume rather than pushing through.
September in Year 6: Move to around 3 hours a week split across several sessions. This is the point to use fuller timed practice. Review not just mistakes, but also skipped questions, slow questions and typing or input errors.
October in Year 6, if the test is around this period: Keep work focused and tidy. Use one or two realistic timed practices each week, then spend more time reviewing than testing. In the final days, stop trying to teach lots of new content.

A good rule of thumb is that children preparing for a school-specific English and Maths test benefit more from consistency than intensity. Three calm, purposeful sessions each week usually beat one long and stressful weekend block.

If you are not sure when to start timed papers, a sensible point is late Year 5 or the summer before Year 6, once the underlying skills are reasonably secure. Starting too early can make children feel permanently rushed before they are ready.

Subject by subject: what to practise

English

For this school, English preparation should centre on the skills most commonly assessed in school-set entrance tests: comprehension, vocabulary in context, grammar and clear written expression. Because the test is computer-based, children should also get used to reading carefully from a screen and checking answers before moving on.

Useful areas to practise include:

Comprehension: finding evidence in a passage, explaining language, spotting inference, summarising and comparing ideas
Vocabulary: understanding words from context, synonyms and precise word choice
Grammar and accuracy: punctuation, sentence control, tense consistency and spelling patterns appropriate for upper KS2
Writing: planning quickly, answering the task directly and proofreading for basic mistakes

The best preparation is regular reading, discussion about meaning and short written tasks done neatly under light time pressure. If your child writes very well on paper but struggles when typing or navigating on screen, add some computer-based practice so the format feels normal.

Maths

Maths preparation should focus on secure Key Stage 2 number skills and the ability to apply them under time pressure. In school-set papers, the challenge is often not unusual content but the need to work accurately, choose an efficient method and move on sensibly.

Useful areas to practise include:

Arithmetic fluency: the four operations, place value, fractions, decimals and percentages
Word problems: deciding what the question is asking and setting out steps clearly
Measures and geometry: common units, perimeter, area, angles and shape properties
Reasoning: multi-step problems, spotting patterns and checking whether an answer is sensible

For a computer-based test, children should also practise entering answers carefully and working without relying too heavily on jottings being marked. Encourage them to estimate before calculating, because estimation helps catch input mistakes quickly.

Since there is no Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning in this assessment, families can save a great deal of time by not spreading preparation too thinly. Strong English and Maths work is the priority.

Practice papers and mock exams

Practice papers are most useful when they are used as a diagnostic tool, not just a score generator. For a computer-based school assessment, it helps to recreate the real experience as closely as possible: quiet room, screen-based work, no interruptions and a clear time limit.

A sensible pattern is:

learn or revise a topic
practise a short set of questions on that topic
move to a timed mixed section
review every error carefully

When reviewing, separate mistakes into three groups:

knowledge gaps — your child did not know how to do it
method errors — they knew it, but the working went wrong
time-pressure slips — they rushed, misread or entered the answer incorrectly

That distinction matters because each type of mistake needs a different fix.

For this school, it is worth using subject-specific practice rather than generic 11+ packs heavy on reasoning. These free resources are a good starting point:

If you use mock exams, choose them carefully. A mock is only helpful if it reflects the school’s actual focus: English and Maths, completed on screen, with realistic timing. One or two well-chosen mocks are usually more valuable than a long series of generic tests.

In the final few weeks, stop chasing volume. At that stage, children benefit more from short, accurate, confidence-building practice than endless papers.

On the day

The most helpful thing parents can do on the day is make it feel predictable and calm. If the school has given instructions about arrival, ID, equipment or timings, follow those closely and keep the morning simple.

Make sure your child has had enough sleep and a normal breakfast.
Leave good travel time so there is no sense of rushing.
Remind them that they are prepared for English and Maths; they do not need to worry about reasoning papers.
If they are used to paper practice, remind them to slow down slightly when reading on screen.
Encourage them to keep moving if a question feels sticky, then return if time allows.
Before submitting any section, they should check for missed questions and obvious input errors.

Because the school also interviews prospective students, it is worth reminding your child to be polite, listen carefully and answer naturally. They do not need polished speeches. Schools are usually trying to get a sense of how a child communicates, responds and would settle into school life.

A final reassurance: one awkward question or one slow section does not decide everything. A steady overall performance is what matters most.

After the exam: results, allocation and appeals

As an independent school, The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School does not follow the same offer and allocation process as a state grammar school coordinated through the local authority. The school’s own admissions team manages the process.

The published admissions steps indicate that, after enquiry, visit, interview and assessment, the school may make an offer of a place if it decides the child is suitable and if a place is available. The admissions page also states that families then accept the offer and pay the deposit.

The school does not publish a standardised score, pass mark, county ranking or published allocation day process on the admissions page. It also does not set out a public 11+ appeals system in the way maintained schools do. If your child is unsuccessful, the practical next step is to ask the school whether there is a waiting list, whether later testing is possible if places arise, and whether feedback can be provided.

Because the school says children can join at any time if there is a place available in their year group, parents may wish to stay in touch even if no immediate Year 7 place is available when their child first applies.

What has changed recently

No recently announced change to the school’s entrance assessment format, catchment arrangements or admissions structure was clearly published in the official sources reviewed beyond the current position that admission is handled by the school, includes a computerised test and interview with the Principal, and that children may join at any time if a place is available.

One published update visible on the school site is the current 2026/2027 Schedule of Charges, which lists fees for the Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme. The school’s open events page also publishes Open Morning and Year 7 Experience Day dates for October 2026.

For families targeting 2028 entry, the key point is to check the school’s admissions page regularly in case it later publishes a more structured Year 7 testing timetable.

Frequently asked questions

Does The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School test Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning?

No. For 2028 entry, the confirmed tested subjects are Maths and English only.

Is the entrance test on paper or on a computer?

It is computer-based, so children should practise working accurately and steadily on screen.

Is there a catchment area for Year 7 entry?

The school says children can join at any time if there is a place available in their year group, and no catchment area is published on the admissions page.

Who runs the admissions process?

The school runs it directly. Parents complete the school’s enquiry form and the school arranges visits, testing and interview.

Does the school publish a pass mark or cut-off score?

Not on the admissions page reviewed. If you want the latest detail on suitability and availability, contact the school directly.

What else happens besides the test?

The admissions process includes an interview with the Principal as well as the computerised assessment.

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Sources

The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School – How to Apply: The admissions process is run by the school; parents complete an enquiry form; families are invited to visit; prospective students are interviewed by the Principal and sit a computerised test; if offered a place families accept and pay a deposit; children can join at any time if there is a place ava
The Chalfonts Independent Grammar School – Home page: The school is an independent co-educational school in High Wycombe and offers the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme.

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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.