Alleyn's School is a co-educational independent day school in Dulwich, south-east London, educating pupils aged 4 to 18 and tracing its foundation to 1619. At Year 7 entry the school offers around 150 places, with roughly two thirds going to children from outside its own Junior School. Its 11+ process uses the school's own written papers, not the ISEB Common Pre-test.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppUpdated for September 2027 Entry - Dates, Places and Bursary Support Confirmed
Alleyn's School's own admissions pages now confirm the details for September 2027 entry: registration opened Tuesday 1 September 2026 and closes Friday 13 November 2026 at midday, with written assessments in English, Mathematics and Reasoning on Friday 8 January 2027 (Thursday 7 January 2027 for overseas candidates) and interviews for selected candidates on Saturday 23 January 2027.
The school states plainly that "the ISEB Common Pre-test does not form part of the 11+ process at Alleyn's" - candidates sit the school's own written papers, not a pre-test, and this page now sets out the timing and format of each paper from Alleyn's own syllabus document.
Alleyn's says it offers around 150 places at 11+, roughly two thirds from a wide spread of state and independent schools and the remainder from Alleyn's own Junior School.
The school's own 2024/25 bursary reporting - 117 pupils on means-tested support, 70 of them fully funded - has been added, alongside its published bursary and registration-fee policy.
Alleyn's consistently ranks among the top independent schools in the country for academic outcomes, but what distinguishes it from many high-performing schools is its culture. It is genuinely co-educational at every level, with a strong emphasis on the arts, sport, and wider enrichment alongside academic achievement. Pupils leave Alleyn's not just with excellent A-level results but with the kind of intellectual confidence and breadth that universities and employers notice.
For families in Dulwich and South London, Alleyn's also represents something specific: a school that is embedded in the local community, with strong links to the Dulwich Estate and a long tradition of educating children from the area. It is not a school that feels remote or intimidating — but make no mistake, entry is fiercely competitive, and the children who thrive there are academically capable and well-rounded.
Alleyn's does not use a standardised admissions test. The school states plainly that "the ISEB Common Pre-test does not form part of the 11+ process at Alleyn's", so a pre-test result sat for another school has no bearing on an Alleyn's application. Instead, and with the exception of candidates living overseas, all candidates sit Alleyn's own written papers at the school in early January.
The process runs in two stages. Stage 1 is the written examination, made up of three papers: English, Mathematics, and a combined Verbal, Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning test. Candidates who reach what the school's syllabus document calls "an acceptable standard" in Stage 1, and whose school report supports it, are invited back for Stage 2: a group activity and a one-to-one interview on an interview day. Parents are not interviewed, and Alleyn's is explicit that an invitation to interview does not guarantee a subsequent offer of a place.
Alleyn's permits access arrangements - a word processor and/or extra time - where a candidate's current school provides a letter setting out their normal way of working; this should be arranged with the school ahead of the assessment date. Because every paper is Alleyn's own, set to its own syllabus rather than a bought-in test such as GL Assessment's or the ISEB Common Pre-test, practice should target this specific format - the continuation-writing task, the calculator-free Maths paper and the combined reasoning test - rather than a generic 11+ syllabus.
Alleyn's says it offers around 150 places at Year 7 entry. Roughly two thirds of those places - around 100 - go to children joining from a wide spread of state and independent schools, and the remaining third, around 50, join from Alleyn's own Junior School. That external cohort is large by the standards of the neighbouring selective independents, though it still means competition for roughly 100 external places rather than the full 150.
Alleyn's shares Dulwich SE22 with two other highly selective independent schools that many of the same families also apply to: Dulwich College, selective at 11+ for boys, and James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS), selective at 11+ for girls. The three schools do not share a test: Alleyn's own written papers cover English, Mathematics and Reasoning, and the school states that the ISEB Common Pre-test does not form part of its process; Dulwich College's own admissions test has two parts - an online assessment across six timed sections, then a 20-minute creative writing task - followed by an interview for boys who show promise; and JAGS candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-test between early November and 9 December as well as a Welcome Morning that includes a one-to-one interview, a creative writing task and a group task. A family applying to more than one school is therefore preparing for genuinely different assessments, on different dates.
There is no published pass mark. Places are awarded on overall performance across the papers, and, as set out above, candidates whose results and school report stand out are invited to Stage 2 before any offer is made. A child's ability to discuss ideas and engage confidently in a small group and a one-to-one interview therefore matters as much as their written performance.
Our 11+ specialists work with Alleyn's applicants on the English, Maths and reasoning skills the school's own papers test, tailoring preparation to Alleyn's format rather than a generic 11+ syllabus. Our students have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the Alleyn's 11+.
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Alleyn's publishes a single key-dates table covering the whole September 2027 admissions round. The dates below are taken directly from that table.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration period opens | Tuesday 1 September 2026 |
| Registration period closes | Friday 13 November 2026 at midday |
| Entrance examinations (UK candidates) | Friday 8 January 2027 |
| Entrance examinations (overseas candidates) | Thursday 7 January 2027 |
| Interview and small group activity (selected candidates) | Saturday 23 January 2027 |
Source: Alleyn's School, retrieved 24 September 2026.
The registration deadline is a hard cut-off. Registration opens 1 September 2026 and closes 73 days later, at midday on 13 November 2026; the entrance examinations follow 56 days after that, on 8 January 2027. Families intending to register should not treat the November deadline as a formality - a late form is a missed application, not a delayed one. For how this deadline compares with other selective independent schools in London, see our review of how 11+ offers looked in 2022 and what has changed at these schools since.
A separate, non-refundable registration fee of £225 plus VAT (£375 plus VAT for overseas applicants) is payable when the registration form is submitted. Alleyn's own Help With Fees page states that "the registration fee is not payable if your child qualifies for the Pupil Premium or if you are in receipt of Universal Credit", with written evidence required at registration; bursary support for the tuition fees themselves is addressed further down this page.
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For most children, meaningful preparation for the Alleyn's 11+ should begin no later than Year 5, with structured work intensifying in the autumn and spring terms of Year 6. Starting earlier — in Year 4 or the summer before Year 5 — allows time to build genuine skills rather than simply cramming content.
A realistic preparation strategy should include: regular timed writing practice with critical feedback; systematic work on mathematical problem-solving, including topics such as fractions, ratio, algebra, and geometry that extend beyond primary school expectations; and reading widely across fiction, non-fiction, and quality journalism to build vocabulary and comprehension range.
In the final term before the exam, children benefit from sitting timed practice papers under realistic conditions. This builds stamina and helps them manage the pressure of working to a clock. However, practice papers should always be reviewed carefully — understanding why an answer was wrong matters far more than the volume of papers completed.
For September 2027 entry, registration opens 1 September 2026 and closes at midday on 13 November 2026 - 73 days later - with the entrance examinations on 8 January 2027, 56 days after the deadline. Missing the registration window is not recoverable, so administrative preparation matters as much as academic preparation.
Alleyn's operates a means-tested bursary programme it describes as central to its admissions offer: the school says financial assistance "is means-tested and, depending on your circumstances, may cover the full cost of the fees." Bursaries are applied for as part of the standard annual admissions process for Year 7 and Year 12 entry, alongside the 11+ registration form itself.
The school's own figures for 2024/25 show the scale of that support: Alleyn's welcomed 24 new bursary recipients in September 2024, bringing the total number of pupils on means-tested support to 117 - around 10% of the Senior School - of whom 70 are fully funded, meaning their families make no financial contribution towards fees. On average, the school says its bursaries currently cover 94% of the full fee.
Fully funded pupils also receive help beyond tuition fees - uniforms, travel to and from school, lunches, IT devices, trips and co-curricular activities - so that a bursary place carries the same access to school life as a fee-paying one. The means-assessment itself involves the school's Chief Financial Officer or a member of her team meeting families at home or at the school, alongside the standard financial paperwork.
Full detail on eligibility and how to apply sits on Alleyn's own Help With Fees page.
Preparing for Alleyn's Written Papers and Interview Day
Our expert 11+ tutors help Dulwich and South London families prepare for Alleyn's specific paper format and its group activity and interview stage, whatever stage of the process a child has reached.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppLeading Tuition provides 1-to-1 specialist tutoring for children preparing for the Alleyn's School 11+ entrance exam. Our tutors are experienced with the specific demands of Alleyn's own papers — not just 11+ preparation in general. We work with each child individually, identifying the areas where they need to develop and building a structured programme that fits their timeline and starting point.
We place particular emphasis on the skills that Alleyn's actually rewards: analytical reading, expressive and accurate writing, and mathematical reasoning that goes beyond mechanical calculation. We also prepare children for the possibility of interview, helping them develop the confidence to discuss ideas and respond thoughtfully under pressure. Every session is purposeful, and we track progress carefully so that both parents and children know where they stand.
For official entry requirements and registration details, see the Alleyn's School 11+ admissions. Families considering entry further up the school should also see our Alleyn's School 16+ Entry guide, covering the sixth-form assessment and interview process.
Reviewed September 2026: exam format, key dates, place numbers and bursary provision checked against Alleyn's School's own admissions, fees and syllabus pages.
For a family living abroad, our guide to Alleyn’s School from overseas gathers what the school publishes for applicants outside the UK, stage by stage.
For most children, starting structured preparation in Year 5 gives enough time to build genuine skills without burning out. Children who begin in Year 4 have the advantage of a more gradual, less pressured approach. Starting in Year 6 is not impossible, but it leaves little room for anything other than intensive work, and it is harder to develop real writing voice or mathematical fluency in a short window.
No. Alleyn's states directly that the ISEB Common Pre-test does not form part of its 11+ process. Instead, with the exception of candidates living overseas, every applicant sits the school's own written papers at Alleyn's in early January: English (45 minutes), Mathematics (30 minutes, no calculators) and a combined Verbal, Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning paper (45 minutes, multiple-choice). Because these are Alleyn's own papers, set to its own syllabus rather than a bought-in test such as GL Assessment's or the ISEB Common Pre-test, preparation needs to target the school's own syllabus and question style, not a generic pre-test format.
Alleyn's says it offers around 150 places at Year 7 entry. Roughly two thirds of these - around 100 places - go to children joining from a wide spread of state and independent schools, and the remaining third, around 50 places, go to pupils moving up from Alleyn's own Junior School. External applicants are therefore competing for around 100 places rather than the full 150, though the school does not publish a separate pass mark or quota by applicant type.
Alleyn's does not publish a pass mark or score threshold. Places are awarded on the basis of overall performance across the papers, and candidates who reach an acceptable standard are also invited to Stage 2: a group activity and a one-to-one interview. There is no single number to aim for - the goal is to perform as strongly as possible across every component of the assessment.
Candidates who reach what Alleyn's calls "an acceptable standard" in the written papers are invited back for an interview day with two parts: a small-group activity and a one-to-one interview. Parents are not interviewed. The school says it is looking to identify children who will flourish both inside and outside the classroom, and it is explicit that an invitation to interview does not guarantee a subsequent offer of a place. For September 2027 entry, this stage is scheduled for Saturday 23 January 2027.
The Alleyn's 11+ exam is sat once, in Year 6, and there is no resit opportunity at the same entry point. Some families consider reapplying at 13+ if their child is not offered a place at 11+, though the 13+ entry process is separate, uses its own assessment, and is also competitive. It is worth planning carefully around this single attempt at 11+ rather than relying on a second attempt later.
If a child is not offered a place, Alleyn's may place them on a waiting list, and occasionally places do become available before the start of Year 7. Families in this position should also consider whether other strong South London independent schools - including James Allen's Girls' School, Dulwich College, or others in the area - might be a good fit. A near-miss at Alleyn's often reflects a very capable child who was competing in an exceptionally strong cohort.
Our specialist 11+ tutors prepare children for Alleyn's own papers - the 45-minute English comprehension and continuation-writing task, the 30-minute calculator-free Maths paper, and the combined Verbal, Non-Verbal and Spatial Reasoning test - rather than a generic 11+ syllabus. We also help children prepare for the group activity and one-to-one interview stage, building the confidence to discuss ideas and engage with adults under pressure. Every programme is built around a child's own starting point and Alleyn's own registration and examination timetable. Book a free consultation to discuss a plan for Alleyn's September 2027 entry.
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