London Independent School 11 Plus From Overseas: 2027 Entry

1. Home
2. 11+
3. From overseas
4. London independent schools

London independent school 11+ entry from overseas is set school by school: the 13 girls’ schools of the London 11+ Consortium share one 100-minute online exam on 27 November, 1 December or 3 December 2026, while other schools publish their own venues, dates and in-person stages. Each rule below is quoted from a school’s, the Consortium’s, ISEB’s or GOV.UK’s own page, read on 3 October 2026.

Leading Tuition prepares children for UK 11+ entry from abroad: tuition can be one to one, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online.

Which London independent schools publish a way for a child abroad to sit the 11+ first stage?

Each row quotes a school’s own page or policy for Year 7 (11+) entry in September 2027, and says so where a sentence sits on a page covering several entry points or a page headed for another year. Schools are in alphabetical order, with our guide linked from the name. Reread the linked page before booking anything. State grammar schools follow different rules: see our 11+ from overseas hub.

The second half of the list runs from James Allen’s Girls’ School to Wimbledon High School. Not sure which of these schools to shortlist? Our expert 11+ tutors can talk through the options with you on a free consultation.

School-by-school guides for families living abroad: Alleyn’s School, Channing School, City of London School, City of London School for Girls, Dulwich College, Emanuel School, Forest School and Godolphin and Latymer.

What does the London 11+ Consortium allow for a girl sitting abroad?

The Consortium’s own page names its members: Channing School, Francis Holland (Regent’s Park), Francis Holland (Sloane Square), Godolphin and Latymer, More House, Northwood College for Girls, Notting Hill and Ealing High School, Queen’s College, Queen’s Gate School, South Hampstead High School, St Augustine’s Priory, St Helen’s School, St Margaret’s School. Francis Holland Regent’s Park calls the group “an association of 13 independent London day schools for girls operating one exam across the group.” The Consortium says of the exam: “This test is 100 minutes in total and taken in the candidate’s current school, but where this is not possible, provision is made in all Consortium schools for candidates to sit the test there.” Its key dates for September 2027 entry give registration closing on “Friday 6th November 2026” and the assessment as “One of Friday 27th November, Tuesday 1st December or Thursday 3rd December 2026”.

For an applicant abroad the Consortium’s FAQ reads: “Your daughter is welcome to travel to sit the test in one of our schools and please indicate to us if she can do this. If you would prefer your daughter to sit the exam overseas, please contact the Admissions team at one of your Consortium schools to find out how to proceed.” The same page’s Code of Practice adds: “Candidates only sit the assessment once, irrespective of the number of Consortium Schools to which they are applying.” A family whose daughter’s own school can host the exam is asked to use it, in the answer to “My daughter’s school offers the facility to take the exam there but I would rather she sat at a Consortium school. Is this possible?”: “No. If your daughter’s school offers the facility for her to take the exam there, for important logistical reasons we ask that you take up this facility.”

South Hampstead High School’s FAQ sets out the venue order for a family abroad, and Notting Hill & Ealing High School’s FAQ gives the same order for “the test”:

“Please ask your daughter’s current school if they can invigilate the exam. If this is not possible, please contact the British Council in your country to see if they have suitable facilities nearby. If neither of these options are possible, parents will need to find an alternative venue which provides invigilation/exam services.”

Notting Hill & Ealing High School’s FAQ adds “We do not allow candidates to be tested at their home, a tutor’s house or anywhere which is not considered a professional venue.” South Hampstead High School’s FAQ attributes the rule to the Consortium itself: “The Consortium does not allow candidates to be tested at their home, a tutor’s house or anywhere which is not considered a professional venue.” The Consortium’s Code of Practice also says: “Each Consortium school to which a candidate applies will seek a reference separately from the Head of the candidate’s current school, prior to the entrance examination.”

Who arranges the room abroad, and who pays for it?

Where a school uses the ISEB Common Pre-Test, ISEB’s own help pages set the venue rules. ISEB says “The tests can be taken by pupils in the UK and overseas.” Its page on invigilation centres says approved centres can include prep, senior and maintained schools, “British Councils worldwide” and registered governmental or educational locations. Three rules matter to a family abroad. First, on that page: “Parents and guardians should always confirm that their child can take the tests with the invigilation centre before selecting them during registration.” Second, on ISEB’s page on adding a centre: “Unfortunately, a parent or guardian cannot add a venue as a new invigilation centre.” Third, on ISEB’s page on when to take the tests: “The Common Pre-Tests can be taken between August and May of each academic year.” “The invigilation centre should schedule the tests in time to meet your prospective senior school's deadline.”

The schools’ own windows are narrower. St Paul’s Girls’ School heads its ISEB stage “By Wednesday 19 November 2026” (19 November 2026 is a Thursday, so check the day with the school) and says “Candidates may sit the test at an approved ISEB testing centre, at their current school (if it is an ISEB centre), or on site at St Paul’s Girls’ School on Monday 16 November or Tuesday 17 November 2026.” James Allen’s Girls’ School says “Those sitting the ISEB tests at their current school can do so until 9 December.” At Alleyn’s the ISEB Common Pre-test “does not form part of the 11+ process”.

Four schools mention who bears the cost of an overseas sitting, each in its own words:

• Godolphin and Latymer, policy 8.1: “Parents are liable for any additional costs associated with this.” “All entrance assessments must be taken at a time agreed with the Registrar.”
• North London Collegiate: the consulate or similar facility “must be arranged by the candidate’s parents at their own expense and confirmed in writing with the School.”
• Dulwich College: “Arrangements will be made through the Admissions office and any local administration costs would be covered by the candidate’s family.”
• City of London School: its 2026 admissions policy, reviewed in June 2026 and marked “Date approved: Pending approval”, says “In exceptional circumstances (such as for candidates currently living overseas) and at the discretion of the Director of Admissions, entrance assessments may be sat remotely and an additional assessment fee charged. Remote assessment will usually be conducted by a member of CLS staff during UK business hours.” Section 2.2 adds that the school may charge “an additional assessment fee” “where remote supervision of entrance assessments is undertaken.”

Our guides to 11+ from Dubai and the UAE and the Gulf cover who books the room in those countries. Our Hong Kong guide covers how Hong Kong school years map onto the 2027 and 2028 cohorts, and the BN(O) visa. Families whose move is still to come can read our mid-cycle relocation guide.

Which September 2027 deadlines and sittings fall in which order?

Dates are as each London independent school below gives them for September 2027 entry, read on 3 October 2026; the weekday is calculated for this page. Dulwich College’s overseas registration deadline, Friday 2 October 2026, had passed by the date of reading and is listed as a fact of the 2027 cycle.

Two points come from the schools’ own pages. Haberdashers’ Boys’ says “We cannot offer any other dates.” Putney High School says “We regret that we cannot offer an alternative date for this assessment.” Choosing between schools with these dates in front of you? Our expert 11+ tutors help families overseas build the preparation around the order above, and a free consultation is the place to start. Families outside the UK can take the whole programme online.

What Parents Say

DP

Deborah Prior

★★★★★

Confidence and progress

My son was low in confidence after COVID and the gaps in learning were building up. Using this service helped plug those gaps, rebuild confidence, and improve his ability to learn properly again.

NI

Nicola

★★★★★

Amazing tutors!

We arranged maths and English tuition ahead of GCSEs and both tutors were brilliant. My daughter's grades improved, and by results day she achieved two grades higher than in her mock exams.

S

Saifan Khan

★★★★★

Great Teaching and Focused Learning

I attended an English bootcamp with Leading Tuition and the experience was excellent. The teacher gave focused attention to the small group while keeping the lessons interactive and engaging.

See more reviews on Trustpilot

Which stages do schools place in London, and which interviews can be held online?

A first stage abroad does not always end the process at a London independent school. Each row gives the school’s stage and date as its page words it for Year 7 (11+) entry, with the entry point or year the page names.

Other schools say the interview can be held away from the school, each in its own words:

• St Paul’s Girls’ School: “Interviews can be conducted remotely, and we will try to schedule them at a convenient time for your time zone.”
• City of London School for Girls: “Interviews may be conducted remotely, and we will try to schedule them to a convenient time for your time zone.”
• City of London School (2026 policy, “Pending approval”): “6.4 Interviews may be conducted remotely or in person, as arranged by the School.”
• Channing School: “An online interview will be arranged for those candidates who are overseas.”
• Notting Hill & Ealing High School: “Interviews will be conducted online.”
• South Hampstead High School: “It may be possible” for the school to hold interviews online.
• St Helen’s School, Northwood: “We would then arrange an online interview.”
• James Allen’s Girls’ School: “An interview will be arranged via Zoom.”
• Dulwich College: “We can arrange interviews by Zoom.”
• Whitgift School: “All students who are being considered for an offer will be invited for an interview either at Whitgift or via Teams.”
• Queen’s Gate School: “Interviews and assessments can also take place remotely.”

What do schools say about a parent living in London and about visa sponsorship?

GOV.UK’s guidance for schools and parents, last updated 28 March 2024, says foreign national children resident outside the UK “will normally need either” “a right of abode” or “an immigration status which otherwise permits them to enter the UK to study at a school”. For an independent school, the same guidance says: “If foreign nationals resident outside the UK want to enter the UK to study at an independent school which is a licensed student sponsor they should contact the school directly. If it accepts the application, it will send them a reference number (called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)). Parents will need a CAS before they can apply for their child’s visa. They cannot enter to study at schools which are not licensed student sponsors.” The Child Student visa page says you “can apply for a Child Student visa if you’re between 4 and 17 years old and you want to study at an independent school in the UK.” The Parent of a Child Student visa page says “You can only apply for a Parent of a Child Student visa if your child has or is applying for a Child Student visa.” It adds that the child “must be aged between 4 and 11 when you apply, and be attending an independent school in the UK” and that the parent must “be the only parent accompanying your child in the UK”. Service families have separate rules for state-funded schools, set out in our forces families guide.

A family whose child may need a Child Student visa or a parent’s dependant visa should put the question to the admissions office in writing before registering, and keep the reply. For the preparation side, our expert 11+ tutors can talk it through on a free consultation.

Do schools charge a different registration fee for applicants abroad?

Several London independent schools publish a separate registration or application fee for overseas applicants. The figures are the schools’ own, taken from each school’s fees, apply or admissions page on 3 October 2026, with an effective date where the page gives one.

Haberdashers’ Boys’ apply page says “Please note, there is a fee for registration when applying from overseas.” City of London School for Girls’ FAQ page also says “the school does not consider applications for bursaries from overseas students.” Each figure above is the school’s own registration or application fee, and each school sets its own.

What if the overseas date has passed, or the child is older than Year 7?

Dulwich College’s overseas registration deadline for Year 7 entry in September 2027 was Friday 2 October 2026; its UK registration deadline for Year 7 is Monday 2 November 2026, midday. Its overseas page says “(Overseas applicants at school in the UK who will be coming to Dulwich College to sit the entrance examinations should complete the standard Years 3 to 5, 7, 9 or 12 registration forms.)” A family abroad whose overseas date has gone should ask the Registrars named on that page, in writing, which form and date apply to its child. Emanuel School and St Paul’s Prep School close registration on Friday 16 October 2026, and Forest School on Wednesday 18 November 2026.

Entry above Year 7 is a different entry point with its own rules. These schools publish overseas wording on their occasional-place pages, and none of it is about 11+ entry:

• Francis Holland Regent’s Park, occasional places: “If you are applying from overseas, please liaise with the Head of Admissions who will be able to discuss possible arrangements for sitting the assessment locally.”
• Francis Holland Sloane Square, Years 8 to 10: “If you would like to register your daughter for Year 8, Year 9 or Year 10 entry in September 2027, please complete our Occasional Place Registration Form or Overseas Occasional Place Registration Form.” Its dates for 12+, 13+ and 14+ entry in September 2027: “Deadline for registration: Friday 22nd January 2027 Assessment Date: Tuesday 2nd February 2027”
• St Paul’s Girls’ School, Years 8 to 10: “students are required to live within a 50-minute commute of SPGS. International applicants will also need to provide evidence of their right to live and study in the UK in order for an application to be considered.”

Westminster Under School’s occasional places are a separate case again, and they are not Year 8 to 10 places. For the September 2027 start its occasional-places page says “There may be occasional place availability in Years 4, 5 and 6.” and that Year 8 availability “would only be for a child who already has a place to start in Year 9 at Westminster School in September 2028”. The same page says “For occasional places we are unable to sponsor pupils who require a Child Student visa.” and that the testing “must be done in person”.

For state grammar schools, the equivalent routes after the Year 7 round are in our guide to joining a grammar school after Year 7, and families still deciding whether to return can read our returning-to-the-UK guide.

How does Leading Tuition prepare a child who is sitting these first stages from abroad?

Leading Tuition prepares children for UK 11+ entry from abroad. Our expert 11+ tutors prepare children for the schools’ own papers, for the ISEB Common Pre-Test, for the London 11+ Consortium exam and for the interview, and the plan is built around the dates in the calendar above and the stages a school places in London. Tuition can be one to one, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online. Our 11+ school and area guides cover individual schools in more detail.

Frequently Asked Questions