Forest School Overseas Applicants: 11+ and 13+ for 2027 Entry

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

Forest School is an independent day school in London E17, and its Admissions Policy says candidates based outside the UK “may take the exam at their current school, or suitable alternative venue such as a consulate or embassy”. For September 2027 entry, online registration closes at midday on Wednesday 18 November 2026 for 11+ (Year 7) and at midday on Monday 18 January 2027 for 13+ (Year 9); Forest’s form pages name an Overseas Registration Form.

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.

This page covers one school and every date on it is labelled with its entry year. The London independent schools hub sets the other schools side by side and the 11+ from overseas hub covers the wider 11+ route, and our 13+ from overseas guide does the same for 13+; our Forest School 11+ page covers the rest of the school’s 11+. Every rule below is quoted from a Forest page or PDF, linked from the first word of the quotation and read on 9 October 2026.

Where Can a Candidate Abroad Sit Forest’s Entrance Assessment?

Forest words the answer in more than one place. Each version is quoted whole in the table, because a family sitting the 11+ (Year 7, September 2027) or the 13+ (Year 9, September 2027) from outside the UK will want to put the differences to Admissions in writing before booking a venue.

The Admissions Policy on Forest’s policies page is version 1.5, and the document prints “Approved (Date): 6 October 2025” and “Next review (Date): September 2026”. The guidance names “a test centre”, the policy names “suitable alternative venue such as a consulate or embassy”, and the key dates cards describe an on-site assessment day for 11+ and an on-site entrance exam for 13+. All of these are Forest’s own wording, so ask Admissions to confirm in writing which one applies to your child; the questions at the end of this page are drafted for that.

The scholarship sentence fixes the calendar. For September 2027 entry, Forest’s 11+ page gives the Entrance Exam Day as Thursday 17 December 2026 and its 13+ page gives the 13+ Entrance Exam as Thursday 28 January 2027. The UK is on Greenwich Mean Time on both dates, so a candidate in Dubai/UAE (UTC+4) is four hours ahead of a UK clock and one in Hong Kong or Singapore (UTC+8) is eight hours ahead. That offset is what “as close to the same time as the time difference allows” has to be read against, so the UK start time of the sitting is the first thing to ask Admissions for.

Families who travel can also visit. Forest’s admissions page says “We also invite you to take a private tour of the school – at a time that suits you.” and its events page adds “We are also very happy to organise a tour or meeting to suit your schedule. This may include weekend or evening tours.”

Which Overseas Registration Form Does Each Forest Entry Use?

For the 10+ Advance Place, the 11+ and the 13+, Forest’s form pages each point overseas applicants to an Overseas Registration Form. The table gives the child’s school year in 2026-27 (an English school year, as Forest’s pages count them), the year and start that Forest prints, Forest’s age rule, the form, and the closing time for online registration.

Our arithmetic from those age rules, for English school years: Year 7 entry in September 2027 suits children born from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016; Year 9 entry in September 2027, from 1 September 2013 to 31 August 2014; and the 10+ Advance Place, for a Year 7 place in September 2028, from 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017. A school year that runs to a different calendar needs Admissions to confirm the year group, and our guide to which year group applies from abroad explains the conversion.

The sentence “Overseas applicants should complete the Overseas Registration Form.” appears on the Senior Registration Form page and in the same words on the Senior 13+ Registration Form and Advance Place Registration Form pages; the 13+ and Advance Place pages each link to their own overseas form.

The overseas forms carry their own instructions. For a child with a medical history or special educational needs, the Overseas 13+ Senior Registration Form says “Candidates with a history or current medical or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must notify us on the registration form and forward the corroborating report by email to admissions@forest.org.uk.” It adds “Failure to declare a known medical condition or Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) may result in the School exercising its right in line with the Admissions Policy not to progress the application for admission”. The Overseas Advance Place Registration Form prints the same two sentences. Both forms end with “Please do not move away from this page until you receive a successful payment message, otherwise your application will not be completed.”

The 11+ page, the 13+ page and the 10+ page each print a separate overseas registration fee in brackets; this page quotes no fee figures.

Joining Outside an Entry Year

A move abroad or to London does not always fall on an entry year. Forest’s occasional places page says “Forest School’s official entry points are 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+. Occasionally, vacancies may become available in other year groups, often due to family relocations.” It also says “Please note that we do not accept new pupils into Year 11 or Year 13.”

Forest’s Timeline for September 2027 Entry

Every row is Forest’s own date for 11+ (Year 7) or 13+ (Year 9) entry in September 2027, read on 9 October 2026 and linked to the page that prints it. The key dates card for 11+ adds “* Dates may be subject to change”, so confirm any date you plan travel around with Admissions in writing.

10+ Advance Place: a Year 7 Place for September 2028

Forest’s 10+ page says “Forest Advance Place gives children in Year 5 the opportunity to sit for their Year 7 place a year ahead of the usual round.” Its dates run in the same autumn and winter as the 11+ above, but serve September 2028 entry:

The 10+ page also says “a child who is not offered a place, or a family who would simply rather wait, loses nothing: they are warmly invited to sit the standard 11+ in Year 6, assessed entirely afresh.”

Forest’s Printed Deadlines on UTC+4 and UTC+8 Clocks

The second column is copied from Forest’s pages and the other columns are our conversion. If the deadline is UK time, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+0) on every date in the table: GOV.UK lists the clocks going back on 25 October 2026 and forward on 28 March 2027, and says “When the clocks go back, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).” The working, for example 12:00 + 4 hours = 16:00 and 12:00 + 8 hours = 20:00, is the GMT time plus 4 hours forDubai/UAE (UTC+4) and plus 8 hours for Hong Kong or Singapore (UTC+8); the UTC+4 and UTC+8 offsets are those of the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore in the IANA time zone database.

For the reference deadline the 11+ page prints “11+ School Reference Form Deadline Friday 27 November 2026” and the 11+ key dates card prints “11+ Receipt of School Reference Deadline | 12.00 Noon, Friday 27 November 2026”. Ask Admissions to confirm in writing that these times are UK times. For lesson times across these clocks, see our guide to online 11+ tuition across time zones.

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.

AJ

Alison Jacomb

★★★★★

Maths can be enjoyable

My daughter had never found maths her strongest subject, but after finding Leading Tuition and starting one to one lessons, her confidence improved and she began coming away from lessons happy.

See more reviews on Trustpilot

How Long Is the Sitting, and What May a Candidate Use?

Each row is labelled with the entry it serves and linked to the page or PDF that holds the words.

Extra Time and Access Arrangements

Both guidance PDFs deal with extra time. The 11+ guidance says “Candidates eligible for extra time will be asked to indicate their entitlement at the point of application to Forest School.” The Admissions Policy sets a date for the paperwork: “Exam access arrangements for admissions are facilitated in line with Joint Council for Qualifications regulations. As such, a report written by an appropriate professional should be submitted along with an accompanying letter from the current school SENCo detailing current exam access arrangements, at least one month before the date of the entrance examination.” It continues “Documents received after this date cannot be processed in time for the exams.” The registration form pages give a different timing. The Senior Registration Form page says “Please upload the corroborating report and email (admissions@forest.org.uk) a letter from the School SENCO detailing need, provision and current exam access arrangements before the Admissions deadline.” and the Senior 13+ Registration Form and Advance Place Registration Form pages print the same sentence. Forest therefore gives two timings, one month before the entrance examination in the policy and before the Admissions deadline on the form pages, so confirm in writing which one applies.

Our arithmetic, not Forest’s: one month before the 11+ Entrance Exam Day on Thursday 17 December 2026 is Tuesday 17 November 2026, the day before 11+ registration closes; one month before the 13+ Entrance Exam on Thursday 28 January 2027 is Monday 28 December 2026. Confirm with Admissions in writing which timing and date apply to your child.

Interview, Collaborative Task and School Reference

For 11+ (Year 7, September 2027) the policy says “All 11+ Candidates will be interviewed and take part in a collaborative task.” The 11+ key dates card words the interview differently: “Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed to allow us to conduct a more holistic assessment of the pupil”. The two Forest documents do not word it the same way, the policy naming all 11+ candidates and the card naming shortlisted candidates, so confirm in writing whether your child will be interviewed. The 11+ page describes the task as “The group activity/collaborative task sees each child working alongside others in a relaxed, practical activity.” and the interview as “The interview in January is a friendly conversation that lets us meet your child as an individual and hear about the things they love.” The key dates card adds “The interview will focus on personal development and will be conducted by a senior member of Forest staff lasting no more than 20 minutes.” The 11+ interviews are in the week commencing Monday 18 January 2027.

For 13+ (Year 9, September 2027), the 13+ page says “Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview with a senior member of Forest staff, where they will have the opportunity to talk about their interest and achievements, both academic and co-curricular.” The 13+ key dates card heads the interview section “Interview (25 minutes)”, and the 13+ interviews are on Monday 8 February 2027.

The school reference comes from the child’s current school. The policy says “A written confidential reference from the applicant’s present school is also required.” and the 11+ key dates card describes it as “Reference - a written, confidential report from the candidate’s current school.” The reference form deadline is Friday 27 November 2026 for 11+ and for the 10+ Advance Place. Where a candidate living abroad takes the collaborative task and the interview is the fourth question below; for how online interviews work in general, see our guide to video interviews for families abroad.

What Happens at Offer and Acceptance for a Family Abroad?

Offer and acceptance dates for each entry are in the timeline above: the acceptance deadline is 10am on Friday 5 March 2027 for 11+ (Year 7, September 2027) and for the 10+ Advance Place (September 2028 entry), and midday on Monday 8 March 2027 for 13+ (Year 9, September 2027), as the 11+, 13+ and 10+ pages print them. For 11+ the policy adds “We reserve the right to bring forward, at short notice, the acceptance deadline if the number of acceptances reaches a point we can no longer accommodate as a year group.”

On outcomes, the policy says “Parents of applicants are informed by an agreed date of the outcome of the application. There is no mechanism for appeal against a decision, although bona fide enquiries will be considered sympathetically by the School.”

A family that cannot visit between offer and acceptance should read Forest’s Cancellation Notice, which says “If your contract with the School was formed entirely by means of distance communication (i.e. by post or electronic communication) without a face to face meeting with a member of the School staff between offer and acceptance, you have the right to cancel the contract within 14 days. The 14 day cancellation period will commence on the day following our receipt of your completed and signed acceptance form.” The fees page also lists a payment due on acceptance of a place, and says “Notice of the intention to remove a pupil, or not to accept a place offered, must be given in writing before the first day of the previous term or a term’s fees must be paid in lieu of notice.”

The policy also says “All applicants must have a legal right to live and study in the UK.” Our guide to the Child Student visa sets out the GOV.UK route for a child who needs one.

Questions to Put to Forest’s Admissions Team in Writing

Write to admissions@forest.org.uk or telephone 020 8520 1744, and keep the reply. Each question is about your own child’s case.

1. Which venue do we propose for our child’s sitting, the current school or a consulate or embassy, and what does Admissions need from the venue and the proposed invigilator before it is “completely reassured”? (Admissions Policy, section 4.4)
2. What UK clock time does the sitting begin on Thursday 17 December 2026 (11+) or Thursday 28 January 2027 (13+), what is that at our venue in Dubai/UAE (UTC+4) or Hong Kong or Singapore (UTC+8), and if our venue can host only on another day, how does that affect an academic scholarship entry? (11+ page; 13+ page)
3. Which parts of the sitting are on screen and which are on paper at our venue, who supplies the device, the scrap paper and the pencil, and how does the paper-based written English reach Forest? (11+ guidance; 13+ guidance)
4. Where will our child take the collaborative task and the interview, in London, at our venue or online, and on which day in the week commencing Monday 18 January 2027 (11+) or on Monday 8 February 2027 (13+)? (11+ page; 13+ page)
5. Our child’s current school will write the reference: which form does Forest send it, and is the Friday 27 November 2026 deadline 12.00 Noon UK time? (11+ key dates card)
6. Our child needs extra time: which date applies to our report and the SENCo letter, given “at least one month before the date of the entrance examination”, Tuesday 17 November 2026 (11+) or Monday 28 December 2026 (13+) by our arithmetic?
7. Which entry year does our child’s birth date fit when our school’s year groups run to another calendar, and which link do we use for the 11+ registration that the Senior Registration Form page calls the “Overseas Registration Form”?
8. If we cannot visit between offer and acceptance, would a Taster Morning on 24 February, 26 February or 3 March 2027 count as the “face to face meeting” in the Cancellation Notice?
9. Which documents does Forest need to see, and by when, to be satisfied that our child has “a legal right to live and study in the UK”?

Frequently Asked Questions