Haberdashers’ Boys’ School Entry From Overseas, 2027

Haberdashers’ Boys’ School is an independent school in Elstree, Hertfordshire that welcomes applications from overseas students at all its main entry points, with a separate Overseas Application Form for families living outside the UK. For September 2027 entry, its Year 7 (11+) and Year 9 (13+) key dates both list Friday 6 November 2026 for registration, and the assessment is listed for Friday 20 November 2026 at 11+ and Thursday 26 November 2026 at 13+.

The school’s admissions-process page adds: “Please note that we are not a licensed Child Student sponsor and all permissions for studying in the UK must be in place.” This guide sits under the London independent schools hub.

Overseas Application Form: Which Form Does a Family Abroad Complete?

The school’s apply page sets two routes apart. Under its online admissions heading it says “If you would like your child to join Habs Boys, you can complete our online admissions form here.” Under Overseas admission it says “If you are currently residing outside of the UK, please complete the online form below.” The second is the route for a boy living abroad: the Overseas application form.

Read in a browser on 10 October 2026, the embedded form is titled “HabsBoys Overseas Registration Form” and shows the headings Applicants, Contact 1, Contact 2, Registration Payee Details and Payment Details.

Registration is the first date to hold. For 11+ (Year 7, September 2027 entry) the school’s table headed Key dates for Year 7 lists a registration deadline of Friday 6 November 2026. The table headed Key dates for Year 9, for 13+ (Year 9, September 2027 entry), lists the same date. The overseas form sits on its own page, so confirm in writing that Friday 6 November 2026 is the date for the Overseas Application Form (question 2 below).

The admissions-process page also opens with a date-of-birth box: “Not sure? Enter your child's date of birth and we will let you know”. A family whose child’s school year starts in another month can read how England places a date of birth in our guide to the UK year group for children moving from abroad.

Assessment in Your Country of Residence, With Your Chosen Invigilator

Two sentences on the admissions-process page bear on where a boy living abroad sits the first round, and they sit in different places on the page. The first is under International entries, in the tab the school labels Occasional Places and Overseas. The second is under the Assessment step of the Ages 11+ | Year 7 tab.

Both are the school’s words. Which one governs a particular boy’s sitting is the first thing to settle with admissions in writing, and question 3 below puts it as Which applies to my son’s sitting? Who qualifies as an invigilator, and what the school needs to know about them, is question 4.

For 11+ (Year 7, September 2027 entry) the school describes the assessment this way: “We have partnered with QUEST to develop a bespoke Habs paper based assessment, combining multiple-choice and written questions.” It lists the parts with their durations, set out in the table below. Our page on Quest assessments sits with our admissions-test guides, and our Haberdashers’ Boys’ School 11+ page covers the paper itself. For the test each London school sets, see our guide to which entrance test each London school sets.

For 13+ (Year 9, September 2027 entry) the school’s steps say “Students sit the following written paper:” and list the parts below. Our Haberdashers’ Boys’ 13+ page covers those papers, and our 13+ guide for families abroad covers the wider 13+ route.

The sums above add up only the durations the school lists; whether the session includes breaks, reading time or the handling of answer sheets is a question for admissions, and question 5 below asks it. The sums are arithmetic on the school’s figures, not a timetable the school has given.

When Do the Year 7 and Year 9 Stages Fall for September 2027 Entry?

Every row below links to the school page that lists it. Dates are as the school gave them when read on 10 October 2026, with the weekday as the school prints it, and each row says which entry point and entry year it serves.

The school’s tables for its other formal entry points (4+, 7+ and 16+) are on the same page and are not covered here.

What Do the School’s Printed Times Read as Abroad, If They Are UK Times?

The school prints clock times for two stages a family abroad has to watch: the Bursary Information Zoom on Wednesday 14 October, 5:30 - 6:30pm, and, for 11+ (Year 7, September 2027 entry), the Offer acceptance deadline Wednesday 3 March 2027 (9am). The conversions below assume that the printed time is UK time; if admissions confirm another zone, redo the sum with that zone’s offset (question 9 below).

The working: the UK is on British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1) until the clocks go back on 25 October 2026, then on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+0) until they go forward on 28 March 2027, according to GOV.UK. The offsets are those of the IANA time zone database: Dubai/UAE is UTC+4, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are UTC+3, and Hong Kong and Singapore are UTC+8, and Bahrain and Kuwait are linked to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Subtract the UK offset to reach UTC, then add the local offset.

• Zoom start: 5:30pm BST is 16:30 UTC; add 4 hours for Dubai/UAE (20:30), 3 hours for Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia (19:30), 8 hours for Hong Kong and Singapore (00:30 on the next day).
• Zoom end: 6:30pm BST is 17:30 UTC, which reads 21:30, 20:30 and 01:30 on the next day.
• Acceptance deadline: 9am GMT is 09:00 UTC, which reads 13:00, 12:00 and 17:00 on the same day, because the clocks go forward only on 28 March 2027.

For lesson times rather than school deadlines, our time-zone guide works the same sums for more cities.

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What Follows the First Round: Interview and Team Exercise?

For 11+ (Year 7, September 2027 entry) the school’s steps say “Approximately half of students are invited back for an interview and team exercise.” The table lists the interview and team exercise as Friday 8 - Friday 15 January 2027. The step explains its purpose: “This enables us to look beyond assessment results and gain a deeper understanding of each student’s interests, character, aspirations and potential contribution to the Habs community.” It adds: “Parents are also invited to an informal meeting with members of the leadership team.”

For 13+ (Year 9, September 2027 entry) the steps say “Selected candidates are invited back for an interview.” and the table lists Interview Monday 18 January 2027. The school describes what the interview is for in these words: “It also provides an opportunity to see how students engage with senior staff, respond to challenge and approach new situations—qualities that underpin the Habits developed throughout a Habs education.”

Both stages are described through invitations and dates in January 2027. Whether a boy living abroad is interviewed online or in Elstree, and when an invitation would reach a family in another time zone, are questions 6 and 7 below. Our guide to video interviews for overseas 11+ and 13+ applicants sets out which UK independent schools interview applicants abroad online and which expect a visit, in each school’s own words.

Offers, Offer Holder Event and Acceptance

The school’s offers step reads “Successful students receive an offer to join Habs Boys, together with opportunities to visit the school and begin becoming part of the Habs community.” The tables list Offers sent out (email) Friday 12 February 2027 for 11+ and for 13+.

At 11+ (Year 7, September 2027 entry) the table then lists an offer holder event on Thursday 25 February 2027 and an Offer acceptance deadline Wednesday 3 March 2027 (9am). At 13+ (Year 9, September 2027 entry) it lists an offer holder event on Tuesday 23 February 2027 and a Conditional acceptance deadline Thursday 25 February 2027. The word conditional is the school’s; what the conditions are is question 8 below. The clock conversion for the 9am deadline is in the table above.

Visa Requirements

The school gives this heading to one sentence: “Please note that we are not a licensed Child Student sponsor and all permissions for studying in the UK must be in place.” Our guide to the Child Student visa covers GOV.UK’s Child Student rules.

Which permission a particular family holds, and what evidence the school needs to see, and by when, is question 10 below. Who the responsible adult in the UK is for a boy whose parents live abroad is question 11 below; our guide to educational guardians sets out the published rules for boarders.

Which Questions Should a Family Put to Admissions in Writing?

The school says “please email our admissions team in the first instance at admissionsboys@habselstree.org.uk or call us on 020 8266 1700.” Writing leaves a record, so these are framed for email. Each is about your own family; fill in the brackets.

1. Our son was born on [date] and his school year starts in [month]: which entry point and which September does his date of birth place him in, Year 7 (11+) or Year 9 (13+)?
2. We live in [country]: does the Overseas Application Form carry the Friday 6 November 2026 registration deadline listed in the Year 7 and Year 9 tables, and what should we hold ready when we submit it?
3. Which applies to my son’s sitting: an assessment in our country of residence with our chosen invigilator, or at Habs on 20 November (the Year 7 step), with the Year 9 table listing Thursday 26 November 2026?
4. If he sits in [country], on which date and from what local clock time, who may act as our invigilator, and what does the school need to know about them, and by when?
5. How long should we book the invigilator and the room for, given the listed durations (125 minutes added up at 11+, 225 minutes at 13+), and what happens to the answer sheets and written papers afterwards?
6. If he is invited back, can the interview and team exercise (Friday 8 - Friday 15 January 2027) or the 13+ interview (Monday 18 January 2027) be held online from [country], and could one of us join the leadership-team meeting on screen?
7. When will we know whether he is invited back, and how will the invitation reach us in [time zone]?
8. If he is offered a place at 13+, what are the conditions behind the Conditional acceptance deadline of Thursday 25 February 2027?
9. Are the 9am on Wednesday 3 March 2027 and the 5:30 - 6:30pm of the Bursary Information Zoom on Wednesday 14 October 2026 UK time, and what must reach the school by the acceptance deadline?
10. Which permission will our son hold to study in the UK from September 2027, and what evidence of it do you need to see, and by when?
11. If neither of us will be living in the UK with him, what does the school need to know about the adult who will be responsible for him here?
12. Can families living abroad join the Bursary Information Zoom (Wednesday 14 October 2026, 5:30 - 6:30pm) or the 11+ Senior School Taster Morning (Wednesday 4 November 2026, 09:00 - 11:30am) on screen, and is a recording available?

Occasional Places and Overseas: Other Year Groups, September 2027 Entry

The school keeps its Overseas text in the same tab as its occasional places, which serve year groups other than Reception (4+), Year 3 (7+), Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Sixth Form (16+). Each line below is labelled with the year groups and entry year it serves.

• Other year groups, September 2027 entry, occasional places: “From time to time, however, places do become available in other year groups. These are called ‘occasional places’.”
• Other year groups, September 2027 entry, registration: the school’s form is titled Occasional Place registration form 2027; the page says “For entry in September, please fill out the online registration form”.
• Other year groups, September 2027 entry, February: “In February, we will contact those who have registered their interest to confirm which year groups have occasional places available.”
• Other year groups, September 2027 entry, assessment: “Assessments take place at the end of February /the beginning of March for entry in September of that year.”
• Other year groups, September 2027 entry, offer: “Successful candidates will receive an offer before the end of the Spring term”.

These lines concern year groups other than the five formal entry points; 11+ (Year 7) and 13+ (Year 9) follow the tables above. Whether a boy living abroad can use the occasional-place route is a question for admissions in writing.

Reviewed 10 October 2026 against Haberdashers’ Boys’ School’s own admissions-process, apply and book-a-visit pages (habselstree.org.uk), GOV.UK and the IANA time zone database.

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