QE Boys, HBS, NLCS and Highgate School — entry routes, exams and how to prepare.
North London has an exceptional concentration of selective schools — both state grammar schools and highly selective independent schools. For families with children aiming for secondary school entry in Year 7, the North London market is arguably the most competitive in England: multiple schools with 10:1+ application ratios, overlapping examination windows, and a concentration of high-achieving applicants drawn from across the capital and beyond. This guide covers the four schools that generate the greatest volume of applications from our North London families: Queen Elizabeth's School Barnet, Henrietta Barnett School, North London Collegiate School, and Highgate School.
Queen Elizabeth's School is a boys-only state grammar school in Barnet and consistently the highest-ranked state school for boys in England by GCSE and A-level results. Around 2,500 boys apply annually for approximately 180 Year 7 places — a ratio approaching 14:1. Entry is based entirely on score in the North London Consortium 11+ examination; there is no catchment area, no interview, and no other criteria.
The consortium exam is taken in October of Year 6 and consists of verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and mathematics papers. Scores are standardised. A successful candidate typically scores in approximately the top 2-3% nationally. The school's Oxbridge progression is outstanding — it sends more boys to Oxford and Cambridge per year than most independent schools — and its reputation draws applications from across North, East, West, and Central London as well as from Hertfordshire and Essex.
For a full guide, see QE Boys Barnet: 11+ Complete Guide 2026.
Henrietta Barnett School is a girls-only state grammar school in Hampstead Garden Suburb and consistently the highest-ranked state school for girls in England. Approximately 2,500 girls apply each year for around 93 places — a ratio of roughly 27:1, making it one of the most competitive schools of any type in the country. Like QE Boys, HBS uses the consortium 11+ examination and selects entirely by score with no catchment area or interview.
HBS and QE Boys share the same examination consortium, making joint preparation highly efficient. The vast majority of families applying to HBS also apply to QE Boys (if they have a son) or to other consortium schools. For girls, HBS is frequently paired with applications to NLCS and Tiffin Girls' School in a combined grammar-and-independent strategy. For a full guide, see Henrietta Barnett School Complete Admissions Guide.
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NLCS is an independent girls' school in Edgware — just a few miles from both QE Boys and HBS — with fees of approximately £22,000 per year and a substantial bursary programme. It is consistently ranked among the top five independent girls' schools in England and has an outstanding record for Oxbridge, medicine, and competitive university admissions. Around 500 girls apply for approximately 60 Year 7 places.
NLCS uses its own entrance examination (English, Mathematics, and Reasoning papers) with a subsequent interview, taken in January of Year 7. Unlike the consortium grammar school exam, the NLCS process emphasises intellectual engagement, breadth of thinking, and the ability to perform well in an academic conversation, not just on standardised tests. Means-tested bursaries can cover up to 100% of fees, making NLCS genuinely accessible to families across the income spectrum who apply early and demonstrate need.
For a full guide, see NLCS 11+ Complete Guide 2026.
Highgate School is a co-educational independent day school in Highgate, North London, with a history stretching back to 1565. It educates pupils from ages 3 to 18 across its pre-prep, prep, and senior schools. The senior school (from Year 7) admits boys and girls for approximately 100 places in Year 7, drawn from its own prep school and from external applicants.
Fees at Highgate are approximately £24,000 per year at senior school level. The school is academically selective — candidates sit Highgate's own entrance examination in English and Mathematics, followed by a short interview — and it has a strong academic record with regular Oxbridge admissions. However, Highgate's academic culture is somewhat broader than that of QE Boys or HBS: it is a full all-round school with exceptional sport, music, drama, and co-curricular provision alongside its academic programme.
Highgate draws applications from across North London, particularly from Highgate, Muswell Hill, Crouch End, Hampstead, Finchley, and Barnet. It is commonly applied to alongside applications to QE Boys (for boys) and HBS or NLCS (for girls) by families seeking both a grammar school safety net and an independent school option.
Most families targeting North London's top selective schools apply to multiple schools simultaneously. A typical application strategy for a boy in North London might include: QE Boys (consortium 11+, October), Highgate (own exam + interview, January), and potentially Latymer Upper or University College School as additional independent school options. For girls, a common strategy is HBS (consortium 11+, October), NLCS (own exam + interview, January), and CLSG or South Hampstead High School as additional options.
The key is that consortium grammar school preparation (autumn) and independent school preparation (January) run on different timetables and cover partially overlapping material. A well-structured tutoring programme from the start of Year 6 can cover both streams simultaneously without overloading the child.
To contextualise the competition: a child aiming for QE Boys or HBS needs to be scoring in approximately the top 2-3% of all Year 6 children nationally on standardised reasoning and maths tests. At NLCS, the equivalent academic standard applies, though the admissions process also weights interview performance. At Highgate, the standard is high but the co-educational intake and all-round selection approach means that a somewhat broader range of strong candidates may receive offers.
For families new to the North London selective school market, one of the most important early steps is a realistic assessment of where a child is currently performing relative to these thresholds. Starting preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5 — before the competitive pressure becomes intense — allows time for steady, sustainable improvement rather than a rushed final-year push.
At Leading Tuition, we specialise in preparation for North London's selective schools. Our tutors have experience with the consortium 11+ exam (QE Boys, HBS), independent school examinations (NLCS, Highgate), and the interview processes at each school. We run integrated programmes covering multiple applications, and we provide full mock examinations and interview practice throughout.
For families in Highgate, Barnet, Finchley, Hampstead, and across North London, we offer both in-person and online tuition. Book a free consultation to discuss your child's preparation.
Choosing between North London's selective schools requires more than comparing league table positions. Each school has a distinct ethos, exam format and community culture that will shape your child's secondary experience. Queen Elizabeth's School Barnet is an all-boys state grammar with a reputation for intense academic rigour and a strong tradition of Oxbridge progression — it suits boys who thrive in highly competitive, results-focused environments. The Henrietta Barnett School offers a similarly pressured academic culture for girls, with a rich tradition of music and arts alongside its outstanding GCSE and A-level results. Parents should attend open evenings with an open mind rather than arriving with a ranked shortlist; the atmosphere in corridors and the quality of conversations with current pupils often reveal more than any prospectus.
For families considering independent selective schools, North London Collegiate School (NLCS) and Highgate School offer broader pastoral programmes alongside exceptional academics, and both accept pupils at 11+ and 13+. NLCS is particularly strong for girls who want to combine high achievement with a wide enrichment curriculum, while Highgate's co-educational sixth form and diverse extracurricular life make it attractive for pupils with interests beyond pure academia. The key is to match the school's culture to your child's personality rather than targeting the school with the highest entry threshold. A child who is borderline for HBS but an excellent fit for Latymer Upper School or NLCS may flourish far more in the latter environment. Involve your child in open evening visits from early in Year 5 so that preference, as well as likelihood of success, shapes your final shortlist.
Yes. Both QE Boys and Henrietta Barnett School are members of the same North London Consortium and use the same 11+ examination, taken in October of Year 6. The papers cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and mathematics. A child can sit the exam and be considered for both schools simultaneously. The score thresholds differ — QE Boys admits approximately 180 boys, HBS approximately 93 girls — but the examination itself is identical in format and standard.
Grammar school entry (QE Boys, HBS) is based entirely on a single standardised test score taken in October — there is no interview, no school report, no other criteria. Independent school entry (NLCS, Highgate, CLSG, South Hampstead) involves a proprietary written examination taken in January, followed by an interview. The academic standard required is broadly comparable, but independent school processes also reward interview performance, breadth of interests, and the ability to engage intellectually under conversational pressure.
Leading Tuition specialises in preparation for North London's most competitive selective schools, including Queen Elizabeth's School Barnet, Henrietta Barnett School, Dame Alice Owen's School, and the independent schools across the Barnet, Enfield, and Hertfordshire areas. Our tutors have deep knowledge of the different examination formats used by these schools — GL Assessment consortium papers, Hertfordshire Consortium papers, and school-specific assessments — and work with children from Year 4 through to the examination. We are rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot by families across North London and Hertfordshire. To discuss a preparation plan for your child, book a free consultation at leadingtuition.co.uk/consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
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