Assessments & Entrance Exams
Lower School Assessments
Lower School assessments including Reception take place all year round. If you are interested in joining our Lower School, please register your daughter today. The Registration Form can be found here.
At all ages the aim of the process is to identify potential for learning. For entry into Reception to Year 6, candidates are invited for an individual assessment with one of the specialist primary teachers. Candidates for entry into Years 5 and 6 undergo timed tests, whilst tests for those in Year 4 and below are less formal. Those candidates who demonstrate academic potential in their assessment are invited to spend time in the School with their peers when there is then a more general assessment of ability and aptitude. All parents will be given an appointment to meet with the Head. If you have any questions about your daughter joining the Lower School, please contact the Admissions office.
Senior School Assessments
11+ Year 7 Entrance and Scholarship Examinations
Our 11+ Entrance and Scholarship Exam for entry into Year 7 September 2025 was held on Saturday 16 November 2024. If you would still like your daughter to be assessed for entry for Year 7 in 2025, please contact the Admissions office.
For 11+ entry, candidates sit examinations in English, Mathematics and Reasoning, which are designed for their age group. The Mathematics, English (Comprehension) and Reasoning (NVR and VR) assessments are done via the ISEB Common Pre-test. In addition, pupils will sit a traditional written paper in Creative Writing. Familiarisation tests for the ISEB are available online here and more general information can be found here. Parents/guardians are required to register their daughters online directly with ISEB, in addition to completing the PGHS registration form. Families are encouraged to sign up to the ISEB mailing list, which can be done here.
Candidates who show promise in these academic tests are then invited for interview with the Head or another Senior member of staff. This is an opportunity for areas such as interests and hobbies to be discussed so that an overall picture of the prospective pupil can be achieved. Parents will be contacted with an interview date in the week following the examination. The dates by which results will be communicated to families and the closing date for acceptances will be available from the School Office.
Occasional Senior School Places
Candidates for entry into Years 8-10 sit an online assessment and a written paper in English. All parents will be given an appointment to meet with the Head. If you would like your daughter to be assessed to join other year group, please contact the Admissions office.
No specific preparation for the entrance tests is needed, all candidates start on an equal footing, with identical opportunities to display their academic and other abilities. Selection is based upon merit and, in addition to entrance tests and interviews at the School, references from a candidate’s current or previous school(s) will be considered.
