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Making the move from prep to senior school is one of the biggest hurdles of any child’s educational journey, and the next schools’ admissions cycle is on the horizon. Check out our ultimate guide to , and then read our month-by-month 11+ survival guide to help you plan your search. Our advice? Start getting ahead as soon as you can...

June

• If you’re just starting out on your search and don’t know where to begin, make sure you use the time before the summer holiday madness to book your parent advisory slot. The summer is a busy time for our advisers, so it’s worth having your initial consultation now to get ahead of the game.
• Senior school registrations are now opening, and open day places fill up fast – start securing your spot at each of the schools you're considering so you can be among the first visitors through the doors in the autumn term. Keep an eye on our open days round-up page.
• Think about bursaries. The application process can be long and complicated, so if you’re considering applying for financial aid, start collating all the information the school requires now. If you need more help, our parent advisory offers a one-hour bursary consultation with our experienced bursary adviser to help you understand what the process entails and how each school’s thresholds and requirements differ.
• If your child is keen to shoot for a scholarship, make sure you’re aware of the requirements and deadlines. In many cases, scholarship assessments take place earlier than the 11+ academic exams.

July

• Use your Talk ÍÑ¿ã°É dashboard to start building your senior school shortlist. Make sure you sign up for notifications on your favourite schools, so you don’t miss any of the registration deadlines. The earliest we've found so far is 15th October.
• Speak to your child’s prep school to find out how you can help keep their brain ticking over during the summer holidays. If your child needs to plug any knowledge gaps, offer targeted support – but don’t overdo the tutoring. This is a time for consolidation: reading, making memories, chatting about what inspires them and what’s happening in the world – so they’ve got plenty to talk about when interview season rolls around. 

August

• Use the summer to find out as much information as possible about the schools you’re considering. Your child’s prep school may have put forward a list of suggestions; you might be considering boarding alongside day schools; you could be relocating (and so looking at schools outside of your prep school’s usual reach); or you might be making the move from a state school to an independent – the range of options can be bewildering. If you haven’t already secured your parent advisory slot, consider our one-hour problem solver – we can help you untangle a knotty issue or decide between two different schools.
• Start building up a timeline. Check registration dates and find out when schools hold their exams and interviews: building up a picture of the admissions process will help you manage your child’s expectations of how long the process will last (some schools have exams before Christmas; others wait until January; some interview first; others use the exams to draw up their interview shortlist).

September

• Ensure you have a good spread and sensible number of schools on your list, so your child doesn’t end up with all their eggs in one basket. Remember, they can only take the ISEB Pre-Test once – so find out the test’s final submission deadline, and be aware that different assessments will play to your child’s strengths in different ways.
• Go to open days armed with a list of questions to get a feel for whether a school is the right fit for your child. Think about what your child’s life will be like at that school: how long are the lessons, how far do they have to walk between lessons, how organised do they have to be? What would their journey to and from school involve? How long is the school day? Think about what the school isn’t showing you, and why this might be.
• Use your parent dashboard to record any notes you’ve made from your open days. Think practically about the options on your list: the school might suit your biddable pre-teen now, but will it still be right for them when the swishy-haired teenage years roll around? Can you realistically see them commuting that distance each day?

October

• Check that your child’s prep school has all the information they need to write a reference. Do they know about all the brilliant things your child does outside of school? If you’re going off-piste, you might need to put your prep school in touch with your senior school of choice (and remember: if you are going against the recommendations of your prep school, make sure you know the reasons why – and be confident that it is in the best interests of your child).
• Registration deadlines are looming: make sure you know whether the final cut-off is midday or midnight – and don’t leave it until the last minute. Make sure you’ve received confirmation of your registration – systems aren’t infallible and you don’t want to lose out as a result.

November

• We can’t stress this enough: check those registration deadlines again, and again. Early to mid-November is prime deadline time – so make sure you’re plugged in and aware of your timetable; what each admissions process involves and whether your chosen schools hold any pre-selection exams (some exams and interviews might be happening sooner than you expected this side of Christmas).
• This is the time to narrow down your options – by now you’ll have a clearer idea of how your child is doing in their practice papers, and so it’s a good idea to touch base again with their prep school to check you’re still aiming for the right options.
• Be aware of any exam clashes and make both your prep and chosen senior schools aware. Don’t panic: they know you will be trying for a number of schools and will do what they can to work around the clash –as long as you keep them informed.

December

• Use the school holidays to let your child regroup, rest, get into a good sleeping and eating pattern and familiarise them with their exam and interview timetable. Think about booking something fun to do with them once it’s all over.
• Most importantly, don’t listen to dinner party chit-chat or get dragged into school-gate gossip, and don’t talk about the process outside of your immediate family. Trust your instincts and remember that you’re looking for a school that is right for your child, not somebody else’s.

January

• The traditional exam season is in full swing (that said, there’s a good chance your child could have started the assessment process as early as November). Make sure both you and your child are fully aware of the timetable: are the exams all spread out throughout the month, or is your child facing an intense week of back-to-back assessments? If so, think about how you’re going to get to each exam. Where’s a good pit stop for lunch? Is it worth travelling with a friend sitting the same assessment?
• Think about what lessons can be drawn from each experience. Don’t let your child dwell on what’s gone wrong: instead, help them build on their mistakes for the future.

February

• Offers start rolling in during the week before half-term: think about where you’re going to be and what you’ll be doing during the break. If you find yourself on the waiting list of your preferred school, it pays to be proactive: admissions teams are likely to be around during half-term, so get in touch to let them know they are your first choice. Pick up the phone to your child’s prep school too: if they believe said senior school is the right fit, they will happily support your case.
• Don’t hold on to offers. This is the number one rule of 11+: if you have no intention of taking up a place, do not sit on it. It’s unfair to other candidates and prevents them from moving up the waiting list.
• If you need more help making your final decision, sign up for another tour or an offer-holder evening. Think about booking another session with our parent advisory team – if you need instant advice on a particular question, we can help.

March

• If you are considering state options alongside private, National Offer Day for state schools falls on 3rd March 2025. Acceptance deadlines for independent schools fall later that week – but keep on top of the dates: every school is different, and some are earlier than you think. If you’re already made up your mind, don’t wait until the last minute to accept or turn down your offers.
• Once you’ve accepted your place, breathe out. Now’s the time for your child to make the most of their final months of Year 6 and enjoy the celebrations. Let them finish well and spend quality time with their friends before heading off in different directions. September will be here before you know it. 

Good luck – and remember: if you’ve stuck to the timetable and done your search well ahead of time, it will all work out. If, at any point, you need bespoke advice, an impartial sounding board or a shoulder to cry on, Talk ÍÑ¿ã°É is on hand to help.