Senior School - Year 7

The entrance examination for Year 7 entry takes place in early January. In addition to the entrance examination outlined below, we will also ask your daughter's current school for a school report.

English
The English Examination is 1 hour 15 minutes long. The examination is designed to test the candidate's ability to understand and respond to the content and language of an unseen passage, and to demonstrate her ability to communicate accurately and effectively in at least one extended answer.
 
Mathematics
The Mathematics Examination is 1 hour long. We assume that the girls have followed a curriculum covering Number, Shape and Space, Measurement and Data Handling. We expect them to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers, simple fractions and decimals. We attach great importance to fluency and accuracy in arithmetic and to the knowledge of multiplication tables. They need to be proficient in these skills in order to work quickly and correctly, since calculators are not allowed in Year 7 tests and examinations.
We are looking for girls with the ability to reason and to apply these basic skills in order to solve problems involving, among other things, the use of charts, diagrams and tables.
 
Personal Sheet
Girls are given 20 minutes to write a short presentation of themselves, highlighting their personal successes, their extra-curricular activities, any contribution that they make to their school and community, and their plans for the future. There will be a sheet with prompt headings to help them with this task. The girls can prepare in advance to write this, so this should give them additional confidence on the day, knowing that there is a task for which they are well prepared. They will not, however, be able to use prepared notes.

Laptop Computers
If your daughter normally uses her laptop computer for her school work, then it will be possible for her to use it for her Entrance Examination. If your daughter requires this facility, please contact Mrs Sally Kendall, Head of Learning Support, by 1 November of the year prior to entry into the School.

Special Educational Needs
If your daughter has been assessed by an Educational Psychologist, please attached the report to the Registration Form and it will be forwarded to Mrs Sally Kendall, our Head of Learning Support.

Joining Surbiton High School
If your daughter joins us, we try to make her early days as smooth as possible.
She will be invited with you to a New Girls’ Introduction Afternoon in July, giving her a chance to meet her Form Tutor and the girls who will be in her form; often they then arrange to see each other during the summer holidays. In September, on the day before the term begins for other pupils, she will attend an Introductory Day. We allocate a “Big Sister” from the current Year 7 girls to keep a special eye on her and a Year 13 girl to act as a mentor. Mrs Hart (Head of Year 7) Mrs Bennett (Deputy Head of Year 7) and Form Tutors ensure that girls settle easily into the senior school.

Entrance in other years
There may be occasional places available. Enquiries should be made to the Admissions Registrar, Mrs Meg Try. Applicants will be required to sit an examination in English, Mathematics and a Foreign Language. Special arrangements may be made for applicants visiting from overseas.