A Level Results (2023):
1. Good School Guide (Top 10 on 'Progress 8' Scores)
2. Parent Power Best UK School Guide (Number 1 Nationally Ranked School)
3. BBC League Tables (Top 10 School)
Click on above links to go to the comparison source.
Unfortunately I think HB is one of those ‘super selectives’ where being the cleverest or ‘top table’ at primary, just isn’t enough any more. The huge numbers of girls sitting are the reason for this. The first round, before you even get to the Maths & English papers, which is very much based on being very quick & accurate in NVR/VR has led many families to spending years practising the methods. For me, this is not really a test of natural academic ability. As said above, many families are not prepared to take on the almost change of daily family life that this involves. The equivalent boys school in the area, Queen Elizabeth’s boys School, dropped this first round requirement several years ago, instead focusing only on Maths & English ability, which some believe, has led to a change in the make up of the intake.
I think there are positives though. Yes, many girls sit but this needs to be put into perspective. As with QE boys, some will be using it as a mock test for Independent schools and have no intention of applying to the school. Many successful girls will achieve offers from other schools and will not take up a place at HB. There are always examples of the bright girl, who was not coached within an inch of her life, who made it through and got a place. You never know, your DD might be one of those. To give her any sort of fair chance, some prep will be needed for both rounds though. Good luck!
I love the school it has amazing kind mannered children and they are beautifully presenting things in an orderly organised manner and they have talented children and absolutely wonderful helpers and staff the best school I've seen in history. One piece of art had a 3D face all made of mirrors a year 7 child.
The HBS 11Plus Exam consists of two rounds. Top 300 students are invited to Round 2.
The paper is expected to last around 50-60 minutes and follows the GL Exam pattern.
1. There should be a short passage followed by two written answers.
2. A creative writing task like a diary entry, story, letter etc.
There is usually no word limit however justice must be done to the task. As a rough guide 4-6 well formed sentences, using information from the passage for passage task and at least 10-12 sentences (advisable more) on main task. Attention should be paid to the use of figurative language, good use of vocabulary and SPAG.
At Oxbridge we offer a number of resources, courses and mocks to help with your 11Plus Prep.
Ideal for students who are self-preparing or Home-preparing, our resources are custom made for success in GL, London Grammar and Private School Exams.
We recommend the following resources:
We offer subject-specific camps: English Camp, Maths Camp, NVR Camp and VR Camp. The camp are designed as one-week intensive courses focusing on key topics relevant to the 11Plus exam. These camps provide an excellent opportunity to refresh knowledge, enhance understanding, and boost confidence.
Key features:
2. Online Practice Books:
Our brand new 'online test books’ help students develop: Stamina, Speed and Accuracy. It is comprised of 3 bundles of tests for each subject (English, Maths, VR, NVR) :
• 10-minute tests (Beginner)
• 15-minute tests (Intermediate)
• 20-minute tests (Advanced)
Progression along the test series helps children develop effective time management and tackle increasingly difficult questions. Each test covers a wide range of topics, contains detailed solutions and shows ‘score analytics’ to benchmark performance.
3. Mock Exams
Mock exams are a great way to prepare for the real exams. They can help you to:
We offer a mix of Online, In-Person and At-Home Mock exams to guide your perpetration. We highly recommend starting with mock exams six months prior to your main exam to ease into the test process.
4. Special Courses
Special courses on vocabulary and courses to improve your accuracy and time-management.
Full Price £120
HBS is often rated as the best Girls' Grammar School and hence competition is intense. There are on average 3000 applicants for some 100 seats.
Taking the success ratio of around 3% (100/3000) would be misleading as the 3000 applicants are also jointly competing for seats in other premier institutes example in Sutton, Tiffin etc.
That being said the competition is intense and requires considerable hard-work and dedication.
Most of us understand scoring systems like those used in our schools, ‘7 out of 10’ or percentage scores, e.g. 70%. Such scores, known as raw scores, are easily understandable and helpful in indicating ‘how many you got right’. However, these scores are less useful in enabling teachers to compare pupils’ performance meaningfully between one test and another and monitor progress over time. This is because raw scores do not account for factors such as:
Varying the difficultly of tests from year to year.
Varying the aptitude and number of students taking the test each year.
These factors can make the average scores (and hence selection scores) subject to significant variations year on year. To overcome these challenges, standardised scores are used instead of raw scores as they help balance children's overall performance between years and tests. The process of standard score calculation is relatively complex. We will try and discuss the basics for interested parents and students, but the detailed mechanism is not necessary for succeeding in the exam– it all comes down to attempting questions in a considered, accurate manner and keeping pace with the speed of the test.
Although this may be concerning for some parents and children (and equally euphoric for others), it is worth remembering that the factor is very small and the most important parameter remains test performance by far.
We have a support plan for students who want to gain admission into one of the best Grammar Schools in the country.
