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Highgate School

Founded in 1565 on the heights of North London, Highgate is a leading co-educational school whose bespoke 11+ is built on one provocative principle: show us how you think, not what you know.
Exam board
Bespoke-SET
Entry
Year 7
Founded
1565
Year 7 places
180

Highgate School

SMA Difficulty
Expert
Location: Highgate, North London
School type: Independent
Admissions test: Bespoke-SET
Free 11+ Baseline Assessment
LOCATION & GETTING THERE

Where Highgate School sits — and how to reach it

● Schools● Trains● Buses● School coaches
LOCATION
Highgate School
70 North Road, London, N6 4AY
Other selective schools nearby, closest first — useful if you are considering more than one.
Channing School
Highgate, London · 0.5 km away
View guide →
The Henrietta Barnett School
Hampstead Garden Suburb, London · 3.1 km away
View guide →
University College School (UCS)
Hampstead, London · 3.4 km away
View guide →
St Margaret's School
Hampstead, London · 3.6 km away
View guide →
Nearest railway and Underground stations, with the lines that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Highgate
0.3 km from the school — London Underground: Northern line, High Barnet branch
Archway
1.3 km from the school — London Underground: Northern line, High Barnet branch
Upper Holloway
1.7 km from the school — London Overground: Suffragette line
St Michaels School (Stop A)
0.2 km from the school — routes 143, 263, N263, 603
Southwood Avenue (Stop U)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234
Highgate (Stop G)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234, NL-3
Highgate (Stop T)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234, NL-3
Six-route Highgate School Coach Service
School-operated, Mon-Fri, term time. Pick-up points include Stanmore Underground (07:15), Belsize Park Underground (07:50), Gospel Oak (07:57). Enquiries: transport@highgateschool.org.uk.
Bus stops closest to the school, with the routes that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Highgate
0.3 km from the school — London Underground: Northern line, High Barnet branch
Archway
1.3 km from the school — London Underground: Northern line, High Barnet branch
Upper Holloway
1.7 km from the school — London Overground: Suffragette line
St Michaels School (Stop A)
0.2 km from the school — routes 143, 263, N263, 603
Southwood Avenue (Stop U)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234
Highgate (Stop G)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234, NL-3
Highgate (Stop T)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234, NL-3
Six-route Highgate School Coach Service
School-operated, Mon-Fri, term time. Pick-up points include Stanmore Underground (07:15), Belsize Park Underground (07:50), Gospel Oak (07:57). Enquiries: transport@highgateschool.org.uk.
Coach services run by the school itself, where they exist.
Highgate
0.3 km from the school — London Underground: Northern line, High Barnet branch
Archway
1.3 km from the school — London Underground: Northern line, High Barnet branch
Upper Holloway
1.7 km from the school — London Overground: Suffragette line
St Michaels School (Stop A)
0.2 km from the school — routes 143, 263, N263, 603
Southwood Avenue (Stop U)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234
Highgate (Stop G)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234, NL-3
Highgate (Stop T)
0.3 km from the school — routes N20, 43, 134, 234, NL-3
Six-route Highgate School Coach Service
School-operated, Mon-Fri, term time. Pick-up points include Stanmore Underground (07:15), Belsize Park Underground (07:50), Gospel Oak (07:57). Enquiries: transport@highgateschool.org.uk.
Private coach services are run by local operators — confirm routes and seats directly each September.
ON THIS PAGE
OVERVIEW

How the test is structured

Highgate's 11+ entry uses the school's own bespoke written papers. All candidates sit three handwritten papers — Mathematics (45 minutes), English and Non-Verbal Reasoning — at the school in early December of Year 6. No specific syllabus preparation is required by the school; the papers are designed to assess mathematical problem solving and reasoning potential. Candidates who do well in the entrance exams are then invited back in January for group interviews and taster activities, including taster lessons, allowing the school to observe candidates in a collaborative academic setting.

Offers go out in February; accepted places require a substantial deposit by early March. The school does not award academic scholarships at 11+ but does offer music awards through audition. Around 180 external candidates join Year 7, with a further 105 places for pupils from Highgate Junior School.

HISTORY & ETHOS

The school's story

Highgate School was founded in 1565 when Queen Elizabeth I granted letters patent to Sir Roger Cholmeley, a former Lord Chief Justice, to establish a grammar school on the heights of North London. On 27 April 1565 the Bishop of London granted land for the purpose, and Cholmeley endowed the school with the explicit aim of providing 'good education and instruction of boys and young men'. The school has occupied its hilltop site for over four and a half centuries, making it one of the oldest schools in London still on its original ground.Highgate became fully co-educational in 2004, a move that significantly strengthened both its academic performance and its character. Notable alumni span literature, music, science and sport: Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman was taught at Highgate by T.S. Eliot; mathematician John Venn invented the Venn diagram; composer Sir John Tavener won a place on a music scholarship. In recent years 96% of GCSE entries achieved grades 7–9. This culture of rigorous enquiry across disciplines mirrors the Singapore mastery ethos: mathematics is not a set of routines to execute, but a language of structured thinking to internalise.

Why the maths is genuinely hard

Highgate's bespoke Maths paper is explicitly designed without a required syllabus — the school wants to see how candidates think, not what they have memorised. The 45-minute handwritten paper rewards clear mathematical reasoning and logical method; show-your-working is essential. The group interview adds a further dimension, assessing collaborative intellectual engagement.

SMA DIFFICULTY VERDICT

Our honest take on the difficulty

The SMA Verdict

4

/5

Expert

Highgate's 11+ stands out for its explicitly open-ended philosophy: no required syllabus, a paper designed to test thinking rather than preparation, and a group interview that rewards intellectual curiosity and collaborative engagement. For a mixed school drawing from across North London and beyond, competition is intense — particularly for external candidates competing against 105 Junior School pupils who progress internally. Singapore mastery's focus on deep understanding, logical method and the ability to reason about unfamiliar problems gives candidates precisely the thinking profile Highgate is looking for.

CATCHMENT & TOWNS

Where families come from

Highgate
Hampstead
Muswell Hill
Crouch End
Finchley
East Finchley
Archway
Tufnell Park
Islington
Barnet
KEY DATES

The 11+ admissions calendar

November 2026Registration deadline
December 2026Bespoke written papers (Maths, English, NVR)
January 2027Group interviews and taster activities
February 2027Offers issued
March 2027Deposit deadline
FAQ

Parents' most common questions

Is Highgate School co-educational?

Yes — Highgate has been fully co-educational since 2004, admitting boys and girls into all year groups from pre-prep through to the Sixth Form. The 11+ entry is open to both boys and girls applying from external schools.

Does Highgate use the ISEB Common Pre-Test?

No. Highgate sets its own bespoke written papers in Maths, English and Non-Verbal Reasoning, sat at the school in early December of Year 6. There is no ISEB pre-test stage. All registered candidates are invited to sit the papers.

How many external places does Highgate offer at 11+?

Approximately 180 external places are offered to candidates joining from other schools, in addition to around 105 places allocated to pupils progressing from Highgate's own Junior School. This makes Highgate one of the larger 11+ intakes among selective London independents.

What does the Highgate Maths paper require?

A 45-minute handwritten paper covering number, measurement, geometry, algebra and statistics — but Highgate explicitly states no specific syllabus preparation is required. The paper is designed to reveal mathematical thinking and problem-solving ability, not curriculum coverage. Showing working is essential; the markers credit reasoning, not just answers.

How does Singapore Maths help for the Highgate 11+?

Highgate's paper is specifically designed to disadvantage candidates who have only been drilled on exam techniques. Singapore mastery builds genuine mathematical understanding from first principles — the CPA approach, bar modelling and the habit of constructing logical working ensure that candidates can reason confidently about unfamiliar problems rather than relying on rehearsed procedures that do not transfer.
EXAM PAPERS

Past and sample papers

COMING SOON

We're gathering the sample and familiarisation papers Highgate School publishes, so you can see the real thing before you prepare. If you'd like them sooner, just ask.

NEARBY SCHOOLS

Other selective schools in the area

Channing School
Highgate, London · 0.5 km
View guide →
The Henrietta Barnett School
Hampstead Garden Suburb, London · 3.1 km
View guide →
University College School (UCS)
Hampstead, London · 3.4 km
View guide →
St Margaret's School
Hampstead, London · 3.6 km
View guide →

Preparing for Highgate School?

We teach the reasoning these papers actually reward — not test tricks. Small online groups, qualified teachers, and a Singapore Maths method built on genuine understanding.