Channing School is one of North London's most academically distinguished independent schools for girls, situated in Highgate and educating students from Reception through to the Sixth Form. It has a well-earned reputation for strong examination results, a warm and engaged school culture, and a genuine commitment to developing confident, independent-minded young women. If your daughter is applying for an 11+ place at Channing, this guide will help you understand what the admissions process involves and how to prepare effectively.
Channing School is a member of the London 11+ Consortium, which runs one online assessment for its thirteen member schools, including South Hampstead High School and the two Francis Holland schools (see the Consortium's member list). A candidate sits the assessment once, however many Consortium schools she applies to, and the results are shared with every school at which she is registered. The Consortium says it seeks a simple process with just one test, and each school then runs its own interview. Channing's own admissions process has three parts: a confidential reference from the headteacher of the girl's current school, the assessment and the interview.
The Consortium assessment is taken online and is 100 minutes in total, with a break of up to 30 minutes after the Verbal Reasoning section. Its six components are taken in this order:
Channing invites every candidate to a face-to-face interview, whatever her assessment result; for September 2027 entry the interview day is Tuesday 5 January 2027, and an online interview is arranged for candidates who are overseas. The interview is a significant part of the admissions decision: Channing's policy is to “offer places on the basis of the whole picture created by the examination result, the interview performance and the school reference”, and its interviewers are “looking for evidence of creative and independent thinking, and suitability for our schools”.
Channing has a distinctive school culture — it is academic without being pressured, warm without being insular, and genuinely committed to the idea that education is about developing the whole person rather than optimising for examination outcomes. The school's results at GCSE and A-Level are strong, and Channing says its leavers progress to leading UK and overseas universities, including Russell Group institutions.
What Channing looks for at 11+ extends well beyond performance in the assessment. Successful applicants typically show:
Channing's own published advice on preparation is that “your daughter does not need special tuition or intensive practice for this assessment. We actively discourage preparation for the interview.”
Preparation for Channing works best when it is targeted to the Consortium format without becoming mechanical. We work on the specific skills the six components of the assessment actually test — not generic 11+ drilling. This means comprehension technique focused on inference from context rather than surface retrieval, accurate use of standard English in context, and mathematical reasoning that builds genuine problem-solving ability.
Our 11+ specialists work with Channing applicants on the Maths, reasoning, English, Problem Solving and Creative Comprehension components of the Consortium assessment that Channing uses for its 11+ selection, tailoring preparation to that format and the standard it sets for incoming Year 7 pupils. Our students have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry, and we're rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the Channing School 11+.
For the interview, our approach is to help your daughter develop confidence in expressing her own ideas — not to rehearse answers. Channing says its interviewers are “looking for evidence of creative and independent thinking, and suitability for our schools”. We work on listening carefully, pausing to think, and answering the actual question asked.
We also help families understand the Channing culture so that your daughter's interview day feels like a natural engagement with a school she genuinely wants to attend — not a performance for an audience.
Because Channing is a member of the London 11+ Consortium, a girl applying to Channing sits the assessment once, however many Consortium schools she applies to, and the results are shared with every school at which she is registered. This is an efficient process, but each school runs its own interview separately: some Consortium schools select for interview from the assessment and some do not, while Channing interviews every candidate.
Many families applying to Channing also consider South Hampstead High School, Francis Holland, and North London Collegiate. We can help you think through the range of schools that might suit your daughter and structure preparation accordingly.
For official entry requirements and registration details, see the Channing School 11+ admissions.
Channing School's 11+ assessment is the London 11+ Consortium's online assessment, which the Consortium designed with its test provider, Quest Assessments, and which is almost entirely bespoke. It aims to go beyond cognitive ability alone, looking at a child's potential in creative and critical thinking, analysis, synthesis and problem-solving. Channing recommends that applicants practise the London 11+ Consortium Familiarisation Test to understand the six different areas of the assessment.
| Component | Part | Duration | Format | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maths | Part 1 | 20 min | Adaptive | Questions based on the Year 5 National Curriculum, with stretch and challenge through the style and depth of the questions |
| Non-verbal Reasoning | Part 1 | 10 min | Adaptive | Identifying patterns and thinking logically |
| English | Part 1 | 20 min | Non-adaptive | Comprehension of a piece of fiction written for the Consortium exam, plus spelling and grammar; no extended writing |
| Verbal Reasoning | Part 1 | 10 min | Adaptive | Understanding vocabulary and use of language, pattern recognition, critical thinking |
| Problem Solving | Part 2 | 15 min | Non-adaptive | Using words and numbers to solve multi-step problems |
| Creative Comprehension | Part 2 | 25 min | Non-adaptive | Using information from a variety of sources and formats to answer questions |
The assessment is taken online, in the girl's current school where it can host the sitting and otherwise at a Consortium school to which she has applied. For September 2027 entry the Consortium's three assessment dates are Friday 27 November, Tuesday 1 December and Thursday 3 December 2026, and Channing offers its own sitting on 27 November 2026 only. Channing groups the four components before the break as Part 1 and the two after it as Part 2. Maths, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning are adaptive: the questions are tailored to each candidate's performance. English, Problem Solving and Creative Comprehension are non-adaptive, so every candidate sees the same questions, with different content on each of the three exam days. Once a section has been completed, candidates cannot go back to amend it. The Consortium states that there is no extended writing required, so typing ability does not affect results.
Our specialist tutors work with Channing applicants on all six components, building personalised programmes matched to each girl's starting level and timeline. The Consortium's own familiarisation materials are the place to see the question styles; for more detail on the platform behind the assessment, see our Quest Assessment preparation guide or get in touch to discuss your daughter's preparation plan.
Begin Channing School 11+ assessment preparation
Our specialist tutors build personalised programmes covering every component of the Consortium assessment — adaptive Maths and Reasoning, English comprehension, Problem Solving and Creative Comprehension — tailored to the Channing admissions standard.
Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, with a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry.
Quest Assessment Guide Book a Free ConsultationFor a family living abroad, our guide to Channing School from overseas gathers what the school publishes for applicants outside the UK, stage by stage.
Channing School's 11+ assessment is the London 11+ Consortium's online assessment, which is 100 minutes in total with a break of up to 30 minutes after the Verbal Reasoning section. It has six components, taken in this order: Maths (20 minutes, adaptive), Non-Verbal Reasoning (10 minutes, adaptive), English (20 minutes, non-adaptive) and Verbal Reasoning (10 minutes, adaptive), then, after the break, Problem Solving (15 minutes, non-adaptive) and Creative Comprehension (25 minutes, non-adaptive). In the adaptive sections the questions are tailored to each candidate's performance, and once a section has been completed, candidates cannot go back to amend it. The Consortium states that there is no extended writing required.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 1-to-1 tutoring for girls preparing for the Channing School 11+ assessment, covering all six components: Maths, Non-verbal Reasoning, English, Verbal Reasoning, Problem Solving and Creative Comprehension. Our tutors understand both the subject content and the specific demands of the online format — particularly the adaptive sections, where the questions are tailored to each candidate's performance and a completed section cannot be revisited. We build personalised programmes matched to your daughter's starting level and the time available before the assessment. Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, with a 95%+ offer rate. Book a free consultation to discuss your daughter's preparation plan.
Channing School is an academically selective independent girls' school in Highgate, North London, and a member of the London 11+ Consortium of thirteen schools. It has approximately 75 places available in Year 7 for girls applying from other schools, and every place is competitively sought after. As a Consortium member, Channing takes the shared assessment, and a girl's result is shared with every Consortium school at which she is registered.
For September 2027 entry, the closing date for registrations is Friday 6 November 2026. The Consortium's assessment dates are Friday 27 November, Tuesday 1 December and Thursday 3 December 2026, and Channing offers its own sitting on 27 November 2026 only, so a girl whose diary clashes can sit it at any Consortium school she has applied to. Channing then interviews every candidate on Tuesday 5 January 2027, and offers are sent to arrive on Friday 12 February 2027. Families should check current-year deadlines on the Channing website directly, as exact dates are published each admissions cycle and can shift between years.
Yes. Because Channing is one of the thirteen schools in the London 11+ Consortium, a girl's assessment results are shared with all the Consortium schools at which she is registered. She sits the assessment only once, irrespective of the number of Consortium schools she applies to, so no resit per school is needed. The interview is individual to each senior school: some Consortium schools select for interview from the assessment, while Channing interviews every candidate.
These are the two components taken after the break, and both are non-adaptive. Problem Solving (15 minutes) tests the ability to use words and numbers to solve multi-step problems, and candidates are likely to complete different numbers of questions in the time available. Creative Comprehension (25 minutes) asks candidates to use information from a variety of sources, given in a range of formats, to answer questions; the context is likely to be unfamiliar to all candidates, so familiarity with it confers no advantage.
Yes. Channing is a member of the London 11+ Consortium, which means the online assessment is shared with the other Consortium schools, including South Hampstead High School and the two Francis Holland schools. Each school then runs its own interview process to make individual admissions decisions. A candidate sits the assessment once, and the results are shared with all the Consortium schools at which she is registered.
The interview is a significant part of Channing's admissions process and not simply a formality. Channing's policy is to “offer places on the basis of the whole picture created by the examination result, the interview performance and the school reference”, and its interviewers are “looking for evidence of creative and independent thinking, and suitability for our schools”.
Yes, Channing offers academic and music scholarships at 11+ entry, as well as means-tested bursaries for families who could not otherwise afford the fees. Every candidate who sits the 11+ entrance examination is automatically considered for the Year 7 Academic Scholarship, with no separate application, while Music Scholarship applicants indicate their interest on the admissions application, submit a video recording and, if selected, attend an audition in January 2027. Families interested in applying for a scholarship or bursary should check the school's website and contact the admissions office well in advance.
Channing's admissions page says that “your daughter does not need special tuition or intensive practice for this assessment. We actively discourage preparation for the interview.” It recommends that all candidates look at the Consortium's familiarisation materials.
Book a free consultation and we'll help you find the right support for your child.
Leading Tuition is rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot by families across the UK, from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026.
Book a Free ConsultationHow does the consultation work?
We'll learn more about your child, the subject or admissions support they need, and the outcomes you're aiming for before recommending the next step.
Is the consultation free?
Yes. It is a free consultation with no obligation, designed to help you understand the best route forward.
Can you help with specialist support like UCAT or Oxford and Cambridge admissions?
Yes. We support Primary, 11+, 13+, GCSE, A-Level, SATs, UCAT, MMI interview coaching, Oxford and Cambridge admissions, university admissions, and personal statement support.