Colfe's School is a co-educational independent day school in Lee, south-east London (SE12), for pupils aged 3 to 18. Entry to Year 7 at 11+ is by the school's own written English and Mathematics papers, plus a group interview held on the same assessment day. For September 2027 entry, that day is Tuesday 5 January 2027, with offers made by Friday 12 February 2027.
Preparing for the Colfe's School 11+ entrance exam?
Our expert 11+ tutors help students across south-east London prepare for Colfe's own English and Mathematics papers and the group interview stage, building each programme around a child's actual starting point.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppUpdated for 2027 entry - Colfe's School key dates, fees and interview process
Colfe's School has published its key dates for Year 7 (11+) entry in September 2027: the application deadline is Friday 13 November 2026, the entrance assessment is Tuesday 5 January 2027, offers are made Friday 12 February 2027, and the acceptance deadline is Wednesday 3 March 2027 (colfes.com, Admissions: Year 7 (11+) entry).
All candidates who sit the assessment take a group interview on the same day; only academic scholarship candidates have a further, separate interview in the weeks that follow.
Senior School fees for 2026/27 are £9,060 a term, and Colfe's publishes scholarship bands of 10-30% (academic, up to 50% for exceptional performance), 10-20% (co-curricular) and up to 100% (means-tested, household income under £40,000), all sourced from colfes.com.
The most important first step is understanding that Colfe's uses its own entrance exam — not a bought-in standardised test such as GL Assessment's. That distinction matters enormously for how you prepare. Generic 11+ workbooks and practice papers written for grammar school consortiums will not reflect what your child will actually face on the day. Preparation needs to be targeted, structured, and built around the specific demands of Colfe's own papers.
Most families who are serious about Colfe's begin structured preparation in Year 5, typically around 12 to 18 months before the exam. This is not about drilling a child relentlessly from an early age — it is about giving them enough time to build genuine skills, address gaps, and develop the confidence to perform well under timed conditions. Starting too late compresses that process in ways that rarely serve children well.
Colfe's School sets its own entrance papers, which assess candidates across English and Mathematics. The English paper tests reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary, with questions that reward careful reading and the ability to express ideas clearly and precisely. The Mathematics paper covers the full range of primary curriculum content but is pitched at a level that challenges the most able candidates — expect questions that require multi-step reasoning, not just recall of methods.
One area where many children underperform is the written element of the English paper. It is not enough to produce a grammatically correct response — Colfe's is looking for writing that shows genuine engagement with the task, a sense of voice, and the ability to structure ideas effectively. Children who have only practised comprehension exercises and not developed their extended writing skills often find this section harder than expected. Building a habit of regular, purposeful writing practice — with feedback — is one of the most valuable things you can do well before the exam.
For September 2027 entry, the assessment itself falls in January, not the autumn term: candidates spend a full school day at Colfe's, with a morning of written English and Mathematics papers and a group interview, followed by an afternoon of taster lessons in different subject areas. Every candidate who sits the exam takes part in that group interview as standard, not only those later shortlisted; academic scholarship candidates have a further, separate interview in the weeks that follow. This means how a child presents themselves and engages with questions matters from the assessment day itself, not as a later, optional stage.
Colfe's has published its Year 7 (11+) key dates for September 2027 entry, alongside its fees for the current academic year. Applications are made online, and on the assessment day itself candidates spend a full school day at the school, sitting written English and Mathematics papers and a group interview before an afternoon of taster lessons.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Application deadline | Friday 13 November 2026, 5pm |
| Entrance assessment | Tuesday 5 January 2027 |
| Offer date | Friday 12 February 2027 |
| Acceptance deadline | Wednesday 3 March 2027, 12pm |
Source: Colfe's School, Admissions: Year 7 (11+) entry, retrieved 25 September 2026.
Senior School fees for the 2026/27 academic year are charged per term, with a refundable deposit due once a place is accepted. Public examination fees at GCSE and A-level are set separately by the exam boards, not by Colfe's.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Senior School fee (Year 7–13), per term | £9,060 (2026/27) |
| Deposit on acceptance of a place | £2,250, incl. VAT — reimbursed at the end of a pupil's time at the school |
Source: Colfe's School, Fees: 2026/27 fees, retrieved 25 September 2026.
All candidates who sit the Year 7 (11+) assessment are automatically considered for an academic scholarship — there is no separate application. Colfe's also offers a limited number of co-curricular scholarships, and a small number of means-tested scholarships for families who meet the school's income threshold.
| Scholarship type | Typical reduction |
|---|---|
| Academic (Year 7 entry) | 10–30% of fees; up to 50% for exceptional performance in the entrance assessment |
| Co-curricular (Music, Creative Art & Design, Drama, Sport) | 10–20% of fees |
| Means-tested | Up to 100% of fees, for households with an annual income below £40,000 |
Source: Colfe's School, Scholarships & Bursaries, retrieved 25 September 2026.
Co-curricular candidates are assessed only once they have performed well enough in the academic entrance papers, and successful candidates are notified in their offer letters. As a general guide, Colfe's suggests Music scholarship candidates hold at least Grade 4 on their main instrument (Grade 6 for piano or violin), and Sport scholarship candidates play at club level or above in one of the school's core sports.
Ready to start preparing for the Colfe's School 11+?
Our expert 11+ tutors build a preparation plan around Colfe's own written papers and the January assessment day, whichever scholarship or entry route your family is considering.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppColfe's is a selective independent co-educational school in South East London. The school states that its average Year 7 group is between 120 and 140 pupils, with around a third continuing internally from Colfe's own Junior School — arithmetic that puts places filled through the Year 7 (11+) entrance process at roughly 80 to 93 a year (two-thirds of 120 to 140). It draws applicants from across South East London and beyond, and the cohort of children sitting the exam each year includes many who have been preparing seriously for some time. The school has a strong academic record alongside a genuinely broad extra-curricular offering — sport, music, drama, and the arts are all taken seriously — which makes it attractive to families who want more than exam results from a secondary education.
The combination of academic selectivity and a well-rounded school culture means that Colfe's is looking for children who are intellectually capable and also engaged with learning more broadly. That profile takes time to develop and cannot be manufactured in a few weeks of last-minute preparation.
Key features of Colfe's that families should understand include:
Our 11+ specialists work with Colfe's applicants on the Mathematics paper and the two English papers (Comprehension, SPAG and Creative Writing) the school uses for 11+ selection, preparing students for the specific format and standards Colfe's expects at entry. Our students have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the Colfe's School 11+.
Families weighing Colfe's alongside other south-east London independents will find the entrance format varies from school to school: like Colfe's, Alleyn's School in Dulwich sets its own written papers rather than a bought-in test, while James Allen's Girls' School, also in Dulwich, uses the ISEB Common Pre-test. Preparation that works for one of these schools will not automatically transfer to another, so it is worth confirming the format for every school on a family's list before settling on a single approach.
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Leading Tuition provides 1-to-1 specialist tutoring for children preparing for Colfe's School. Our tutors are familiar with the style and demands of Colfe's own papers, and we build each child's preparation around their individual starting point — not a one-size-fits-all programme.
In English, we focus on developing both comprehension skills and extended writing ability, with particular attention to the quality of expression that Colfe's rewards. In Mathematics, we work through the full range of topics that appear in the exam, with an emphasis on reasoning and problem-solving rather than mechanical repetition. We also help children prepare for the interview stage, building the confidence to articulate their ideas clearly and engage thoughtfully with questions.
Progress is tracked carefully throughout, and we communicate regularly with parents so you always have a clear picture of where your child stands and what needs attention next.
Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, and 91% of our students achieve their desired grades.
The 11+ process is not just demanding for children — it places real pressure on families too. Managing preparation alongside school commitments, keeping a child motivated over many months, and handling the uncertainty of waiting for results all take a toll. It helps to approach the process with realistic expectations: Colfe's is a competitive school, and even well-prepared children are not guaranteed a place. The goal of good preparation is to give your child the best possible chance, not to create anxiety about a single outcome.
Keeping preparation sustainable matters. Children who are burnt out by the time they sit the exam rarely perform at their best. Regular, focused sessions with clear goals tend to be more effective than long, unfocused hours of work. Celebrating progress — not just results — helps maintain motivation over a long preparation period.
For official entry requirements and registration details, see the Colfe's School 11+ admissions.
If it would help to put a realistic timeline together before the January assessment, our expert 11+ tutors can talk it through with you - book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the Colfe's School 11+.
Reviewed September 2026: Colfe's School's Year 7 (11+) entry process, 2027 key dates, senior school fees and scholarship terms checked against colfes.com (Admissions, Fees, and Scholarships & Bursaries pages).
Most families who are serious about Colfe's begin structured preparation in Year 5, around 12 to 18 months before the exam. This allows enough time to build skills properly, identify and address gaps, and develop confidence under timed conditions without the preparation becoming unsustainably intense. For September 2027 entry, the assessment itself falls on Tuesday 5 January 2027, so families starting in Year 5 in September 2025 have roughly sixteen months to prepare before that date.
Motivation is best sustained through variety, visible progress, and keeping the workload manageable. Short, focused sessions with clear goals tend to work better than long, open-ended study. Acknowledging improvement — not just scores — helps children stay engaged. It also helps to keep some perspective: preparation should not consume every spare hour of a child's life. For Colfe's specifically, the taster-lesson afternoon that follows the written papers and interview on assessment day is a useful goalpost to work towards, giving a concrete milestone beyond the exam itself.
Practice papers are a valuable part of preparation, but they are not sufficient on their own. Children also need to understand why answers are right or wrong, develop underlying skills in reasoning and writing, and receive feedback that helps them improve. Without that layer of understanding, repeated paper practice tends to plateau quickly. Because Colfe's own papers are set to its own syllabus rather than bought in from a provider such as GL Assessment, generic reasoning-only practice materials cover only part of what a child needs — comprehension and extended writing matter just as much as timed accuracy.
Many families apply to more than one selective school, which is sensible. The key is to understand where the exams overlap and where they differ. Colfe's own papers have a specific character, so preparation should be anchored around those demands while building the broader skills — strong comprehension, clear writing, mathematical reasoning — that transfer across different exams. A good tutor will help you prioritise without spreading preparation too thin. If Eltham College in Mottingham is also on your list, note that it adds a computer-adaptive verbal and non-verbal reasoning test and a one-to-one interview to its written Maths and English papers, so the two schools do not ask for the same things.
No. Colfe's sets its own entrance assessment rather than using a bought-in test. Candidates spend a full school day at the school: a morning of written English and Mathematics papers and a group interview, followed by an afternoon of taster lessons in different subject areas. For September 2027 entry, that assessment day is Tuesday 5 January 2027. Academic scholarship candidates have an additional, separate interview in the weeks that follow. This is different from some other South East London independents — James Allen's Girls' School, for example, uses the ISEB Common Pre-test rather than its own written papers.
Yes. All candidates who sit the Year 7 (11+) assessment are automatically considered for an academic scholarship, worth a 10-30% reduction in fees and up to 50% for exceptional performance in the entrance assessment. Colfe's also offers a limited number of co-curricular scholarships, worth 10-20%, in Music, Creative Art and Design, Drama and Sport, and a small number of means-tested scholarships worth up to 100% of fees for households with an annual income below £40,000. Awards are made at the school's discretion and the number given varies from year to year.
Leading Tuition's expert 11+ tutors work with candidates on the English and Mathematics papers Colfe's actually sets, rather than generic 11+ material, and help prepare for the group interview that is part of every candidate's assessment day. Sessions are built around a child's individual starting point, tracking progress against the specific reasoning, comprehension and written-English demands of Colfe's own format. We also support families through the wider process — pacing preparation sensibly across the months before the January assessment and helping children arrive at the school confident rather than exhausted. Book a free consultation to discuss a plan for the Colfe's School 11+.
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