Haileybury 11+ Entry: Exam Format and Key Dates for September 2027

Haileybury, in rural Hertfordshire, takes 11+ entrants into Lower School One — the school's name for Year 7 entry. For September 2027 entry the registration deadline is Monday 9 November 2026, with the main examination dates on 27 and 28 November 2026. This guide brings the entrance examination, the dates, the scholarships and the school's most recent inspection outcome onto one page, all verified against Haileybury's own pages.

Haileybury's 11+ Entry Point, and How It Differs From 13+, 14+ and 16+

Haileybury lists five separate entry points on its entrance examination dates sheet — 11+ into Lower School One (Year 7), 13+ into the Removes (Year 9), 14+ into the Middles (Year 10), 15+ into the Middles (Year 11) and 16+ into the Lower Sixth (Year 12) — so the first thing worth confirming is that 11+ is the route this page covers, and that it is a standalone intake with its own registration deadline and examination dates. Haileybury's Admissions Policy (September 2026) says around 65 pupils join Lower School 1 (Year 7) each year.

Haileybury was founded in 1862 by Royal Charter and sits on a 500-acre site in rural Hertfordshire. It is a co-educational day and boarding school for ages 11-18. Families choosing between Haileybury's own entry points, rather than between Haileybury and another school, should note that 13+ entry has its own registration and examination dates on Haileybury's dates sheet; see our Haileybury 13+ guide if Year 9 entry is also under consideration.

Haileybury's 11+ Entrance Examinations: Where and When

Haileybury publishes its entrance examination dates on one sheet covering 2027 to 2029 entry, and for 11+ entry in September 2027 the main examination days are Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November 2026. Haileybury does not permit its entrance exams to be taken at the applicant's current school, and applicants based in the UK are expected to come to Haileybury to sit them.

Haileybury's Admissions Policy (September 2026) says all candidates sit the School's entrance examination, consisting of papers in mathematics and English, and that candidates applying for Year 7 entry sit a bespoke reading assessment instead of the online cognitive abilities test (CAT) taken by those applying for Year 8 or above. It also says all candidates must attend an interview with a member of staff, arranged on or near the day of the assessment, and that the entrance examinations take place in November when an applicant is in Year 6. Haileybury's Admissions Department can be contacted on +44 (0)1992 706 353.

How Should a Child Prepare for Haileybury's 11+ Entrance Examination?

Haileybury's Admissions Policy (September 2026) names four things a Year 7 candidate does: a mathematics paper, an English paper, a bespoke reading assessment and an interview with a member of staff. Each needs its own preparation. The calendar matters too. The registration deadline, Monday 9 November 2026, falls 18 days before the first examination day on Friday 27 November, so a family that registers close to the deadline has less than three weeks of preparation left once the form is in.

Mathematics. We start with a diagnostic paper on the Year 5 and Year 6 curriculum, to separate the topics a child has secured from the ones that only look secure with help at home. Practice then moves from untimed accuracy to timed work, with multi-step word problems given particular attention, because they test reading and method as much as calculation.

English and the reading assessment. The English paper and the separate reading assessment both depend on how widely and how closely a child reads. Alongside comprehension practice, a child preparing for Haileybury should be reading fiction and non-fiction every day and talking about it: why a character acted as they did, what a writer meant by a particular word, how an argument is put together. That habit shows in written answers, and it gives a child something real to say in the interview.

The interview. Haileybury's policy says every candidate is interviewed by a member of staff, on or near the day of the assessment. We run mock interviews so that a child is used to talking with an adult they have not met about what they enjoy, what they have read recently and why Haileybury appeals to them, without learning answers by heart.

Leading Tuition's specialist tutors teach online, one-to-one, and build this preparation around Haileybury's published dates. Book a free consultation and we will look at where your child is now and what to cover before 27 November 2026.

Key Dates for September 2027 Entry

Once a family has confirmed they are applying to the right entry point, the dates are what turns intent into an application. For entry in September 2027, Haileybury's published timetable is as follows:

Note that the Music and Art and Sports scholarship days fall before the main examinations, in mid-November, and the Drama Scholarship Day follows on Tuesday 1 December 2026; Haileybury requires scholarship applicants to attend a scholarship assessment day.

How Selective Is Haileybury at 11+ Entry?

Haileybury describes itself as an academically selective school with entries at 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9), 14+ (Year 10) and 16+ (Year 12), and it also admits pupils into Year 8 where space allows.

Scholarships and Bursaries Available at 11+ Entry

At 11+ entry, Haileybury's Admissions Policy (September 2026) lists Academic, Music, Art, Drama and Sport scholarships at 11+ entry, while its scholarships page lists Art, Drama, Music and Sport; ask Admissions what applies for September 2027. The Music and Art Scholarship Day is Monday 16 November 2026, and the Sports Scholarship Day is Thursday 19 November 2026 — both ahead of the main examinations on 27 and 28 November — and the Drama Scholarship Day is Tuesday 1 December 2026. Haileybury says scholarships are awarded on merit and that applicants are required to attend a scholarship assessment day.

Separately from scholarships, which are awarded on merit, Haileybury also offers bursaries for children with academic potential whose families would otherwise not have the means to attend. Haileybury's dates sheet gives the bursary application deadline for all year groups as 1 October in the year before entry, so for September 2027 entry the deadline was 1 October 2026, which has passed. Haileybury's Admissions Policy (September 2026) says, for UK pupils, that bursary applications should be submitted before the entrance examination dates and that requests received after this time may be considered but available funding will be more restricted; families with questions about bursaries can contact Haileybury's Admissions Department on +44 (0)1992 706 353.

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Is Haileybury Actually Good? The 2025 ISI Inspection and Exam Results

Admissions logistics only matter if the education on offer is good. Haileybury was inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in October 2025, and met all standards in relation to the inspection framework; the report specifically recognised the school's co-curricular and academic enrichment programme as "a significant strength" .

On academic outcomes, Haileybury's 2026 A level and IB results combined saw 60% of grades awarded at A*-A or equivalent and 87% at A*-B or equivalent — figures worth reading alongside the ISI inspection outcome rather than in isolation, since together they speak to both the regulatory standard the school meets and the results its senior pupils go on to achieve. A Lower School One place at 11+ is, in effect, a seven-year route through to the end of sixth form, a longer runway than the two years of sixth form at 16+ entry.

Applying From Overseas: Remote Testing and International Options

Haileybury offers several options for international applicants who are not able to travel to the UK to sit the entrance examinations in person. From home, international pupils can be invigilated online by Haileybury via a Zoom meeting; Haileybury hosts these testing sessions and its Admissions Department sets the dates.

Alternatively, within a seven-day window set by the school, international applicants may also be permitted to sit at the offices of the British Council or at a lawyer's office. This means a family based outside the UK who are not able to travel to the UK do not need to come to Haileybury purely to sit the entrance examinations, though a visit remains a good way to judge fit with the school's boarding community before accepting an offer. International families should confirm the online testing dates with Haileybury's Admissions Department, which sets them, and note that the registration deadline is Monday 9 November 2026.

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.

Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Haileybury's entrance examination dates 2027-2029 sheet, its Admissions Policy (September 2026), its scholarships and bursaries page, its international pupils page, its results page and its inspection report page.

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