How does my child apply for a 2025 11+ academic place at Queens' School?
1
Register for the SW Herts Academic Ability Test (Hertfordshire 11+ exam)
If your child was born between 1st September 2014 and 31st August 2015, they will need to register to take the Academic Ability Test in September 2025 to be eligible to apply for an academic place for September 2026.
Online registration for the 2025 exam will open on Tuesday 1st April 2025 and close on Friday 6th June 2025.
The 2025 SW Herts 11+ results will be announced at around noon on Thursday 16th October 2025.
2
Read the school admissions policy carefully
Please ensure that you refer to the Queens’ School admissions pages for the latest information. It is important that you carefully read the school’s admissions policy and FAQs before applying.
3
Complete Your Child’s Common Application Form (CAF)
When you receive your child’s results on 16th October 2025, you will need to decide whether to apply for an academic place at Queens’ School. You can use the historical lowest scores below as a guide, however, as scores change each year, even if your child scores higher than the previous year’s lowest admitted scores, it does not automatically mean that they will be offered a place.
To apply for an 11+ place at Queens’ School, you will need to submit a Common Application Form to your local authority (the authority to whom you pay council tax), listing each school that you are applying for, including Queens’ School, in order of preference. The number of schools you can list will vary by authority (for example, if you live in Hertfordshire, you can name up to 4 schools).
To apply for an 11+ place for September 2026, the CAF will be available online from your local authority in September 2025 and will need to be submitted by 31st October 2025.
How many 11+ (academic) places are available at Queens' School and what score is required in the Hertfordshire 11 Plus?
Queens' School admits 270 students into Year 7 each year, of which 94 places (up to 35% of the total) are allocated based on academic ability, as measured by a student's score in the Hertfordshire 11 Plus (Academic Ability Test). To ensure that younger students are not disadvantaged (i.e. those born later in the school year), the scores are age-standardised. There is no pass mark for the Hertfordshire 11 Plus and instead, students are ranked in order based on their score.
You will not know until Allocation Day (around 1st March), whether your child has been successful in securing an academic space at Queens' School, however, as a helpful guide for when you apply for a place, the school provides historical data on the minimum scores that students were admitted with in previous years; you can find the most recent scores below. Please bear in mind that even if your child scores higher than the previous year’s lowest admitted scores, it does not automatically mean that they will be offered a place at Queens' School. Ensure that your child is fully prepared, with our meticulously planned Hertfordshire 11 Plus tuition courses.
2023
2022
2021
2020
Lowest academic score allocated a place at Queens' School
181
186
182
184
Feedback from parents
He got a fantastic score of 162 for Buckinghamshire and 224 for SW Herts 🥳. Thanks to your team and tutoring. Please pass on our thanks to Sarah.
Year 5 parent, Amersham (2024)
He did very well in both the Bucks (140) and the Herts (237) Tests. Many thanks to you and your fantastic tutors for all the support and feedback. He attended your year 5 course, summer course and 2 mock tests and really improved over the last year. Things that were particularly helpful about your course: strong focus on vocabulary starting before the course had even begun, structured homework, rewarding them for their effort with the points and prizes system, regular testing so we could understand where our child’s weaknesses were and lots of question practice for technique. We look forward to seeing you again with our younger son.
Year 6 parent, Chalfont St Giles (2019)
Our son has scored 249 in SW Herts - once again, many thanks to you.
Year 5 parent, Slough (2024)
Stay ahead with exclusive tips on the Hertfordshire 11+ exam for Queens' School
We’re dedicated to your child’s success
With a proven track record in preparing pupils for the 11 Plus, Marie Redmond MEd and her team of exceptional, fully qualified and experienced primaryteachers (not 'tutors') provide specialist tuition focused on your child’s individual learning needs.
The South West Herts Consortium Academic Ability Test (Hertfordshire 11+ exam), consists of two papers, taken on the same day, each approximately 50 minutes in duration and testing two areas – maths and verbal reasoning.
The first paper tests mathematical skills and is based on the Key Stage 2 curriculum.
The second paper tests verbal reasoning.
All questions on both papers are multiple choice and pupils indicate their answers on a separate answer sheet.
Generic GL familiarisation papers for maths and verbal reasoning can be found here. These do not reflect the exact specification of the South West Herts Schools Consortium exam but are useful tools to familiarise your child with the style of the test booklet and answer sheets. They do not reflect the timings, number and type of questions that will appear in the Hertfordshire 11+ (SW Herts Academic Ability Test).
Your child will only need to sit the Academic Ability Test if they are applying for an academic place. If you are applying under other criterion only (such as sibling or distance criterion), they do not have to sit the academic test.
Registration for the 2026 SW Herts 11+ exam (Academic Ability test) will open on Tuesday 1st April 2025 and close on Friday 6th June 2025. You will be notified of the test location at around noon on Friday 27th June 2025. When registration opens, you will be able to locate the registration site by clicking here.
There is no defined ‘pass mark’ for the Hertfordshire 11 Plus (SW Herts Academic Ability Test); places are offered in accordance with each school’s admission policy and students are ranked in order of their score. As a guide, when you receive your child’s results in the October, you can compare their score with the historical data for your target school(s), to gauge the likelikehood that they will receive a place on Allocation Day the following March. However, as this is historical data, achieving (or even exceeding) the previous year’s score does not guarantee that they will secure a place.
If you are targeting an academic place, once you have received the results of your child’s Academic Ability Test, you can apply for the school(s). You application needs to be submitted by the end of October to apply for a Year 7 place for the following September. You will need to complete a Common Application Form and also apply directly to the school.
1) Common Application Form (CAF)
If you want your child to be considered for entry to a South West Herts Consortium School in September 2026, you will be required to name the relevant school or schools on the Common Application Form (CAF).
Common Application Forms will open at the beginning of September 2025 and you will have until the end of31st October 2025 to submit it to your Local Authority.
School places for September 2026 will be confirmed on 2nd March 2026.
If you live within Hertfordshire, you can name up to 4 schools on your CAF; however some areas differ and may allow you to select more schools (please check with your local authority). Schools must be listed in your preferred order.
You will need to submit the CAF to the Local Authority in which you reside. If you live outside Hertfordshire, you must apply through your own Local Authority – even if your child currently attends a Hertfordshire County Council primary school.
2) Supplementary Information Form (SIF)
In addition to completing a Common Application Form, you will need to submit a Supplementary Information Form to each school to which you are applying*. This needs to be submitted by the end of October to apply for a Year 7 place for the following September.
If you do not complete the SIF, there may be a delay in processing the application; this is because the school(s) will not know under which criteria you intend to apply and they will have no way of knowing if your child has taken the academic (or music) tests. Your application will therefore only be processed under their distance criterion.
*For Queens’ School, the school states that a SIF is only completed for students that are applying using rule 2 (medical) or rule 4 (children of staff), however, please always refer to the school admissions pages for the latest information.
What is tested in the South West Hertfordshire 11 Plus?
Maths
Basic skills (addition, multiplication, division and subtraction)
Mental maths development
Problem solving techniques
Extracting information from graphs and tables
Averages
Foundation algebra concepts
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Ratio and proportion
Area and volume
2d and 3d shapes
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning (the production of words, relationships between words, letters and numbers)
Why parents choose our 11 Plus Courses
11+ Mock Exams With Marie Redmond 11+ Intelligent Video Learning®
Get exam ready with Marie Redmond Tuition® 11 Plus Mock Exams. Students who sat our mock exams in 2023 said they were very similar to the actual test, which made them feel prepared and confident when sitting the exam.
Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11+ Resources
Students attending our Year 5 11+ Easter and 11+ summer holiday courses receive a Superbrain® English and verbal reasoning holiday course book for each week they attend, further reinforcing their skills. Plus, all term-time students receive Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11 Plus Flash Cards upon joining—an interactive resource designed to supercharge their vocabulary and accelerate exam preparation.
Explore our full Superbrain® collection and discover how these exclusive resources support students on their journey to 11+ success.
Data-led approach with SuccessTrack® by Marie Redmond
In addition to weekly spelling tests, our term-time students undergo formal assessments twice per term—at half-term and at the end of the term—covering all topic areas. These assessments provide a valuable measure of progress over time, ensuring that we can track genuine improvements in attainment without being overly influenced by short-term fluctuations. Testing more frequently risks skewing results due to the occasional ‘off week,’ whereas our structured approach strikes the perfect balance between regular monitoring and meaningful insight.
Based on the initial assessment and your child's specific answers, we create a personalised tuition plan that sets individual targets for each subject area that is relevant to them, such as English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Every lesson is designed to develop these areas. We continuously monitor progress, allowing us to refine tuition plans to ensure they suit your child's needs and challenges.
Parents are always welcome to contact us at any stage during their child's 11+ course for feedback on their development. They can speak with their child's teacher after lessons or contact Marie directly by phone or email for further insight. As a smaller provider, we take pride in our ability to offer tailored guidance and maintain a close, supportive relationship with families.
The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club
Sharing our enjoyment of books is a fantastic way to encourage reading and therefore develop vocabulary and comprehension at home. The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club is an excellent platform for discussions about books, opportunities for creativity and promoting reading for pleasure. Discover our book of the month.
The Marie Redmond Tuition® Creative Thinking Course
The virtual Creative Thinking Course is particularly useful for boys preparing for the revised Reading School 11+ exam in September 2025 but is open to all our term-time students.
Students attend one creative thinking lesson per week on Zoom, which lasts for 45 minutes. Students are taught to use innovation and problem solving. They will become adept at approaching situations in different ways, using diverse strategies. Every lesson includes a fun thinking skills warm-up activity followed by the main focus of the lesson. Strategies like group discussions, questioning, mind mapping, and thinking 'outside the box' are employed to encourage creative learning approaches. Students learn various writing techniques and how to draft, review, and edit their work.
For further information, including fees, term dates and FAQ's, please visit our Creative Thinking Course page.
Our courses are led by qualified primary teachers and prepare pupils for all aspects of the Hertfordshire 11 Plus
Get exam ready with Marie Redmond Tuition® 11 Plus Mock Exams. Students who sat our mock exams in 2023 said they were very similar to the actual test, which made them feel prepared and confident when sitting the exam.
Students attending our Year 5 11+ Easter and 11+ summer holiday courses receive a Superbrain® English and verbal reasoning holiday course book for each week they attend, further reinforcing their skills. Plus, all term-time students receive Marie Redmond's Superbrain® 11 Plus Flash Cards upon joining—an interactive resource designed to supercharge their vocabulary and accelerate exam preparation.
In addition to weekly spelling tests, our term-time students undergo formal assessments twice per term—at half-term and at the end of the term—covering all topic areas. These assessments provide a valuable measure of progress over time, ensuring that we can track genuine improvements in attainment without being overly influenced by short-term fluctuations. Testing more frequently risks skewing results due to the occasional ‘off week,’ whereas our structured approach strikes the perfect balance between regular monitoring and meaningful insight.
Sharing our enjoyment of books is a fantastic way to encourage reading and therefore develop vocabulary and comprehension at home. The Marie Redmond Tuition® Book Club is an excellent platform for discussions about books, opportunities for creativity and promoting reading for pleasure. Discover our book of the month.