Reading School
Stay ahead with exclusive tips on the 11 Plus exam for Reading 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 primary teachers (not 'tutors') provide specialist tuition focused on your child’s individual learning needs.
Our unique 11 Plus tuition courses in Amersham, Aylesbury, Beaconsfield, Bushey, Gerrards Cross, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Reading (Winnersh, Wokingham) and Stoke Poges are structured to give children the confidence they need to sit and pass exams in a friendly, stress-free environment.
Introduction to the Reading School 11 Plus Entrance Test
To be eligible to apply for a place at Reading School your son will need to take the School Entrance Test (11 Plus exam). Children born between 1st September 2014 and 31st August 2015 will take the Reading School 11+ exam on Friday 5th September 2025 to be eligible to apply for a place for September 2026.
Reading School (known informally as 'Reading Boys') switched from CEM to its own admissions test in 2021, which consisted of three elements: English, Maths and Creative Writing. In February 2025, Reading School indicated changes to its admissions test, effective from the September 2025 exam. The FSCE Entrance Test in Reading will now consist of subjects covered in the KS2 curriculum and 'creativity'. The subjects covered could include: art & design, computing, design & technology, English, geography, history, languages, mathematics, music, physical education and science. Creativity is defined as 'the ability to think of new and imaginative ideas, or to solve problems in original and unique ways.' As with 'creative writing' in previous years, the new 'creativity' section will only be assessed if all other elements of the test are of the standard.
Reading School asserts that by focusing solely on areas of the KS2 National Curriculum taught up to the end of Year 5, the revised test is designed to eliminate the need for tutoring. However, we believe that expanding the exam’s scope may inadvertently increase demand for tuition and heighten student stress. Recognising this risk, we are committed to doing everything possible to mitigate these pressures. Our focus remains on ensuring that students are thoroughly prepared in a supportive, low-stress environment, allowing them to approach the exam with confidence and clarity.
Since English and maths receive more instructional time than other subjects up to the end of Key Stage 4, it is reasonable to expect them to feature more prominently than other KS2 topic areas in the revised Reading School exam. Furthermore, these subjects carry greater weight in Attainment 8, an annual measure of secondary school academic performance. As a highly academic institution, Reading School is unlikely to select students with weak English and maths skills!
We are currently reviewing the familiarisation papers for the new exam and will update parents shortly regarding the planned changes. In the meantime, we remain focused on the core subjects of English and maths and have introduced a Creative Thinking Course to help students prepare for the creativity component. We will continue to refine our approach based on confidential feedback from the first cohort of students sitting the new exam. For non-routine admissions—cases where a student leaves the school and the number of students on roll for a particular year group falls below the admission number—Reading School will continue using a CEM exam, assessing verbal, numerical, and non-verbal reasoning.
FAQs About the Reading School Entrance Test
Between 2021 and 2024, Reading School 11 Plus entrance exam consisted of three elements: English, Maths and Creative Writing. In February 2025, Reading School indicated changes to its admissions test, effective from the September 2025 exam. The FSCE Entrance Test in Reading will now consist of subjects covered in the KS2 curriculum and ‘creativity‘.
The subjects covered could include: art & design, computing, design & technology, English, geography, history, languages, mathematics, music, physical education and science. Creativity is defined as ‘the ability to think of new and imaginative ideas, or to solve problems in original and unique ways.’ As with ‘creative writing’ in previous years, the new ‘creativity’ section will only be assessed if all other elements of the test are of the standard.
Reading School asserts that by focusing solely on areas of the KS2 National Curriculum taught up to the end of Year 5, the revised test is designed to eliminate the need for tutoring. However, we believe that expanding the exam’s scope may inadvertently increase demand for tuition and heighten student stress. Recognising this risk, we are committed to doing everything possible to mitigate these pressures. Our focus remains on ensuring that students are thoroughly prepared in a supportive, low-stress environment, allowing them to approach the exam with confidence and clarity.
Since English and maths receive more instructional time than other subjects up to the end of Key Stage 4, it is reasonable to expect them to feature more prominently than other KS2 topic areas in the revised Reading School exam. Furthermore, these subjects carry greater weight in Attainment 8, an annual measure of secondary school academic performance. As a highly academic institution, Reading School is unlikely to select students with weak English and maths skills!
We are currently reviewing the familiarisation papers for the new exam and will update parents shortly regarding the planned changes. In the meantime, we remain focused on the core subjects of English and maths and have introduced a Creative Thinking Course to help students prepare for the creativity component. We will continue to refine our approach based on confidential feedback from the first cohort of students sitting the new exam. For non-routine admissions—cases where a student leaves the school and the number of students on roll for a particular year group falls below the admission number—Reading School will continue using a CEM exam, assessing verbal, numerical, and non-verbal reasoning.
We are waiting for Reading School to publish their new familiarisation paper, reflecting the changes to the exam.
- You need to register your child for the Reading School Admission Test by completing the online registration form on the school admissions website.
- The purpose of registration is for your child to take the entrance test, not apply for a place at Reading School. Based on the results, you will still need to provide your child’s school preferences to your local authority on the Common Application Form (CAF).
- Online registration for the 2025 exam (for 2026 entry) will open on Tuesday 1st April 2025 and close on Friday 13th June 2025.
Securing a place at Reading School is highly competitive. Historically, over six boys apply for every available space, and fewer than 33.9% of those achieving a qualifying score (95 or above at that time) are likely to gain admission.*
From the 2023 exam onwards, Reading School no longer provides ‘qualifying scores.’ In the past, this allowed parents to compare their child’s score with the lowest qualifying scores from previous years, helping them gauge the likelihood of securing a place in March of the following year. However, this never guaranteed a space, as the lowest qualifying score changed annually and was not published until a year after the exam.
To be eligible for admission to the school, candidates must now achieve an ‘eligible score,’ which includes minimum standards in each element of the test. However, this is not a ‘pass mark’ and does not guarantee entry, as the school states, “it is extremely likely that more boys will qualify for places than the School can accommodate.”
When you receive your child’s results, you will be informed if they have achieved the eligible score but you will not receive their actual score. As the school no longer shares this information, you will not know how likely they are to secure a place; a child that is ‘eligible’ could be ranked at the top or bottom of the list. If your child achieves an ‘eligible score,’ you can then decide if you wish to list Reading School as one of your preferences on your Common Application Form by the deadline of 31st October.
You will need to wait until the following March to know if your child has secured a place.
The Reading School admissions policy can be found here.
* For September 2022 entry, 911 boys applied to Reading School. That was more than 6 boys applying for each of the 150 spaces available. 442 of the 911 boys that applied achieved the qualifying score of 95. Therefore, as some pupils may be admitted from categories 1 and 2 with a qualifying score of 90, we can assume that less than 33.9% (i.e. less than 150) of the 442 boys that achieved the qualifying score of 95 will have secured a 2022 place at Reading School.
- The 2023 Reading School 11 Plus exam results (for 2024 entry) were released on Monday 16th October 2023.
- The 2024 Reading School 11 Plus exam results (for 2025 entry) were released on Tuesday 15th October 2024.
- The release date for the 2025 Reading School results (for 2026 entry) has not yet been announced, however the results will be shared in time for you to submit your child’s Common Application Form (CAF) by the end of 31st October deadline.
- If you wish your son to be considered for entry to Reading School, you are required to name the school on the Common Application Form (CAF).
- Common Application Forms will open online at the beginning of September 2025 and you will have until the end of 31st October 2025 to submit it to your Local Authority.
- School places for September 2026 will be confirmed on 2nd March 2026.
- In whichever year you are applying, you can name up to 6 schools on your CAF.
- If you live outside Reading, you must apply through your own Local Authority – even if your child currently attends a Reading primary school.
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.
Homework is assigned weekly to consolidate the skills taught during the lesson. Homework is submitted via email, and the creative thinking teacher annotates the text and writes a short report. General points about the texts are reviewed at the start of the next lesson.
Course Details:
- One lesson per week on Zoom, lasting 45 minutes
- Fee, including books: £25 per lesson
For further information, including fees, term dates and FAQ's, please visit our Creative Thinking Course page.
Creative Writing Course
Enrol your child in our virtual creative writing course, open to all our term-time students. This offers a fantastic opportunity for your child to enhance their spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary skills, whilst also fostering their creative writing abilities. If your child is preparing for Reading School, we recommend that you select the Creative Thinking Course instead of creative writing.
Students attend one creative writing lesson per week on Zoom, which lasts for 45 minutes. During every lesson they participate in a fun writing skills warm-up activity which might focus on grammar or a literary device, they might read and analyse a writing example or use a story prompt, and then work on creating their own text.
Every week there is a focus which can include story settings, characters, openings, events / problems and resolutions. 
Students practise writing in a variety of formats such as stories, plays, newspaper articles and letters. They are taught to use a variety of literary techniques and we show them how to draft their work, as well as reviewing and editing.
Homework is set every week. Students build upon the tasks in their lesson to create their own text. The texts are then reviewed at the start of the next lesson.
Course Details:
- One lesson per week on Zoom, lasting 45 minutes
- Fee, including books: £25 per lesson
For further information, including fees, term dates and FAQ's, please visit our Creative Writing Course page.
11+ Mock Exams With Marie Redmond 11+ Intelligent Video Learning®
Get exam ready with Marie Redmond Tuition® Reading Boys 11 Plus Mock Exams.
We also offer Slough 11 Plus mock exams and Buckinghamshire and Kendrick (GL-style) 11 Plus mock exams
Students who sat our mock exams in 2023 said they were very similar to the actual tests, 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 Writing Course
Our virtual creative writing lessons take place weekly on Zoom and are particularly useful for boys preparing for the Reading School 11+ exam but are open to all our term time students.
Every week there is a focus which can include story settings, characters, openings, events / problems and resolutions. Students practise writing in a variety of formats such as stories, plays, newspaper articles and letters. They are taught to use a variety of literary techniques and we show them how to draft their work, as well as reviewing and editing.
For further information, including fees, term dates and FAQ's, please visit our creative writing course page.
Our courses are led by qualified primary teachers and prepare pupils for all aspects of the Reading 11 Plus
Discover our 11 Plus courses