Secondary School Offers And Scholarships

An important part of prep schools’ purpose is to prepare children for competitive secondary schools, both independent and state.

They also have a role in supporting pupils who are aiming to achieve scholarships at their chosen destination school.

This guide for parents covers topics including 11+ assessments, secondary school offers and scholarships.

Summary

• The 11+ assessments are entrance tests used by academically selective secondary schools to inform their decision on whether to offer a place.
• Scholarships are a mark of significant achievement and may also provide reduced school fees for parents.
• Our prep schools prepare children thoroughly for their next school – we develop a comprehensive knowledge of our pupils through regular tracking and assessment.
• Many of our pupils receive offers from their first choice destination school and also receive scholarships for arts, sports and academic achievements.

Applying for secondary schools

From the age of 11 and above, there are many different types of secondary schools you can apply to for your child.

The most common type of state-funded secondary education is a comprehensive school. These are non-selective and take pupils of all abilities from their local area.

Grammar schools are academically selective state schools that admit pupils based on performance in 11+ assessments or similar tests.

Other state-funded secondary schools include academies, free schools, faith schools (where art, music and drama scholarships are awarded for those of another faith) and schools for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

Independent or private secondary schools, often called public schools, are fee-paying and do not receive state funding. They have their own admissions criteria and can also set their own curriculum. According to the Private Education Policy Forum, approximately 8% of pupils attend private secondary schools.

There are many criteria you can use to shortlist the right secondary schools for your child to apply to, including but not limited to:

• Admissions criteria
• Exam results e.g. GCSE and A-Level results
• Fees
• Class size
• School league tables
• Parent reviews
• Student testimonials
• Ofsted reports or ISI reports
• Awards
• Location
• Extracurricular activities
• Specialities e.g. sport, music
• School values or faith
• SEND support
• Other performance data

At the New Model School Company, we have two highly reputable and award-winning prep schools which provide our pupils with comprehensive preparation for secondary school. They are Maple Walk and Faraday, which won Independent Prep School of The Year 2024.

We inform parents about the range of schools within both the maintained and independent sectors and guide them in their choices.

Preparing for 11+ assessments

The 11+ assessments are entrance tests used by academically selective secondary schools, especially grammar schools and independent schools.

They usually assess some or all of the following:

• English: including reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Maths: including arithmetic, reasoning and problem-solving.
• Verbal reasoning: including language-based logic, vocabulary and pattern recognition.
• Non-verbal reasoning: including visual problem-solving involving shapes, sequences or codes, for example.

The children at our schools have regular past papers to practise and can go through mock interviews with visiting professionals to help prepare for the 11+.

We provide children with clear, personal targets and the necessary skills for entrance examinations. Learn more about 11+ preparation at Faraday and Maple Walk.

Secondary school offers

Our pupils regularly receive offers from the top senior schools – in 2026, they received senior school offers from:

• Faraday: City of London School, Merchant Taylors’ School, Alleyn’s, Bancroft’s, Chigwell School, Colfe’s School, Westminster School, St Paul’s Juniors, Eaton Square Schools, Forest School, James Allen’s Girls’ School and Fulham School.
• Maple Walk: Highgate, City of London School, The Henrietta Barnett School, Belmont, West London Free School, The Camden School for Girls, UCS Hampstead, Holland Park School, Latymer Upper School, The British School of Barcelona, Alleyn’s, South Hampstead High School, Aldenham School, St George’s Catholic School, Francis Holland Schools, The King Alfred School, Queen’s Park Community School, Blackheath High School, St Albans School, Notting Hill & Ealing High School, Channing School and Maida Vale School.

See more of Faraday and Maple Walk’s destination schools from recent years.

What is a scholarship?

A scholarship is an award, often given by an independent school, to a pupil demonstrating excellence or strong talent during admissions.

They are a mark of significant achievement and may also provide a fee reduction.

Scholarships are competitive and are awarded based on criteria such as entrance tests, interviews or examples of work.

They are usually for general academics, sport, music, drama, art, or other specialist subjects.

Scholarship offers

Many of our pupils gain scholarships to the top senior schools. We prepare children thoroughly for their next school, no matter their speciality.

For example, Faraday’s and Maple Walk’s art and design portfolio clubs help exceptionally talented artists prepare for their next school. Our specialist teachers in music, sport, drama and dance add to this strength in Art and Design offering increased opportunities for children.

In recent years some of our pupils have achieved scholarships across the arts and academic subjects for a wide range of independent schools.

We are adept at making sure exceptional children at our schools are stretched. If they are gifted or talented in a particular subject, we identify this quickly and our teachers challenge them to ensure continued progress and interest.

Find out more about Maple Walk’s and Faraday’s gifted and talented pupils.

FAQs

How old are you when you start secondary school?

Children usually start secondary school at 11 years old, which is when they move into Year 7 to cover Key Stages 3 and 4. Some private schools welcome children at 13 or Year 9.

At our schools, we prepare our pupils for a wide range of state and independent destination schools at age 11.

When to apply for secondary school?

For state secondary schools, you usually apply in year 6 at primary school, usually by 31 October for a secondary school place starting the following September.

For selective secondary schools, pupils aged 10-11 (in Year 6) but sometimes younger take the 11+ usually in September for grammar schools, or between November and January for independent schools.

When are secondary school places announced?

In state-funded secondary education, an offer is a single school place which the local authorities allocate on the national offer day, 1 March or the next working day if it falls on a weekend. The offer is usually the highest preference school that can offer a place under its admission rules.

The process is different for independent schools. There is no single offer day because the schools have their own timetables for admissions and you can receive more than one offer if applying to several schools.

Learn more about our destination schools and scholarships

Hear from some of our past pupils, now at their next school, describing how Maple Walk played a part in their journey to secondary education.

Despite being academically non-selective at Reception and consistently charging fees which are lower than 90% of other independent schools in London, many of our pupils receive offers from their first choice destination. Each year, several also receive academic, arts and sports scholarships too.

We are proudly not for profit. By reinvesting any surpluses back into the schools, we believe they offer excellent value for money.

Read more about Maple Walk and Faraday on their websites. To find out more about the New Model School Company, please don’t hesitate to contact us.