The 7+: making a thoughtful move at seven

Does your child need a new school now?

If their pre-prep ends after Year 2, the need to move is clear. If they are happy at a primary school that continues to Year 6, the question is different: what would the new school give them that makes the disruption worthwhile?

Our view: investigate a specific benefit. That might be teaching that better fits how your child learns, a more workable school day, or access to activities they would genuinely use. A long journey and an anxious application year are harder to justify for a name alone.

Visit during an ordinary school day where possible. Notice what happens when a child needs help, how much independence is expected and whether the pace feels comfortable. Ask who handles forgotten kit, friendship difficulties and a pupil who has not understood the task. Those details tell you more about Year 3 than a list of senior-school university destinations.

How are families helped to choose senior schools, and what preparation takes place within the school day? For an all-through school, ask for the actual progression policy—not just whether children “usually go up”.

Try the proposed Year 3 week on paper

Write down the actual start and finish times, then add the journey and your other children’s collection times. Check whether Year 3 pupils can use the advertised bus and clubs, whether before- and after-school care needs booking, and what happens if you are delayed. A club your child cannot stay for is not yet a reason to change schools.

Three school calendars, not one national deadline

These examples were checked on 3 September 2026 for September 2027 entry. Use them to see the differences, then confirm the dates for every school on your own shortlist. Registration, assessment and acceptance are separate commitments.

Highgate

Its 7+ page gives noon on 4 November 2026 for applications, 1 December for the first assessment and a second stage in January. Outcomes are due on 22 January 2027.

Dulwich College

For UK assessment applicants, Dulwich’s Year 3 schedule closes registration at midday on 2 November 2026. Assessments are on 28 November and, for shortlisted boys, 7 January 2027. Results follow on 28 January, with replies by midday on 5 February. Overseas applications have a separate route and earlier deadline.

Bute House

The published year-by-year schedule lists 31 October 2026 for 2027 entry. Its admissions page also says registration can close when 200 candidates are confirmed. Registration alone is not enough: families must complete the separate assessment confirmation and pay its fee.

Put visits, financial-assistance paperwork and current-school notice dates into your calendar too.

What happens when children go in?

Highgate begins with English and maths tests; its later stage includes a taster lesson and group interview. Bute House describes small-group activities, teaching, play and conversation rather than a conventional paper-only exam, with some girls recalled for interview. Follow the admissions links above for their current arrangements.

Dulwich combines adaptive digital tests in English, maths and reasoning with written maths and writing. Its second stage includes individual literacy and numeracy work and collaborative activities. The school says the writing task responds to a picture rather than requiring a complete story. These differences matter more than the generic label “7+”.

Ask what the child uses: pencil and paper, a mouse, a tablet or spoken answers. Find out how instructions are explained, whether there are breaks and whom to contact about access arrangements. You are trying to remove avoidable surprises, not rehearse a script for every interaction.

Explain the day simply: there will be some activities with teachers and other children, and you will collect them afterwards. Avoid promising that everything will be easy or calling it the test that decides their future.

Reading practice should go beyond getting the words right

The English sample linked by Highgate includes a short fictional passage, questions about information and feelings, and identifying adjectives. Its instructions also describe a creative-writing task connected to the passage. It is an illustrative sample, not a promise about the next paper.

For your own practice, occasionally pause during a book your child enjoys. Ask what happened, why someone acted that way or what a word might mean in context. Let them return to the page for clues. The aim is to make sense of the story, not to produce an adult-sounding answer.

An original practice example

“Maya left her umbrella by the door. When she came back, a trail of wet footprints led to the kitchen.” Ask what Maya might find, then ask which detail helped your child decide. Several answers could make sense. You are listening for a connection between an idea and the words, not one secret correct response.

This is our fictional exercise, not a school question or an admissions standard. If your child is still concentrating hard on decoding, discuss that with their teacher. More difficult comprehension questions will not necessarily address the underlying difficulty.

For maths, listen to how your child works it out

Highgate’s linked maths sample includes splitting numbers, problems with more than one calculation, equal groups, fractions, money and patterns. The dated sample is useful for understanding the kinds of thinking illustrated; it is not a complete current syllabus.

Try an ordinary problem with objects before turning it into a timed worksheet. For an original example, arrange twelve counters into equal groups in different ways. Ask your child how they know no counters have been missed, then whether another arrangement is possible. Drawing or moving objects can reveal understanding that a fast spoken answer hides.

If an answer is wrong, find out where the difficulty occurred. Did they understand the situation? Choose the right operation? Calculate accurately? A child who cannot interpret the question needs different help from one who understands it but makes an arithmetic slip.

Do not teach a long list of advanced procedures just because a preparation provider advertises them. Start with what the target school actually publishes and what your child’s teacher identifies as the next useful step.

Keep writing recognisably theirs

A clear few sentences can tell you more than a page crowded with memorised adjectives. Invite your child to describe a picture, explain an invention or write about something that surprised them. Then choose one thing to improve together: perhaps a missing full stop or a sentence whose meaning is unclear.

Here is a fictional, deliberately simple starting point: “I opened the box. A tiny shoe was inside. I looked under the table to see who had lost it.” Ask what happens next. There is a character doing something and a reason to continue reading; it does not need a paragraph of elaborate weather description.

This is an illustration, not a model answer to submit or a claim about the level a particular school requires. If handwriting, spelling or getting ideas onto paper is difficult, ask the current teacher what would help. Do not assume untidy writing means an absence of imagination.

Check the cost and the next transition before accepting

Financial help is not available at every age. Highgate offers means-tested 7+ bursaries, with a separate financial assessment. Dulwich’s junior admissions FAQ says junior-entry bursaries are unavailable; its first bursary entry point is Year 7. A senior-school bursary scheme does not make the preceding four years affordable.

For each school, request a total including compulsory extras, then add your likely transport, clubs and holiday-care costs. Our fees and bursaries guide explains the broader budget and renewal questions. Check both the new contract and any notice owed to the current school before paying a deposit.

Do not assume that taking an 11+ test later always means being selected again. Dulwich says its junior boys sit the exam but progress automatically to senior school. Elsewhere, obtain the specific progression conditions. That distinction can materially change what you are choosing at seven.

If an offer deadline arrives before another school’s decision, explain the situation to both schools and ask what flexibility exists. Do not assume an extension or accept obligations you do not understand just to keep every option open.

Keep the result in proportion—and plan the first term

Decide in advance how you will talk about an offer, a waiting list or a refusal. “This school has chosen its places; we are working out our next step” is more useful than telling a six-year-old they failed. Keep the family’s alternatives real, not described as punishments.

If the current school ends at Year 2, do not rely on selective offers alone. Identify another viable route early and check its own application process. A waiting list does not remove the need for a school place.

For an English state-school alternative, contact your local council’s admissions team early and explain that you need a Year 3 place for the relevant September. Do not assume every Year 3 move follows the same route. The government’s admissions guidance also directs families to the council for advice on in-year places. Keep this enquiry separate from private offers and waiting lists.

Practise the journey once, find out the morning routine and make sure your child knows which adult can help. Avoid spending the summer telling them they must work harder to keep up.