Habs Boys Elstree: a selective boys’ day school with entry from 4+ to 16+

A boys’ school with a much wider shared campus

Haberdashers’ Boys’ School, usually called Habs Boys, is a selective independent day school for ages 4–18 in Elstree. It shares a campus with Habs Girls, but each remains a separate school. There is no boarding.

The shared campus is worth understanding at your child’s age. Some activities bring the schools together earlier; in Sixth Form, every pupil studies at least one subject in a mixed class.

Leave room for the subjects he wants to keep

In Year 7, boys rotate through French, Spanish and German before choosing two languages to continue in Year 8. The school’s curriculum page also describes space for up to four optional GCSE subjects later on.

Plan one school week your son would actually want

The Senior timetable begins with tutor time at 08:35 and ends formal lessons at 16:00. Ordinary coaches leave at 16:15. After-school activities usually run 16:15–17:15, with late coaches at 17:30.

The 12:40–13:55 lunch period leaves room for clubs as well as eating and friends. This helps a pupil develop interests without making every day a late finish. More demanding music, drama or team commitments still need careful planning alongside homework.

Try the late journey as well as the morning coach

The joint coach network reaches across Hertfordshire and North London. Habs says around 70% of pupils use it. Routes, fares and seats are handled through a live booking system, so the map alone is not a guarantee of a workable place.

Check pickup time, actual late stop and arrival home after activities. A short drive to school on a quiet weekend can conceal a much longer daily journey. Ask who arranges transport after a fixture or rehearsal that ends after the late service.

Reception–Year 2 use supervised Hub arrangements and cannot take the 17:30 service. Reception transport begins in the second week and supervision can occasionally be unavailable at short notice. Working parents need a backup collection plan and age-specific care arrangements.

Year 3 and older coach users need a charged working phone. New onboarding material describes Prep as mobile-phone-free and Senior as smartphone-free. The transport requirement for a basic handset does not mean free phone use at school.

Ask what support would happen in an ordinary lesson

The September 2026 SEND policy describes classroom adjustments with some individual or small-group help where appropriate. It explicitly says Habs is not a specialist SEND provider and does not offer regular specialist teaching.

Some support may run before school, at lunch or after lessons. External assessments and provision unavailable within school may cost parents extra.

Disclose known or suspected needs and supply reports when applying. For 11+ and deferred 11+, the live admissions page requires supporting reports by 6 November 2026, the registration deadline. Confirm the evidence deadline for other entry points. The policy names adjusted assessments at 4+, 7+, 11+ and 13+, but does not explicitly name 16+; a Sixth Form applicant should confirm arrangements for both the general and any Maths paper.

Applicants with English as an additional language need enough English for the mainstream curriculum. This is not a beginner-English route. Discuss language support before applying, especially where predicted academic grades conceal difficulty following rapid classroom conversation.

Strong results sit alongside a useful inspection finding

The school’s 2026 GCSE announcement reports 56.2% grade 9 and 80.1% grades 8–9. Its A-level announcement reports 51% A* and 83% A*–A. Exact 2026 candidate and exam-entry totals are not supplied alongside those percentages.

The February 2025 ISI inspection found all relevant standards met and safeguarding effective. Inspectors identified the co-curricular programme as a significant strength and found effective adjustments for pupils with SEND. Their next step concerned older pupils’ relationships and sex education, which some found repetitive.

The report predates later group changes, including St Martin’s joining in 2026. It describes practice inspectors saw then.

Habs has a Christian foundation and assemblies with a broadly Christian basis, while welcoming different faiths.

The Year 7 budget starts above the tuition headline

The 2026–27 fees below include VAT. September 2027 charges have not been published, so use these for planning and request the new fee letter before accepting.

Years 7–11 have a compulsory school device at £168 per term, or £504 a year. That makes the known Year 7 base £32,991 before lunch, coach travel, uniform, trips and optional activities. Sixth-form device requirements should be checked separately.

Published music charges include £388 for ten individual lessons, £237 for group lessons, £125 for aural or theory lessons and £51 for instrument hire, including VAT. A term of tuition does not cover every opportunity in the prospectus; the likely annual bill depends on your son’s actual activities.

The acceptance deposit is half a term’s fee, normally credited to the final account with outstanding sums deducted. The parent contract requires a full term’s written notice or fees in lieu at the next term’s full rate. For families receiving an award, that liability is not limited to their reduced contribution. Confirm the exact notice deadline for the intended leaving date, particularly while waiting for another school’s decision.

Bursaries of 50–100% at three entry points

The fee-assistance page describes bursaries covering 50–100% of tuition at Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12. A child must win a place and the family must satisfy the financial assessment. Awards are limited and reviewed annually.

Put the assessment dates in the diary before applying

The live admissions calendar gives these dates for September 2027 entry. Habs says it cannot offer alternative assessment or interview dates, so check clashes before paying registration fees.

The current admissions policy lists a non-refundable £150 domestic registration charge and £200 for overseas applicants. Scholarship applications share the registration deadlines. Bursaries have their own dates, set out below.

For direct 13+, the calendar calls the reply a “conditional acceptance”. The policy makes offers subject to satisfactory completion of the current school year. Ask whether your son’s offer has any additional conditions, and what would happen to the deposit if a condition were not met.

The 11+ includes writing as well as reasoning

Habs Boys and Habs Girls use the same paper-based QUEST first round. The published format has four sections: Maths and non-verbal reasoning, 45 minutes; English and verbal reasoning, 40 minutes; creative comprehension, 20 minutes; and creative writing, 20 minutes.

The Maths and English content draws on Key Stage 2. The school links official familiarisation material and prohibits calculators, dictionaries and mobile devices. It describes the relevant Maths and English questions as multiple choice; the creative-writing section still needs a written response.

Around half of candidates return in January. Boys do not need to bring projects, books or other work. One or both parents also meet members of the leadership team. Prepare to explain your son’s interests and support needs honestly, rather than presenting an impossibly polished child.

Year 7 normally has about 160–175 boys, including around 60 from Habs Prep and a small unpublished number from group-school pathways. The current policy separately quotes about 100–110 Year 7 places. These figures indicate a substantial intake from outside Prep, but do not tell us how many offers are made or one applicant’s chances.

A useful preparation week combines reading, arithmetic, some reasoning and a short piece of writing. Try asking your child to explain why a character made a choice, then write a different ending. That is an original practice idea, not a Habs question. Our writing guide offers more worked examples.