London · Independent day school · 7+, 11+ and 16+
Highgate School: the arts kept in the timetable to Year 9, then usually ten GCSEs
Highgate keeps art, drama and music in the timetable through Years 7–9, then normally asks pupils to take ten GCSEs. That breadth is a reason to look closely if your child wants to keep several interests alive. At Year 7, roughly 80 newcomers join about 105 Junior School pupils, so friendships and the transition deserve attention alongside the entrance papers.
Updated · Sources last reviewed · By Eleven Plus Diary
Would your child enjoy the academic breadth?
The published Senior School curriculum keeps subjects broad through Years 7–9, including weekly art, drama and music. General science in Year 7 becomes separate sciences from Year 8. At GCSE, pupils normally take ten subjects, including both English qualifications, maths, three sciences and a modern language, with three further choices. The school also describes subject clinics and extension opportunities.
The breadth suits a child who wants to keep several interests alive, but ten GCSEs leave limited room to drop less-loved subjects. Ask for a Year 7 timetable and homework expectations to judge the pace.
Who notices when a child is finding things hard?
In Years 7 and 8, Highgate describes forms of no more than 24, mixing new and continuing pupils; most lessons are taken with the form. The Head of Year is the parent contact. From Year 9, pupils enter one of twelve houses and smaller tutor groups. Its pastoral outline also names a clinical mental-health lead, wellbeing practitioners, counsellors and nurses.
The school day includes the journey home
Highgate sets aside weekly time for at least one chosen co-curricular activity. It also lists curriculum residential trips in Years 7–9 as included in fees, separately from its sports tours. Check the activities and trips page rather than assuming every advertised trip is included.
The travel page describes independently operated coaches for Junior and Senior pupils. It mentions a 2026 route from Stanmore via Edgware, Mill Hill, Finchley Central and Henlys Corner, though some downloadable brochures date from 2025/6. Confirm current stops, charges and return times directly.
Try the journey after the activity your child wants to join. Include the walk and wait at the stop when deciding how many late afternoons are manageable.
Budget for more than the headline fee
For 2026–27, Senior School tuition is £10,929 per term including VAT, with compulsory lunch at £369 per term. Together that is £11,298 a term, or £33,894 over three terms, before other extras. These are not confirmed 2027–28 prices. The official fee schedule also lists public-exam charges separately.
The application fee is £210. Accepting a place involves a £4,000 deposit for pre-prep, junior or senior entry, or £5,000 for sixth form, retained until the pupil leaves. Read the contract for repayment and withdrawal conditions; a deposit is a cash-flow commitment, not another annual tuition charge.
Add your likely transport, uniform, music and optional-trip spending to your own budget. Then ask what would have to change if fees rose or household income fell. Our fees and bursaries guide walks through that wider calculation.
Most current bursary holders pay little or nothing
Highgate offers means-tested bursaries at 7+, 11+ and 16+. It reports almost 100 Senior School recipients, most receiving 90–100% fee support, with additional help for some costs. That is the number already at the school, not the number of new awards available in your application year. See the bursary information and entry-point guidance.
Applying at 11+: the dates and the two stages
The school’s 2027-entry calendar lists the following dates. It labels all of them provisional, so check again before making travel arrangements.
- Open day: 3 October 2026.
- Applications, bursary applications and music-award applications: noon on 4 November 2026.
- Entrance examinations: 1 December 2026.
- Activities and interviews: 11–15 January 2027.
- Offers: 12 February 2027. Acceptance deadline: 3 March 2027.
The first stage uses Highgate’s English and mathematics papers, with a confidential headteacher reference. Selected candidates return for a group interview and taster lessons. This is not a process to prepare for by assuming that every London school uses the same online test. Read the school’s stage-by-stage explanation.
Two different comparisons worth making
For a daughter considering Highgate, Channing is a useful nearby comparison: it is a girls’ school in Highgate, serving ages 4–18. We would visit both if the choice between coeducation and a girls-only setting is still open. Ask your daughter where she felt most willing to speak, try something unfamiliar and be herself. Neither model is automatically the better one.
If boarding is part of the family discussion, Mill Hill School offers both day and boarding places for ages 13–18. That makes it a different kind of option, not a like-for-like Year 7 application. Compare the entry timetable and the pattern of the week before comparing facilities. A boarding option may be more relevant than Highgate if being home every evening is not workable; it also creates a separate set of pastoral and weekend questions.