School guide · Dulwich · Girls · Day · 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16+
JAGS: an 11+ that adds writing, conversation and a group task to ISEB
JAGS combines ISEB testing with writing, conversation and a group task at 11+. An online practice score therefore covers only part of the application. For the longer-term choice, look at how your daughter’s preferred activities fit around the journey—and compare fees including compulsory lunch, which changes the Senior budget.
Updated · Sources last reviewed · By Eleven Plus Diary
Language breadth is distinctive, but every timetable has edges
The curriculum policy, reviewed October 2024 says Year 7 pupils sample French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish before choosing two in Year 8. This makes JAGS especially appealing to a child who enjoys language and culture.
The 2025–27 GCSE booklet sets a core of English Language, English Literature, maths and three sciences, plus four options. Combined Science can be discussed. Most pupils are expected to retain a language and a creative or practical subject, but these are not rigid option buckets.
That flexibility is useful only if the timetable permits the combination your daughter wants. A future economist who also loves Russian, art and music should ask whether her preferred combination will run and how clashes are handled.
Sixth form is A-level based. The currently linked prospectus is explicitly for September 2026 entry: it describes three or four subjects, optional EPQ or Core Maths and courses that run only with viable numbers. Treat it as a useful picture, then request the 2027 version before fixing subjects or entry conditions.
The bell rings at 3:45; school life may continue much later
The current school-day page gives registration at 8:25am and the afternoon bell at 3:45pm. Years 7–9 may use the library until 6pm; Years 10–13 may stay until 7pm under the published supervision rules. Clubs, sport and rehearsals can extend the day too.
North Dulwich station is described by the school as a five-minute walk. Foundation coaches serve routes across London. But a map does not tell you what the return trip feels like after an activity. Run the journey after her chosen activity as well as at school-opening time, and identify the exact late route your child could use.
The website says normal arrival is from 8am, while the December 2025 supervision policy permits pupils to enter from 7:30am. That does not promise a club, breakfast or the same supervision from 7:30. If early drop-off makes the family timetable work, ask what is actually available for your child’s year.
The activity list is broad; access depends on time and level
JAGS publishes opportunities in orchestras, choirs, drama onstage and backstage, open art studios, sports teams and pupil-created clubs. A March 2026 snapshot reported 445 pupils in 296 fixtures, including 86% of Year 7. That measures competitive sport during part of a year, not guaranteed access to every activity.
Under the December 2025 behaviour policy, phones stay silent and unused unless a teacher directs otherwise. Years 7–8 may not carry a smartphone during the day and hand it to reception. This is different from saying the school bans all technology.
Published support is encouraging; approachability is the test
The SEND and EAL policy describes Year 7 screening, pupil profiles, classroom, group and individual help, and reasonable adjustments. EAL needs are assessed on entry and reviewed. Admission remains individual.
The school’s pastoral structure includes form tutors, heads of year, assistant heads, two counsellors and trained Year 13 peer supporters. A list of people is useful, but it does not reveal waiting times or whether a pupil feels comfortable approaching them.
That distinction appears in the November 2024 ISI report. All standards were met and inspectors praised curricular and co-curricular breadth. They also found that some pupils felt unable to talk to an adult and recommended easier access to support.
Inspectors identified a premises-access risk, resolved during the visit, and recommended stronger access risk assessment. For mobility or sensory needs, follow the actual route between teaching, dining, sport and performance spaces rather than relying on a general assurance.
Build the budget from the invoice outward
| Stage | Termly tuition | Tuition + published annual lunch |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Prep | £8,857 | £27,570 a year |
| Prep | £8,918 | £27,950 a year |
| Senior | £10,146 | £31,634 a year |
These September 2026 VAT-inclusive fees are current, not a quote for later years. Lunch varies by term and totals £999 in Pre-Prep or £1,196 in Prep and Senior. The £3,000 deposit is normally credited to the final bill; it is not returned if an accepted pupil never starts.
Add the actual coach or rail journey, uniform, device, individual music, examination fees and chosen trips. The contract permits these and other agreed supplemental charges. A fictional Senior family spending £1,800 on travel and £900 on music would reach £34,334 before uniform, trips or fee rises.
The registration page lists £240, or £360 for overseas applications. Families receiving Universal Credit or Pupil Premium who seek a bursary can use the specified fee-waiver form. Check eligibility before paying; registration is normally non-refundable.
The September 2026 contract normally requires written withdrawal notice by the first day of the preceding term. Before entry, timely withdrawal forfeits the deposit; insufficient notice may trigger a term’s fees, with the deposit credited. Applicable bursary or scholarship support reduces fees in lieu. Read the acceptance contract, not this summary, for your obligation.
New-entry awards at 11+ and 16+ only
The bursary programme offers new-entry awards at 11+ and 16+, not ordinary Junior entry or chance vacancies. Existing pupils may receive help after family finances change. Awards can reach full tuition and may include contributions towards uniform, travel, trips and lunch, related to the award size. Do not assume every extra is covered.
The four main entry points are genuinely different
| Entry | Current published process | What parents should notice |
|---|---|---|
| 4+ | About 40 minutes of activities and games | No test coaching; focus on a comfortable visit |
| 7+ | English, maths, reasoning; then reading and maths interview tasks | Written work is only the first stage |
| 11+ | Welcome Morning plus ISEB Common Pre-Test | Conversation, writing, group contribution and online reasoning all matter |
| 16+ | Thinking Skills, critical essay and three interviews | The offer also depends on confirmed GCSE conditions |
The live admissions page also lists chance vacancies in Years 8, 9 and 10, dependent on space. An enquiry is not a place. Do not build a move around a vacancy that has not been confirmed in writing.
At 11+, JAGS watches how a girl thinks with other people too
Our 11+ interview guide compares personal and group stages across schools, with original exercises for listening and explaining an idea. They are not JAGS questions or required preparation.
For September 2027 entry, registration opened 22 April and closes 10 November 2026. The school’s date sheet says late applications cannot be accepted. Welcome Mornings run from mid-October to late November, so the personal part can happen before the ISEB deadline.
The morning includes a one-to-one conversation with a senior member of staff, a short creative-writing task and an interactive group activity. There are ten dates; the school says it can suggest another if the allocated date is impossible.
The ISEB Common Pre-Test covers English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. It is online, multiple-choice, adaptive and age-standardised. A candidate cannot return to a previous question. JAGS’s deadline is 9 December; its own sessions are 8 and 9 December, while some schools host the test earlier.
Register separately with ISEB for free and share the Applicant ID with the schools concerned; a JAGS application alone does not arrange the test. If another school needs the result earlier, schedule to that earlier deadline rather than JAGS’s final date.
Offers are emailed 11 February 2027. The date sheet does not publish one universal acceptance date: the offer letter controls. Fee-paying acceptances are due by 12 noon and bursary acceptances by 9am on that date. Put both date and time into the family calendar.