Transition to Senior Schools

Transition to Senior Schools: How we prepare and guide children and families 

We prepare children for a wide variety of local senior schools, in both the independent and maintained sectors. Our priority is to help guide parents when making decisions so they choose the best ‘fit’ for their child. The Head helps all parents and talks extensively with them. Yarrells is truly independent in this vein and does not have any arrangements with any one senior school.  

We have an enviable reputation for high success rates at 11+ grammar entrance exams, ISEB pre-testing examinations and scholarship examinations to independent senior schools. In 2022-23, our 11+ pass rate was 95% which is extraordinary given we are proudly non-selective, are deeply committed to providing a beautifully broad and rich curriculum and do not alter in-school curriculum content to push children towards examinations. We do offer after-school sessions for those children preparing for grammar school entrance examinations, 1:1 sessions for children preparing for scholarships, and a lovely ‘Grammar Preparation Holiday School’ in the summer(!) but it is the quality of our teaching and planning that sits at the heart of our success: we work hard for the children in our care and make sure they have the best possible chances when they are preparing for something concrete. However, longer-term, and more deeply, it is about keeping the love of learning alive, making sure lesson content is exciting and robust, appropriately challenging and supporting, and above all, comprehensive enough in its scope to prepare children for any senior school.