How to get into James Allen’s Girls’ School at 7+

Introduction

James Allen’s Girls’ School is an independent day school for girls aged 4-18, situated in Dulwich. Girls can enter the Pre-Prep School at 4+ and the Prep School at 7+.

Before you apply

At the time of writing, the next open day for the Prep school will be Saturday 7th October 2023, 10am – 12 noon. The morning includes a tour of the school and a talk by the Head. Booking is required and you can do so here

For the year 2023/24, fees for the Prep School are £6,705 per term, which works out at £20,115 per year. JAGS offer a range of bursaries, depending on a family’s income.

Application

To apply for 7+ entry, parents must complete a registration form and return it by post to the school. A registration fee of £100 is charged (£200 for overseas applicants). The window for applications will run between Monday 4th September and Friday 10th November 2023.

For those who wish to apply for a bursary, a bursary application form must be sent to the school by the end of December 2023. The relevant forms can be found here.

Assessment(s)

The 7+ assessment procedure for James Allen’s Girls’ School consists of two stages. Girls will attend an assessment day on Thursday 8th January 2024, where they will sit written tests in Maths, English (reading comprehension and writing) and an electronic Reasoning test. The school says that most students who do well in these tests will be working above the expected National Curriculum standards for Year 2.

Girls who are successful in the assessments will be invited to an interview. This will consist of an oral reading test and written and mental Maths extension activities. The interviews are scheduled to take place the week commencing 22nd January 2024

Results

Successful candidates will be offered a place Friday 2nd February 2024. The deadline for accepting the place is midday on Friday 9th February 2023. Parents should return an acceptance form with an acceptance deposit of £2000. This is refunded in the final term of a child’s time at the school.

When casual places arise at other ages, JAGS offer these using their “chance vacancy” list. A chance vacancy form to join this list can be found here:

Destination schools

There is an expectation that children attending James Allen’s Girls’ Preparatory School will progress to James Allen’s Girls’ Senior School.