Are you looking for your daughter to pass the JAGS 11+ for the next step in her education? Find out everything you need to know about the admissions process, the JAGS 11 plus exam and the JAGS 11 plus interview, and how to help your child succeed.
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Introduction to JAGS
James Allen’s Girls’ School (JAGS) is an independent day school for girls in Dulwich. Recently celebrating its 280th anniversary, JAGS is the oldest independent girls’ school in London. Despite its history, JAGS aims to create a diverse, forward thinking atmosphere to embrace modern education.
Whilst JAGS can boast exceptional academic results, JAGS’ aim is to create confident, well-rounded girls who achieve success in all endeavours, while instilling a strong sense of integrity and morality. JAGS is highly competitive, considering its outstanding results when it comes to higher education and university admissions. In 2024, 91% of GCSEs achieved at Grade 9, 8 or 7 (A*-A), while 51% achieved at Grade 9. In the same year, 75% of A Levels were achieved at A* or A. Of the 2024 leavers, 15% went on to study at Oxbridge.
JAGS is immensely proud of being a culturally, socially, and economically diverse community. Currently, 1 in 6 pupils in the Senior School benefit from bursaries, with an average of 87% fee support. Further, JAGS boasts that its students speak 50 home languages.
JAGS Fees
£9,784 per term for Years 7-13. An acceptance deposit is required upon entry of £2,750. This is refunded in full on your final bill issued in the August following your daughter’s final term.
JAGS 11 Plus Open Days
Before registering your daughter for admission, we recommend that you and your child attend a JAGS 11 Plus Open Day Event. This will give your daughter a sense of what life is like attending JAGS, the facilities they offer, and a chance to meet members of staff and current pupils. JAGS host a number of open mornings in September and October, available to book via the school website. For 2026 applicants, Open Days will be held on the 17th of September and the 4th and 14th of October. We have found girls who attend Open Events are better prepared in interviews and more confident upon entering in September. We would also recommend viewing the Virtual Tour available on the website.
The 11 Plus Admissions Process at JAGS
Registration for 2026 entry is open until October 31st, 2025. Entry registration for senior school opens in the beginning of the Summer term when your child is in Year 5 and closes at the end of the October of her Year 6. The registration form requires you to pay a fee of £240 for UK based applicants and £360 for international applicants. However, this fee is waived for those applying for a bursary who receive financial assistance from their Council.
JAGS accepts around 120 girls into the Senior School in Year 7. A third of admissions come from the Junior School, while the rest come from a variety of state and independent schools. Around 1,200 to 1,400 girls apply for entry into Year 7. Year on year however, this number fluctuates. This means the odds of securing a place can fluctuate between 1 in 10 to 1 in 20. JAGS does not give priority to siblings of current students.
The JAGS 11+ Welcome Morning
Before the JAGS 11 Plus entrance exam, all applicants are invited into the school for a “Welcome Morning” in the Autumn term. The morning consists of a one-on-one interview with a senior member of staff, an interactive group task, and a creative writing task. Only those who are successful at the pre-selection morning are invited to return for the JAGS school entrance exam.
The JAGS 11 Plus Interview
The JAGS 11+ interview is a very important part of the admission process and success here is key to get into the school. Whilst girls must meet a high academic standard, they must also demonstrate an ability to engage and respond during a discussion. The interview will be one on one, conducted by a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
JAGS 11 Plus interviews test critical thinking skills and the ability to articulate clearly one’s point of view. The interviewer may try to engage children with their specialist subject. For example, when being interviewed by an art teacher, a child can be asked to explain what a piece of abstract art portrays, and why the artist has chosen to portray it in such a way. There are no right or wrong answers, but a child should practise this type of question beforehand, so they are not thrown on the day.
At JAGS, they prefer not to have girls appear over practised in the interview. If your child’s answers come across as rehearsed or planned, they will be less likely to get offered a place. In our experience, teachers look for bright, engaged, confident girls who are eager to learn and able to express themselves in conversation. The teachers pick children they would like to teach.
The thought of an interview can be quite daunting for some children who find it harder to express their views. So, every year Mentor run individual and group sessions to build confidence. Focusing on interview prep and what to expect, we encourage children to develop answers and present their best self.
The JAGS 11+ Interactive Group Assessment
Girls will also be asked to participate in an observed interactive group task as a part of the JAGS 11 plus assessment. JAGS has introduced this because they are keen to understand how the children interact with each other and what they are going to be like to teach. Whilst JAGS are looking for children who are naturally inquisitive and keen to learn, they also want children who listen to and build on each other’s ideas. Being the most gregarious or outspoken child does not guarantee a place because no school wants a classroom full of students who like listening to the sound of their own voice. Rather, to perform well and stand out in the group task, applicants need to be enthusiastic, ready to listen and able to collaborate with others.
The JAGS 11 Plus Creative Writing Task
Applicants will also be given a creative writing task to complete as part of the Welcome Morning. Girls will be assessed on their spelling, grammar, punctuation, handwriting, vocabulary, creativity, and time-management. JAGS are looking for candidates with a confident grasp of English, who are capable of writing an engaging and intellectually sound piece of work under timed and stressful conditions.
The JAGS 11+ Exam Content
Girls who perform well at the Welcome Morning will be invited to sit the JAGS 11+ entrance exam from early November to early January. This will take the form of the online ISEB Pre Test. Girls can sit this at their own school, or JAGS, or any other school that they are applying to that hosts the ISEB. If they are unable to sit the ISEB at their own school, JAGS are hosting an exam day on the 5th of December.
The ISEB Pre Test takes about two and a half hours and covers:
- Verbal reasoning: common words, antonyms, word combinations, letter transfer
- Non-verbal reasoning: shape analogies, horizontal codes
- English: reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation, sentence completion
- Mathematics: aligned with National Curriculum topics to the end of Year 5
This new online test may sound daunting. However, Mentor has years of experience preparing children for the ISEB, long used by UK boarding schools. It is very different from the long-form written exams previously set by JAGS, so preparation should be tailored accordingly. All answers are multiple choice.
Children are often not taught Reasoning at primary school, yet it plays a key role in 11+ success. While natural ability matters, practice builds confidence and skill. Our specialist 11+ tutors, with significant JAGS entrance experience, can help you stay on track.
Timing is especially important in the ISEB. Students should aim for roughly one mark per minute—challenging at age ten. Exam technique is critical: pupils cannot return to skipped questions and must learn to eliminate incorrect answers to make educated guesses
Tailored tutoring could help your daughter stand out. From academic support to exam strategy, our tutors can boost her confidence and readiness. Find out how Mentor can help your child prepare.
JAGS 11 Plus Scholarships
Many of our tutors have great success securing scholarships and are experienced with pushing the boundaries of learning for exceptional students. JAGS awards up to 20 academic scholarships every year. All applicants at JAGS are automatically eligible and those who score exceptionally well on the entrance exam will be invited back for a scholarship assessment.
JAGS also offers scholarships in Art, Music and Sport. You need to submit your application by late November. If their written application is successful, they will be invited for an in-person assessment. All scholarships are valued at £2000 per annum, to be deducted from the school fees.
Due to the competitive admissions process at JAGS, we have found that applying for a music, sport or art scholarship may strongly support a child’s general application. Regardless of whether she achieves the award she is aiming for, an application sets your daughter apart from other prospective pupils and alerts the school of her talent, and outgoing nature. If successful, the application also gives your daughter another in person opportunity to impress JAGS staff and present herself as someone they would want to teach.
Meet our Tutors with JAGS 11+ Exam and JAGS 11+ Interview Experience
To guarantee your daughter the best chance of admission to JAGS, offer her some additional support from one of our tutors. Many of our over 200 tutors are experts in the JAGS 11 plus and with bespoke one-to-one tuition, they can help children to achieve success at exams and interviews. Typically, each cycle our tutors help 5-6 girls secure a place at JAGS with 1-2 of those achieving an academic scholarship.
With more than 40 years of experience in tutoring children to gain admission to some of London’s most competitive independent schools, we at Mentor have a wealth of knowledge on how best to prepare your daughter for entry to JAGS.
Over 80% of our tutors are qualified teachers, so they have an in-depth knowledge of their subject, the syllabus and the most effective teaching methods. Many have been heads of department, head teachers or examiners and all come with a wealth of experience and a great track record of success. All have up-to-date DBS certificates and references. Wherever possible we will match your daughter with a tutor who has a track record at JAGS themselves.
For some information on our tutors’ unique approach to testing children in preparation for exams, contact our team.
More Information on JAGS
The main entry points at JAGS are 4, 7, 11, 13 and 16. The school has over 1,050 pupils aged 4-18. In addition to academic success, JAGS offers a vast range of clubs and extracurricular activities including fantastic drama and music. Girls can also enjoy the 22 acres of fields and astro pitches, a state of the art swimming pool, climbing wall and dance studios provided in the sports department. Beyond school staples such as hockey, athletics and tennis, JAGS girls can try sports such as martial arts, trampolining and sailing.
Alex Hutchinson was introduced as Head in September 2020. She is preceded by her stellar reputation built up by over twenty years of academic and pastoral experience gained at leading girls’ schools, both day and boarding. Her previous roles include Deputy Head and later Headmistress of Woldingham School, Head of Science at St Mary’s School, and Ascot and Head of Sixth Form at Wimbledon High School. Succeeding Sally-Anne Huang, she described the opportunity as an “exceptional privilege” and is eager to join JAGS as it champions girls’ education.
Address: James Allen’s Girls’ School, 144 East Dulwich Grove, London, SE22 8TE
Telephone: 020 8693 1181
Email: enquiries@jags.org.uk
Website: www.jags.org.uk
Local Authority: Southwark
School’s Unique Reference Number (URN): 100863
Gender: Girls
Age Range: 4-18
We have many experts on entrance to JAGS here at Mentor. Get in touch to find out more about how we can help your child gain admission to JAGS at 11+, or for further information on admissions into the top London schools.
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1-2-1, 11 Plus Tutoring
Your 11 Plus tutor will have wealth of teaching and school entrance experience. All are reference checked and have up-to-date DBS certificates. Additionally, wherever possible we will match you with a tutor who has taught at the school that your child is applying to
Academic Assessment
Our academic assessments can assist your 11 plus tutor to make a fast start and assist with school signposting. Our assessment, conducted in partnership with Cambridge University education department is a digital test for your child to sit at home that covers the same academic disciplines as the 11 Plus exam.
School Entrance Weekend Classes
We believe that preparing your child for their 11 Plus assessments is a journey that takes a minimum of twenty four months. Our 11 plus weekend classes are available for children in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 and operate from Dulwich, Hampstead and Wimbledon with classes sizes of no more than six pupils.
11 Plus Holiday Courses
Holidays represent crucial opportunities to either cover more of the syllabus or to reinforce learning throughout Years 5 and 6. Most children take 11 Plus courses in the Easter holidays, Summer Holidays and the final Autumn half term. We operate courses from Dulwich, Hampstead and Wimbledon with classes sizes of no more than six pupils.
11 Plus Mock Exams
We run 11 Plus preparation courses throughout the year and 11 plus mock exam sessions in the run up to the real tests. They are designed familiarise your child with exam conditions. We have exams for different types of schools and can cover the range from the most academically selective to the more all rounder schools.
Interview Mastery
In addition to the entrance exam, your child may have to attend an interview or a group interview. Schools are now placing more importance on how well children communicate, therefore the interview stage of 11 Plus entrance has become even more crucial. Our programme builds up the skills that a young person needs to pass.