Bancroft’s Preparatory School 7 Plus (7+) Exam Guide

About Bancroft’s Preparatory School

Bancroft’s Preparatory School in Woodford Green, on the Essex edge of east London, is the co-educational prep of Bancroft’s School. The 7+ into Year 3 is the Prep’s standard entry point, and it is unusually big: the school aims to fill around 66 places.

That scale changes the odds compared with the single-form intakes elsewhere in this series, and makes Bancroft’s a sensible anchor school in an east London or Essex 7+ plan. (The senior school’s entrance exam is covered in our Bancroft’s 11+ guide.)

Key information for 2027 entry to Bancroft’s Preparatory School at 7 Plus (7+)

• School type: co-educational prep school (part of Bancroft’s School), Woodford Green
• Places at 7+: around 66, into Year 3
• Assessment over two January visits rather than one long day
• Visit 1: maths and non-verbal reasoning, Monday 4 January 2027
• Visit 2: English in small groups (reading comprehension and creative writing); dates confirmed in the first week of December
• Registration fee: £150 including VAT (the school confirms the fee but not a published opening date, so register early and confirm the window with the school)
• Offers: emailed Tuesday 2 February, with an offer holders’ morning on Saturday 27 February and acceptance due in early March
• Deposit on acceptance: £2,500
• A reserve list is kept for children who did well but missed an offer
• Contact: bancrofts.org

Admissions information for 2027 entry to Bancroft’s Preparatory School at 7 Plus (7+)

Bancroft’s splits its assessment across two visits, which suits six-year-olds far better than one marathon morning. The first, on Monday 4 January 2027, covers maths and non-verbal reasoning at the Prep School. The second is an English session in small groups, a reading comprehension and a piece of creative writing, with its dates confirmed in the first week of December. The school describes the whole process as ‘relaxed and enjoyable’, with staff experienced at working with young children.

Offers go by email on Tuesday 2 February, an offer holders’ morning follows on Saturday 27 February, and acceptance (with a £2,500 deposit) is due in early March. Children who perform well without getting an offer join a reserve list, which at a 66-place school is worth taking seriously rather than writing off.

How can I register my child for the 7 Plus (7+) assessment at Bancroft’s Preparatory School?

Apply through the school’s online form with the £150 registration fee; Bancroft’s then contacts your child’s current school for a confidential reference. The school doesn’t publish an exact registration window on its 7+ page, so apply well before the January assessments and confirm the deadline with admissions directly.

What is the 7 Plus (7+) assessment format at Bancroft’s Preparatory School?

Three assessed elements across the two visits:

• Maths: written, on the January visit
• Non-verbal reasoning: written, same visit, and worth specific practice because most children have never met the question style at school
• English: reading comprehension and creative writing, in small groups on the second visit

The school doesn’t list a verbal reasoning paper, which keeps the preparation unusually well-defined: English, maths, and enough non-verbal reasoning familiarity that the shapes and patterns feel like puzzles rather than a surprise.

Bancroft’s Preparatory School 7 Plus (7+) top tips for your child

• Non-verbal reasoning is the paper children have never seen at school, so start there with little-and-often practice
• Two visits means two goodbyes: rehearse the drop-off routine so the second one is routine
• Practise comprehension and creative writing together in one sitting, the shape of the English visit
• The reserve list is real at this school; if the first answer is no, it isn’t always final
• 66 places makes this a school to include, not a lottery ticket, in an east London or Essex 7+ plan

How to prepare your child for the 7 Plus (7+) Bancroft’s Preparatory School assessment

Our 7+ English, maths and non-verbal reasoning packs below match the three assessed elements exactly, with complete answers for marking together. The NVR bundle is the one parents most often thank us for at this age, because the question style is learnable in weeks but foreign to children who’ve never met it.