St Albans High School for Girls (STAHS) 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About St Albans High School for Girls

St Albans High School for Girls is a girls’ independent day school in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Its 2027-entry timetable is unusually detailed, running from a scholarship information evening in September 2026 right through to a March 2027 acceptance deadline.

Key information for 2027 entry to St Albans High School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: girls’ independent day school
• Optional taster days: Saturday 10 October 2026 and Saturday 7 November 2026
• Scholarship information evening: Wednesday 30 September 2026
• Application, scholarship and bursary deadline: Friday 13 November 2026
• Entrance Assessment Day: Tuesday 5 January 2027: the ISEB Common Pre-Test (Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, online, multiple-choice), plus a written communication task and a taster Senior School lesson
• Some candidates called back for interview and a group activity; a separate parent meeting with the Head/Deputy Heads is not part of the pupil’s assessment
• Offers: Friday 12 February 2027; accept by Wednesday 3 March 2027
• Registration fee £180 (per the 2025/26 Schedule of Fees; check the current schedule before registering); acceptance deposit £1,250
• Contact details: [email protected], 01727 792 509

Admissions information for 2027 entry to St Albans High School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

STAHS offers two optional taster days before the real assessment, on 10 October and 7 November 2026, a genuinely parent-reassuring touch worth taking up if your daughter benefits from seeing a school before the pressure of an assessment day.

The Entrance Assessment Day itself combines an ISEB Common Pre-Test with a written communication task and a taster Senior School lesson, a fuller day than a straight sitting of multiple-choice papers. The school is also explicit that the separate parent meeting with the Head and Deputy Heads is ‘purely for parents’ benefit’ and ‘forms no part of the assessment process for pupils’, a clear, useful line if you’re worried about your own performance in that meeting affecting your daughter’s place.

One figure to double check: the £180 registration fee comes from a Schedule of Fees document explicitly dated for the 2025/26 fee year. We didn’t find a separate 2026/27 schedule, so confirm the current fee with the school before registering.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at St Albans High School for Girls?

1. Consider the optional taster days on 10 October or 7 November 2026.
2. Attend the scholarship information evening on 30 September 2026 if relevant.
3. Apply by Friday 13 November 2026. The registration fee was £180 on the 2025/26 fee schedule; confirm the current figure with the school.
4. Your daughter attends the Entrance Assessment Day on Tuesday 5 January 2027: the ISEB Common Pre-Test, a written communication task and a taster lesson.
5. If called back, she attends an interview and group activity, with a separate parent meeting, across 21, 22 and 25 January 2027.
6. Offers arrive Friday 12 February 2027; accept by Wednesday 3 March 2027 with a £1,250 deposit.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for St Albans High School for Girls?

The Entrance Assessment Day on 5 January 2027 has three parts:

• ISEB Common Pre-Test: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, online and multiple-choice, age-standardised. It may be sat at your daughter’s own school as an invigilation centre.
• A written communication task, on paper.
• A taster Senior School lesson.

Some candidates are then called back for an interview with senior staff and a group activity. A separate parent meeting with the Head and Deputy Heads runs alongside this, but the school states clearly that it plays no part in assessing your daughter.

St Albans High School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Practise ISEB-style multiple-choice papers across maths, English and both reasoning strands, since that’s the core of the assessment.
• Keep a written communication task in your preparation too. It sits alongside the online test, not instead of it.
• Take up an optional taster day beforehand if your daughter would benefit from seeing the school before the real assessment.
• If called back for interview, treat the parent meeting as genuinely separate; the school says it doesn’t affect your daughter’s outcome.
• Confirm the current registration fee with the school before applying; the £180 figure we found is from the 2025/26 schedule.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) St Albans High School for Girls exam

Preparation for STAHS is ISEB-style multiple-choice practice across maths, English and reasoning, plus regular written communication practice for the written task. A 5 January assessment date makes the autumn term of Year 6 the working window, with the two optional taster days a useful, low-pressure way to introduce the school along the way.

For St Albans High School for Girls 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: