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Aldenham School

School type

Independent

Also known as

Address

Elstree

Hertfordshire

England

WD6 3AJ

Aldenham School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in Elstree, Hertfordshire, offering Year 7 entry. The single-stage 11+ admissions process uses Quest Admissions testing and includes an interview stage. Boarding options are available alongside day places, with annual fees starting at £32,061 for Years 7-8 day pupils.

Aldenham School suits a child who is capable but not showy, and who does better somewhere the adults know them by name. It is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school in Elstree, Hertfordshire (WD6 3AJ), taking pupils from 11 to 18 in the senior school, with boarding from Year 7 on a flexi, weekly or full basis. The grounds run to more than 110 acres of Hertfordshire countryside, still inside the M25 and about 25 minutes from central London.

The school was founded in 1597 by Richard Platt, a London brewer who obtained letters patent from Elizabeth I for a free grammar school and almshouses, and the Brewers' Company link has never been broken. Girls joined the sixth form in the 1980s and came in at 11 from 2004; the whole school has been co-educational since 2007, so a child starting Year 7 in 2027 arrives at a fully mixed school. It was also the second place after Eton to write down football rules, in 1825. Karren Brady is a former pupil. Daily life turns on the houses, which the school calls extended families, and two afternoons a week go to clubs, from archery and sailing to Warhammer.

The Good Schools Guide finds the pupils 'relaxed, sociable and unflashy', and one parent's verdict was simply 'It's just a bit cool, Aldenham'. Pupils say 'There's always someone to talk to', which fits a school that has kept pastoral care at its centre for decades. It suits a child who wants room to try things without an audience: one who might board a night or two, settle into a house, and grow into themselves rather than be sharpened for a single exam.

Key facts

Gender

Mixed

Year 7 places

80-100

Annual fees

Years 7-8 day: £10,687 per term / £32,061 per year (2026/27). Years 7-8 flexi boarding: £11,477 (1 night) to £13,077 (5 nights) per term. Years 9-13 full boarding: £16,995 per term / £50,985 per year. Registration fee £180 (non-refundable); acceptance deposit £1,500 (£3,000 for international pupils staying 1-2 terms, one term's fees for longer). VAT status not stated on the fees page.

Pass mark

Selectivity ratio

Website

Visit school website

Admissions

Open day

Oct

Registration opens

Registration closes

Nov

CAF deadline

Admissions contact

enquiries@aldenham.com

Admissions phone

01923 858122

Registration form

https://asevents.aldenham.com/r/YaE

Sibling policy

What this school tests

Online Entrance Assessment

English

Grammar
Punctuation
Reading Comprehension - Comparison
Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
Reading Comprehension - Summarising
Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
Spelling
Vocabulary

Maths

Algebra
Angles and Degrees
BIDMAS
Coordinate Grids
Estimation and Rounding
Factors and Multiples
Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
Measurement
Money
Number and Place Value
Operations
Perimeter, Area and Volume
Position and Direction
Properties of Shapes
Ratio and Proportion
Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
Sequences
Special Numbers
Speed, Distance and Time
Statistics
Time

Non-verbal Reasoning

Figure Analogies
Figure Matrices
Figure Series
Grid Matrices
Horizontal Codes
Match to a Group of Figures
Most Like Three Figures
Odd Figure Out
Odd Shaped Matrices
Star Matrices
Triangle Matrices
Vertical Codes

Verbal Reasoning

Alphabet Logic
Anagrams
Compound Words
Embedded Words
Form a Word
Insert 2 / 3 Letters
Insert a Letter
Letter Analogies
Letter Sequences
Move 1 / 2 Letters
Ordering Words
Rhyming Synonyms
Shuffled Sentences
Synonyms
Word / Logic Puzzles
Word Analogies
Word Completion
Word Match
Word Opposites
Word Pairs
Word Relationships
Word Swap
Words and Codes

Spatial Reasoning

2D Rotations
2D View of 3D Shape
3D Rotations
Block Counting
Building Blocks
Combining Shapes
Diagonal Reflections
Figure Missing from Image
Fold and Punch
Folding Cubes
Hidden Shapes
Missing Face of Cube
Nets of 3D Shapes
Shape Completion

Puzzles And Problem Solving

Number Properties & Proportion
Logic & Systematic Thinking
Geometry, Measures & Data
Equations & Early Algebra
Magic Shapes & Additive Puzzles
Calculation Fluency

Critical Thinking

Logical & Deductive Reasoning
Inference & Evaluation
Extracting & Distilling Information
Visual Sources
Comparison & Ordering
Data Analysis
Codes & Decoding

Catchment area

Selection review and safety net

Previous exam results

GCSE results

2025: over a quarter of grades at 8 or 9, and 45% of results at grade 7 or above

A-level results

Frequently asked questions

What exam board does Aldenham School use for the 11+?

Aldenham School uses Quest Admissions for its 11+ entrance assessment.

Is there an interview stage for Aldenham School 11+ admissions?

Yes, the 11+ admissions process at Aldenham School includes an interview stage.

Is Aldenham School co-educational or single-sex?

Aldenham School is a co-educational (mixed) school for both day and boarding pupils.

What are the Year 7 fees for Aldenham School?

For the 2026/27 academic year, day fees for Years 7-8 are £10,687 per term, which totals £32,061 per year.

What is the website for Aldenham School 11+ admissions?

You can access the admissions information directly on the school's website at https://www.aldenham.com/admissions/admissions-at-11/.

Location

https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2474.8026210947614!2d-0.32801189999999997!3d51.6634501!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x487615b984c955b3%3A0x4740606654e25b1c!2sAldenham%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sph!4v1787307058812!5m2!1sen!2sph