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Know exactly where your child stands for Charterhouse School

Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Charterhouse School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.

Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Charterhouse School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.

Charterhouse School

School type
Independent
Also known as
Address
Hurtmore Rd
,
Godalming
,
Surrey
,
England
,
GU7 2DX
Charterhouse School assesses candidates for 11+ entry through a two-stage process, including the ISEB Pretest and an interview. The school is mixed-gender, having welcomed girls into every year group since 2023, and offers a busy boarding community. Pass mark and selectivity ratio are unknown.

For a child who wants academic rigour alongside a real sense of belonging, Charterhouse offers both — inside a busy boarding community spread across 250 acres of Surrey countryside near Godalming. It teaches pupils from 13 to 18, and has had girls in every year group since 2023, completing a cultural shift that has quietly transformed the place. Long the preserve of boys, it now feels, by most accounts, like a school entering a confident new era rather than one reluctantly adapting to it.

The alumni list rewards a little browsing. Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout Movement, was educated here, as were Thackeray, Robert Graves and Ralph Vaughan Williams — whose name the music centre now carries. Peter Gabriel and most of the founding members of Genesis were pupils together, which goes some way to explaining both the school's serious music culture and its occasional taste for the theatrical. And Charles Wreford Brown, who attended in the early 1880s, is often credited with inventing the word 'soccer' — fitting, given that football rather than rugby is the sport here, played with genuine passion, alongside hockey and cricket.

The arts have shifted in step with the school's changing character — recent productions have included Legally Blonde alongside the chapel choirs — and pupils describe a friendly community helped along by mixed-house dining. Sixth formers choose between A-levels and the International Baccalaureate. It suits a child ready to be stretched, who wants to find their feet, their friends and their thing in a school with serious history and a genuinely open future.

Key facts

Gender
Mixed
Year 7 places
Annual fees
Pass mark
Selectivity ratio

Admissions

Open day
June, Sep
Registration opens
Registration closes
Sep
CAF deadline
Admissions contact
admissions@charterhouse.org.uk
Admissions phone
0148 329 1501

Registration form

https://www.charterhouse.org.uk/11-registration

Sibling policy

What this school tests

ISEB Common Pre-test

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 Series
  • Grid Matrices
  • Horizontal Codes
  • Most Like Three Figures
  • Most Like Two Figures
  • Odd Figure Out
  • Star Matrices
  • Triangle Matrices
  • Triangle Series
  • Vertical Codes

Verbal Reasoning

  • Compound Words
  • Embedded Words
  • Form a Word
  • Insert a Letter
  • Move 1 / 2 Letters
  • Odd Word Out
  • Shuffled Sentences
  • Synonyms
  • Verbal Classification
  • Word Analogies
  • Word Completion
  • Word Match
  • Word Opposites
  • Word Pairs

Spatial Reasoning

  • 2D Rotations
  • 2D View of 3D Shape
  • 3D Rotations
  • Block Counting
  • Building Blocks
  • Combining Shapes
  • Fold and Punch
  • Folding Cubes
  • Hidden Shapes
  • Missing Face of Cube
  • Nets - Opposite Face
  • Shape Completion
  • Vertical/Horizontal Reflections

Written Assessment

English

  • Creative Writing - Descriptive
  • Creative Writing - Narrative
  • Creative Writing - Personal
  • Creative Writing - Persuasive

Catchment area

Selection review and safety net

Previous exam results

GCSE results

Most pupils at this school sit IGCSE and Pre-U qualifications, which are not reflected in DfE's published GCSE measures. See the school's own website for full results. Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

A-level results

In 2025 students achieved a B+ average grade per A-Level entry. 23.4% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects. Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

Frequently asked questions

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

Charterhouse School uses the ISEB Pretest and its own independent assessments for 11+ entry.

Does Charterhouse School interview as part of the 11+ process?

Yes, an interview stage is part of the 11+ admissions process at Charterhouse School.

Is Charterhouse School co-educational or single-sex?

Charterhouse School is co-educational, having welcomed girls into every year group since 2023.

What is the admissions process for Charterhouse School's 11+?

The 11+ admissions process at Charterhouse School involves two distinct stages.

What is Charterhouse School's website for applications?

You can find application information on the official website: https://www.charterhouse.org.uk/your-application-process.

Does Charterhouse School offer bursaries or help with fees?

Yes. Charterhouse offers means-tested bursaries for families who need help with fees, and these can reach up to the full fee where the need is greatest. Bursaries can sit alongside a scholarship. They are based on your financial circumstances, so you apply by completing a financial assessment supported by evidence of your income and assets. Speak to the admissions team early, as places and funding are limited.

What scholarships does Charterhouse School offer?

Charterhouse offers a wide range of scholarship awards to its most able pupils, given through open competition and based on merit. For pupils joining at 11+, the main scholarship round comes later: applicants are invited to apply for 13+ scholarships during Year 8, before moving up from the prep school. Where there is financial need, a scholarship can be supported by a bursary. Awards recognise excellence and outstanding potential.

What is the Charterhouse School 11+ assessment like?

All registered candidates first sit the ISEB Common Pre-test in the autumn of Year 6, age-standardised online tests in maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, reviewed alongside a reference from your child's current school. Successful applicants are then invited to an Interview and Activities Assessment at Charterhouse in the spring term. This day mixes friendly group activities, a relaxed interview and a short piece of creative writing, designed to get to know your child and what they enjoy.

Location

https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2500.21853789508!2d-0.6219691!3d51.19662470000001!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x4875d1c7b50d9ed1%3A0xb1ff299010d4fef4!2sCharterhouse%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1780590723685!5m2!1sen!2suk

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