Know exactly where your child stands for The Leys School
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The Leys 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 The Leys School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
The Leys School
The Leys School in Cambridge is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 11 to 18. Year 7 entry is assessed through a single-stage exam using the Quest Admissions test board, with no formal interview stage. Located on Trumpington Road, the school offers day, home boarding, and full boarding options.
The Leys is a good fit for the curious, sociable child who would rather be busy than left to drift, and who likes a school where the day keeps going after lessons stop. It is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 11 to 18, on a fifty-acre site on Trumpington Road a short walk from the middle of Cambridge. Full boarding, home boarding and day places sit side by side, so families can choose how much of the week a child spends on site.
The school opened in 1875, founded by Methodist laymen who wanted somewhere for the children of their own congregations; sixteen boys arrived on the first morning. Girls joined the sixth form in the 1980s and the rest of the school by the mid-1990s. The Methodist inheritance shows now mainly in the chapel, which stays at the centre of things without anyone needing religious credentials to belong. One former pupil, James Hilton, went on to write 'Goodbye, Mr Chips', modelling the title character on a Classics master, W. H. Balgarnie, known to generations of boys as 'Uncle'. Years 7 and 8 live together in Moulton House, and with a boat house on the Cam rowing often becomes part of the weekly rhythm early.
The Good Schools Guide quotes parents who like that staff 'get to know the pupils' and will 'nip problems in the bud before they develop', and a sixth former who said, 'The opportunities are amazing.' The same review describes children allowed to 'sing their own song'. It suits a child who wants room to try things, and who will settle faster for having a housemaster or housemistress who already knows their name.
Key facts
Annual fees
2026/27, per term, inclusive of VAT - Years 7-8: £8,547 day, £13,337 boarding, £13,860 overseas boarding. Years 9 to Sixth Form: £11,835 day, £18,276 boarding, £19,007 overseas boarding.
Admissions
Admissions contact
admissions@theleys.net
Admissions phone
01223 508900
Registration form
Sibling policy
What this school tests
Year 7 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: 39.9% of grades at grade 9, 67.2% at grades 9-8, 97.0% at grades 9-6 and 99.9% at grades 9-4
A-level results
2025: 24.6% A*, 62.9% A*-A, 85.7% A*-B, 93.6% A*-C and 100% A*-E
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does The Leys School use for the 11+?
The Leys School uses the Quest Admissions exam board for its Year 7 entrance assessment.
Does The Leys School interview candidates as part of the 11+?
No, there is no interview stage in the 11+ admissions process for The Leys School.
Is The Leys School co-educational or single-sex?
The Leys School is a co-educational (mixed) school welcoming both boys and girls.
What are the school fees for Year 7 at The Leys School?
For the 2026/27 academic year, Year 7-8 fees per term are £8,547 for day pupils, £13,337 for boarding, and £13,860 for overseas boarding.
What is the website for The Leys School admissions?
You can find more details on the school's official website at https://www.theleys.net/admissions/entry-at-year-7/.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d1222.7875836005987!2d0.12036969999999998!3d52.196594499999996!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x47d87098b62d1463%3A0x62764f0a8c9ec093!2sThe%20Leys%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sph!4v1787306830096!5m2!1sen!2sph
