How to Prepare for the Lady Eleanor Holles 11+ Entrance Exam: What Parents Need to Know
Lady Eleanor Holles (LEH) is a leading independent day school for girls in Hampstead, London. It has a stellar academic reputation and offers pupils state-of-the-art facilities and top-of-the-range extra-curriculars. It's therefore no surprise that entry at 11+ is incredibly competitive. This article details the preparation process and how our expert tutors can help boost your daughter’s chances of securing a place.
Blog Contents
What is the history of Lady Eleanor Holles School?
Where is Lady Eleanor Holles, and how many students go there?
Is LEH a good school? How hard is it to get into LEH?
11+ entry to LEH: Essential Dates and Entrance Exams
What does the 11+ test for LEH entry involve?
ISEB pre-test Preparation and past papers for Lady Eleanor Holles applicants
Why U2 Tuition is a Better Choice for LEH 11+ Prep Than the ISEB AI App or Pack
How U2 Tuition can support your daughter with the LEH 11+ problem-solving paper
What is the history of Lady Eleanor Holles School?
LEH was founded in 1710, making it one of the oldest girls' schools in the UK.
It was established by the Honourable Anne Watson, with surplus funds from Lady Eleanor Holles' will.
The original school was located in the East End of London and was founded to educate 50 poor girls.
The origins of LEH have imbued it with a strong philanthropic nature.
Where is Lady Eleanor Holles, and how many students go there?
LEH is located on Hanworth Road, Hampton, in Middlesex.
Girls travel from all over London to attend the school, using its extensive school coach network.
It has around 1,000 students, with 192 in the Junior School and 800 in the Senior School.
It’s set on a vast 24-acre site. There are many lacrosse pitches, outdoor netball courts, grass tennis courts, and an indoor pool.
Though it’s single-sex, there are strong links to Hampton School, a boys' independent school. It has the benefits of co-ed but without the classroom distractions.
Is LEH a good school? How hard is it to get into LEH?
As one of the country's best independent girls' schools with a positive ethos, state-of-the-art facilities, outstanding results, and endless opportunities for girls, it is no surprise that entrance is incredibly competitive.
The Sunday Times Schools Guide awarded it Independent School of the Year 2025.
From 2022 to 2023, an average of 84.5% of GCSE grades were 9-8.
The school offers a truly well-rounded education with an emphasis on academics and extracurriculars.
It is committed to fostering aspirational, kind, and confident young women.
Risk-taking is encouraged to help them innovate and discover their passions. They are told to be bold and undaunted, with curiosity and adventure favoured. A frequent motto of theirs is 'hope favours the bold'.
This means LEH creates remarkable, bright young women who are constantly growing and well-placed to succeed in the modern world.
There are entry points at 7+, 11+, and 16+
At U2 Tuition, we offer support for all of these entry points:
To get to understand the school better and see if it's a good fit for your daughter, you are encouraged to attend an open day.
11+ is incredibly competitive. There are around 110 places at 11+ entry, one-third of which go to pupils from LEH Junior School.
11+ Tutoring through U2 Tuition can give your daughter the best chance at admissions success.
Check out our free 11+ resources, including:
11+ Entry to LEH: Essential Dates
The application form opens in April; the deadline is early November the year before entry.
Open events occur during the Summer and Autumn term of the year before entry.
Assessments occur in November of the year before entry.
Reports will be requested from the applicant's current school.
If candidates perform well, they may be invited to attend an interview. These occur at the end of January.
Offers are made in February, and the deadline for acceptance is in March.
There is a registration and examination fee of £150.
11+ academic and music scholarships are offered.
Academic ones are awarded based on 11+ exam performance
Music requires a separate application and auditions. Students require a Grade 5 Distinction at a minimum to apply.
Scholarships are typically worth 10% of school fees. Music scholars also receive free instrument tuition.
There are means-tested bursaries available.
For precise dates for this year's cycle, see here.
What does the 11+ test for LEH entry involve?
There are two stages to LEH's 11+ test: 11+ ISEB Common Pre-Test and a problem-solving paper. Specimen papers are not provided for either test.
ISEB Common Pre-Tests
Independent Schools Examination Board. The test is used to enter many of the UK's top private schools.
Computer-based, age-standardised tests in Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Maths and English (reading comprehension and grammar).
The tests are based on the national curriculum. It's essential to ensure your daughter is confident with all aspects of this, which our tutors can support.
The ISEB is taken at the applicant's current school. If this isn't possible, then NEH hosts sessions in November of the application year. This tends to be mid-November.
LEH Problem-Solving Paper
All candidates are invited in late November to sit this.
It's approximately 1 hour and tests linguistics and logic problem-solving, which includes elements of Maths and English.
ISEB Pre-test Preparation and Past Papers for Lady Eleanor Holles Applicants
Ensuring your daughter is prepared for the exam is vital by getting her used to exam conditions and working in a timed environment.
LEH doesn't provide any mock or preparation resources.
The ISEB website offers some helpful resources:
They have a mailing list to ensure parents stay up to date and receive helpful preparation guidance.
They offer free webinars with advice for parents preparing their children for pre-tests.
There's an admissions toolkit and a page with tips on preparing for the pre-test.
One helpful resource is the ISEB pre-test walkthrough. This is a familiarisation tool to get students used to the various question types to expect in each section of the test.
Crucially, their free resources are limited as they charge for many services, including their AI-powered preparation App.
Why U2 Tuition is a Better Choice for LEH 11+ Prep Than the ISEB AI App or Pack
Though the ISEB's digital resources seem convenient, they can't perform the functions that matter to 11+ success, namely, tailored support, expert guidance, and real-time feedback.
Our approach at U2 is completely tailored to your child, supporting them so they're at their best on the exam day.
We use expert tutors, rather than algorithms.
Our 11+ team consists of Oxbridge graduates, many of whom sat the 11+ themselves, and experienced teachers from top independent schools.
Our team has years of experience assisting students in successfully gaining places at schools, including LEH, Francis Holland, Westminster, Alleyns, and more.
They know the exam inside out, but more importantly, they know how to bring out the best in your child.
We offer personalised, bespoke preparation
Children learn differently and are unique.
Though an AI app is adaptive, it can't sit down with your child and explain a tricky concept to them in a new way, nor spot particularly challenging areas or address a confidence wobble.
We tailor every session to your child's needs, simultaneously building knowledge, exam technique, transferable skills and self-confidence.
We offer a question bank, like their prep pack, but also real support
The ISEB Prep Pack is incredibly expensive (£149) for only a static bank of questions.
It comes with no feedback, teaching, or explanation.
Our 11+ tutors possess a wealth of preparation material, including question banks for each of the four sections, but they also support their learning with consistent teaching and feedback.
Our dedicated one-to-one sessions can help your child feel more at ease and engaged, helping them work through the toughest topics, step by step.
Crucial for young children, we provide less screen time and more human connection.
We appreciate that hours in front of a screen for 10- and 11-year-olds can feel overwhelming and harm their health and attention spans.
Our in-person sessions overcome that, keeping students engaged and taking place in the comfort of their own home. We offer in-person tutoring across London, including areas like Hampton, Chiswick, Chelsea, Wimbledon, and other regions from which Leh applicants tend to come.
Our online sessions are more beneficial than the ISEB's digital resources as they are live and interactive, allowing students to ask questions, be challenged, and feel supported.
Our support is far more effective and enjoyable than clicking through an app.
Personalised, face-to-face support makes all the difference. Rather than relying on generic question banks or AI tools that guess at the format, we provide calm, focused preparation built around your child’s needs and rooted in experience that gets results.
How U2 Tuition can support your daughter with the LEH 11+ problem-solving paper
LEH doesn't publish any familiarisation materials or mock papers for their problem-solving paper.
This can make the paper feel mysterious to parents and students, causing nervousness.
That's where U2 Tuition comes in. We've supported many students through the LEH admissions process, and our expert tutors know how to prepare for it.
Some of our team are even LEH alums, offering valuable first-hand insight into what the school seeks.
The paper doesn't require specific subject knowledge but does assess a broad range of skills.
It stretches candidates and is designed to understand how they think, reason, and communicate under pressure. It does so via:
Linguistics and logical problem-solving tasks
Questions that blend English, critical thinking, and math skills.
Some longer-form written responses and a short writing task.
We specialise in developing the clear thought, strong reasoning, and sharp communication that this paper requires.
Our tutors can formulate sessions tailored to the unique demands of the LEH problem-solving paper, providing high-quality mock resources, guidance on structuring answers, and targeted feedback.
This ensures our students build strengths and address weaknesses over time so they go into the test well prepared and familiarised, ready to perform to the best of their abilities.
We don't "coach to the test" but instil students with the deep thinking and communication skills that allow them to succeed in the test for LEH and beyond!
So, what are you waiting for?
Use the button below to book a free 20-minute consultation to learn more about how U2 Tuition can support your daughter's 11+ application to LEH. We cover the ISEB pre-test, the LEH problem-solving paper, and the interview, offering bespoke, in-person, online, or hybrid support. Let us use our expertise to help your daughter reach her full potential.
Preparing for the LEH 11+ Interview
If your daughter progresses beyond the test stage, preparing effectively for the LEH 11+ interview is key. Here’s why U2 Tuition is best placed to support her:
We guide students through every aspect of the interview process, from familiarising them with the format and expectations to refining their technique and building their confidence.
Rather than encouraging rehearsed responses, we focus on developing your daughter’s communication skills and ability to think independently, helping her respond to unfamiliar questions.
Our preparation is grounded in LEH’s values. We know that it’s essential for girls to reflect their ethos, including being brave young women who are undaunted by the challenge, striving for excellence, and showing kindness and empathy.
Though LEH provides little guidance publicly, we have years of experience supporting successful applicants, including insights from students who’ve attended the school. We know what to expect.
We also offer a 10 and 11+ Interview Question Pack for purchase, providing insights into common themes and interview formats at this level.
With our deep experience in supporting students in the 11+ age group, let our expert tutors take the pressure off and guide your daughter to interview and application success.
Ready to give your daughter the best chance at a successful LEH 11+ application?
Get in touch here.