What are the 11+ North London Consortium Groups 1 and 2?
Very simply, a large number of the most competitive, highest achieving senior schools for girls in North London are now working together to assess and place the top applicants at 11+ level. This way, girls can now apply for over a dozen different schools in the North London area but only have to sit two 11+ assessments in total.
Group 1- North London Girls School Consortium
- Francis Holland (Sloane Square)
- Francis Holland (Regent’s Park)
- Heathfield School
- Notting Hill and Ealing High School
- Queen’s College
- St. Helen’s School
- South Hampstead High School
- The Royal School, Hampstead
Group 2- North London Girls School Consortium
- Channing School
- City of London School for Girls
- More House
- Northwood College
- Queen’s Gate School
- St. James Independent School
- The Godolphin and Latymer School
The Positives of the North London Consortium
The major positive is that girls aged 10-11 no longer need to sit a different exam for every school, which makes the assessment process much quicker and far less laborious for the candidate. Girls can either sit the group 1 assessment, the group 2 assessment, or both. It’s fantastic to be seen by a wide variety of schools, with the minimum of effort. Girls who score well on the 11+ assessments are likely to be invited to interview at more than one school per group. That said, there is no “pecking order”, and the Consortium system also enables all schools within the group to share the brightest, highest achieving candidates equally among the schools in the group.
The negatives of the North London Consortium
The downside is that all candidates apply for all schools in whichever school, so the pool of candidates is much wider, and means that the top candidates are seen by every school, which can make competition tougher. It also means that girls are less likely to receive offers from all of their top three choices, since the Consortium system allows for more transparent admissions, and schools are likely to work together to reduce the amount of offers (and rejections) for that year. It also makes the 11+ assessments for that group far more important; if a candidate has an off day on the day of the assessment, that will impact on their score not just for one school but for every school in that group.
How to pass the North London Consortium 11+ assessments
Practice papers are available online, and the highest achieving candidates are usually the ones who have completed the most practice papers. In addition to NLC specific papers, there are other very similar papers including the ISEB 11+, available on the Galore Park website, as well as many other workbooks.
Candidates will need exceptional skills in English and Maths, as well as verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Many candidates begin preparing with additional practice outside of school two years in advance, while others may not begin additional practice till much closer to the assessment day. The key is to have developed a good understanding of the mark schemes, time-management skills and stamina, well in advance of the assessment day, which can be achieved by writing and marking practice papers.
Some girls may find it useful to have a tutor to guide them through the questions, the mark scheme and the exam technique, while others prefer to work independently, or with their parents.
It is still important to attend open days and evenings (usually at least a year in advance of the assessment day) for all schools that the girl will be applying to, since names are usually taken along with informal interviews, and sample assessment papers given out.
Other top girls schools not in the consortium
Three schools which some families also consider are not in the consortium:
- North London Collegiate School for girls
- St. Paul’s Girls’ School
- Haberdashers Askes’ Girls School
If you would like to know more about the North London Consortium groups, or would like to organise an informal, third-party assessment to help you decide what school is right for you, please contact My Tutor Club who would be happy to discuss this with you.