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11 Plus Tuition for Hertfordshire And Essex High School
Our specialist tuition for Hertfordshire and Essex High School offers focused, school-specific and goal-oriented support across Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5, preparing pupils for the music and sport aptitude tests used by the school as part of its Year 7 entry process.
About the school
Hertfordshire And Essex High School
Hertfordshire And Essex High School and Science College is a girls' secondary school in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, with a co-educational sixth form admitting both girls and boys at 16. Widely known locally as “Herts & Essex,” the school has built a strong reputation for academic achievement and a culture of leadership, with around three-quarters of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and Maths at GCSE in recent years.
The school first opened in 1909 as Bishop's Stortford Secondary School for Girls and was originally run jointly by the counties of Hertfordshire and Essex, which is how it came to take its name. It became a comprehensive in the 1970s and was awarded Science College status in 2004. Following this, the school has continued to develop its specialisms in Science and Leadership and holds World Class Schools Quality Mark accreditation.
As a school of around 1,450 pupils aged 11 to 18, Herts & Essex is an all-ability school, so the majority of Year 7 places are offered without an academic test. However, a proportion of places are reserved each year for girls with a proven aptitude in music or sport, assessed through dedicated aptitude tests. The school is consistently oversubscribed, which makes strong, well-targeted preparation valuable for families applying through the aptitude routes.
School type
Girls' Comprehensive (Co-educational Sixth Form)
Exam date
Friday 2 October 2026 (Music & Sport Aptitude Tests)
Exam board
Non-selective (Music & Sport Aptitude entry)
Address
Warwick Road, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 5NJ
Age range
11–18 (Years 7–13)
What Do We Provide in Our Hertfordshire And Essex High School 11 Plus Tuition?
Our tuition for Hertfordshire and Essex High School supports pupils through Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 with structured lessons, intensive courses, aptitude-test familiarisation, mock practice sessions, and free practice resources.
Year 3 Preparation
Foundational Skills for Success
Year 4 Preparation
Building Confidence and Competence
Year 5 Preparation
Intensive Exam Practice and Strategy
Year 6 Preparation
Path to Success
Intensive Course
Accelerated 11+ Revision and Mock Testing
Free Practice Paper
Gain a real insight to the exam
Mock Exams
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Admissions information
Hertfordshire And Essex High School Admissions & Entrance Test Details
Hertfordshire And Essex High School is a non-selective girls' school, but a number of Year 7 places are allocated through music and sport aptitude tests. Here is everything you need to know about the admissions process and entrance test structure.
Test Timing & Structure
The aptitude tests are designed to be accessible to all children, whether or not they have had formal training or experience in music or sport. The music aptitude test is a listening test of 60 multiple-choice questions covering pitch, rhythm, melody and texture, with 15 questions in each area, played via an audio recording and taking around 35 minutes. The sport aptitude test assesses areas such as agility, speed, endurance, hand-eye coordination, and movement through a series of small-group activities lasting around two hours. No instrument or prior coaching is required for either test.
Eligibility & Registration
Applications and aptitude-test registration are made through the school, with a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) required for the aptitude routes. For the September 2027 entry, the music and sport aptitude tests will be held on Friday, 2 October 2026, and it is not possible to take the test after this date. The standard secondary application is made via the Hertfordshire County Council Common Application Form. Families should check the school's “Entry to Year 7” pages for the exact SIF deadline and registration window each year.
Results & Offer
Aptitude-test results are issued before the Local Authority's application deadline, so parents can decide whether to name the school on their Common Application Form. The secondary application deadline is 31st October. Passing an aptitude test does not guarantee a place; it makes a child eligible for an aptitude-route place, and the school may still be oversubscribed. Final offers are confirmed on National Offer Day, which falls on 1st March.
Key admissions details
Admissions Number
Hertfordshire and Essex High School has a Published Admission Number of approximately 180 to 186 places for Year 7, depending on the year. With up to 5% reserved for music aptitude and up to 5% for sport aptitude, this equates to roughly 9 places in each aptitude category in a typical year.
Catchment Area
As a centrally located school in Bishop's Stortford with good transport links, Herts & Essex draws pupils from a wide area, including Bishop's Stortford itself and surrounding Hertfordshire and Essex villages and towns. Most pupils travel locally on foot, by bicycle or by public transport. The school does not operate a fixed catchment boundary for the aptitude routes; for standard places, distance from the school is a key oversubscription criterion, so proximity matters where the school is full.
Set Your Child Up for Hertfordshire And Essex High School Success
Our tutors understand the Herts & Essex aptitude test format inside out. Book a free assessment today and let us build a personalised preparation plan for your child, starting wherever they are right now.
How Does Hertfordshire And Essex High School 11 Plus Tuition Benefit Your Child?
Hi-Tech Learning Platform
Subject Specialist Tutors
Live & Recorded Lessons
1-to-1 Live Classes
3 Lessons Per Week
11 Plus Curriculum
Regular Homework
Real-Time Results
Weekly Assessments
Regular Feedback Reports
Unlimited Mock Practice
Exam Technique Coaching
In-Person & Online
Great Parent Support
Affordable Tuition Plans
Why Do Parents Choose Our Hertfordshire And Essex High School Tuition?
“Jag is a profound tutor with excellent teaching skills and infectious sense of humor. He uses these skills to engage and motivate with students to achieve their full potential. My daughter was enrolled with Jag for 7 months in preparation for her 11 plus exam and she passed brilliantly!”
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Parent
“I wanted to boost my English grade… they connected closely with parents, which kept me motivated and on track.”
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Student
“I decided to give Pass 11 Plus Grammar a try as it was cheaper than other services I had tried before. I ended up getting an A grade — great value for money.”
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Student
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Student
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Student
“I wanted to boost my English grade, so I enrolled in Pass 11 Plus Grammar. It was a great investment and I got a grade much better than I imagined. Their regular contact with parents kept me motivated.”
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Student
Frequently Asked Questions
The school opened in 1909 as Bishop's Stortford Secondary School for Girls and was originally run jointly by Hertfordshire and Essex. It became a comprehensive in the 1970s, gained Science College status in 2004, and today educates around 1,450 pupils across Years 7 to 13, including a thriving co-educational Sixth Form.
No. Herts & Essex is officially a non-selective, all-ability girls' comprehensive rather than a grammar school. There is no academic 11 plus exam for the main intake. However, a number of Year 7 places are reserved for girls with a proven aptitude in music or sport, assessed by aptitude tests.
The school has a Published Admission Number of approximately 180 to 186 places for Year 7. Up to 5% are reserved for music aptitude and up to 5% for sport aptitude, which is roughly 9 places in each category in a typical year. Demand for places is high, and the school is regularly oversubscribed, making thorough preparation for the aptitude routes valuable.
The main intake is non-selective, so most places do not involve a test. For the aptitude routes, the music test is a 60-question listening test covering pitch, rhythm, melody and texture, and the sport test assesses agility, speed, endurance, hand-eye co-ordination and movement through small-group activities. Neither requires prior coaching or experience.
For the aptitude routes, there is no fixed catchment boundary. For standard places, distance from the school is a key criterion when the school is oversubscribed, so proximity matters. Most pupils travel locally from Bishop's Stortford and the surrounding Hertfordshire and Essex villages and towns.
For the September 2027 entry, the music and sport aptitude tests take place on Friday, 2 October 2026, and cannot be taken after that date. Registration is through the school using a Supplementary Information Form (SIF), and the standard application is made via the Hertfordshire County Council Common Application Form by 31st October.
Yes. The school has a strong tradition in music and sport, supported by the Herts & Essex Sports Centre, which opened in 2019, and offers a wide range of clubs and enrichment activities alongside its Science and Leadership specialisms. This breadth of opportunity is part of why the school is so popular with families.
Yes, all our tuition is available both in-person at our Edgbaston, Birmingham centre and online via live video sessions. Online tuition gives families across Hertfordshire, Essex and beyond access to our expert tutors without the need to travel. The quality and personalisation of sessions is identical in both formats.
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