About the school
Ilford County High School, often known as ICHS, is a selective boys’ grammar school located on Fremantle Road in Barkingside, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It has specialist college status in science and a strong academic reputation, making it one of the top grammar schools in East London.
Ilford County High School was founded in 1901 in Balfour Road, Ilford, originally as Park Higher Grade School, before moving to its present Barkingside site in 1935; former pupils are known as ‘Old Parkonians’. It is a six-form entry school and was retained in 1973 as the only boys’ selective school in the borough.
Unlike the Essex CSSE grammar schools, Ilford County High School selects pupils through the Redbridge 11+ selection test, provided by GL Assessment and shared with Woodford County High School, with the London Borough of Redbridge acting as the Admissions Authority.
School type
Boys’ Grammar
Exam date
Friday, 18th September 2026 (Redbridge 11+ test)
Exam board
Redbridge 11+ selection test (GL Assessment)
Address
Fremantle Road, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex, IG6 2JB
Age range
11–18 (Years 7–13)
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Admissions information
The Ilford County High School entrance test is the Redbridge 11+ selection test, sat on Friday, 18th September 2026. Here is everything you need to know about the admissions process and exam structure.
Ilford County High School selects pupils through the Redbridge 11+ selection test, provided by GL Assessment and used by the grammar schools in the London Borough of Redbridge, so a child registers and sits the test once for the borough’s selective schools. The test consists of two multiple-choice papers: one testing English and Verbal Reasoning, and the other testing Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning (including spatial reasoning).
The Redbridge 11+ consists of two multiple-choice papers, each lasting around 60 minutes, with a break between them. One paper covers English and Verbal Reasoning, the other Mathematics and Non-Verbal & Spatial Reasoning. All scores are age-standardised so that younger children are not disadvantaged, and there is no fixed pass mark; the highest-scoring boys, typically the top 180, are considered for places subject to the admissions criteria.
Registration for the Redbridge 11+ is completed online through the participating schools’ websites during the registration window. For 2027 entry, registration opens on Friday, 1st May 2026 and closes at 5 pm on Monday, 15th June 2026. Parents must then name Ilford County High School on the London Borough of Redbridge Common Application Form by 31st October 2026.
The Redbridge 11+ selection test takes place on Friday, 18th September 2026, with results emailed to parents in mid-October, before the Common Application Form deadline. Meeting the qualifying standard does not guarantee a place, as the school is heavily oversubscribed. School allocations are confirmed on national offer day, 1st March 2027.
Key admissions details
Ilford County High School admits 180 boys into Year 7 each year.
Ilford County High School has a defined priority area, used both to allocate places by proximity and as a tie-breaker once the academic standard has been met. After looked-after children, applicants with exceptional medical or psychological needs, and siblings, places are offered to boys living closest to the school. In practice, boys living within the priority area around Ilford and Barkingside are strongly favoured when the school is oversubscribed.
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Ilford County High School was founded in 1901 in Balfour Road, Ilford, originally as Park Higher Grade School, before moving to its present Barkingside site in 1935. It is a selective boys’ grammar school in the London Borough of Redbridge, with specialist status in science.
Ilford County High School admits 180 boys into Year 7 each year. Competition is strong, with around one in seven applicants admitted, so thorough preparation for the Redbridge 11+ is essential.
Ilford County High School uses the Redbridge 11+ selection test, provided by GL Assessment. It consists of two multiple-choice papers of around 60 minutes – one testing English and Verbal Reasoning, the other Maths and Non-Verbal & Spatial Reasoning – sat on Friday, 18th September 2026.
Ilford County High School has a defined priority area used to allocate places by proximity and as a tie-breaker. Boys living closest to the school, within the priority area around Ilford and Barkingside, are strongly favoured once the academic standard has been met.
For 2027 entry, registration opens on Friday, 1st May 2026 and closes at 5pm on Monday, 15th June 2026, through the participating schools’ websites. The test is sat on Friday, 18th September 2026, and is shared with Woodford County High School.
Yes. Ilford County High School offers a broad enrichment programme across sport, music and clubs, with a strong emphasis on science as a specialist science college, supporting leadership, resilience and a lifelong passion for learning.
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 Redbridge and East London 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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