Ilford County Grammar School is a selective grammar school located in Barkingside of the London Borough of Redbridge for boys. Founded in 1907, Ilford County High School was formerly known as a high-grade park school. In the last Ofsted inspection (2007), the ICHS was graded as “Outstanding”. The school has approximately 900 students, with 250 in the sixth form.
The school is known for its academic excellence and has a specialist college status in science. The school offers a myriad of extracurricular activities for students to suit their various interests.
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General information of Ilford County Grammar School
- School address: Ilford County High School Fremantle Road, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex, IG6 2JB
- County: London Borough of Redbridge
- Headteacher: Mrs Rebecca Drysdale
- Admission enquiries: tel 020 8551 6496
- Website: https://www.ichs.org.uk/
- Email: enquiries@ichs.org.uk
- Gender of Entry: Boys
- Day/boarding type: independent day school
- Age Range: 7 to 19
- Exam board type/format: CEM (Cambridge Assessment)
- Admissions policy: Selective
- Pupils: 853
- Places in Year 7: 180 places
- Ofsted Report: Outstanding (Last inspection: 1 November 2007) (Report)
Admission to Ilford County High School
Admission in Ilford County Grammar School year 7 takes place through an 11+ plus exam administered by the local authority, the London Borough of Redbridge (LBR). With only 180 places available for year 7, ICHS is usually oversubscribed and uses the following criteria in order of priority.
- “Looked after” children or the ones that were previously looked after.
- Children who appear to have been in state care because of exception medical or psychological needs.
- Children of the school staff; up to one place per form of entry, i.e., six places out of 180 are allocated to children of staff members.
- Children who live in the catchment area with siblings that are already enrolled in the school.
- Children who live in the catchment area
You can directly contact 020 8551 6496 or enquiries@ichs.org.uk for further information about the admission process in ICHS.
How to apply for Ilford County High School
As we know, admission to Ilford County High School year 7 depends on the 11 plus entrance exam. So to apply for it, parents must register their child for the test through the website of the local authority. (London Borough of Redbridge). Make sure you submit your application before the deadline as the London Borough of Redbridge is very strict with deadlines and does not accept any late application, even under exceptional circumstances.
Exam format for Ilford County High School
The 11 plus entrance exam for Ilford County Grammar School uses the CEM (The Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) exam by Cambridge Assessment. It consists of two papers of 45 to 50 minutes duration. There is a break of 15 minutes between both these papers.
The exam covers three sections-
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
- Numerical Reasoning
These tests include multiple-choice questions. These tests are fully standardised and age-weighted to ensure fairness to all students sitting for the exam.
Catchment area of barkingside ilford essex ig6 2jb
Ilford County Grammar School have a catchment area with a preference on 11 plus entrance exam score. The catchment area prioritises students based on the distance and location of the child’s residence from the school. You can check the school’s catchment area from the map here.
How to prepare for Ilford County High School
The best way to prepare for the 11 plus entrance exam for Ilford County High School is through 11 plus past papers. Past papers help students develop confidence for the main exam and better understand the 11 plus exam format. If you wish to know more about the 11 plus exam, visit our 11 plus guide for parents.
The competition for a place in Ilford County High School is quite fierce for each place; there are roughly five to six applications. To improve your son’s chances to secure a place in Ilford County Grammar School, we suggest you start preparing early and invest as much time as possible in its preparation. Start with creating a proper time schedule to help your child keep track of his preparation and progress.
The 11 plus exam for Ilford County Grammar School gives importance to reasoning ability.
Verbal reasoning
The verbal reasoning section focuses on vocabulary and comprehension. Reading is beneficial for improving both vocabulary building and comprehension skills. Furthermore, you can involve your child in fun word games such as word wheels, word mats, quizzes, etc. You can also try our vocabulary module that is specially designed for 11 plus preparation.
For comprehension, while reading, ask them to read and analyze the text carefully without rushing. After a while, you can ask your child to solve comprehension passages in timed conditions to prepare him for the main 11+ exam. You can even use passages from 11 plus English past papers for the same.
Non – verbal Reasoning
NVR tests the child’s logical reasoning and critical thinking ability and not on learned knowledge; it tests how well a child can relate objects to each other and find a solution. As most of the children face NVR for the first time in the 11+ exam, they need to get familiar with the format. We suggest your child give enough time for NVR practice; you can read more about non-verbal reasoning tests for more preparation and success tips.
Maths
The math test is based on the key stage 2 syllabus, and therefore children sitting for the exam should be well prepared with the KS2 syllabus. Get more information about the 11+ maths exam and what you need to know about it.
To strengthen your math for 11+ exams practice 11+ math past papers.
Past prepare for Ilford County High School
Ilford County Grammar School uses CEM for style tests for their 11 plus exam. CEM does not provide the past paper of the 11 plus entrance exam; however, it provides a familiarisation booklet to introduce parents and children to the format and type of question of the 11 plus entrance test. This booklet includes different types of questions asked in the test and the skills required to complete it.
The questions asked in the familiarisation booklet are just to give you an idea and do not guarantee that they will be in the final assessment.
Familiarisation Booklet: A Familiarisation Booklet for 2021 Entry.
Although CEM does not publish its past paper, practising past papers of other grammar schools can still be quite beneficial. We have attached a list of past papers that you can start practising to strengthen your 11 plus preparation.
11 plus English past papers pdf solved with detailed explanations
11 plus Maths past papers pdf solved with detailed explanations
11 plus past papers pdf solved with detailed explanations
