UK Rank #50 In-site school
Ilford County High School
Ilford, Redbridge
Ofsted: Good Boys only
Consortium guide
Redbridge 11 Plus
The Redbridge 11 Plus route covers Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School. It is a compact selective route, but the two schools differ by gender, admissions context, location and journey pattern. The key context is simple but important: which school is in scope, what the test involves, when registration and results happen, and how practical the Ilford or Woodford journey would be after a score is known.
2 schools GL Assessment 17 downloads
6 key dates
01 / Route overview
What this route covers
Redbridge is one of the clearest selective routes because the school list is small: Ilford County High School for boys and Woodford County High School for girls. The shared route does not ask families to decode dozens of schools across a county. It asks a more direct set of questions about the test, the two schools and the journey into Ilford or Woodford.
The exam is a GL Assessment-style route covering verbal skills, English, maths and non-verbal reasoning. That makes it broader than a simple English-and-maths test, and it includes reasoning content that many children will not meet in ordinary classroom work. The result is used in the admissions process for the Redbridge selective schools, but each school still sits inside its own admissions context.
The route is simple in structure but not identical in experience. The two schools serve different cohorts, sit in different parts of the borough and create different travel patterns. Redbridge is also a London route, so daily practicality can depend on buses, Underground or rail links, traffic and the point at which the commute starts to feel too demanding for a secondary-school routine.
For this reason the Redbridge overview is not trying to create an artificial long shortlist. It explains why the route is compact, what the test is broadly assessing, and why the decision after results is usually about school fit and daily geography as much as score.
Schools using this route
These are the schools currently linked to the Redbridge route.
UK Rank #18 In-site school
Woodford County High School
Woodford Green, Redbridge
Ofsted: Good Girls only
02 / Selection test
Exam format and structure
Designed to assess reasoning ability and problem-solving skills, the Redbridge 11 Plus includes two multiple-choice papers covering English, verbal skills, maths, and non-verbal reasoning.
Paper structure
Paper 1: Verbal Reasoning and English (GL Assessment)
See the papers and topics below.
Paper 2: Non-Verbal and Maths (GL Assessment)
See the papers and topics below.
What the test covers
Combination of verbal reasoning and English questions
Tests vocabulary, comprehension, grammar
Multiple-choice question format
Approximate duration
50–60 minutes including practice time
Assesses patterns, sequences, shapes, and spatial awareness
Focuses on logic, visual problem-solving, arithmetic, and abstract reasoning
Maths, non-verbal, and spatial reasoning section
03 / Scoring
Pass mark and score guidance
The Redbridge 11 Plus is standardised to fairly compare children of different ages. Each child receives:
Score breakdown
verbal skills
maths
non-verbal reasoning
Overall aggregate score
The qualifying score is liable to change each year, but a typical pass mark is around 210 as an overall aggregate score. There is no fixed minimum score required in individual papers, but consistent performance across all sections is essential to progress to the next stage of admissions. Passing the test does not, on its own, guarantee your child a place at one of the grammar schools.
04 / Applications
Key dates and how to apply
To register your child, you will need to complete an online application through Redbridge Council. This is required regardless of whether you live in Redbridge or are applying from outside the borough.
Key dates
Registration opens
Tuesday 1st May 2025
Registration closes
Sunday 15th June 2025
Test date
Friday 19th September 2025
Results day
Mid-October 2025
Secondary school application deadline
Friday 31st October 2025
National offer day
Monday 2nd March 2026
Application steps
Register online with Redbridge Council
Visit the Redbridge Council website during the registration window and complete the 11 Plus application form. You’ll need to provide your child’s details and the primary school they attend.
Test centre arrangements
Most children sit the test at a local Redbridge primary school. If your child is not attending one of these schools, the council will assign them a test centre.
Keep your confirmation email
After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Make sure to keep this for later reference.
05 / Resources
Practice papers and familiarisation materials
These local PDF copies are useful for format practice and timing; dates, paper formats, and registration details can change, so the current admissions page remains the source to trust.
Maths
Non-Verbal Reasoning
PaperNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths Practice Paper 1
Mark schemeNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths Practice Paper 1
PaperNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths Test Booklet
Mark schemeNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths Test Booklet
PaperNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning Test Booklet 1
Mark schemeNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning Test Booklet 1
PaperNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning Test Booklet 2
PaperNon-Verbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning Test Booklet 3
Verbal Reasoning
PaperVerbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning Paper 1
Mark schemeVerbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning Paper 1
PaperVerbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning Paper 2
PaperVerbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning Paper 3
PaperVerbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Verbal Skills Paper
Mark schemeVerbal Reasoning
GL Assessment Verbal Skills Paper
06 / Linked schools
Schools on this route
These are the schools currently mapped to the Redbridge route in Grammar School Hub.
Search workspace
Search and filter schools
Search by school or area, then narrow the shortlist by school type, Ofsted, or test pattern where it helps.
Compare up to 4 schools
2 schools
No schools selected to compare yet.
UK Rank #18
Woodford County High School
Woodford Green / Redbridge
Ofsted: GoodGirls only
- Assessment
- GL Assessment
- Competition
- 5.9 candidates/place
- Attainment 8
- 80.1
- Grade 5+ Eng & maths
- 100.0%
UK Rank #50
Ilford County High School
Ilford / Redbridge
Ofsted: GoodBoys only
- Assessment
- GL Assessment
- Competition
- 5.5 candidates/place
- Attainment 8
- 75.7
- Grade 5+ Eng & maths
- 98.9%
07 / Shortlisting
Admissions points to compare school by school
Once the route itself is clear, treat the linked schools as separate choices. This is usually where travel, oversubscription rules, and school fit start to matter most.
Redbridge is a two-school route. Once the test is understood, the next layer is direct: Ilford County for boys, Woodford County for girls, plus the journey and admissions position for that named school.
Check these before you rank schools
- Whether Ilford or Woodford is the more sustainable school-day journey
- Boys' and girls' routes and which school environment suits your child best
- How Redbridge and school-level admissions rules affect what a qualifying score really means
- Whether the route still feels realistic once competition, travel, and school fit are looked at together
08 / Preparation
How to prepare for this route
Supporting your child’s preparation for the Redbridge 11 Plus can make a real difference. Here are some practical strategies to help them succeed:
Start early
Begin preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5 and allow your child to build skills gradually and confidently with ample time.
Use practice papers
Work through Redbridge-style 11 Plus test papers under timed conditions to get used to the format and improve speed and accuracy.
Focus on weak areas
Monitor progress to identify weak areas, and spend extra time on the question types they find most difficult, especially in verbal, non-verbal, and maths reasoning.
Encourage daily reading
Reading regularly helps develop vocabulary, comprehension, and logical thinking which is useful for both verbal and maths questions, and their academic journey in general.
Try online tools
Online platforms offer tailored practice and feedback to help keep revision focused and engaging.
Consistent, structured preparation can help your child feel confident and ready on exam day, especially with your encouragement.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which Redbridge schools does the shared route cover?
The Redbridge route is centred on Ilford County High School for boys and Woodford County High School for girls. It is compact, but the two schools are still separate choices with different journeys and admissions details.
Can one Redbridge result cover both Ilford and Woodford equally?
Not really. The shared route explains the assessment, but Ilford County and Woodford County serve different school-type choices, so the final relevance depends on the child, journey and named-school policy.
Why is Redbridge a compact route?
The route is centred on two selective schools: Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School. That makes the test picture easier to read, while the final admissions decision still depends on school gender, location, journey and school-specific criteria.
Who usually manages registration or applications for Redbridge?
The live process usually sits with the local authority and the participating schools. The official pages remain the source of truth for registration windows, test venues, access arrangements and final admissions instructions for the relevant year.