When it comes to the top schools in the UK, there are few that rival Henrietta Barnett School and the standard of success it produces when it comes to grades and the graduates that it produces.
The application process for Year 7 entry in September 2025 is open from April 1st 2025, until July 11th, 2025. So, if you are planning on enrolling your daughter in this North London School of Excellence, then you are going to want to familiarise yourself with these key dates in the application process:
Here are a few important dates you'll need to add to your calendar for the 2025-26 admissions:
| Stage | Details | Important Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Registration Opens | Online registration for the HGSS 11+ entrance test | 1 April 2025 |
| Registration Closes | Last day to submit the school’s entrance test application | Friday 11 July 2025 (5 pm) |
| Open Day | School Open Day for current Year 5 families | Thursday 3 July 2025 |
| Stage 1 Test | GL Assessment: English | Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning, Early September 2025 (approx. 2–5 Sept) |
| Stage 1 Results & Invites | Notifications and invitations for top ~300 candidates | Late September 2025 (around 24 Sept) |
| Stage 2 Test | School’s own English & Mathematics papers | Early October 2025 (around 1 Oct) |
| Common Application Deadline | Local Authority’s secondary school preference form | Friday 31 October 2025 |
| National Offer Day | Secondary school places allocated nationally | Monday 2 March 2026 |
| Appeals / Acceptance Deadline | Deadline to accept offer or submit an appeal | Early–Mid March 2026 |
Given the school’s track record for success, there is a lot of competition for places. In this article, we will outline this process along with the dates that you’ll want to keep in mind in order to stack the odds in your favour.
About The Henrietta Barnett School
Henrietta Barnett School needs no introduction, as the grammar school is highly regarded for its achievements and consistently ranks among the top schools in the UK.
The school is a religious grammar school for girls aged between eleven and eighteen years old and it was established back in 1911.
Like North London Collegiate School, Henrietta Barnett is recognised as one of the top girls’ schools in the country. You can frequently find this school at the top of educational league tables.
Not too long ago, The Telegraph reported that Henrietta Barnett was the best-performing state school in England. In a similar tone, the Sunday Times extolled Henrietta Barnett School as a sterling example of single-sex state school success.
Many parents turn to the school as a target destination for their daughters because of the high-achieving environment it offers along with plenty of opportunities to enrich the learning experience outside of the classroom with over 50 clubs and societies for them to get involved with.
The school is also an attractive option for commuting students who might live a little further afield. The school is located in the Hampstead Garden Suburb of London, just a short walk from Golders Green Station on the Northern Line and is around the corner from some major roads.
Tuition Fees
If you have spent any amount of time researching the top schools in the UK, then you will likely have been taken aback by the hefty pricetag that comes with enrolling your child their each year.
The Henrietta Barnett School is a grammar school so the fees are actually supported by the state, which means that the school does not require students to pay any tuition fees.
Yes, you heard that correctly, even a school with a track record as impressive as Henrietta Barnett School can be availed of without having to worry about much financial planning.
With that said, given that there is no associated fees for enrollment at the school, there is even more demand and competition for places, so you’ll really need to make sure that your daughter’s grades are where they need to be.
Of course, while there is no tuition fee for students who earn a place to study here, there will be other expenses that come with schooling, such as books, educational outings and other learning materials, but it certainly takes a lot of pressure off!
Notable Alumni
When we are looking to measure a school’s performance, we generally turn to the academic success it produces and where it lies in comparison to other options.
Given that the school excels in this aspect, taking a look at some of the students who have graduated from the institution can also be a great indicator of the standard produced.
It’s definitely reassuring to know that your daughter will be joining a student body of high achievers and will be walking in the same footsteps as some of the UK’s most celebrated professionals.
Taking a look at successful alumni is one way of knowing that your child is at one of the top schools in London.
Notable former students include Ros Altmann, a celebrated businesswoman and former pensions minister, who not so long ago was appointed to the House of Lords. Natalie Evans is another big name and House of Lords appointee to come out of the all-girls grammar school.
While the school has produced its fair share of British politicians, its alumni have seen success across a number of other fields. A great example of this is British journalist and author Anya Lahiri.
You can see that by sending your daughter to the Henrietta Barnett School; they will be following some of the most successful women in the UK; it’s no wonder places are so sought after!
If you haven't had a chance to visit the school just yet, take a look at the video below, where you will be taken around the school's grounds and hear first-hand from some of the students and faculty.
Henrietta Barnett Application Process and Timeline
girls apply each year but only around 93 receive a place.
On average, there are only around 90 places each intake year, so if you are interested, you must submit an Entry Test Application Form. That's not so unusual; Francis Holland at Regent's Park requests the same. And then, your child will be invited to undergo the entrance tests and the rest of the admissions procedures.
Your daughter can be one of the best students in the UK, but if they don't meet the deadlines that have been laid out for the various stages of the application process, they may put their application in jeopardy.
In order to provide clearity and alleviate some of the stress associated with applying for a place at the school, we have collected the key dates so that they can keep their focus on keeping those grades up to scratch!
If you haven't already started the process, you can get the ball rolling after you find reading since the applications for Year 7 Entry in September 2025 are currently open.
While there is no immediate rush on this preliminary step, you might want to get started sooner rather than later as the deadline for submission is set for 5 pm on the 12th of July 2024.
In order to do this, you’ll need to make sure that you and your child have sat down to complete the Common Application Form (CAF) along with the Entry Form available over on the school's website.
Candidates must be in Year 6 at the time of the entrance tests to apply to sit the test. It is, therefore, important that you apply to both the School and your Local Authority in a timely fashion.
Year 7 admissions are based on an Entrance Test on Verbal and Numerical reasoning and an English and Mathematics examination.
All applicants take the Entrance Test, and only the top 300 candidates continue to the English and Mathematics examinations. If you are considering applying, you should do so when your daughter is in Year 5.
Another key date that you will notice from the table above is the second round of entrance tests that will come in Late October 2024.
If your daughter’s performance hits the mark, then you can expect to hear some satisfactory news regarding their ranking and Year 7 placement.
The school has a history of producing results, with over 80% of its pupils having achieved an A*/A grade at A Level and 91% A*/A grade at GCSE!
Hopefully, now you have some more clarity on the application process, and your child can shift their focus back on preparing for the assessments to come!
If you don't receive an offer from the Henrietta Barnett School, that doesn't mean you will jeopardise your chances of being given a place at your next preference school. Admittedly, this is a far more complicated process than applying to most other schools in England.
A History of The School: Who Was Henrietta Barnett?
Henrietta Barnett was a passionate advocate for social justice and education. She worked to improve the lives of poor families in Victorian London and believed that every child deserved access to a high-quality education, regardless of their background.
In 1911, Henrietta founded The Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb, as part of her wider vision for a socially integrated, intellectually rich community. The school was established as a non-fee-paying grammar school for girls, aiming to combine academic excellence with character development and social awareness.
Her goal was clear: to provide exceptional education for bright girls from all backgrounds, empowering them to become future leaders, professionals, and engaged citizens. Over a century later, the school remains one of the top-performing state schools in the UK, renowned for its academic results, inspiring ethos, and commitment to Henrietta’s original ideals.
If we are to make progress, we must educate the minds and hearts of the young.
Henrietta Barnett
Maximise your Child's Chances of Success with Supeprof
If you are looking for ways to prepare your daughter for the series of assessments involved in the application process, then there is definitely no better resource than a private tutor.
A tutor from Superprof will have worked with countless students in the same position in the past and can work through the 11+ practice materials so that they are well up to speed by the time the tests roll around.
The platform’s 11+ tutors will have worked with countless students in their application process and be able to work through practice papers in a one-on-one setting so that they become familiar with the question formats and strategies.
Since, unlike other schools such as Lady Eleanor Holles School and others, there are no interviews as part of the application process, there is even more of an emphasis placed on the grades that candidates attain throughout the assessments.
Working with a private tutor from Supeprof is a great way of ensuring that your child has a grasp of the various topics that can appear on the exams. To get started, just reach out to one of the 11+ tutors who list their services in your area on the Superprof homepage.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
Very clear.
Thanks very much for the feedback!