Emanuel School — a parent guide to 11+ entry
Emanuel School is a co-educational independent day school in Battersea, south-west London, founded in 1594 and set on a large parkland site. It is genuinely co-educational throughout, with a roughly even split of boys and girls. This page covers the school's character, the 11+ entry process — the three written papers and the Interview and Group Experience Day — and the bursary and scholarship routes.
School profile
- Type: Independent day school, co-educational (roughly 50/50 boys and girls)
- Ages: 10 to 18 (Year 6 entry through Upper Sixth)
- Location: Battersea Rise, London SW11
- Founded: 1594
- Website: emanuel.org.uk
What makes Emanuel distinctive
Emanuel is academically selective and well established, with a history that shapes its character without it leaning heavily on heritage. The atmosphere is often described as purposeful and grounded, and around 90% of Year 11 pupils stay on for the Sixth Form — a meaningful signal of how pupils feel about the place.
Unlike the Croydon schools, Emanuel has been genuinely co-educational for a long time, with boys and girls mixed across all activities. Sport is a big part of life — rowing notably runs across all genders — the arts feature strongly with formal scholarship routes in music, drama and art, and there is a real languages emphasis: Year 7 pupils study French, Latin and German. Its Battersea location draws a student body from a different geography to the Croydon and Dulwich clusters.
The 11+ entry process
Emanuel admits 144 pupils into Year 7 each year — 48 from its own Year 6 and 96 external places, which are competitive. Headline dates:
- Registration: typically the autumn before entry
- Entrance examinations: autumn of Year 6
- Interview & Group Experience Day: January (Saturday 16 January 2027 for 2027 entry)
- Offers: late January / February
Confirm exact dates with the admissions office each cycle. The £195 + VAT registration fee is waived for lower-income families — contact the admissions team directly.
The written papers
Three papers, all sat on the same day:
- Mathematics — around 45 minutes; arithmetic, reasoning and problem-solving, at a competitive standard with full working expected.
- English — around an hour; a balance of comprehension and writing that shifts year to year.
- Verbal Reasoning — around 30 minutes; based on GL Assessment materials. Emanuel publishes specimen Maths and English papers on its website, which are the best preparation.
The Interview and Group Experience Day
There are two elements. The individual interview is a relaxed one-to-one conversation about what the child enjoys, what they read, and why Emanuel — interviewers are experienced at spotting coached answers and find them off-putting. The group experience is a collaborative activity with other candidates, where the school observes how a child listens, contributes and works with peers they have only just met. It is assessed on process, not on winning the task — and it is the element families most often underestimate.
What Emanuel looks for
- Social confidence — how a child engages in a group, not just one-to-one.
- Creativity and collaboration — contributing to something open-ended with new people.
- Curiosity and participation — a willingness to try, ask questions and get involved.
- Personality — a real child rather than a rehearsed one.
Fees, bursaries and scholarships
Day fees are around £26,000 a year (from September 2026; confirm the current figure). Emanuel's means-tested bursaries can cover up to 100% of fees, including uniform and meals, and can be combined with a scholarship. Scholarships are offered across five areas — academic, music, drama, art and sport — each declared at registration and assessed separately from the entrance exam. See the bursaries and scholarships guide for the process.
How to find out more
- Attend an open day or open morning — bookings on the school website.
- Download the specimen Maths and English papers from the admissions pages.
- For SEN families, contact the school directly. See SEN navigation.
Sources
- emanuel.org.uk — Emanuel School admissions