What Should the Final Six Weeks Look Like for Francis Holland Sloane Square 11+?

Six weeks can feel both long and alarmingly short. There is enough time to strengthen a few habits, but not enough to chase every topic in every book. A useful plan protects what your child already does well, gives focused attention to a small number of English and Maths needs, and leaves the final days calm.

NeurofiED is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Francis Holland School.

Begin with the published 2027 timetable

These details were checked on 19 October 2026 and apply to the 2027 entry cycle. Families preparing for another year should check the school's current admissions information before relying on them.

For September 2027 entry, Francis Holland Sloane Square publishes a registration deadline of 6 November 2026 and an assessment date of 1 December 2026.[4]

The assessment lasts 100 minutes, is usually taken at the applicant's current school and focuses on problem solving, critical thinking and creativity.[4]

Every applicant is invited to interview on 8 January 2027, and the school requests a reference from her current headteacher.[4]

The school is part of the London 11+ Consortium, whose shared assessment is taken once even when a child applies to more than one member school.[4]

The final weeks should not be six weeks of full mock tests. Use the published route to understand the shape of the day, then keep home practice focused and proportionate.

Weeks six and five: choose two priorities

Start with one short English task and one short Maths task using material your child has already met. Look beyond the total score. In English, is the difficulty careful reading, vocabulary in context, inference or explaining an answer? In Maths, is it arithmetic accuracy, choosing an operation, holding several steps in mind or checking the result?

Choose no more than two priorities. A plan such as “find evidence before answering inference questions” and “set out multi-step problems clearly” is actionable. “Improve English and Maths” is too broad to guide tomorrow's session.

Weeks four and three: practise, review and revisit

Use short sessions that alternate teaching and independent work. For an English priority, model one example, think aloud about the clue you used, then let your child try a fresh example. For Maths, work one problem together before your child solves a similar problem alone.

Return to the same skill after a gap of a day or two with different wording or numbers. If the method still works, mix it with something familiar. If it falls apart, simplify the task and explain the difficult step again. This is more useful than racing through new material for the sake of coverage.

Add one brief timed set each week only if untimed work is reasonably secure. Review it without the clock and note whether time changed the method, the checking or simply the number completed.

Week two: rehearse the shape, not the pressure

One longer practice can help your child experience sustained concentration and a planned break. Keep the purpose clear: practise settling, reading instructions, moving on from a difficult item and returning calmly. It is not a prediction of an admissions outcome.

The next day, revisit only a few questions. Ask your child to explain one good decision and one place where a different approach would help. Then return to short targeted sessions rather than repeating another long paper immediately.

The final week: taper the workload

Keep practice familiar and brief. Revisit a small number of useful examples, prepare practical arrangements and protect sleep and ordinary family time. The evening before is not the moment for a new topic or a discouraging score.

If your child wants to do something, choose a task they can approach confidently: a short passage, a handful of calculations or explaining a method aloud. Finish early enough that preparation does not follow them into bedtime.

The Francis Holland Sloane Square guide holds the broader school overview and official admissions link. For a gentle next step, try a live English lesson and use one section to identify a single useful focus for the week.

Sources

[4] Francis Holland Sloane Square: joining senior school at 11+