Your school guide
Ballard School
Ballard School Year 7 admissions for 2027: Admissions Day, best-fit selection and possible additional assessment.
Independent school · New Milton, Hampshire
Prepare with confidence.
Use Plusling to prepare for 11+ entry to Ballard School. Build skills with original questions, understand the answers and turn tricky topics into your next step forward.
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Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
Fernhill Lane, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 5SU
Plan your approach
Entry information
For September 2027 entry
Ballard offers Year 7 entry through its Admissions Day and a best-fit decision using a Headmaster meeting and school reports or reference. The 2027 Admissions Day is 14 November 2026; register interest by 2 November. Additional writing, Mathematics or online CAT4 assessment may be requested.
Entry stage: Year 7
What the assessment covers
- English
- Mathematics
Assessment provider: GL Assessment
The admissions process
- Register interest by 2 November 2026 for the Year 7 Admissions Day on 14 November
- Registration documents, Headmaster meeting and current school reports and/or reference
- Small-group Admissions Day activities; offers on a best-fit basis before Christmas
- Assessment may include writing and age-appropriate Mathematics work
- If requested, online GL Assessment CAT4 covers verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning; it is not stated as compulsory for every applicant
Read the official details: Admissions information from Ballard School
Go to the source
Official links for your shortlist
Use the school’s current admissions information to check which sample papers or familiarisation materials apply to your child’s entry year.
Know what to expect
Follow the school’s assessment guidance.
Ballard may ask for writing and age-appropriate Maths work, and may also request CAT4. These academic tasks are conditional, not universal papers; GL Assessment advises against CAT4 practice.
Read the official guidance: Ballard School · GL Assessment
Maths
A useful place to start
Ask your child to explain their method, estimate the answer and check the final calculation. Notice which step needs more practice.
Build on it with Plusling
Use Plusling’s original maths questions and worked explanations to make those next practice sessions count.
Start the 5-question maths quizPrint, practise, build confidence
Printable practice for these subjects
Original Plusling papers with space to work and separate answers and explanations.
These are Plusling skills practice, not official school or test papers.
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Follow the assessment guidance
Check what the school asks your child to do and whether it recommends any preparation. Use its own instructions and the assessment provider’s advice.
Check fees and financial support
Look at fees, bursaries and scholarships, including any separate forms, evidence and deadlines.
Picture your child’s everyday life here.
An open day is a chance to look beyond the exam. Useful questions to take with you:
- How do you help new pupils settle in and make friends?
- Who can a child turn to when they feel worried or stuck?
- How do you help pupils recover from a setback and discover their strengths?
Know where to focus
Give their preparation a clear direction.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
Their next step starts here
Give their 11+ preparation a confident start.
Try Plusling together. Five free questions, useful feedback and a first look at a friendlier way to practise.
Before you apply
- Register interest by 2 November for the 14 November 2026 Admissions Day, and discuss support needs and any additional assessment with the Registrar. GL advises against practice for CAT4.
Plusling’s guide to Ballard School is independently written. The school and its admissions authority publish the official arrangements.
Contains government school-register data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Primary sources
- Ballard School: school details Department for Education
- Year 7 Admissions Day – Ballard School Ballard School
- Admissions Policy (September 2025) | Ballard School Ballard School
- CAT4 information for parents GL Assessment