Chigwell School
11+ Admissions Guide 2026

Chigwell School is an independent co-educational day and boarding school, founded in 1629 on its current site. It is an educational charity governed by a board of trustees, and welcomes pupils across four sections: the pre-prep, junior and senior schools, and the sixth form. Sixth-form boarders are accommodated in four single-sex boarding houses. The school aims to inspire every pupil to fulfil their potential, nurturing independence of spirit, an adventurous outlook, and empathy towards others. It looks to discover and develop individual interests and talents both within and beyond the curriculum, encouraging pupils to play a full and meaningful part in school life and to contribute positively to the wider world. Most day pupils come from within a five-mile radius of the school, while the boarding community is largely international, representing ten different countries. Pupils come from a diverse range of family and social backgrounds. The school supports those with special educational needs and disabilities, pupils for whom English is an additional language, and those identified as particularly able or talented, adapting and extending the curriculum to meet a wide variety of individual needs.

Pupils can only make and receive calls using their mobile phone before 8.20am and after 4pm. Pupils below the third form are discouraged from bringing mobile phones to school. If there is a valid reason for doing so, parents are asked to seek written permission and the mobile phone is handed in to the junior school reception and collected at the end of the day. Sixth form pupils can use their phones inside the sixth form centre during the day. A phone may only be used in lessons with the permission of the teacher, if it is being used for work purposes.