School Placement

The School Placement

Fees on application

Our comprehensive, end-to-end service guides families through the entire school admissions journey for entry points at 7+, 8+, 9+, 10+, 11+, 13+, and occasional places.

We work with a very limited number of families each admissions cycle, ensuring a highly personalised experience. Each family receives exclusive access to co-founder Edward, who provides ongoing advisory consultations, and bespoke written assessments and The APT (offered at cost) to monitor your child’s progress. We also provide meticulous interview preparation for the crucial second stage of school admissions, along with dedicated in-person services for London-based families.

ESB is widely regarded as a leading authority on 7+ and 8+ admissions, with particular expertise in prestigious schools such as Westminster Under School, St Paul’s Juniors, and King’s College Junior School, Wimbledon. We are also highly experienced in supporting families through 11+ and 13+ admissions to the country’s most sought-after boys’, girls’, and co-educational schools.

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Testimonials

We worked with Ed to support our twins through the 7+ process, a system that was entirely new to us as Australian expats, living in an area of London that is particularly competitive. Ed's understanding of the application process, the exams themselves, and how to tailor our approach to each school was invaluable. His previous experience as Assistant Head of a leading boys’ school means he understands this system better than just about anybody. He is ambitious, honest (we appreciated his directness in sharing his views about schools we were considering, as well as helping us tailor our expectations), and kind. He was able to help us secure spots for our twins at an exceptional school. But more importantly than anything else, our children loved working with him.
Parent of two 7+ candidates in South East London.
Edward provided outstanding services for our 11-year-old daughter. His professional and strategic approach kept her engaged and motivated, even under pressure. He combined creativity with structured planning, tailoring sessions to our priorities. Edward’s expertise, reliability, and ability to inspire confidence made a real difference. His dedication and thoughtful strategy maximised her potential. We would, without hesitation, use his services again and highly recommend him to any parent seeking top-quality academic and interview preparation support.
Parent of an 11+ candidate in West London.
Ed has been absolutely fantastic with our son. Our son is bright but can be restless, and Ed was able to work with him on a deep level to change the way he learns altogether. This has made a huge difference to his positioning in his class at school, and we have received a lot of positive feedback from his teachers. We could not recommend Ed more highly.
Parent of a 7+ candidate in South West London.

The ESB Assessment

£725.00 + VAT (remote and online)
Fees on application (face-to-face)

Will your child pass their school entrance exams and second-round admissions interviews and activities? Are they a good fit both academically and socially for your target schools?

Meticulously crafted and delivered by the former Assistant Head of King’s College School, Wimbledon, The ESB Assessment provides families with an honest, detailed analysis of their child’s academic potential and school suitability as they prepare for admission to the country’s most selective schools at 7+, 8+, 9+, 10+, 11+, and 13+.

Designed to align with the admissions criteria and level of difficulty of your target school(s), our assessments typically span 2.5 to 3 hours, with an additional hour-long parental consultation. They are usually conducted across two sessions, either at your home or remotely, and are suitable for children aged 6 to 13 years old. The package includes:

Written Assessments (1-1.5 hours):

Age-appropriate and school-specific, our written assessments cover the two key school admissions disciplines – English and Maths – as well as the more unique assessments when required, such as Reasoning, Listening or Dictation. Our written assessments are exclusively available through the ESB Assessment.

Online Assessment (1 hour):

An age-weighted, adaptive online assessment evaluating your child’s proficiency in English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The APT is also available as a standalone service.

Character Assessment (30 minutes):

A semi-formal interview designed to assess your child’s character, confidence, and problem-solving abilities; all of which are key components of many schools' admissions processes. Our formal mock interviews can also be booked as a standalone service.

Parental Consultation (1 hour):

A comprehensive review of your child’s performance in The ESB Assessment, including an evaluation of their suitability for your target school(s) and identification of areas for improvement.

All elements of our assessment package can be conducted remotely or online, with in-person services available upon request depending on your location and our availability.

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The APT

£375.00 + VAT (APT and feedback consultation)

Are you looking for a deeper understanding of your child’s academic abilities? Unsure about their strengths and weaknesses in English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning? Curious about how they compare to their peers nationwide or within a typical independent school cohort?

We offer The APT – an AI-powered, adaptive online assessment aligned with the National Curriculum. Designed for children aged 6 to 16, The APT can be taken from the comfort of your home and typically takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete.

This comprehensive assessment measures your child’s abilities in English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. It provides a Standard Age Score (SAS) that benchmarks their performance against children of the same age across both state and independent schools.

The APT is not a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ test. Instead, it’s a valuable tool for identifying strengths and pinpointing areas where additional support may be needed. It also serves as an essential progress-tracking tool and a reliable predictor of success in future school admissions. In fact, many top schools use the APT or similar assessments as part of their admissions process.

Once your child has completed The APT, we will schedule a 30-minute feedback consultation to review their detailed report and discuss how it relates to your target schools.

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Onboarding

At the point of contacting ESB, we will book a complementary discovery call to introduce ourselves, learn more about you and your child, and discuss our services as well as our fees and any further questions you may have about our school placement service.

Getting to know your child

If age appropriate and desired, we will arrange for your child (ages 6 and above) to complete the APT free-of-charge to give us an up-to-date indication of their academic potential and their suitability to their future schools. We will also request to see your child's latest school report (if available).

Ongoing consultations and monitoring

However you choose to prepare your child for their entrance exams, we will be on hand to meet with you and your child, or your child and their tutor to discuss and review all aspects of their ongoing school admissions preparation. This will include creating a long-term framework to plan your child’s entrance exams journey, resourcing their learning, ongoing assessment via the APT and our bespoke written school entrance exam papers, and meticulous monitoring of their progress.

Year planner

Should you require one, we will create a comprehensive year planner, outlining your prospective schools’ deadlines to register your child, when you can attend their open days and/or small group tours (where offered by the school), and your child’s likely exam and/or interview and activity day dates.

Non-examined admissions preparation

If required by your child’s future schools, we will personally prepare them for their interviews and/or activity days.

ESB’s Directory

As part of our placement service, we can direct you to our trusted affiliates:

  • The country’s leading educational psychologists and SEND assessors.
  • The best local and national property finders and buyers’ agents (purchase and/or rentals) or relocation agents (personal or corporate).
  • Outstanding online and face-to-face tutors.
  • The top nanny and household staff agencies and recruiters.
  • Specialists and experts in a wide range of fields, from lifestyle concierge services and family lawyers to private banking and wealth management.