The Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB)

The Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) is delighted to be working in partnership with the Independent Schools Show in November 2023. 

For over 120 years, ISEB has sat at the heart of independent education in the United Kingdom and abroad, providing a challenging and nurturing framework for children to thrive. ISEB works in partnership with many leading independent schools globally and is a patron organisation of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) and the Heads’ Conference (HMC).

ISEB provides products and qualifications used by schools to support the admissions journey from prep to senior school, designed to champion pupil-led learning and embed a passion for life-long learning among children. Over the last five years, over half a million pupils have taken examinations with ISEB, from the established, highly-regarded Common Entrance (CE) and Common Academic Scholarship (CASE) examinations first used in 1903 to the dynamic, online and adaptive ISEB Common Pre-Tests developed in partnership with CENTURY Tech.

ISEB has also expanded their assessment and support portfolio in recent years to include the ISEB Project Qualification (iPQ), an exciting project-based qualification that champions the learning process, rather than the outcome, encouraging pupils to delve into a topic of personal interest, where the sky truly is the limit. Alongside the iPQ, ISEB has launched a new website and online shop distributing print-on-demand past papers for CE and CASE exams, innovative digital preparation materials, and delivering CPD webinars for teachers, parents and guardians throughout the year.

ISEB has also endorsed  Bond Online Premium Plus, a new test preparation platform from Bond and CENTURY designed to support parents, guardians and pupils preparing for the ISEB Pre-Tests. As the only ISEB-endorsed test practice platform, Bond Online Premium Plus features over 20,000 questions covering the most up-to-date preparation topics for the 2023-24 testing window. Bond Online Premium Plus utilises CENTURY’s award-winning AI  to provide advanced learning that is tailored to the child.

Working in partnership with Tooled Up Education and internationally renowned expert Dr Kathy Weston, ISEB has embarked on an exciting partnership to develop and deliver a series of helpful content packs designed to empower parents and guardians during key transition points in their child's school journey. The packs provide a range of resources and activities that families can explore together at home, helping parents and guardians to support their children to prepare for tests in a way that supports their health and wellbeing.

Entering into partnerships with industry-leading organisations and individuals is a central component of the ethos and values of ISEB. This includes working alongside colleagues in examinations and qualifications, such as AQA to explore developments in the sector; developing and producing cutting-edge digital programmes and software with CENTURY Tech; exploring burgeoning theories and their applicability in practice, such as Adaptive Comparative Judgement (ACJ), with RM Compare, and working collaboratively with leading academics promoting a holistic approach to child wellbeing with Dr Kathy Weston and Tooled Up Education.

Looking ahead to the celebration of 120 years of CE examinations this academic year, and the growth of the innovative and dynamic ISEB Pre-Tests and iPQ, ISEB continues to draw strength from its history and experience, pairing innovation with heritage to provide assessments, qualifications and resources that challenge and encourage pupils to be the best they can be.