Joining King's

Thank you for enquiring about entry to King's School. We welcome applications from pupils of all ages. We know that the whole procedure for choosing a school and successfully gaining a place, whilst exciting, can also be a stressful experience. At King's, we do all we can to guide you through the process to make it as straightforward as possible.

Joining

Infants

Children are not formally assessed for entry into the Infants, however children are invited in to be observed in class. Registrations for the Pre-School class are accepted from birth – but not before!

We recommend applying early, as year groups often fill up quickly. Places are offered by date of application or from the Waiting List.

The relevant ages for entry to King’s Infants are as follows:

Pre-School (age 3+)
Reception (age 4+)
Year 1 (age 5+)
Year 2 (age 6+)

Transfer into King’s Juniors is by internal assessment and our Year 2 pupils have to satisfy the entrance requirements for Juniors.

Vacancies can arise for each age group, so please enquire at any stage of the academic year. To apply for a place, please complete a Registration Form and return it with a £50 registration fee to the Admissions Department.

Infant Registration Form

Juniors

King’s is a selective school and the admissions procedure is designed to ensure that pupils will respond to and enjoy a challenging academic curriculum. All candidates wishing to join King’s Juniors are required to sit an Entrance Assessment and applications to join our Juniors (Years 3–6) are encouraged.

Entrance Assessments take place during early January prior to the September of joining. Children come into school for two full days and we aim to create a relaxed atmosphere for them to show their capabilities. The Assessment consists of age-appropriate papers to test literacy, numeracy and reasoning power set to standards normally expected of boys and girls of above average ability. Copies of past papers are not supplied, but we can supply guidelines as to what the assessment will cover.

Following the Assessments which take place in the mornings, the children join our current pupils at lunchtime and then spend the afternoon in class, joining in with the timetabled activities that our pupils are doing.

Parents are required to register for the Entrance Assessment by the first Friday in December (prior to the assessment in January), by completing the Registration Form and returning it to the Admissions Department with a registration fee of £50. Offers of places will be posted out in late January and replies are required by the end of January.

In order to gain a fuller picture of a child’s suitability, we will contact the child’s present Headteacher to ask for details of academic progress, interests and future potential. This information, sought prior to the Assessment, forms an important part of the admissions procedure and it is assumed that parents will notify the current school and inform them that a reference request will be made in early January.

Junior Assessment Guidelines

Junior Registration Form

Seniors at 11+ (Year 7)

King’s aims to achieve a successful fit between the school and its students. The admissions process is designed to allow the school to gain a realistic picture of the prospective student; and the student and parents to gain one of the school. Our main point of entry to the Senior Division (boys and girls) is at age 11: Year 7.

Application Process

If you would like your son or daughter to be considered for a place in Year 7 in September 2021 or 2022, please complete a Registration Form which should be returned to the Admissions Department, together with a registration fee of £50. For 2021 entry, the deadline for registration is Wednesday 6 January 2021.

Entrance Examinations

External candidates seeking entry to our Senior Division are asked to complete an Entrance Examination. The date of our Entrance Examination is Friday 15 January 2021. The exams are set to standards normally expected of pupils of above average ability. Internal candidates who joined King's Juniors prior to or at the start of Year 5 are not required to sit the 11+ Entrance Examination and are offered assessed places for the Seniors.

Candidates registered for the entrance examination spend the whole day in school (lunch is provided) and complete three exam papers: Mathematics, English and Verbal Reasoning (VR).

Guidance on the entrance examination syllabus and sample questions will be sent to you upon receipt of a completed registration form.

Senior School Registration Form

11+ Entrance Exam Guidelines

Interviews & References

An important part of the admission process is an interview with you and your child. This is an opportunity to find out more about your child and of course a further opportunity for your to visit the school and get more information.

A reference from your child's current school will also be requested as we wish to build as full a picture as possible and use all of the this information, in addition to entrance exam scores, when considering the offer of a place.

Offers & Acceptances

King's is a member of the Greater Manchester Consortium of Schools, which operates a common system of dates for the publication of 11+ offers and their acceptances. We therefore follow the agreed Consortium timetable for 11+ applicants.

Entry Offer and Acceptance Dates 2021:

Monday 22 February -	Offers Posted
Tuesday 2 March -	Acceptance Deadline for Bursary and Scholarship Offers
Thursday 4 March -	Acceptance Deadline for 11+ Offers

Seniors at 12+, 13+ 14+ (Years 8-10)

We typically have a small number of vacancies for older children (aged 12–14 years) to join our Senior School in Years 8, 9 and 10. For pupils wishing to join in these year groups completed registration forms should be returned by no later than Friday 4 December 2020.

Application Process

External candidates will be invited to complete an Entrance Examination on Friday 15 January 2021.

The exams are set to standards expected of pupils of above average ability. Pupils spend the whole day in school and lunch is provided. The list below shows the exam papers that each year group is required to sit:

Year 8 - VR, Maths, English.
Year 9 - VR, Maths, English, Science, and a Modern Foreign Language.
Year 10 - Maths, English, Science and a Modern Foreign Language.

Guidance on the entrance examination syllabus and sample questions will be sent to you upon receipt of a completed registration form.

Senior School Registration Form

12+ Entrance Exam Guidelines

13+ Entrance Exam Guidelines

14+ Entrance Exam Guidelines

Interviews & References

Interviews and Candidate References
With your permission your child’s existing school will be contacted to obtain a reference in advance of the Entrance Examination. All applicants will be asked to attend an interview on Tuesday 12 January 2021.

We wish to build as full a picture of your child as possible and use all of this information in addition to the entrance examination scores. Interviews should be considered an opportunity to discuss your child’s academic interests, hobbies and other interests as well as a chance for you to obtain more information and meet key members of staff.

Offers & Acceptances

Sixth Form

For the Sixth Form, we offer a dedicated, modern Sixth Form Centre and a co-educational setting for A Level study and preparation for university.

Around 10 - 15% of our Sixth Form students join us from other schools and they very quickly settle in our friendly and vibrant Sixth Form. We believe in working hard and playing hard and, importantly, supporting students and preparing them well for university applications and the world beyond school. We are very proud of our students' achievements at A Level and of the range and breadth of courses that they go on to study.

Application Process

We recommend students and their parents come and visit us: we would be delighted to welcome you at our Open Evening, Open Day or Subject Options Evening in the Autumn term. Our students and staff would be only too happy to share what King's Sixth Form has to offer and provide more information on courses, subjects and extra-curricular opportunities.

To Register for a place in King's Sixth Form complete and return the Registration Form with a non-returnable fee of £50 to the Admissions Department.

A number of bursaries and scholarships are available for entry to the Sixth Form.

Sixth Form Registration Form

Interviews & Entry Requirements

Candidates and their parents will be invited for interview in December or January (prior to joining the following September). A written reference from the current school will be sought. Places are then provisionally offered, subject to the attainment of the grades specified for entry. GCSE requirements are a minimum of: two grade 7s (A grades) and four grade 6s (B grades) or above. All candidates for the Sixth Form are required to meet the university matriculation requirements for at least a grade 4 in English and Maths. Each A Level subject has its own GCSE entry requirements, typically a grade 6 or above for most subjects, and 7 or above for Science and Mathematics.

Offers & Acceptances

Places are offered in December/January prior to the September of joining King’s and are offered subject to the attainment of the GCSE grades specified. We ask that candidates accept the offer by returning the completed Admission Agreement with a £250 deposit to secure the place. The deposit is refundable if the candidate does not meet the grade requirements of the offer. We ask that candidates provide a copy of their GCSE results to the Admissions Department within a week of results day in August.

Transfering to Seniors

Children who joined King's Juniors prior to the start of Year 5 will not be required to sit the 11+ Entrance Examination and will qualify for an assessed place in our Seniors.

Any pupils joining King's Juniors after the October half-term of Year 5 will be required to take the 11+ Entrance Examination in order to gain entry to the Senior Division.

Please contact the Admissions Department for more information and advice.

Transfering to Sixth Form

Pupils in Year 11 at King's are required to obtain a minimum of two grade 7s (or above) plus six grade 6s (or above) in their GCSEs. We also recommend that pupils obtain at least a grade 7 in the subjects to be studied at A Level, especially where these are Maths or Science subjects. We recommend pupils discuss their subject choices with their teachers and Head of Year, who will be able to give tailored advice.

11+ Entry: Frequently Asked Questions

We know that choosing a new school can be a stressful time for families, so we have put together a list of the most frequently asked questions and provided detailed answers to them. We hope that this will help make the whole process of choosing a school a little easier.

Link to FAQ's