Joining King's

Children are assessed for entry into the Infant & Junior School. Assessments take place in the preceding January for September entry and at other times for mid-year entry depending on availability of places.

Registrations for the Pre-School class are accepted from birth – but not before! We recommend applying early, as year groups fill up quickly. Places in Pre-School are offered by date of application. Places in other year groups are offered based on availability of places and outcome of the assessment.

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, and we operate a waiting list system. Please contact Admissions to enquire about availability of places as early as possible, prior to completing a Registration Form.

To apply for a place, our Registration Form below should be completed. An Application & Assessment Fee of £75 is payable upon submission of the Registration Form.

Infant Registration Form

King’s is a selective school, and the admissions procedure is designed to ensure that pupils will enjoy a challenging academic curriculum. All candidates wishing to join King’s Juniors are required to sit an Entrance Assessment.

Entrance Assessments take place during January prior to the September of joining. Children come into school for a morning, 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.

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 an Application & Assessment Fee of £75. Offers of places will be made in late January for the following September.

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

King’s aims to achieve a successful fit between the academic nature of 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 child and parents to gain one of the school. Our main point of entry to the Senior Division is at age 11: into Year 7.

For pupils wishing to apply to join Year 7 in September 2027, completed registration forms should be returned by no later than Friday 4 December 2026.  Bursary applications should be returned by Monday 30 November 2026.

We occasionally have a small number of vacancies for older children (aged 12–14 years) to join our Senior School in Years 8, 9 and 10.

We are currently holding waiting lists for entry into Years 8, 9 and 10 for mid-year and September 2027 entry.

If you would like us to place your child on our waiting list, please complete our Registration Form. Should a place become available, we will contact waiting list families and invite their child to sit King’s Entrance Examination.  The examination date is Friday 15 January 2027.

For the Sixth Form, we offer a wide range of subject choices, modern facilities, a friendly co-educational year group of around 100+ students, excellent support for academic study, Preparation Pathways for specific career routes, small tutor groups of 15 students, and outstanding preparation for university applications, higher-level apprenticeships and the world beyond school.

We are very proud of our students' achievements at A Level and of the breadth of courses that they go on to study.

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, offer a diverse range of extra-curricular opportunities.

Children who joined King's Juniors prior to the start of Year 5 will qualify for a continually-assessed place in our Seniors. Assessed places are offered based on internal assessment data collated during Year 5 and 6. 

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.

Parents will be asked to complete a Transfer to Seniors Form to confirm that they would like their child to move through to the Senior Division. The form will be shared with parents towards the end of the Autumn Term of Year 6.

Please contact the Admissions Department for more information and advice if required.

Pupils wishing to join King’s Sixth Form are required to meet an academic standard which is assessed by results at GCSE. Year 11 pupils wishing to join the Sixth Form Division are required to meet an academic standard which is assessed by final results at GCSE.

Pupils studying an A Level programme (three or more A Levels) require:

• An average of grade 6 or higher across eight GCSE subjects
• A minimum of a grade 5 in both Maths and English Language
• A preferred grade 7 (or above) in subjects to be studied at A Level, and this is compulsory for Maths and Science subjects. In addition, subjects with a large mathematical content, such as Economics, require a minimum of grade 7 in Maths.

Pupils undertaking a mixed or vocational programme of three subjects that includes one or more vocational qualifications require:

• A preferred average of grade 6 or higher across eight GCSE subjects although, should this requirement be narrowly missed, consideration is given to the intended number and choice of vocational subject(s) to be studied.
• A minimum of a grade 5 in both Maths and English Language
• A preferred grade 7 (or above) in the subject(s) to be studied at A Level, and this is compulsory for Maths and Science subjects. In addition, subjects with a large mathematical content, such as Economics, require a minimum of grade 7 in Maths.

We recommend pupils discuss their subject choices with their teachers and Head of Year, who will be able to give tailored advice. 

Parents will be asked to complete a Transfer to Sixth Form form early in the Spring Term of Year 11 and confirm proposed Sixth Form Option choices.

Following receipt of GCSE grades in August places and subject options are reconfirmed.