Joining King's

Children are assessed for entry into the Infant & Junior School. To enable this to happen in a friendly and supportive way, 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 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, so please enquire as early as possible. To apply for a place, please complete a Registration Form and return it with a £75 registration fee to the Admissions Department.

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 typically come into school for two 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 £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 (boys and girls) is at age 11: in to Year 7.

For pupils wishing to apply to join Year 7 in 2023, completed registration forms should be returned by no later than Friday 2 December 2022.  Bursary applications should be returned by Friday 25 November 2022.

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. For pupils wishing to apply to join these year groups in 2023, completed registration forms should be returned by no later than Friday 2 December 2022.

For the Sixth Form, we offer a wide range of subject choices, modern facilities, a friendly co-educational year group of around 110+ students, excellent support for A Level study, 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.

Please contact the Admissions Department for more information and advice.

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.