King's College School

Entry points and who can apply

King's admits boys at 11+ and 13+. Girls will join Year 7 from September 2033 and Year 9 from September 2035. Both routes are decided in Year 6: your son sits the same papers, on the same day, whichever route you choose.

• 11+ (Year 7), for September 2027. For boys born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016.
• 13+ pre-test (Year 9), for September 2029. For boys born in the same window. If successful, he receives a conditional offer for Year 9.
• Late Year 8 route (joins Year 9). A small number of extra places, assessed in the autumn of Year 8. For September 2027 entry it has already happened (results were due by 16 October 2026). A boy who sat the King's 11+ and wasn't offered a place cannot use it.

You cannot apply for both 11+ and 13+. You choose one route when you register, and the school's admissions policy says you can switch from one to the other at any time before the registration deadline.

Registration for both routes closes at 12 noon on Monday 2 November 2026. The fee is £210 including VAT and is non-refundable. For 11+, if your son receives Pupil Premium, you can ask for it to be waived.

If your son needs exam access arrangements, such as up to 25% extra time, you must apply when you register, with all supporting reports in before the deadline.

The assessment: what your son will sit

The written tests take place on the morning of Saturday 5 December 2026 at King's. There are three papers: English, Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning. The school publishes specimen English and maths papers for this sitting. It does not publish a sample verbal reasoning paper, and says these are readily available from booksellers.

The timings below come from the front pages of the specimen papers. The school does not publish timings or a format for verbal reasoning.

The English paper lasts 50 minutes in total, and so does the maths paper across both sections. Maths is written on the question paper, and calculators are not allowed.

Overseas candidates must travel to King's to sit the tests. To save a second trip, they are interviewed the day before the written tests.

What this means in practice

• Two 50-minute written papers. English and maths are each 50 minutes, and both are answered on paper. Practising at full length can help him find a steady pace.
• Full sentences in English. The specimen asks for comprehension answers in full sentences, and the last question carries the most marks.
• The writing task is short. The specimen allows about 20 minutes, including about 5 minutes to check spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Two kinds of maths question. In the specimen, Section A is a run of short questions in about 20 minutes, and Section B is four longer, multi-part questions in about 30 minutes.

Interview and the decision

After marking, an admissions panel looks at the test scores, your son's Head's confidential reference, the registration form and his school report. Invitations to interview are emailed on Monday 11 January 2027. If your son is not invited, the school will not take his application further.

Interviews run on Thursday 14, Friday 15 and Saturday 16 January 2027. The school's 13+ page says most interviews last about 20 minutes and cover a range of topics; the 11+ page does not give a length. The admissions policy says interviews explore your son's interests, his academic character, his personal qualities and what he might contribute to school life.

Results are emailed on Friday 12 February 2027. The two routes then differ.

• 11+. You must accept by 12 noon on Wednesday 3 March 2027 and pay a deposit of half a term's fees (£5,502 for September 2027). Fees for Years 7 and 8 are £11,004 a term including VAT (fees from September 2026).
• 13+. There are three outcomes: a conditional offer, a waiting list place, or no offer. Initial acceptance is due on Monday 1 March 2027. The offer then depends on two satisfactory reports from your son's Head, one by the end of Year 7 and one by the end of the spring term of Year 8. The deposit to confirm is due in early February 2028 (currently £5,970), and King's confirms the place by mid-May of Year 8. Fees for Year 9 and above are £11,940 a term including VAT (fees from September 2026).

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

King's offers means-tested financial assistance at 11+, 13+ and 16+. Its policy describes two kinds: bursary awards worth 80% or more of fees, up to 100%, which may also cover costs such as transport, meals, trips and uniform; and assisted fee awards worth between 10% and 80%. Your son must win a place on merit first, and the bursary assessment is kept separate from academic selection.

You say you want to apply when you register. The school then sends a link to a confidential form, which is due by Wednesday 18 November 2026. An independent firm, Bursary Assessment Associates, reviews it, and may arrange an online meeting or home visit at short notice. The school considers both income and assets, and reviews awards every year. It does not publish an income threshold. For 13+, the policy says bursary applications are assessed at the pre-test stage.

Scholarships at 11+ are a sum of money taken off the fees each term:

• Academic. Every 11+ candidate is considered automatically; there is no separate application. Rogers scholarships are worth £400 a year and Cayley scholarships £200 a year.
• Music. Up to £400 a year plus free tuition on two instruments. As a guide, about Grade 5 on a first instrument. Applications close on Monday 2 November 2026, with a teacher's reference by Monday 9 November. Auditions are on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 January 2027 for boys also invited to interview.
• Sport. Up to £400 a year. Applications close on Monday 9 November 2026. All applicants are assessed on Thursday 19 November, with a further day for a shortlist on Thursday 26 November.

A boy cannot hold both a music and a sport award. At 13+, scholarships are open only to boys who already hold a conditional offer, with academic exams in May of Year 8.

How to prepare

1. Register before noon on Monday 2 November. Have ready a scan of his passport photo page, a passport-style photo, his end of Year 5 report and two outlines (up to 100 words each) of his interests and achievements. Decide on 11+ or 13+ by then.
2. Work through the specimen papers. Download them from the school's 11+ or 13+ page and sit each in 50 minutes.
3. Practise comprehension in full sentences. Leave time for a longer final question, as the specimen advises.
4. Practise short, careful writing. Fifteen minutes of writing that follows on from a passage, then five minutes of checking spelling and punctuation.
5. Keep mental arithmetic sharp. No calculators are allowed, and Section A is a run of short questions in about 20 minutes. Then work through longer problems step by step.
6. Get used to verbal reasoning. The school doesn't supply sample papers, but says they are readily available from booksellers.
7. Talk about his interests. The interview explores his interests and academic character, so it may help if he's used to talking about what he enjoys.

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