Westminster School

Entry points and who can apply

Westminster is two schools in one charity: Westminster Under School (the prep school) and Westminster School (the senior school). Both are becoming fully co-educational. The Under School now takes girls and boys at every entry point, and the first girls join Westminster School in Year 9 in 2028. Everything below applies to your son or your daughter.

• 11+ (Year 7) into the Under School. About 40 children join each year. They spend Years 7 and 8 at the Under School, then move to Westminster School in Year 9 with no further entry tests, subject to satisfactory work and behaviour. The school advises this route for children at primary schools that finish in Year 6.
• 13+ (Year 9) into Westminster School. Around 125 children join each year, just under half from the Under School. This route is for children at prep schools they can stay at until 13. The tests, interview and offer all fall in Year 6, not Year 8. The school says it receives around 500 applications and interviews about 250.

You cannot apply for 11+ and 13+ at the same time.

A note on timing. Registration for this year's round (11+ entry in September 2027 and 13+ entry in September 2029) closed on Wednesday 30 September 2026. This guide mainly serves families applying next year. If your child is in Year 5 now, registration is open for 11+ entry in 2028 and 13+ entry in 2030. Both close on Thursday 30 September 2027 (the school's rule). The Under School's policy says the 11+ deadline is "generally in the October", so if you miss 30 September, contact the Under School admissions office.

You register online. The registration fee is £300 for the Under School and £360 (non-refundable) for Westminster School. If you may need a bursary, say so when you register. If your child needs access arrangements such as extra time, the school asks for supporting reports by the registration deadline.

The assessment: what your child will sit

Both routes follow the same pattern in Year 6: online tests in the autumn, then the school's own written papers in January for those invited back.

Stage 1: ISEB Common Pre-Tests (autumn of Year 6)

Westminster uses the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) Common Pre-Tests: online tests in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, used by many senior schools.

• At 11+, children sit them in November, at the Under School or, by arrangement, at their current school. The tests can only be taken once for all schools, with no re-sits. The Under School's policy says parents must register their child directly with ISEB.
• At 13+, children sit them at their prep school in October or November. The school adjusts raw scores for age, so younger children aren't disadvantaged, and asks your child's current school for a report in November.

The school does not publish how long the Pre-Tests last.

Stage 2: the school's own papers (January of Year 6)

Children who do well are invited back for two written papers. At 11+ these can only be sat at the Under School. At 13+ they are sat at Westminster in early January.

For English, the school's examples include comprehension, questions on a text, descriptive writing, short reviews and continuing a passage in the author's voice. It wants a wide vocabulary and writing that is fluent and accurate. For maths, it expects children to be able to achieve Level 5 in Key Stage 2 SATs, or the equivalent.

The school does not describe the 13+ papers separately. The Under School's policy says its own pupils' 13+ assessment takes the same form as 11+ entry.

What this means in practice

• One sitting of the Pre-Tests. It counts for every school you apply to, so there is no second try.
• Each paper lasts 40 minutes. Practise working steadily to time.
• The 11+ papers day is meant to be friendly. The school says a teacher is on hand to support and prompt children.

Interview and the decision

At 11+, children are invited back in February, based on the written papers, for an interview with two senior members of staff, one from each school. The school says they will encourage your child to talk about their genuine interests and enthusiasms. Your child's head teacher is asked for a report. The Under School's policy says offer letters go out before February half term, and the deadline to accept is usually early March.

At 13+, the school contacts families in mid-December of Year 6. The next stage is the two papers in early January, then a separate interview in January or February. The school's policy describes the interview as informal and natural, led by senior staff. You will hear by the end of February of Year 6.

A 13+ offer is unconditional, but it relies on continued good conduct and progress at prep school and an unreserved reference from the head in March of Year 8. Children not offered a place may go on a waiting list until the end of June in Year 8.

The school does not publish how long either interview lasts.

Help with fees: bursaries and scholarships

Means-tested bursaries of up to 100% of day fees are available at 11+ and 13+. A full bursary also covers uniform, travel, equipment, books and compulsory expeditions. Awards are reviewed every year. You must live inside the M25, at least one parent and the child must have lived in the UK for two continuous years, and there are immigration-status conditions.

• 11+: declare your intention when you register. Part A is due by 23 September of the year before entry, a week before registration closes. Part B follows once Pre-Test results are known, due on the third Friday of January. Home visits take place in early February.
• 13+: tell the Registrar when you register. If your child is offered a place in February of Year 6, you complete Part B by the second Friday in March.

Bursary applicants may also qualify for a waiver of admissions fees.

Fees for 2026–27, including VAT, are £11,671 a term at the Under School (Years 2 to 8) and £16,456 a term for 13+ day pupils at Westminster (£23,094 for boarders). An Under School offer needs a £3,000 deposit plus £5,000 set against the spring-term bill. A 13+ offer needs a £2,400 entrance fee and a £4,000 deposit.

Scholarships are not means-tested. The Under School offers 11+ Music Scholarships of up to 10% of fees, with free instrumental tuition, for children of at least Grade 5. At 13+ there are up to eight King's Scholarships, awarded through an exam called The Challenge, sat in mid-May of Year 8; King's Scholars must board. There are also up to eight 13+ Music Awards, each worth 10% of the day fee.

How to prepare

The school says there is no need for special preparation for the 13+ Pre-Tests, and the Under School recommends that parents avoid outside tuition. It says it looks for natural ability, freshness and eagerness to learn. Here is what its own descriptions point to.

1. Visit early. For 13+, the school recommends visiting with your child in Year 5. There are 11+ open mornings in May and September, and 13+ open days in January and April, plus a September open day for Year 6.
2. Register on time, and flag a bursary then. The Under School says it cannot accept applications after the deadline.
3. Read widely and ambitiously. The school says it is particularly interested in children with "a history of wide-ranging and ambitious reading" and an awareness of how writers use language for effect. Talk about books together.
4. Secure Key Stage 2 maths, then apply it. The school says it is particularly interested in a child's ability to apply what they have learnt to problem solving.
5. Practise short, timed writing. Forty minutes on a passage or writing task, with accurate spelling and punctuation and varied vocabulary.
6. Get used to screen-based questions. The Pre-Tests are online and sat once. The school directs families to the ISEB website for example questions.
7. Talk about what your child enjoys. At the 11+ interview, staff encourage children to talk about their genuine interests and enthusiasms.

Akiru makes prep packs one school at a time. Join the waitlist on this page and we'll email you when there's a Westminster School pack.