King’s College School Wimbledon: parents’ guide to Year 7 entry

About King's College School

King’s College School Wimbledon, known as both KCS and King's, is a private day school for boys aged 11–18 and girls aged 16–18 in Wimbledon, southwest London. It's often listed as the top boys' or co-educational school in the country based on pupils' outstanding exam results.

Pupils at King’s enjoy a fulfilling co-curricular programme. Extended lunch breaks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and no timetabled subjects on Friday afternoons allow pupils to nurture existing interests and enjoy new challenges. There is a significant investment in music, sport and drama, with outdoor pursuits including the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and Duke of Edinburgh Award. King's also has an extensive outreach programme – there are partnerships with over 20 state schools and pupils get involved in weekly projects within the local community.

King's has an excellent record of achieving university success. In the last seven years, almost 25% of leavers have secured places at Oxford and Cambridge universities and many more on to study at top destinations in North America, including Brown, Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, and Yale.

• Headteacher: Dr Anne Cotton

• Address: King’s College School, Southside, Wimbledon Common, London SW19 4TT

• London borough: Merton

• Age range and gender: 11–18 (boys 11–18, girls 16–18)

• Number of pupils: 1,100+

• National league table rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 3

• A level results: 99.3% A*–B

• GCSE results: 97.7% 9–7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

• Admissions contact: [email protected], 020 8255 5329

• Open day: 14th June 2023. More details are available on the school website

• Overview of selection procedure: entrance exam, interview and school reference

• Registration closes: 31st October 2023

• Assessment date: early December 2023

King's College School admissions process

If you're thinking about registering your son for a place at King's, it's a good idea to visit the school in person first at an open event. This is a great way to familiarise yourself with the school, see the facilities available, talk to current staff and pupils, and find out more about the admissions process.

We also recommend talking to your child's current teacher first before beginning an application. King's is a highly selective and competitive school, with around 10 applicants per place. Children who are offered places are normally working at the very top ability range in their year group.

1. Register for Year 7 entry

To begin your child's application for entry at 11 plus, complete the online registration form before 31st October when they are in Year 6.

You will also need to upload scans of your son's passport, a photograph of your son, his end of Year 5 report and a brief outline of his academic and co-curricular interests and achievements. A non-refundable registration payment of £150 is required.

2. Entrance exam

Your son will be invited to the King's College School 11 plus entrance exam in December when he is in Year 6. We've outlined more details about the entrance exam below.

3. Interview

Boys who perform well in the entrance exam will be shortlisted and invited back for an interview in January. Interviewers will be looking at your son's academic nature, personal qualities, and ability to make an all-round contribution to life at the school. This is a great opportunity for your child to discuss his interests and ask any questions he might have about King's.

Read our top tips for private school interviews

4. Offers

King's will email you in mid-February to let you know whether your son has been offered a place. You will then have until early March to accept.

All boys who are offered places in Year 7 will be invited to an induction day in the summer term so that they can meet their teachers and other pupils in their year group before starting in September.

How to prepare for entry to King's College School

Here are Atom's top tips for helping prepare your son for King's College School entrance exam.

Preparation is key: familiarisation with the question formats and known styles ahead of the exam is essential. Access to quality King's College School mock tests ensures confidence when tackling the exam.

Achieve mastery quickly: school entrance exams are designed to identify the children working at the very top of the ability range in their year group, so they assess a huge amount of content. Atom's adaptive algorithm creates your child's personalised learning journey specific to your target schools, with over 90,000 expert, teacher-created resources to support your child to fully master each topic.

Access to instant support: learners need clarification to address any misconceptions and become truly secure in their understanding of a topic. Access to videos, help sheets and engaging examples for each question builds confidence and competence in all areas covered in the exam.

Engage with their progress: celebrate their improvements in their areas of challenge together! An accurate, ongoing assessment of your child’s strengths and development areas is instrumental for preparing efficiently. Atom's Parent Portal gives you data-driven insights into your child’s areas of strength and development.

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