Are you considering Kingston Grammar School for your child? We've collated everything you need to know about applying for a place in Year 7. Learn about key dates, what's covered on the entrance exam, and how to help your child prepare.
Kingston Grammar School (KGS) is a private day school in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561, although the school’s Lovekyn Chapel can be traced back to the 13th century.
The school aims to instil students with curiosity, self-reliance, and independent critical thinking. Pupils study a broad and enriching curriculum from Year 7 before refining their choices in Year 9. Public exam results are consistently excellent and place the school within the top 1% of secondary schools in the country.
KGS has a strong tradition of theatre, art, music, and sport. There have been 28 appearances by KGS alumni at the Olympic Games (five have won gold medals), and more than 80% of pupils compete in 1,000+ sports fixtures every year. Opportunities and events in the arts include the annual Sixth Form Drama Festival, trips to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, house competitions in art, drama and dance, and regular musical concerts.
Headteacher: Stephen Lehec
Address: Kingston Grammar School, London Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 6PY
London borough: Kingston upon Thames
Age range and gender: boys and girls aged 11–18
Number of pupils: 850+
National league table rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 43
A level results: 92.5% A*–B
GCSE results: 92.2% 9–7
Admissions contact: [email protected], 020 8546 5875
Open day: Thursday 28th September and Saturday 30th September 2023. More details are available on the KGS website
Overview of selection procedure: exam, interview and school reference
Registration closes: 9th October 2023
Assessment date: 10th November 2023
The term dates at Kingston Grammar School for 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: Monday 4th September – Friday 15th December 2023
Half term: Monday 23rd October – Friday 3rd November 2023
Spring term: Monday 8th January – Friday 22nd March 2024
Half term: Monday 12th February – Friday 16th February 2024
Summer term: Tuesday 16th April – Friday 5th July 2024
Half term: Monday 27th May – Friday 31st May 2024
The current fees at Kingston Grammar School (2022–2023) are £7,395 per term. Fees include the cost of tuition, stationery, textbooks, and Personal Accident Insurance. Lunch is optional and costs £310 per term.
Kingston Grammar School welcomes applications from children at 11 plus entry whose families would not otherwise be able to afford the school fees. Means-tested financial assistance, known as bursaries, can cover up to 100% of fees. These awards are subject to a home visit, annual re-testing of parental means, and satisfactory performance and good conduct of the pupil.
Find out more about bursaries at Kingston Grammar School.
11 plus candidates may also apply for a scholarship at Kingston Grammar School. These are awarded based on talent in a particular discipline, but may not provide any financial reward.
Children may apply for an art, music or sports scholarship. Academic scholarships are invitation-only following the 11 plus exam. To apply for an 11 plus scholarship, complete the relevant application form by early October in Year 6. Assessments and auditions are held in late November.
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11 plus is the main entry point to Kingston Grammar School. Children apply from nearly 300 different schools – both state and private – and join Year 7 tutor groups of 24 children.
If you're thinking about applying to Kingston Grammar School, it's a good idea to visit first. The school will hold an 11 plus information evening and an open day in late September. The open day provides a great experience to see the school facilities, talk to current students, attend the head's presentation, and take part in a range of activities.
To start the admissions process, register your child for Year 7 entry. Registration will open at the beginning of May 2023 and will close on 9th October 2023. A non-refundable registration fee of £135 applies, but this may be waived if your child receives free school meals. If this applies to you, contact the admissions team before completing the registration form.
Kingston Grammar School will seek a reference from your child's current school after they have received your application.
Your child will then be invited to the Kingston Grammar School entrance exam, which takes place on 10th November 2023. We've included more information about the format and content of the exam below.
Children who perform well in the entrance exam will be invited to a one-to-one interview on 5th January 2024. The interview may be of a general nature to find out more about your child's interests and abilities, or with an English or maths focus (depending on your child's weaker subject, as determined by the entrance exam).
Kingston Grammar School will make offers to pupils who have performed well in the entrance exam and interview, and who have a positive reference from their current school. Offers will be posted on 8th February 2024.
If your child is offered a place in Year 7, you will have until 5th March 2024 to confirm and pay the acceptance deposit (£1,950).
The 11 plus exam for entry to Kingston Grammar School will be held on 10th November 2023. Children will take English and maths papers which are broadly based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum.
The English paper consists of three sections:
Section A: multiple-choice questions
Section B: identify and analyse quotes from a text
Section C: writing composition
Children will be tested on their ability to:
Read, understand and respond to writing
Construct and convey meaning in written language
Use correct spelling, punctuation and grammar
Follow instructions
Retrieve and convey information
Respond with imagination and sensitivity
The maths paper is non-calculator. Children will be tested on their knowledge and application of the Key Stage 2 national curriculum up to and including Level 5.
This is a non-calculator paper. Candidates will be tested in three national curriculum areas including content taught up to the end of Year 5. These areas are:
Number and algebra
Space, shape and measure
Handling data
Children will need to show that they can:
Add, subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers, decimals, and simple fractions
Show an understanding of ordering and measuring
Perform calculations involving money, time, length, area, volume, speed, and mass
Interpret statistical information presented in different formats
Kingston Grammar School is particularly competitive – each year, between 900 and 1,000 children apply for 125 places in Year 7. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the entrance exam.
It can be tempting to jump straight into practice papers to prepare for school exams. However, this is not an effective way to learn and can cause children to feel demotivated.
Your child should have a good understanding of the content they’ve been taught in Year 5 before testing their knowledge with practice papers. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when recapping content is key, as our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. Experts recommend study sessions should last no longer than 30 minutes for children aged 10–11.
Wondering how to make sure your child effectively recaps the Key Stage 2 curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!
Atom Nucleus is the award-winning school exam prep platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for entry to the UK's leading schools.
Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.
Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.
With Atom Nucleus you'll unlock online mock tests tailored to the Kingston Grammar School 11 plus exam, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.
And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.
Begin your child's journey to Kingston Grammar School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
We understand how important this next step is for them, and for you. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have about applying to Kingston Grammar School or other selective schools.
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