16+ entry

WHOLE SCHOOL OPEN MORNING - SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 

The best way to find out what makes King's such a fun and exciting place to learn is to attend an open event and meet some of our staff and pupils, while exploring the campus and finding out more about the exciting opportunities available here.

Join us for our whole school open morning on Saturday 13^th September.  Families interested in joining our junior or senior school will have the opportunity to attend presentations by our Head, Dr Anne Cotton, the junior school headmaster, Mr Ted Lougher, and senior members of the school. Our pupils will take you on a guided tour of the campus and share their favourite activities and features of the school. Our friendly staff, including the admissions team, will be available to answer any questions you might have.

Book your place here

16+ OPEN EVENINGS - THURSDAY 18th SEPTEMBER AND THURSDAY 2nd OCTOBER

Our 16+ open evenings are for families of pupils who will be in year 11 in September who are interested in entry into our sixth form in September 2026. Coming to an open evening is a great way to familiarise yourself with King's and to find out more about our school. During the evening, there will be a tour of our school led by our current sixth formers. There will be an opportunity to talk informally to subject specialists, the sixth form team and admissions staff. The evening will end with a presentation by our Head, Dr Anne Cotton, and the head of our sixth form, Mr Tom Attenborough. 

We would be delighted to welcome you to one of the following 16+ open evenings in the Autumn term:

Book your place here

Visiting the school

It is likely that the first step you will take is to arrange to visit the school.  We are always delighted to welcome you here and you will find the opportunities available for visits on the Visiting and Open Events page.

REGISTRATION

Age ranges applicable to each entry cycle:

Registration for candidates who wish to be considered for a place at King’s College School begins the year before entry. We recommend that you register at the end of Year 10 or the start of year 11, no later than the deadline, which is in early October of year 11 (see 'key dates' for the precise deadline).

Please note that King’s currently only accepts applications from students who are British or Irish citizens, or who can demonstrate that they are dependants of people legally entitled to live in the UK for the duration of their study at King’s. The School does not sponsor pupils under the Child Student Visa Scheme.  In line with the Equality Act 2010 and the school's Admissions Policy, applications are welcomed from all candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability or special educational need. 

As part of the registration process you will complete an online application form for your child to take the 16+ tests and give us permission to contact their head teacher for a confidential reference.  Your child will also have the chance to tell us a little about their interests and achievements and will be asked to upload a copy of their end of year 10 report.  Further information, including a link to the registration form, can be found under 'how to register'.

16+ SCHOLARSHIPS

Academic, Art, Drama, Music and Sport scholarships are available for year 12 entrants. Please see the 16+ Scholarships section for further details and application forms.

Financial Assistance with School Costs

You may want to apply for a place at King’s but are worried about being able to pay the fees. King’s is committed to widening access to the school and during the registration process you will be asked if you would like to apply for a bursary (assistance with fees). More information about bursaries can be found on the Financial Assistance with School Costs page.

THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS

All registered candidates are given a formal assessment in the second half of the autumn term when they are in Year 11. Candidates sit written tests in English, Mathematics and a General paper. 

Mathematics paper (50 mins):
The test will be restricted to core material commonly covered during the first year of a two-year course leading to higher tier GCSE. Basic skills, primarily in algebra, will be assessed. More extensive topics that might require some revision will not be assessed.

English paper (50 mins):
The English paper will consist of a choice of extended writing questions. The questions will be based on the skills included in English Language (I)GCSE qualifications.

General paper (40 mins):
The General paper is a multiple choice paper that tests comprehension, critical thinking, reasoning and problem-solving skills. 

The tests are highly competitive, there is no standard grade mark to pass and no past papers available. Candidates are not expected to revise in preparation for the tests as we aim to assess innate ability.

DISABILITY, SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS, MEDICAL CONDITION OR ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL  LANGUAGE

In line with the Equality Act 2010, exam concessions may be available for candidates with a specific learning difficulty, disability, or long term medical condition, or for candidates for whom English is an Additional Language.  Please follow this link for more information on the Entrance Exam Concessions Policy. If the candidate has any physical disability, long-term medical condition or specific learning difficulty, you will need to supply details as part of the online registration process. We also ask for information about the applicant’s first language. 

INTERVIEWS

Candidates who qualify through the written tests are invited for three 15-minute interviews at King's in mid-November; two will be subject based from the choices noted on the registration form and the third will be a general interview.

Candidates not being invited for interviews will be notified of that at the same time.

OFFERS

Offers are made in early December of the year before entry and are generally unconditional, although we reserve the right to specify one or more required grades in certain cases. When considering candidates, we look very carefully at their entry tests, references and school reports, and interviews if applicable, to try to give as fair an assessment as possible.

A PLACE AT KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL

You will need to confirm your acceptance of the place by returning the correct forms and paying a deposit of one half of a term's school fees. The deposit for pupils joining us in the lower sixth in September 2026 will be £4,752.

Registration for 16+ entry in September 2026 is now open. Please click on the following link to complete our online registration form:

16+ entry for 2026 - registration form

Please note that King’s currently only accepts applications from students who are British or Irish citizens, or who can demonstrate that they are dependants of people legally entitled to live in the UK for the duration of their study at King’s. The School does not sponsor pupils under the Child Student Visa Scheme.  In line with the Equality Act 2010 and the school's Admissions Policy, applications are welcomed from all candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability or special educational need. 

Registration is via an online registration form. You will be asked to upload a scan of the pupil's end of Year 10 school report, information on any public examinations already taken, a scan of the photo page of the pupil's passport and a passport-style photo. Candidates will also be asked to complete three sections about their achievements, their passions and why they wish to study the subjects they have specified, at King's.

We recommend you have all the above information to hand before beginning. You will also be asked to make an online payment (by debit or credit card ) of the registration fee of £210 (inclusive of VAT)*.  If you feel you may have difficulty in meeting the registration payment, please contact the admissions office who may be able to help.

Once the registration has been processed and added to our database, you will receive a confirmation by email from the admissions team and further information on the entry tests.  

If you need further advice, or would prefer to pay by BACS, please contact the admissions office: sixthformadmissions@kcs.org.uk or 020 8255 5329.

*As per the terms and conditions, the registration fee is non-refundable. The only exception is where we are unable for any reason to accept your registration, in which case a refund of the fee will be made.

For candidates born between 1^st September 2009 and 31^st August 2010.

King's offers a number of academic and co-curricular scholarships for students in our co-educational sixth form. Scholarships are awarded following competitive assessments and recognise pupils with exceptional talent.  Although the monetary value of our awards is modest, the receipt of a King’s scholarship is a significant accolade.

The school offers means-tested bursaries worth up to 100% of the school fees for those candidates whose academic potential has been demonstrated in the entrance examinations, but who would otherwise be unable to take up the place. For further information, please refer to the Financial Assistance with School Costs page..

ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS

The prestigious Rossetti and Fawcett academic scholarships are awarded to pupils who perform exceptionally well in the entrance examinations and interviews. There is no need to apply for these as they are awarded automatically as part of the admissions process.

CO-CURRICULAR SCHOLARSHIPS

There are four types of co-curricular scholarship available at 16+: art, drama, music and sport. All of these have a separate application process.

Music scholarships are assessed during the 16+ admissions process whilst art, drama and sport scholarships are assessed in the spring term once candidates have been offered a place at the school. To give you a flavour of these scholarships and what the process involves, information can be viewed by clicking on the links below.

download the 16+ scholarship brochure 2026

MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS

Please find below further information about our music scholarships as well as the application form:

16+ music scholarship information sheet - 2026

16+ music scholarship application form - 2026    

We welcome applications from pupils studying overseas, but please note that King’s is a day school and does not offer boarding facilities.  King’s currently only accepts applications from students who are British or Irish citizens, or who can demonstrate that they are dependants of people legally entitled to live in the UK for the duration of their study at King’s. The School does not sponsor pupils under the Child Student Visa Scheme.  In line with the Equality Act 2010 and the school's Admissions Policy, applications are welcomed from all candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability or special educational need. 

The entry tests

Overseas candidates will be required to travel to King’s to sit our entry tests. 

Please click on the 'Entry process’ tab for information about the structure and content of the entry tests.  

The tests are highly competitive, there is no standard grade mark to pass and no past papers available. We prefer pupils not to prepare for the tests as we aim to assess innate ability. The exception to this, for some overseas pupils, is the Mathematics test as this focuses on algebra which is not always studied in such depth as it is in the UK.

The following advice is only for international students not following the UK curriculum.  

• The advice is intended to indicate the broad level of ability expected, NOT the content of the entrance test.
• This is not intended to give guidance on the curriculum coverage we would hope for from an overseas candidate

Mathematics 

The head of maths gives the following advice: We test basic skills, primarily in algebra. No calculator is allowed. Regarding text books, the algebra section of any GCSE textbook or revision guide will be fine. If you would like a specific suggestion, you could try “IGCSE Mathematics Practice for Edexcel” by Johnson and Clough. This will give an idea of the algebraic knowledge that will be assumed, although some of the questions on the test will be more searching.

You may find it useful to try the question paper below. As a guide, a candidate who is likely to fit the academic profile of the school would be expected to achieve a mark of 80% on those questions that they have studied.

• iGCSE Mathematics higher tier sample paper
• Mark scheme

English 

As a minimum requirement, candidates would be expected to be at IELTS level 6. The following is a list of appropriate texts that a typical overseas candidate applying for Sixth Form entry at King’s would be able to read confidently, either independently or in the context of a school English course.

Prose
Maya Angelou – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights
George Eliot – Silas Marner
F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby
William Golding – Lord of the Flies
Susan Hill – The Woman in Black / I’m the King of the Castle
Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
Lloyd Jones – Mr Pip
Harper Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird
George Orwell – 1984
J.D. Salinger – The Catcher in the Rye
Mary Shelley – Frankenstein
Robert Louis Stevenson – The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Drama
Arthur Miller – The Crucible
JB Priestley – An Inspector Calls
Shakespeare – Macbeth / Romeo and Juliet / The Merchant of Venice
R.C. Sherriff – Journey’s End
Dylan Thomas – Under Milk Wood
Oscar Wilde – The Importance of Being Earnest

Poetry
Simon Armitage – Hitcher
Gillian Clarke – Catrin
Carol Ann Duffy – Valentine
Thomas Hardy – The Convergence of the Twain
Seamus Heaney – Death of a Naturalist
Gerard Manley Hopkins – Spring
Ted Hughes – Pike
Philip Larkin – An Arundel Tomb
Percy Bysshe Shelley – Ozymandias
Alfred Lord Tennyson – The Lady of Shalott
William Wordsworth – Sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge Sept. 3 1802

Interviews

Overseas candidates who qualify through the written tests are invited for three online interviews at King's in mid-November; two will be subject based from the choices noted on the registration form and the third will be a general interview.  Each will last for approximately 15 minutes.

Candidates not being invited for interviews will be notified of that at the same time.