ADMISSIONS AT 13+ for September 2029
KEY DATES FOR 13+ ENTRY SEPTEMBER 2029 Monday 2nd November 2026 Wednesday 18th November 2026
Pre-test for entry at 13+ (am)
Monday 11th January 2027
Interview invitations emailed
Thursday 14th January 2027
Interviews for selected candidates
Friday 15th January 2027
Interviews for selected candidates
Saturday 16th January 2027
Interviews for selected candidates
Friday 12th February 2027
Results emailed
Early February 2028 May 2029 September 2029
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Bursary application deadline
Saturday 5th December 2026
Monday 1st March 2027
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Registration deadline
ADMISSIONS AT 13+
Deadline for accepting conditional offers Deposit to confirm acceptance of conditional place King’s Academic Scholarship examinations Join the fourth form (year 9) at King’s College School
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How do I register my child for the 13+ pre-test? On the 13+ admissions page of our website, select 'How to register' and complete the online registration form. As part of the registration process you will be asked to upload scans of the photo page of your child’s passport, a passport-style photo, the end of year 5 school report (when available) and brief outlines of their academic and cocurricular interests and achievements (maximum 100 words per section). What is the registration fee? The registration fee of £210 can either be paid by debit or credit card as part of the online registration process. If you feel that you may have difficulty in meeting the registration payment, please advise the admissions team who may be able to help. My child stayed down a year as they were born in July. Can I still register them? We do not permit pupils to register who are outside of their chronological age group unless there are exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the school.
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If my child is offered a place at 13+ can they exchange it for a place at 11+ instead? Unfortunately this is not possible. We test pupils for places in year 7 (entry at 11+) and in year 9 (entry at 13+) when they are in year 6. When we make year 9 conditional offers to some pupils for September 2029, we will also make offers to other pupils for entry to year 7 in 2027, so there would be no places available. My child has been registered to take tests at other schools around the same time as the King's tests. Can I choose a different day? Unfortunately we do not have an alternative date. Our test day is Saturday 5th December 2026. How many places do you have available at 13+ and how many pupils normally take the pre-test each year? We have about 20-25 places available for candidates from outside schools to join year 9. Last year we had about 220 pre-test candidates.
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How many pupils from year 8 join year 9 each year? Approximately 140 pupils from our year 8 will join year 9 to make a year group of about 160-165. Do overseas residents need to travel to Wimbledon to take the tests and interviews? Candidates who are currently living overseas and applying for entry in September 2029 will need to travel to King's for the tests. In order to avoid unnecessary travel, overseas candidates will be interviewed at King's on Friday 4th December 2026, in advance of the tests on Saturday 5th December 2026. As a family we do not have British passports. May I still register my child? As part of the registration process you will be asked whether your child is a British or Irish citizen. If not, you will be asked for your family's visa status. We require each child to have the right to reside and study in the United Kingdom. The school does not sponsor pupils under the Child Student Visa Scheme.
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My child skipped a year and is in a year group ahead of their age. Can they still be registered? In the case of a child who is young for their year it is usually possible to register them but they cannot take the tests again the following year if unsuccessful at their first attempt. The admissions office should be contacted in the first instance. My child gets extra time for their exams at their current school. Can they have extra time for the King’s entry test? At King’s, the concessions available to entrance test candidates are in line with the guidance outlined by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Please read our Entrance Exams Concessions policy for more information. If your child has a learning need you will be asked to upload a specialist report, at registration, which must be less than two years old. You will also be asked to supply a letter from your child's school to confirm their normal way of working, for example whether they have the use of a word processor or extra time. Our head of learning enrichment (SENCO) will use the information supplied to make a decision about any exam concessions or access arrangements available to your child.
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What does the pre-test consist of? There are three sections to the pre-test: English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning. How is the pre-test different from the 11+ test? It is not different – it is exactly the same test. Do you have past papers of these tests? While we don't supply past papers, we do post English and Maths specimen papers on our website in the autumn term. The specimen papers are intended to be a guide to the form of that year's tests. How can my child apply for a 13+ academic scholarship? Since candidates taking the pre-test will only be joining us 2.5 years later, scholarships are not awarded at the entrance test stage. Academic, Music, Sport, Art and Drama scholarship assessments and auditions are held in the spring and summer terms of year 8.
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ADMISSIONS AT 13+
I don't think I can afford the fees. Do you provide support for families on lower incomes? As part of the registration process you will be asked if you wish to apply for a bursary for your child. We have a good deal of information about financial assistance at King’s which you may find helpful. The deadline for applying for a bursary is Wednesday 18th November 2026. Can I see if my child is offered a place before applying for a bursary? Unfortunately that is not possible. You can only apply for a bursary at the time of registration. We cannot consider applications at a later stage. What is the pass mark for your entrance test? There is no specific pass mark. Once we have looked at the test results and considered the supporting information we have for each candidate, we invite around 40% back for an interview.
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS My child can be rather quiet and shy. If they are invited for an interview, how can I prepare them? We really prefer pupils not to be prepared for the interviews as we want them to relax and just be themselves. We have a very kind and experienced team of interviewers who know how to put the candidates at ease and to get the best out of them. Do most of the candidates in year 9 live in the Wimbledon area? Pupils join us from many areas of south west London and beyond. Our network of coaches currently has pickups from as far afield as Banstead to the south, and St John’s Wood to the north, although many pupils of course do live in the wider Wimbledon area. Please take a look at our Travelling to King's brochure to learn more.
Do you have many clubs? Pupils are offered a wide range of cocurricular activities each term with an enormous and varied choice of clubs and societies. What languages are taught in year 9? All pupils in year 9 learn French, which is a compulsory GCSE subject. They also start a second language from a choice of Spanish, German and Mandarin. These languages may be taken forward as a GCSE option. Is it essential to study Latin? All pupils study Latin in year 9 and many take it on to GCSE.
Is rugby compulsory in year 9? The school provides a ‘free-choice’ games programme in all three terms, with a wide variety of activities available. However, we would normally expect a pupil to choose their strongest sport in each term in order to ensure maximum participation in our core sports (rugby, football, hockey, tennis). We also offer non-contact rugby as an option for pupils who want to stay with the core sport in the autumn term.
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ADMISSIONS AT 13+
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
ADDITIONAL 13+ ASSESSMENTS, YEAR 8 Why have you introduced an additional 13+ assessment in year 8? We are keen to offer additional opportunities for pupils to join King’s rather than closing the door after the 13+ pre-test in year 6.
Selected candidates will then be invited back to King's in October for an interview with an experienced member of staff.
Who will be eligible to sit the year 8 assessment? • Pupils not offered a place after the 13+ pre-test, who have made exceptional progress by the end of year 7, with their head teacher's support. • Pupils who did not sit the 13+ pre-test, whose head teacher feels they would be a strong candidate for King’s. • All pupils who have been placed on the waiting list following the 13+ pre-test in year 6.
Will any offers be made to pupils on the waiting list before the year 8 assessment? We do not plan to make offers from the waiting list before this time.
Can a pupil sit the year 8 assessment if they previously sat the 11+ entry tests at King’s? The year 8 assessment will not be available to a pupil who has already taken the King’s 11+ entry tests. When will the year 8 assessment take place and what will it entail? The assessment will take place in the autumn term of year 8. Pupils will sit three age-appropriate written papers in English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning towards the end of September. 7
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ADMISSIONS AT 13+
All candidates will need to sit the tests in person at King's.
Will my child still need to sit the 13+ pre-test in year 6? Sitting the 13+ pre-test in year 6 would still be the usual starting point for 13+ entry to year 9 and the time at which we will have the most places to offer. When will these offers be made? We will write to all candidates in October to confirm the outcomes. For those offered a place, a non-refundable deposit would need to be paid to secure the place by a given date in November of year 8. How many places will be available following the year 8 assessment? We do not have a set number of places available. We will be able to give a clearer indication of this prior to the year 8 assessment.
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
ADDITIONAL 13+ ASSESSMENTS, YEAR 8 If offered a place following the year 8 assessment, can my child still apply for a 13+ academic scholarship? Yes, if your child is offered a place, we will be in touch with you and your school with further information on our academic scholarship process in the December of year 8. The academic scholarship exams will take place in the summer term of year 8 and the outcomes will be communicated shortly thereafter. Any scholarships awarded would be in addition to your child’s offer. Will my child be able to apply for one of your scholarships (Art, Drama, Music and/or Sport) if offered a place following the year 8 assessment? Yes, our scholarship assessments take place in the spring term of year 8, therefore all pupils holding offers at that stage will be able to apply, if they wish to do so. When do I need to register my child for the year 8 assessment? Registration will open in the spring term of year 7 and will close towards the end of the summer term. Exact dates will be published on the Late assessment tab on our 13+ admissions page of our website.
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ADMISSIONS AT 13+
Will I need to re-register my child if they have previously sat the 13+ pre-test? All candidates for the year 8 assessment will need to register and pay the relevant registration fee, except for those holding a waiting list place following the pre-test in year 6. When will the next year 8 assessment take place? The next year 8 assessment will take place in September 2026 and will be for those pupils looking to gain 13+ entry into year 9 in September 2027. All pupils who sat our 13+ pre-test in December 2024 whose names have been put on the 2027 waiting list will automatically be eligible to sit the test as well as others who fit the eligibility criteria set out in this booklet. How can I express my interest in registering my child for the year 8 assessment? If your child is currently in year 7 and is looking to sit our year 8 assessment in September 2026 (for entry into year 9 in September 2027), please complete the Expression of Interest form which will be available on the Late assessment tab on our 13+ admissions page of our website from March 2026. If you are interested in our year 8 assessment for entry in 2028, please email us at admissions@kcs.org.uk.
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
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ADMISSIONS AT 13+
KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, WIMBLEDON
King’s College School Southside Wimbledon Common London SW19 4TT 020 8255 5342 admissions@kcs.org.uk kcs.org.uk