Key Facts
| Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield | 4+: about 36 children join two Reception classes; 7+: about 8 to 10 new places; applications in the autumn before entry, assessments in January (Source: https://www.alleyns.org.uk/admissions/admissions-to-our-junior-schools) |
|---|---|
| Westminster Under School occasional places | Availability by year group is published each year; places start in September only (Source: https://www.westminster.org.uk/admissions/occasional-places-westminster-under-school/) |
| Highgate entry points | 4+, 7+, 11+, 16+ and occasional places (Source: https://www.highgateschool.org.uk/admissions/) |
| Latymer Prep School 7+ papers | English Comprehension 45 minutes, Creative Writing 35 minutes, Maths 40 minutes; interview for selected children the week after (Source: https://www.latymerprep.org/admissions/preparing-for-assessment) |
| UCS Junior Branch 7+ | Main entry point; about 60 boys join three classes, roughly half from the Pre-Prep; January assessment lasts about three hours (Source: https://www.ucs.org.uk/admissions/admissions-process/year-3/) |
| Highgate Junior School 7+ tests | Written tests in English and Mathematics of 50 minutes each (Source: https://www.highgateschool.org.uk/junior-school/admissions-7/) |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
8+ and 9+ entry at London prep schools follows each school's own pattern, because the standard entry points at the schools checked are 4+, 7+, 9+ and 11+, with Year 4 usually handled through occasional places or a small number of schools' own 8+ routes. Where a school publishes a 9+ assessment, it can be read in advance on the admissions page, and the same page is the place to look for any 8+ route.
Year 3 and Year 4 parents who missed 7+ usually need to establish three things for each school on their list: the next formal entry point, whether Year 4 places exist at all, and what the assessment at that point contains. The schools differ on all three, and a page that does not mention a route is worth a direct question to the admissions office before any plan is made.
Which entry points do London prep schools use?
The schools checked use 4+, 7+, 9+ and 11+ as formal entry points, and the mix differs from school to school. Westminster Under School lists 4+ (Reception), 7+ (Year 3) and 11+ (Year 7) as its standard entry points and does not actively recruit outside them. Highgate School lists 4+ for Pre-Prep, 7+ for the Junior School, 11+ for the Senior School, 16+ for the Sixth Form and occasional places. Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield welcome annual applicants at 4+, 7+ and 9+.
Latymer Prep School is academically selective for girls and boys aged 7 to 11, with 7+ entry into Year 3. University College School Junior Branch gives 7+ (Year 3) as its main point of entry and says it is not necessary to apply for a son at birth. None of these pages lists 8+ as a standard entry point, so a Year 4 child's route is usually an occasional place or, at a small number of schools, an 8+ route published on the school's own page.
What does a 9+ assessment contain?
Where a school publishes one, the 9+ assessment is a set of papers in English (comprehension and creative writing), mathematics and spatial reasoning, with selected candidates invited back for interviews. Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield state that the assessment process and the standard required are the same at both schools, so a candidate who wants to be considered at both sits the assessment at one location, through one registration process, and places are allocated by school preference. Sample papers are published for 9+.
Applications for each entry point are made in the autumn of the year before entry, assessments take place in January, and the school writes to the candidate's current headteacher for a report. The other pages checked describe 7+ and occasional-place procedures and do not describe a 9+ assessment, so a parent looking at those schools should ask what, if anything, they offer at 9+.
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Enquire about this tutorHow do occasional places work?
An occasional place is a vacancy outside the formal entry points, and Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield describe it as arising when a current pupil leaves. The schools invite children for assessment and/or interview as appropriate, and parents register interest through an online form. A candidate on the vacancy list is contacted for a fresh assessment if a place becomes available before the next formal assessment point.
Westminster Under School says it occasionally has places for pupils to join, with availability published year by year and differing by year group; for the cohorts it lists, some year groups have none and Years 4, 5 and 6 may have availability. Step 1 is an email to the Registrar giving the child's current school, most recent school report and any standardised results such as CATs, and the school does not contact the current school at this stage.
If a place becomes firmly available, step 2 includes a recent school report, electronic testing possibly followed by written tests in English and Mathematics taken in person and resembling work done by current pupils, a school tour and interview with a senior member of staff, and a reference from the current headteacher. The child must be of an academically equal standard to current pupils and suited to a stimulating, questioning, fast-paced environment.
Highgate School says that, depending on pupil numbers, it sometimes offers additional places into selected year groups during the academic year. Latymer Prep School says it does not generally hold formal occasional place assessment days. The three approaches differ, so each school's own page needs reading separately.
How can parents find out whether a school has an 8+ route?
The school's own admissions page is the place to look, searching for 8+, Year 4 and occasional places, since the pages checked here do not list 8+ among their standard entry points. A short sequence of steps usually settles the question.
A page that does not mention an 8+ route gives no reason to assume one exists and no reason to assume one does not, so the admissions office is the final check.
- Read the list of formal entry points on the admissions page.
- Search the page for 8+, Year 4, occasional places and vacancies.
- Look for a year-by-year availability notice, the format Westminster Under School uses for its occasional places.
- If the page is silent, email the registrar or admissions office with your child's year group and current school and ask directly.
What if my child did not receive a 7+ offer?
A child without a 7+ offer still has three things to look at: any waiting list, occasional places, and the next formal entry point at each school. Alleyn's says some candidates who are not offered a place may be placed on a waiting list and reconsidered on their assessment results if a vacancy arises. The list remains active until the September after the assessments, when remaining candidates can join the occasional vacancy list.
Westminster Under School says children who sat the 7+ or 8+ there normally must sit the 11+ instead, so a school's own rule on repeat applications can narrow the options and is worth asking about before applying again.
- Ask each school whether a waiting list operates and how long it stays active.
- Register interest in occasional places where the school offers that route, following the steps on its page.
- Note the next formal entry point on each school's page, which may be 9+ or 11+.
- Keep the most recent school report and any standardised results such as CATs, since schools ask for them.
What should parents check on each school's page?
Each admissions page states who may apply, how, and what the child sits, and the points below are the ones where the pages checked differ. University College School Junior Branch's page does not mention a reasoning paper or a formal interview and gives no specific preparation guidance, an example of silence worth a question to the school.
Registration routes also vary: an online portal at University College School Junior Branch, an online form for occasional vacancies at Alleyn's, and an email to the Registrar at Westminster Under School.
- The formal entry points and whether Year 4 appears at all.
- Whether the school asks the current headteacher for a report or reference, as Alleyn's, University College School Junior Branch, Highgate Junior School and Westminster Under School each describe.
- The papers or tests listed, and whether sample or exemplar papers are published.
- Whether selected candidates are invited back for an interview or a second assessment.
- How and when to notify the school of access arrangements.
- The sibling policy and the waiting list rules.
- Joining dates and required documents, including the proof that a child can live and study in the UK that Westminster Under School asks for.
Where does one-to-one help fit?
One-to-one help is one option some families use alongside school and home practice, and the schools checked give varying guidance on preparation. Latymer Prep School advises low-key parental preparation, with the child's routine kept as normal as possible and favourite activities maintained for wellbeing, which its page sums up as a need for balance; the page gives no advice about tutoring.
Highgate Junior School suggests practising with its published sample English and Maths questions and watching the explanatory video it sends together with your child, and says it aims to make the day as fun and stress-free as possible.
For one-to-one preparation for a Year 4 assessment, read about our 8+ entrance exam tutors, or tell us about your child and the schools on your list and we will reply with tutor recommendations.
Related guides
- 8+ entrance exam tutors
- 7+ tutors for English, maths and reasoning
- 8+ exam: format, schools and preparation
- Occasional places at prep schools
- 7+ or wait for 11+
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Frequently asked questions
- Does having a sibling at the school help at 9+?
- Alleyn's says it does not offer automatic places to siblings. Where candidates have achieved a similar level of performance, priority where possible goes to the sibling of a current pupil. The page is specific to Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield, so a parent applying elsewhere should check the sibling wording on that school's own admissions page.
- Will the school tell me how my child performed?
- Latymer Prep School states that it gives no written or verbal feedback on a child's performance or ranking on any paper, and that all candidates are told by email whether they are invited to interview. Other schools may handle this differently, so asking the admissions office about feedback before the assessment avoids surprises afterwards.
- What if my child has a learning difference?
- Alleyn's asks parents who know or suspect a disability, language or learning difference to notify the school in writing at registration so that access arrangements can be made. Latymer Prep School gives access arrangements to children with diagnosed special educational needs, which parents must notify during registration. Check the equivalent wording on any other school's page.
- Can my child join part-way through a school year?
- Westminster Under School states that pupils join only in September and that children do not join mid-year. That is one school's rule, and timing is a point to ask about at every school, because an occasional place can follow a different calendar from the formal entry points.
- Can parents appeal if their child is not offered a place?
- Alleyn's states that decisions on places are final, with no right of appeal. The wording covers Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield. Each school sets its own position, so the admissions page of every school on your list should be read for any appeal or review procedure before the assessment.
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