The King Alfred School 4+, 11+ and 16+ Admissions: Assessment, Bursaries and Fees

The King Alfred School admissions process starts with an application form and a non-refundable registration fee for one of three main entry points: Reception at 4+, Year 7 at 11+ and Year 12 at 16+. Year 7 entry rests on a CEM test in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, mathematics tests and a creative task, followed by a second assessment day and a short interview with the family, whilst the school states that there are no entrance exams in the early years.

Registration for Year 7 closes at the end of September of Year 6, and the school publishes Reception and Year 12 closing dates each year. The sections below set out each stage in order, from the waiting list through to offers, bursaries and fees, so that you can match your child's preparation to the format they will meet.

Entry points and places

The school admits children at three main entry points, with Reception at age 4 as the largest and Year 7 at 11+ and Year 12 at 16+ as additional places. Reception has 40 places across two classes of 20, and the sixth form takes up to 30 new external students each year. The admissions pages publish no number of places for Year 7, so the admissions office is the place to ask.

Occasional places can open in most other year groups, with the exception of Year 11 and Year 13, and families join a waiting list through the Occasional Places application form. When a vacancy arises, the next child on the relevant list visits for between half a day and two days, depending on age, and completes assessments set by the school. Parents meet the Head of Lower or Upper School, and Upper School applicants also have a pastoral interview.

King Alfred runs from Reception to Year 13 through a Lower School and an Upper School, and pupils finishing Year 11 move on into its Sixth Form. The pages name no feeder or partner schools, and the school says families travel to it from across London.

• Reception (4+): 40 places, waiting list, group visits
• Year 7 (11+): CEM test, two assessment days, family interview
• Year 12 (16+): up to 30 external places, interview day
• Occasional places: most years except Year 11 and Year 13

How the 11+ assessment works

The 11+ assessment for Year 7 is a three-stage process that normally begins with an initial assessment day in the autumn term of Year 6, made up of a CEM test in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, mathematics tests and a creative task. Applicants are ranked on their performance and a shortlist is produced. The admissions policy adds that assessment at every entry point except Reception includes maths and English exercises at an age-appropriate level.

Shortlisted applicants return for a second assessment day of small group interviews, team-building exercises and a creative writing task, and the published key dates show that 35 to 40 applicants are invited to this stage. Applicants with a sibling at the school are always invited to the second day, although a sibling place is never guaranteed. The last stage is a short interview with the applicant and parents, after which a final list is produced and places are offered in January.

The school describes its process as holistically selective, because it must be sure it can support the needs of new students, and its acceptance criteria include maintaining a mixed ability range. Applicants who need extra time, a laptop or another arrangement can ask for it, provided a recommendation from a school or relevant professional supports the request.

• Stage 1: CEM verbal and non-verbal reasoning, mathematics tests and a creative task
• Stage 2: small group interviews, team-building exercises and creative writing
• Stage 3: short interview with the applicant and parents

11+ tutors

Hannah

Master Tutor

11+ PreparationCommon Entrance PreparationCreative WritingCritical Thinking

I am a UK-qualified teacher with 15+ years across private and state schools in the UK and abroad, and hold a BSc from LSE and a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, 11+ and Common Entrance preparation. My approach is personalised, confidence-building and rigorous.

Enquire about this tutor

Sochima

Master Tutor

11+ PreparationBiologyChemistryComputer Science

I'm a qualified teacher in a London classroom every day, with a BSc in Computer Science from Brunel and a PGCE with QTS. I teach Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science to A-Level, plus 11+ preparation, through project-based work that suits SEND learners well.

Enquire about this tutor

Robert

Master Tutor

11+ PreparationBiologyChemistryEconomics

I am a qualified teacher with over twenty years' experience in the UK, Gulf and New Zealand, holding an MA in History and PGCE. I teach English, History, Geography and French from KS2 to A-Level and IB, preparing 11+/13+ candidates. My approach is student-led, focused and diagnostic.

Enquire about this tutor

See all tutors

How Reception entry at 4+ works

Reception entry at 4+ has no entrance exam and runs through a waiting list followed by a school visit. The admissions page states that the date of registration in relation to the child's date of birth is an important consideration, and the policy lists the period between birth and registration as an acceptance criterion for 4+ entry.

In the autumn term before Reception, the first 40 children on the waiting list, ranked by their age when registered, are invited to visit in small groups, and their parents are invited to a talk with the Head of Lower School. The policy describes the visit as generally lasting about 90 minutes. Reserve group visits take place in the spring term before entry, and places are offered after the visits until all 40 have been accepted.

Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration means completing the application form for the relevant entry point and paying a non-refundable registration fee, which the Year 7 form waives for families who have registered with the school within the previous three years. The child is then added to the waiting list, which the school states does not guarantee a place. Year 7 registration closes at the end of September of Year 6, and Reception and Year 12 closing dates are published each year.

The Year 7 form asks for an upload of the Year 5 school report, together with any health, access arrangement or SEN support documents that apply. Families who want a bursary tick a box on the same form at registration, since interest is not accepted in any other way.

• Step 1: complete the application form and pay the registration fee
• Step 2: the child joins the waiting list for the year of entry
• Step 3: assessment, which is a group visit for Reception, two assessment days for Year 7 and an interview day for Year 12
• Step 4: offers, which are made after the Reception visits, in January for Year 7 and typically in December or January for the sixth form
• Step 5: acceptance by the date on the offer letter, with a deposit equal to one term's fee, returned after the final term once any unpaid charges are settled

Interviews and references

Interviews feature at Year 7 and Year 12, and a reference from the current school is requested for applicants who reach assessment. At Year 7 the second assessment day includes small group interviews and the final stage is a short interview with the child and parents. At Reception, parents attend a talk with the Head of Lower School. The policy also mentions completed reference and safeguarding forms from the child's current school.

Across the process the school says it looks at how responsive a child is to teachers and classmates, how well they will integrate, how they respond to schoolwork and work independently, and whether they can cooperate and negotiate in an environment that gives wide freedom and encourages responsibility. Parents are asked to disclose any special educational needs, pastoral concerns and external agencies involved, and the application form states that withholding information could lead to an application being refused or an offer revoked.

What the 16+ sixth form entry requires

External applicants to the sixth form generally need at least five GCSE passes at Grade 6 or above for A level courses, and some subjects set their own requirements, listed on the school's A level courses page. The school takes up to 30 new external students into Year 12. Applicants are encouraged to attend one of two Sixth Form Open Events in the autumn term before entry.

The application form asks for the last full school report, predicted GCSE results and GCSE mock results, along with a statement or letter explaining why the student is applying, and the school contacts the current school for a reference. Selected applicants attend academic and pastoral interviews and then interviews with subject teachers, bringing samples of recent schoolwork or portfolios. Places are offered on the basis of the interview day, and students confirm their place on or after GCSE results day.

Scholarships and bursaries

The school offers a limited number of means-tested bursaries for Year 7 and Year 12 entry, and its admissions and fees pages list no scholarships. At Year 12 the bursary process applies to students from within the school as well as external candidates. The maximum share of fees that a bursary can cover is not stated on the pages read.

External candidates register bursary interest by ticking the box on the school application form, and once the registration fee is paid a Bursary Application Form is sent out. Bursary applicants also have an interview with an external bursary assessment company, which checks the financial declarations. The bursary registration deadline falls earlier than the general place deadline at sixth form, so it is worth reading the dates on the entry pages early. Queries go to the financial assistance email address on the fees page.

Fees and what they include

Fees are billed termly, are due by the first day of each term and rise through four bands: Reception to Year 2, Years 3 to 6, Years 7 to 11 and Years 12 to 13. The fees page shows the net fee and VAT separately, and pupils moving from Year 11 into the Sixth Form are charged at the Year 11 rate. Payment is by Direct Debit or through School Fee Plan in monthly repayments.

The fee includes the Pupil's Personal Accident Insurance Scheme premium, and lunches are charged per term on top, at three rates by age. Possible extras include camps and trips, music examination fees, textbooks from Year 9, specialised materials for subjects such as photography and design and technology, and examination fees including music and LAMDA. A deposit equal to one term's fee is payable on acceptance; without proper written notice of withdrawal, the following term's fee is payable.

How to prepare

Preparation for Year 7 is best matched to the stages the school names: a CEM-style test in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, maths tests, a creative task, and on the second day a creative writing task. Practising timed reasoning questions and age-appropriate maths and English exercises in a relaxed way tends to build familiarity, and regular writing from a prompt suits both the creative task and the later writing task.

The group elements reward the qualities the school says it looks for, so conversation, taking turns and working through a problem with others are worth practising at home. For the family interview, a child who can explain what they enjoy about school and why this one appeals will usually feel settled, and parents can draft their own answer to the application form question on why the school suits their child.

For Reception, registering early matters because of the waiting list, and the group visit calls for nothing beyond a relaxed child. Sixth form applicants can prepare by gathering recent schoolwork or portfolios, checking subject requirements on the A level courses page, and rehearsing talking about their chosen subjects.

Related guides

• Best private schools in the UK and London by A level results
• Independent school fees compared
• The 11+ entrance exam explained
• 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
• What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained

Preparing for the King Alfred School 4+, 11+ with Taylor Tuition

Preparation for the King Alfred School 4+, 11+ tends to go best when it starts early and stays steady, and most families who work with us begin between twelve and eighteen months out. Our tutors, who have prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, plan the work backwards from the school's own assessment format and registration deadline.

The tutors we match to 11+ preparation are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families work with us online from anywhere in the UK or abroad, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 11+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact.

Read more about our 11+ entrance exam tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.