Kingsley School, Bideford 7+, 11+ and 16+ Admissions: No Entrance Exam, Fees and Scholarships

Getting into Kingsley School, Bideford starts with an online enquiry form, a call or email from the admissions team, a visit and an optional taster day, because the school is non-selective and sets no entrance exam. Pupils can join from Nursery to Year 13, with enquiries welcomed at any stage and in any year group where space allows.

Year 7 has its own interactive open morning and the Sixth Form follows a separate route covering A Levels and BTECs. The only assessments the school describes are those for scholarships, where an online academic assessment, the CAT4 test for Years 7 to 11 and an interview apply.

Entry points and places

Kingsley takes pupils from Nursery to Year 13, and enquiries are welcome at any stage and in any year group where space allows. The school is organised as Nursery and Pre-Prep from age 2, a Prep School for Years 1 to 6, a Senior School for Years 7 to 11 and a Sixth Form for Years 12 to 13, with full, weekly and flexi boarding available from the Senior School.

The pages read do not publish numbers of places or forms of entry. Both the Prep and Senior Schools state that transfers are accepted at any point in the year, so Year 3, Year 7 and Year 12 are common points to ask about, though none is a fixed intake. Year 7 and Year 12 each have a dedicated open event.

• Year 3 (7+): inside the Prep School, with no testing at the door
• Year 7 (11+): interactive open morning for joining families
• Year 12 (16+): separate Sixth Form route for A Levels and BTECs

Is there an entrance exam?

There is no entrance exam, because the school describes itself as non-selective and focused on finding the right fit, and the Prep School page states that there is no testing at the door. Ordinary admission rests on a conversation with the admissions team, a visit and an optional taster day.

The assessments that do exist belong to the scholarship routes. Academic scholarship candidates complete an online academic assessment, and for Years 7 to 11 they also sit the CAT4 test, which the school says gives a measure of both ability and potential. Admissions then arranges an interview once the application documents have arrived.

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Registration and the admissions timeline

Admission follows four published steps, starting with the online Admissions Enquiry Form, which takes a few minutes. The pages read give no registration deadline for ordinary admission, and transfers are accepted through the year, so families can usually begin whenever they have a year group in mind.

A deposit becomes payable once a place is accepted and is returned when the child leaves, less any amounts still owing. Scholarship and bursary applications run alongside this sequence and have their own forms, with early and late scholarship deadlines published on the scholarships page.

• Enquiry: complete the online Admissions Enquiry Form
• Initial contact: a member of the admissions team calls or emails to discuss your requirements
• Visit and optional taster day: the school arranges a visit, and your child can sit in lessons and join activities
• Admissions Account: when ready, you set up the account and complete the process with the team
• Acceptance: the deposit is payable on acceptance of a place

Visits, taster days, interviews and references

Families meet the school through personal tours and free taster days, and the admissions conversation is described as a call or email. Personal tours can be arranged on any day, the headteacher meets visitors himself, and weekday visits show lessons in progress. Booking is by enquiry form, telephone or email.

Taster days cost nothing, can last one or several days, and place the child in lessons with the pupils they would join. A boarding taster includes an evening and an overnight stay in a boarding house.

References belong to the scholarship process. Applicants need at least one relevant reference and a personal statement, and academic scholarship candidates also supply a recent school report with indicative grades.

Scholarships and bursaries

Kingsley offers scholarships in academic, Top Universities, music, drama, sport, gymnastics, judo, surfing and Earth Centre routes, alongside means-tested bursaries. Scholarships are open from Year 1 to Year 13, awards are tiered by Prep, lower Senior and upper Senior phase, and each one is decided case by case with no fixed percentage published.

A scholarship is a place on the Gifted and Talented programme with fee support attached, and benefits can include specialist coaching and free music and drama lessons. Admissions arranges an assessment and interview after receiving the application, and a separate application is needed for each subject or pathway. An early deadline gives the best chance of an assessment slot, while the late deadline applies only where slots remain.

Bursaries are open to prospective families and, in some circumstances, to current families whose situation has changed. Applicants complete a Bursary Registration Form with a non-refundable registration fee, then meet an independent bursary assessor to prepare a confidential statement of financial affairs. Any offer is kept separate from the admissions decision, no maximum share of fees is published, and a bursary can be combined with a scholarship.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged per term by year group, rising from Reception through Years 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6, 7 to 9 and 10 to 13, with boarding priced as flexi, weekly or full, and a higher full-boarding tier for visa holders. The current figures sit in the key facts for this guide, and the school publishes them on its fees page.

Tuition fees cover textbooks and course materials, examination entry fees excluding re-sits, standard SEND support, exam access arrangement assessments and additional EAL support. School meals taken in school are included, and boarders also receive laundry, snacks in the houses, Medical Centre care and start and end of term airport transfers.

Deposits differ for day pupils, UK and non-visa boarders and international visa boarders. Optional extras such as one-to-one support and casual boarding are agreed with families in advance, fees are payable termly, and monthly plans can be arranged with the Finance Department. The Connect Centre for SEND has its own fee scale.

Sixth Form entry

Sixth Form entry at Year 12 follows its own route covering A Levels and BTECs, and the pages read do not publish general GCSE grade requirements or numbers of places. Students can join as day pupils or boarders, including those transferring from other schools, and the open evening is aimed mainly at Year 11 pupils.

The one published grade benchmark sits on the academic scholarship page, which asks for five or more GCSEs at grades 7 to 9, including Mathematics and English and any subjects to be studied at A level. Top Universities and sport scholarships are also available at this stage, and admissions can confirm requirements for any particular subject combination.

Where pupils join from

Pupils join from Kingsley's own Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School or from other schools, and the pages name no external feeder or partner schools. The Nursery and Pre-Prep take children from age 2, and the Prep School covers Years 1 to 6 before the Senior School begins at Year 7. The pages do not describe a separate procedure for moving up within the school.

Families outside Bideford can use the demand-led school bus service across North Devon, with routes serving areas such as Braunton, Bude, Holsworthy, Hartland, Torrington and Chulmleigh. Pupils arrive for 8.30am registration, and buses leave at 5pm from Monday to Thursday and 4pm on Fridays. No catchment area applies, and routes are confirmed with the transport team.

How to prepare

Preparation for ordinary admission centres on the visit and taster day, since the school sets no entrance exam. Asking for a taster in the year group your child would join, and for a boarding taster where relevant, gives them a first view of lessons and the Expansive Curriculum before any decision is made.

Scholarship applicants have more to assemble. Gathering a relevant reference, a recent school report, a personal statement and any recordings, portfolio items or certificates ahead of the form tends to help, and uploads are limited in size, with larger files sent by email. Academic candidates in Years 7 to 11 can expect an online assessment and the CAT4 test, which measures ability and potential, so familiarity with online testing and a rested, unhurried start on the day usually matter most.

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