Kneller Hall School 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Papers, Interviews and Fees

Kneller Hall School admissions run through five entry points, Reception (4+), Year 3 (7+), Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Sixth Form (16+), and external candidates for Year 7 and Year 9 sit two one-hour papers in English and Maths before an activity and interview day. The school, formerly Radnor House, also weighs the current school report and reference, the candidate's suitability and the places available.

Pupils from the school's own junior school and from any Dukes Education prep school follow priority routes that skip the external papers, and sixth form applicants are assessed through a personal statement, school report, reference and interview.

Entry points and places

Kneller Hall School takes external pupils at Reception (4+), Year 3 (7+), Year 7 (11+), Year 9 (13+) and Sixth Form (16+), with occasional places arising in other year groups. Year 7, Year 9 and Sixth Form are the senior entry points with fixed registration deadlines, and all three run in the autumn before September entry. The admissions pages do not publish a number of places or forms of entry for any year group.

Applications for Year 11 and Year 13 are not accepted. Occasional places in other year groups are assessed with CAT4, a cognitive abilities test, alongside school reports and a school reference, and the admissions team confirms availability on request. Year 3 sits within the junior school, where places are offered on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline, and the school describes an activity morning or taster session plus a meeting with a senior member of staff.

How the 11+ assessment works

External candidates for Year 7 sit two one-hour papers, one in English and one in Maths, with a short break between them. Both are based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum, so the content matches what a Year 6 pupil has covered in class.

The English paper covers creative writing and comprehension, and the Maths paper contains general questions across the primary curriculum. Candidates who reach the required standard are then invited to a Beyond the Classroom activity and interview day.

Alongside the results, the school considers current school reports and references, suitability and place availability. Offers for September entry are made in early February, and the offer sets the acceptance deadline.

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How the 13+ assessment works

External applicants for Year 9 sit the same two-paper English and Maths format as a baseline academic assessment, followed by a meeting with staff about suitability for the GCSE curriculum and subject options. Registration and assessment take place in the autumn before the September of entry, and offers may be made in advance of entry where appropriate.

Scholarship candidates at 13+ complete additional assessment. The admissions pages name no Common Entrance papers or pre-test for this entry point. Pupils from a sibling school in the Dukes Education group are assured a Year 9 place with no external 13+ exam.

Registration and the admissions timeline

Admissions follow six ordered steps, and registration for Year 7 and Year 9 closes in the autumn term before the September of entry, with Sixth Form registration closing slightly earlier. Registering does not guarantee a place.

Junior school places have no fixed deadline and are offered as they arise.

• Enquiry: contact the admissions team by phone or through the online enquiry form, then receive an invitation to visit.
• Visit: attend an open event or book a personal tour.
• Registration: complete the online form with the latest school report, passport and supporting documents, and pay the non-refundable registration fee.
• Assessment: papers and the activity and interview day for Year 7 and Year 9, interview for Sixth Form, or the junior school activity session.
• Offer: Year 7 and Year 9 outcomes are issued together in early February, and Sixth Form offers are conditional on final GCSE results.
• Acceptance: a deposit secures the place, and September starters attend an induction programme in the summer term.

Sixth form entry requirements

External applicants for Sixth Form normally need a minimum of seven GCSEs at grade 6 or above, including English and Maths, with grade 7 or above typically required in subjects taken at A Level. Entry is not by entrance paper; the school asks for a personal statement, a school report, predicted GCSE grades and a school reference.

Every external applicant attends an interview, held in the autumn before entry. Offers are conditional on final GCSE results and subject to availability, and a deposit is due on acceptance. Pupils from a sibling school in the group are assured a Sixth Form place with no additional assessment or interview.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are awarded on merit at 11+, 13+ and 16+ across academic, creative, performing arts and sporting areas, and awards are assessed and reviewed annually. At 13+ they depend on additional assessment beyond the standard papers.

Bursaries are means-tested, and requests go to the Principal's PA at the senior school admissions office. The school's scholarships and bursaries page says it can consider means-tested applications from pupils already in Year 9 or above and from external sixth form candidates. The maximum share of fees a bursary can cover is not published, so families usually ask the admissions team at the enquiry stage.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged per term, with separate rates for the junior school, for Years 7 and 8, and for Years 9 to 13, and the amounts for each academic year sit on the fees page. Senior school tuition covers the curriculum, course books and most school-provided co-curricular activities, and a compulsory bistro charge covers breakfast, lunch and mid-morning fruit.

Extras in the senior school include external clubs, external exam charges at cost, trips, specialist workshops and individual music lessons. Sibling discounts apply to tuition only, at a reduced rate on the second child and a further reduced rate on the third and later children. A non-refundable registration fee is paid at application, and a refundable deposit is paid on acceptance.

Where pupils join from

Most routes into Year 7 start in the school's own junior school or another Dukes Education prep school, and many junior pupils arrive from Dukes Education nurseries. Junior pupils sit no external 11+ because the school monitors their progress through the prep years, and their offers come in the autumn term of Year 6 ahead of external offers.

Children at any Dukes Education prep school have priority admission at Year 7 with no assessment, and families can apply up to two years in advance. Registration is still required for these routes, the fee is waived, and any existing deposit transfers on acceptance.

How to prepare

Preparation for the 11+ and 13+ papers centres on timed practice at Key Stage 2 level: one hour of English combining creative writing and comprehension, and one hour of general Maths questions, with a short pause between the two. Practising a full sitting of both papers in one session helps a child settle into the format.

The Beyond the Classroom day and interview reward familiarity with talking about school work and interests, so conversation at home about books, projects and activities is useful. Sixth form applicants can focus on the personal statement and the predicted grades the school asks for.

The CAT4 used for occasional places cannot be prepared for, and families who need access arrangements should raise them with the admissions team at the enquiry stage.

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Preparing for the Kneller Hall School 11+ with Taylor Tuition

The Kneller Hall School 11+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. 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.