The King's School, Gloucester 11+, 13+ and 16+ Admissions: Assessment, Scholarships and Fees

To get into The King's School, Gloucester admissions follow the same route at the two main Senior School entry points, 11+ into Year 7 and 13+ into Year 9: a registration form, then an Entrance Assessment made up of Mathematics and English papers and aptitude tests provided by CEM, with an interview and a school report alongside. Sixth Form entry at 16+ and entry into the Junior School follow their own routes, and the school will also consider entry at other times of year if places are available.

The Entrance Assessment also acts as the gateway to scholarships, since only pupils who pass it are eligible for an award. The sections below set out each entry point, the stages in order, scholarships and bursaries, the fees structure and practical preparation, all drawn from the school's own admissions pages.

Entry points and places

The school takes pupils at 11+ into Year 7, at 13+ into Year 9 and into the Sixth Form, and these are its main Senior School entry points. Pupils are also admitted occasionally into Year 8 and Year 10, and the main intake is in September, though other start dates are considered if places are available.

The Junior School and Little King's, which covers Pre-School and Reception, accept pupils in all year groups when places are available. The number of places at each entry point is not published on the pages read, so the Admissions Team on 01452 337 337 is the route to a specific answer.

• Junior School: all year groups if places are available, with entrance assessments held throughout the year
• 11+: Year 7, Entrance Assessment
• 13+: Year 9, Entrance Assessment
• 16+: Sixth Form, GCSE grade requirements set by subject

How the 11+ assessment works

The 11+ Entrance Assessment for Year 7 consists of a Mathematics paper, an English paper and aptitude tests provided by CEM. Candidates also bring a piece of their current schoolwork to the assessment day, and the school requests a report from the current school.

The CEM aptitude tests are designed for desktop use, so the school provides a familiarisation website for parents and candidates, with a PDF user guide, which helps children learn the keyboard and mouse controls. Before the assessment, the school sends details of what to expect on the day together with specimen papers. Children in Year 5 are invited to Taster Days and Workshops.

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How the 13+ assessment works

The 13+ Entrance Assessment for Year 9 follows the same format as the Year 7 one, with Mathematics and English papers, CEM aptitude tests and a piece of current schoolwork brought on the day. Each candidate has an interview with a member of staff, and all candidates are invited to a Taster Day.

The 13+ assessment is held in the January of Year 8, later in the school year than the 11+ assessment, which takes place in the November of Year 6. The pages read describe no separate Common Entrance route, so the school's own assessment is the one to prepare for.

Registration and the admissions timeline

Registration runs as a short sequence of steps that begins with an online enquiry form, which brings a prospectus. The published order of steps is below.

Final application deadlines fall in the autumn term before entry for 11+ and at the end of that term for 13+, and the Key Dates page lists them for each round. Late applications may be considered if places are available, and the school strongly recommends applying early. The pages read do not describe offer dates or acceptance, so the Admissions Office is the source for those stages. The fees page lists a refundable deposit to secure a place.

• Enquire through the online enquiry form and receive a prospectus
• Visit on a bespoke tour or at an Open Day
• Register through the Registration Form on the online application portal, paying the registration fee
• Confirm at the end of the autumn term before entry that your child will sit the Entrance Assessment
• Receive specimen papers and details of the day, then sit the assessment, interview and Taster Day
• Complete the Scholarship Form beforehand if your child is applying for a scholarship

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships are offered at 11+, 13+ and 16+ in academic, art, drama, music, performing arts and sport, with design technology added at 13+ and 16+. A choral scholarship is available for children aged 6 to 9, and the value of awards is not stated as a percentage of fees on the pages read. Applicants register, complete the relevant Scholarship Forms, supply reports from current teachers and outside coaches, and then attend a Scholarship Assessment in the week before the Entrance Test.

Assessments depend on the award. Academic candidates at 11+ and 13+ sit English and Maths papers and an aptitude test, with an interview and a piece of schoolwork. Art involves a portfolio review with the Head of Art, drama a prepared piece and unseen lines, and sport an assessment morning covering agility, hand-eye coordination and fitness. Music standards are Grade 3 or above at 11+, Grade 5 or above at 13+ and at least Grade 6 at 16+.

Bursaries are means-tested on parental income, available for Senior School entry at any age, and independent of academic or co-curricular ability. Applicants complete a confidential Bursary Application Form for the Bursar, both parents provide proof of income and assets, and a new form is submitted each year. The maximum share of fees is not published on the pages read.

Fees and what they include

Fees are charged per term and rise by year group, with Reception and the Junior School years below the Senior School years, and Fourth Form onwards, including the Sixth Form, at the highest rate. Each termly fee has two parts: tuition, which includes VAT, and an exempt school provision covering additional services outside the timetabled day such as lunches and welfare.

Music lessons, LAMDA, EFL, textbooks, external examination fees, visits and trips are charged separately, and learning support is free in curriculum time except in rare cases. A sibling discount applies while siblings attend together, a refundable deposit secures a place, and monthly payment is possible through School Fee Plan. The current figures sit on the fees page.

How 16+ Sixth Form entry works

Sixth Form entry at 16+ is set subject by subject, with no single general GCSE threshold, and the Sixth Form subjects page lists the grades. Chemistry, Physics and Biology expect grade 7 in the relevant science, most humanities, languages and Business and Economics expect grade 6, and Core Maths asks for a pass at grade 4 or higher in GCSE Mathematics. The Extended Project Qualification has no specific entry requirements.

Academic scholarship candidates at 16+ submit predicted grades covering at least seven subjects at grades 9 to 7, name the subject they intend to take at A Level, submit a marked piece of work and attend an interview with senior academic staff. Awards are conditional on the required GCSE results, and the Sixth Form has between 120 and 130 pupils.

Where pupils join from

The school's own Junior School, which runs through Transition, Prep and Shell years from age 5 to 11, supplies many of the pupils who move into the Senior School, and they join alongside pupils from other schools. Little King's covers Pre-School and Reception before that.

The pages read name no partner or feeder schools. Pupils from other schools sit the same Entrance Assessment, bring a report from their current school and are invited to a Taster Day.

How to prepare

Preparation follows the stages the school names. Start with the specimen papers the school sends before the assessment, and practise Mathematics and English against that format. For the CEM aptitude tests, use the familiarisation website and PDF user guide so that the keyboard and mouse controls are familiar before the day.

Choose a piece of current schoolwork that the child can talk about, since it is brought to the assessment and the interview with a member of staff. Taster Days and Year 5 workshops give children a sight of the site beforehand. Parents of children needing extra time or other support should raise it with the school before the assessment and supply evidence such as an Educational Psychologist's report.

Related guides

• Best private schools in Gloucestershire
• Independent school fees compared
• Cheltenham College (11+)
• Cheltenham Ladies' College (11+)
• Westonbirt School (11+)
• Dean Close School (11+)
• The ISEB Common Pre-Test explained
• 13+ Common Entrance explained
• The 11+ entrance exam explained
• The 7+ entrance exam explained
• 11+ and 13+ scholarship exams explained
• What is a bursary? Private school bursaries explained

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