Key Facts
| School type | Independent day and boarding, boys at the senior school with girls admitted from Reception at Westminster Under School, 7 to 18 |
|---|---|
| Location | Westminster, London |
| Entry points | 7+, 11+, 13+, 16+ |
| Assessment | ISEB Common Pre-Test in maths, English and reasoning plus a current school report, followed by further maths and English papers for shortlisted candidates |
| Test provider | ISEB Common Pre-Test |
| Day fees (2026/27) | £16,456 per term |
| Boarding fees (2026/27) | £23,094 per term |
| Scholarships and bursaries | King's Scholarships at 13+ and 16+, music scholarships at 11+, 13+ and 16+; means-tested bursaries up to full day fees |
| A level average point score per entry (DfE, 2024/25) | 53.69 (average grade A+) |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly. Compare fees at other independent schools.
Entry to Westminster School runs through two schools under one admissions structure: Westminster Under School at 7+ and 11+, and the senior school itself at 13+ and 16+, where the main route in rests on the ISEB Common Pre-Test followed by the school's own written papers and an interview. Most pupils join at 13+, when around 125 places open in the Fifth Form, just under half of them already at Westminster Under School.
Girls already join Westminster Under School from Reception, and the senior school's move to full co-education means girls will also enter Year 9 at 13+ in due course. The sixth form at 16+ works differently again, built around four 45-minute entrance papers in the subjects a candidate wants to study at A Level, backed by a minimum of eight GCSE passes at grade 7 or above.
| Entry point | Year group | Assessment | Interview | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7+ | Year 3 | Four written papers in maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, sat in small groups at the school | Classroom activities and an interview with senior staff for shortlisted candidates | about 60 places a year, across three classes |
| 11+ | Year 7 | ISEB Common Pre-Test in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, followed by further maths and English papers for shortlisted candidates | Interview with senior staff for shortlisted candidates | about 40 places a year |
| 13+ | Year 9 (Fifth Form) | ISEB Common Pre-Test in maths, English and reasoning plus a current school report, followed by further maths and English papers for shortlisted candidates | Interview for shortlisted candidates | about 125 places a year, just under half of them from Westminster Under School |
| 16+ | Year 12 (Sixth Form) | Four 45-minute entrance papers, one in each chosen A-level subject | Subject interviews, a general interview and a longer assessment for candidates who do well in the written papers | between 75 and 85 places a year |
Entry points and places
Westminster offers four points of entry from age seven: 7+ and 11+ into Westminster Under School, and 13+ and 16+ into the senior school, with 13+ taking by far the largest number of pupils. Around 60 children join Westminster Under School at 7+ into Year 3, and around 40 join at 11+ into Year 7; the 11+ route is unusual because it carries automatic progression to Year 9, without any further testing. Pupils admitted at 7+ do not have that automatic progression and must sit the standard 11+ assessment in Year 6 for a Year 9 place.
Roughly 125 boys join the Fifth Form at 13+ each year, just under half of them already at Westminster Under School and the rest arriving from a wide range of other schools, as day pupils or weekly boarders. The sixth form at 16+ offers between 75 and 85 places each year from some 600 to 650 applicants, open to candidates from any school, boy or girl.
How the 13+ assessment works
The 13+ assessment at Westminster School begins with the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an online assessment in maths, English and reasoning that candidates sit at their current school in the autumn of Year 6, alongside a report from that school. Candidates whose pre-test results stand out are invited back in the new year to sit further maths and English papers set by the school itself, each lasting forty minutes, followed by a short interview. Offers made at this point are unconditional, subject only to continued good conduct and progress confirmed by an unreserved reference from the pupil's current school, due in the spring of Year 8, so there is no Common Entrance or further exam to sit later.
Westminster Under School pupils move up to Year 9 automatically and do not sit this assessment again. Everyone else, whether from a UK prep school or overseas, goes through the same online pre-test and written papers to apply for a 13+ place, alongside the school report and interview described above.
13+ tutors
Hannah S.
Master TutorI 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.
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Robert K.
Master TutorI 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 tutorRegistration and the admissions timeline
Registration for the 13+ entry point opens in the autumn term of Year 5 and closes a year later in the autumn of Year 6, the first step in a sequence that runs through pre-tests, further papers, an interview and an offer. The ISEB Common Pre-Test and school report fall in the autumn of Year 6; shortlisted candidates sit further papers and an interview early in the new year, and unconditional offers follow before the end of that same school year. Families confirm a day or boarding place the following year, ahead of the move up into Year 9.
The sixth form at 16+ follows a similar registration shape a year earlier than 13+, opening in the summer term before Year 11 and closing in the autumn of that year. Entrance papers are sat on a single day in November, with interviews for strong performers held later the same month.
Interviews and references
Interviews follow the written stages at every entry point into Westminster, used to look beyond test scores at a candidate's wider interests and suitability for boarding or day life. Shortlisted 13+ candidates have a single interview alongside the further maths and English papers, and the offer that follows rests partly on an unreserved reference from the pupil's current school, confirmed again in Year 8. Strong performers in the four 16+ subject papers are called back for fifteen-minute interviews in each chosen subject, a general interview and a longer assessment, all conducted in person even for candidates applying from overseas.
Younger candidates meet the school differently: 7+ and 11+ shortlists go through a classroom activity day in place of a single formal interview, letting senior staff see children working and talking together in small groups over the course of a morning before any offer is made to a prospective pupil.
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships at Westminster include King's Scholarships at 13+ and 16+ on academic merit alone, music scholarships at three entry points, and means-tested bursaries that can cover the whole of a day place. King's Scholarships are decided by the Challenge examination at 13+ and by sixth-form entrance performance at 16+, carry no means test, and require the holder to board; Head Master's Awards recognise academic strength at 13+ alongside them. Music scholarships and exhibitions run at 11+, 13+ and 16+, assessed by audition against a rising standard of grade as candidates get older, and combine free tuition on two instruments with a fee remission that bursary funding can top up further.
Means-tested bursaries apply only at 11+, 13+ and 16+, for families living inside the M25 with at least one parent and the child settled in the UK for two years or more. A full bursary covers all of the day fee plus uniform, travel, books and school trips, and is reassessed as family circumstances change through a pupil's time at the school.
Fees and what they include
Fees at Westminster for the main 13+ and 16+ intake run into five figures a term, covering tuition, teaching materials, meals and most clubs and societies, with boarding fees covering accommodation and all meals on top. Separate charges apply before a place is confirmed: a registration fee when applying, a non-refundable entrance fee once an unconditional offer is accepted, and an acceptance deposit that is refunded when a pupil eventually leaves. International sixth-form boarders pay a further charge for visa sponsorship where this applies.
The governing body reviews fees each year, usually confirming the new figures for the following academic year by the start of the summer holidays, so the school's own fees page remains the one place to check the exact figures before budgeting for a place at either Westminster Under School or the senior school.
Where pupils join from
Pupils at Westminster arrive mostly through the school's own junior school, Westminster Under School, though 13+ also draws heavily on other prep schools across London and beyond. Boys who join Westminster Under School at 11+ move up to Year 9 automatically, without sitting any further assessment, while those who joined at 7+ sit the same pre-test and papers as external candidates for a Year 9 place. Just under half of the 13+ intake already attends Westminster Under School, with the rest arriving from a wide range of other prep and junior schools as day pupils or weekly boarders.
How to prepare
Preparing for Westminster's assessments means building genuine strength in maths, English and reasoning well before the ISEB Common Pre-Test, since the test is designed to measure ability that has developed steadily through ordinary schoolwork. For the 13+ route, that groundwork needs to hold up through two further stages: the school's own maths and English papers in the new year, and an interview that rewards a candidate who can talk naturally about their own interests. Sixth-form preparation centres instead on the four chosen A-level subjects, since each entrance paper and subject interview is designed to test potential to succeed at that subject beyond GCSE.
Because offers at 13+ are unconditional once made, subject to conduct and an unreserved reference, the steadier course for a family is keeping that same academic and personal standard through Year 7 and Year 8, since acceptance is not the end of what the school is watching for in a pupil as they move toward the Fifth Form.
Related guides
- Best private schools in the UK and London by A level results
- Independent school fees compared
- 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
- Boarding schools in the UK
Preparing for the Westminster School 13+ with Taylor Tuition
The Westminster School 13+ 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 in London and further afield work with us online, 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 13+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact.
Read more about our 13+ Common Entrance tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the entrance exam for Westminster School like?
- At 13+, the main entry point, candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test online in maths, English and reasoning during Year 6, alongside a school report. Those who do well are invited back to sit further maths and English papers set by the school itself, each forty minutes long, followed by an interview. The resulting offer is unconditional, so there is no Common Entrance or further exam to sit afterwards.
- How much are the fees at Westminster School?
- Fees are quoted per term and vary by entry point and whether a pupil is a day pupil or a boarder; day fees are higher at 16+ than at 13+, and boarding costs more again. Registration, entrance and acceptance charges also apply at different stages of applying. Westminster's own fees page carries the current figures for the academic year, which are reviewed annually.
- Does Westminster School offer scholarships?
- Yes. King's Scholarships at 13+ and 16+ are awarded on academic merit alone through the Challenge examination or sixth-form entrance performance, with no means test but a requirement to board. Music scholarships and exhibitions run at 11+, 13+ and 16+ and are assessed by audition, offering free tuition on two instruments alongside a fee remission.
- When does Westminster's 13+ entry registration open?
- Registration for 13+ opens in the autumn term of Year 5 and closes in the autumn of Year 6, the year before entry. That window is followed by the ISEB Common Pre-Test and school report in the autumn of Year 6, further papers and an interview in the new year, and an unconditional offer by the end of that school year.
- Does Westminster have a sixth form, and what does it need?
- Yes, the sixth form admits at 16+, with between 75 and 85 places offered each year. A conditional place requires a minimum of eight GCSE or IGCSE passes at grade 7, including at least four at grade 8 or 9 in the subjects to be studied at A Level, alongside four entrance papers and interviews for strong performers.
- Is there a catchment area for Westminster's bursaries?
- Means-tested bursaries, available at 11+, 13+ and 16+, are limited to families living inside the M25, with at least one parent and the child settled in the UK for two years or more. A full bursary can cover the whole of the day fee plus uniform, travel, books and school trips.
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