11+ JOIN OUR SENIOR SCHOOL
King Edward’s Senior School is a high achieving school for children aged 11-18 years old and is consistently ranked amongst the highest performing schools in the south-west due to the outstanding exam results gained by pupils at both GCSE and A Level.
Located on our North Road campus to the east of the city, the School provides an exciting environment in which to learn, where intellectual and creative worlds combine to enrich the lives of our pupils. As children progress through the Senior School, they acquire a lifelong passion for knowledge, discovery and adventure.
Our main entry point for the Senior School is at the start of Year 7. We welcome a wide range of applicants from state and independent schools. Generally, we only admit a small number of new pupils at the start of Year 8 to 10 each year, with pupils occasionally joining mid-year, subject to availability.
Please take a moment to read our Senior School Entry Guide and FAQs below. If you have any further questions, or would like to book a visit at our Senior School, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly Admissions team.
Resources
SENIOR SCHOOL ENTRY GUIDE
| STEP 1: GET IN TOUCH |
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| Contact the Admissions team to discuss availability and to arrange a visit to the School. The Senior School has one Open Morning each year, which takes place in September/October. Individual tours are also available throughout the year. |
| STEP 2: APPLY |
| Parents will be invited to complete the Online Application Form, which must be accompanied by a £100 non-refundable application fee. |
| STEP 3: ASSESS |
| Our main assessment morning takes place in January prior to joining. Children are invited into school to sit assessments in Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning. They will also have an informal interview with a senior member of our teaching staff. For pupils looking to join in Year 8 to 10, there will also be an additional interview with one of our Modern Foreign Language teachers. |
| STEP 4: SPECIAL TALENT AWARDS (YEAR 7 APPLICANTS ONLY) |
| Those looking to join at the start of Year 7 can apply for a Special Talent Award in Art, Drama, Music or Sport. Assessments for these awards take place at the Senior School in January prior to joining. |
| STEP 5: OFFER |
| The School will contact families to advise whether we can offer a place. When making an offer, the Headmaster will consider the pupil’s performance in the assessments and interview(s), special talents, school reports and references from their current school. |
| STEP 6: ENROL |
| If an offer is made, a contract will be issued. A place will be confirmed by the School once all paperwork has been returned and a £500 deposit paid. Please note that this deposit will be deducted from the child’s final account upon leaving the School. |
KEY SENIOR ADMISSION DATES & DEADLINES for 2025-26 entry
| Key Year 7 ‐ 10 Events, Entry Dates & Deadlines | Deadline Dates |
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| Whole School Open Morning | 21 September 2024 |
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INTERNAL: Deadline for King Edward's Junior School (KEJS) completed Year 7 applications To request a Bursary Form: Please indicate on the Online Application Form, that you wish to apply for a Bursary under the 'Financial Assistance & Awards' tab. A separate bursarial form will be sent to you. |
25 October 2024 |
| Deadline for online registration for Activity Morning (for local Year 6 children) |
4 November 2024 |
| Activity Morning (for local Year 6 children) | 9 November 2024 |
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EXTERNAL: Year 7 deadline for completed registration forms with registration fee EXTERNAL & KEJS: Year 7 deadline for completed Special Talent Award applications |
25 November 2024 |
| Deadline for all completed Year 7 Bursary applications | 6 December 2024 |
| Year 7 Teach‐in | 7 December 2024 |
| Year 7 interviews (Internal KEJS pupils) Year 7 interviews (External) |
Oct/Nov 2024 Dec 2024/Jan 2025 |
| Music Special Talent Award Assessments | w/c 6th & 13th January 2025 |
| Art, Drama & Sport Special Talent Award Assessments | 7th & 14th January 2025 |
| Main entrance examination for Years 7 to 10 | 25 January 2025 |
| Deadline for Year 7 offer acceptance | 3 March 2025 |
Senior School Entry Guide 2025
frequently asked questions
| How should I prepare my child for the assessments? |
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The English and Maths assessments are based on the National Curriculum, so will relate to work your child should already have completed at their current school. We do not share practice papers for the Verbal Reasoning (VR), but VR familiarisation books are available from bookshops and online. For children sitting the main Year 7 entrance exams only, we run a ‘teach-in’ session where teachers will take the pupils through practice papers. |
| Do you offer financial assistance or scholarships for entry into the Senior School? |
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Financial support is provided through our means-tested bursary programme. Bursaries are available to pupils joining Year 7 and Year 12 only. We are very proud of our long history of providing financial support for families and pupils from a wide range of backgrounds, with around 20% of Senior pupils currently in receipt of a means-tested bursary. For entry at Year 7, pupils can also be considered for an Academic Scholarship (10% fee remission) or Special Talent Award (5% fee remission). |
| Do you accept pupils into all years of the Senior School? |
| Our main entry points to Senior School are in Year 7 and Year 12, although a small number of places are offered for Years 9 and 10 each year. For Year 8 or any ‘in-year’ enquiries, please contact us to check availability before applying. Please note that we do not take pupils into Year 11. |
| Do you offer deferred places? |
| All prospective pupils are assessed during the academic year, prior to starting with us. We are not able to hold places for future entry. |
| Where can I find your GCSE and A Level results by subject? |
| The full breakdown of our latest exam results can be found on our website by clicking here. |
START AN ONLINE APPLICATION FORM
To apply for a place at King Edward’s, simply click on the ‘Apply To KES’ button below and you will be directed to our Admissions Application page.
