Kings College School Wimbledon - Nightingale Tutors

King's College School Wimbledon

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If KCS is an option for your child, the following article offers an overview of everything you need to know about the school. Nightingale Tutors has a fantastic track record getting children into KCS and if you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

King’s College School (KCS) is an independent day school in Wimbledon, with a history going back almost 200 years. It takes boys aged 7-18 and girls aged 16-18. A forward-thinking school, KCS strives for academic excellence. In 2020 it won the Sunday Times ‘Top boys or co-ed independent school’ award for the third year running.

KCS’s 1,400 pupils (950 of them in its Senior School) are nurtured in a friendly environment reputed for its community spirit. KCS students achieve excellent academic results, with 20% of leavers going on to study at Oxbridge.

KCS has invested in state-of-the-art Sports, Music, and Drama facilities. A brand new sports centre with a six-court sports hall, strength and conditioning suites and a 25-metre swimming pool are among the outstanding facilities. KCS also has a 210-seat music hall and fully equipped on-site theatre. Thanks to this and its phenomenal teaching staff, KCS is renowned nationally for its amateur dramatic productions.

KCS holds co-curricular activities in very high regard. Extended lunch breaks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the whole of Friday afternoons are dedicated to activities in a vast range of clubs.

While the school gives priority wherever possible to siblings of existing, or recently left students, it’s conditional on them performing well in the entrance exam and interview.

Results

96% of all GCSE grades in 2019 were Grade 7 or above (A*-A)
With an incredible 57% of pupils achieving a Grade 9.
80% of A-levels in 2019 were awarded an A* or A.
56% of IBs (International Baccalaureates) were achieved at a Grade 7.

“In 2020 it won the Sunday Times ‘Top boys or co-ed independent school’ award for the third year running.”

KCS 11 Plus Admissions Process

KCS admits approximately 140 Year 7 pupils into its senior school each year. More than half of these children come from KCS’s own junior school, with the remainder coming from state and independent schools.

KCS also admits boys aged 13+ into Year 9. However, the application has to be done at the same time as 11+ entry. All boys are assessed in Year 6, the boys accepted for 13+ entry holding a deferred place for two years before joining KCS in Year 9.

The window to register your son for Year 7 entry (or alternatively Year 9 entry – you can’t apply for both) is from the end of the summer term when he is in Year 5, until the beginning of the November of his Year 6. There’s a registration fee of £150. Only British or Irish citizens can apply.

The job of a Nightingale Tutor can start here, we will happily guide you through this process and advise on any further questions you may have.

KCS Exam Content

KCS don’t have pre-selection assessments for 11+ candidates. Entrance exams usually take place in the January of your son’s Year 6. Applicants sit an exam in Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning. This also goes for the 2022-intake applicants. The Maths exam tests numeracy and problem-solving skills and lasts 50 minutes. KCS usually release a sample paper on its website the September before to help students prepare. The English exam lasts 75 minutes and tests comprehension; spelling, vocabulary and grammar; punctuation and the ability to understand character. There’s also a short essay. Nightingale Tutors, we’ll select your tutor for their vast experience with the KCS entrance exam process and will work diligently to prepare your child. We offer a range of services alongside your daughter’s tuition to help. This includes:

Termly progress meetings
Guidance on school selection
Mock exams
Interview preparation
Verbal & Non Verbal Reasoning courses
Scholarship groups
Access to Pastoral consultants

Verbal Reasoning skills test a child’s natural ability and potential, rather than their learned knowledge. Candidates are asked to problem solve, based on a series of words. Questions could ask ‘which is the odd one out’ in the sequence for example. At Nightingale Tutors, we believe a strong performance in these tests can set a child apart and work hard to prepare our pupils for them. We will continuously expose them to similar questions as well as run courses & workshops on the subject from our classroom space. Please contact Nightingale Tutors (home page) if you’re interested in working with one of our tutors.

KCS Interview

The interview happens about a week after the entrance exam. The interview is key to getting into KCS but it should be noted boys should not appear over-rehearsed. Nightingale tutors has a wealth of experience preparing children for the interview and will work to ensure they feel at ease & comfortable before the big day. KCS look for bright, confident and articulate children. They want children who will engage with life at the school, particularly in its co-curricular activities so the more your son can demonstrate his interests outside academia, the better. During the interview, your son will be asked to demonstrate his academic ability. Interviewers may give boys a text or image to discuss or a mathematics problem to solve. A tutor will really help here and at Nightingale Tutors we get interview feedback from all of our students on what they were asked and have a long list of up-to-date example questions. Interviewers are likely to bring up the topic of current affairs, so you and your tutor can prepare your son by asking his thoughts and feelings on what’s happening in the world right now. KCS ultimately want to know your son will suit the school and the school will suit them. For this reason, children should know as much as they can about KCS and the reason they want to attend. Your son can get a taste of what it’s like to attend KCS, as well as an opportunity to meet staff and students, by attending a KCS Open Day event. They’ll be much better prepared for interview and more confident as a result of this visit. However, due to Covid, KCS is currently unable to invite parents and prospective students to visit, instead holding its Open Days online.

“While the school gives priority wherever possible to siblings of existing, or recently left students, it’s conditional on them performing well in the entrance exam and interview.”

KCS Scholarships

KCS offer academic scholarships worth up to £400 a year. All applicants that excel on the entrance exam and the 11+ are automatically considered. Music scholarships, worth up to £400 a year, are available to talented applicants. They will also get free weekly music lessons in two instruments. Students must attend a separate assessment. Sports scholarships are worth up to £400 per year. Students must attend a separate assessment. KCS offers “exhibitions” alongside their range of scholarships. Sports exhibitions are worth up to £200 per year.

The school offers a number of means-tested bursaries at 11+, 13+ and sixth form of up to 100% tuition fees and in some cases, will pay for school trips and uniform. When completing your registration, you should state that you intend to apply for a bursary. KCS will email you a link to complete an application via their online portal.

If you are seriously considering KCS for your child, please get in touch with Nightingale Tutors to discuss how we can help.