Schools / The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School, Canterbury
- Independent school
- Co-educational
- Day & boarding
- Ages 13–19
- Founded 597
- 985 pupils
The King's School, Canterbury is an independent co-educational school in Canterbury, Kent, which traces its origins to AD 597 and sits within the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral. Its main point of entry is Year 9 (13+): prep-school candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn of Year 6 and attend a King's Experience Day, while other candidates are decided entirely in Year 8 by the King's Entrance Exams.
RegionSouth East
DfE URN118996
The exam
Athena holds admission-route records for The King's School, Canterbury. They are shown by entry cycle below; where the provider changes between cycles, each cycle keeps its own recorded exam.
2027 entry
Set by ISEB (tests commissioned from GL Assessment)
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
13+ entry - Stage 1 (the 11+ pre-test stage, in Year 6): prep-school candidates for King's sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn term of Year 6, followed by a King's Experience Day (activities and interviews) and a reference; candidates not at pre-test schools are decided entirely in Year 8 by the King's Entrance Exams. See the school's Independent School 13+ Entry route for the full pathway.
9489 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: unverified · Route source
Set by ISEB Common Entrance / school scholarship papers
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
For prep-school candidates, King's uses the ISEB Pre-Test in autumn of Year 6 plus an Experience Day, and publishes no Common Entrance pass standard (UNVERIFIED). Candidates not at pre-test/CE schools are decided entirely in Year 8 by the King's Entrance Exams in October (spatial, verbal and numerical tests plus written Maths and English, and an interview).
Route record: unverified · Route source
2028 entry
Set by ISEB (tests commissioned from GL Assessment)
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
13+ entry - Stage 1 (the 11+ pre-test stage, in Year 6): prep-school candidates for King's sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn term of Year 6, followed by a King's Experience Day (activities and interviews) and a reference; candidates not at pre-test schools are decided entirely in Year 8 by the King's Entrance Exams. See the school's Independent School 13+ Entry route for the full pathway.
9489 published practice questions tagged for this exam
Route record: unverified · Route source
Set by ISEB Common Entrance / school scholarship papers
Confirmation: Selection is completed at 13+
For prep-school candidates, King's uses the ISEB Pre-Test in autumn of Year 6 plus an Experience Day, and publishes no Common Entrance pass standard (UNVERIFIED). Candidates not at pre-test/CE schools are decided entirely in Year 8 by the King's Entrance Exams in October (spatial, verbal and numerical tests plus written Maths and English, and an interview).
Route record: unverified · Route source
Key dates & preparation
2028 entry
Test: Stage A pre-assessment during Year 6 (some schools assess in Year 7); confirmation — Common Entrance or the school’s own process — in May/June of Year 8 (see the route description for this school’s exact model)
Results: Conditional offers follow the Stage A assessment, typically by the spring of Year 6
Offers: Places are confirmed in Year 8 once the school’s confirmation condition is met (see the route description)
When to start preparing: Start preparing in the spring term of Year 5 (the standing rule: about 18 months before the test).
General guidance: this follows the rule of thumb of starting about 18 months before the test. It is not the school's own published advice.
Source: official admissions information · checked 2026-10-28
2027 entry
Test: Stage A pre-assessment during Year 6 (some schools assess in Year 7); confirmation — Common Entrance or the school’s own process — in May/June of Year 8 (see the route description for this school’s exact model)
Results: Conditional offers follow the Stage A assessment, typically by the spring of Year 6
Offers: Places are confirmed in Year 8 once the school’s confirmation condition is met (see the route description)
When to start preparing: Start preparing in the spring term of Year 5 (the standing rule: about 18 months before the test).
General guidance: this follows the rule of thumb of starting about 18 months before the test. It is not the school's own published advice.
Source: official admissions information · checked 2026-10-28
Admissions rules
No catchment — open competition
There is no catchment area. Entry at 13+ is governed by the school’s own pre-assessment and confirmation process (see the route description); registration deadlines fall early — typically during Year 5 or Year 6 — and places at this level are heavily oversubscribed.
Read the school's admissions policy
Results & destinations
2025 results
A level: Average point score per A level entry 44.99 (average grade B+); 37.2% of A level students achieved AAB or higher
DfE performance tables
University destinations:
- 11 leavers — Oxford or Cambridge — School-published: '11 to Oxbridge' (places).
- 75% of leavers — Russell Group universities — School-published: 'Three quarters of pupils are heading to Russell Group universities' — stored as 75.
Source: official source · checked 2026-10-28 · official source · checked 2026-10-28
2024 results
A level: Average point score per A level entry 44.69 (average grade B+)
DfE performance tables
Source: official source · checked 2026-10-28
Scholarships & bursaries
Schemes recorded from the school's own published information. A scholarship is a merit award; a bursary is means-tested. Values are shown exactly as the school states them — where a scheme is honorary, its stated value says so.
13+ entry
King's Scholarships
ScholarshipAcademic
What is assessed: Scholarship examinations for Year 9 entry (assessment dates vary by category; see the school's scholarships page)
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 10% fee reduction
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry scholarships
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Music Scholarships
ScholarshipMusic
What is assessed: Music scholarship assessment; principal instrument at around Grade 6
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 10% fee reduction (5% for exhibitions), plus free music tuition for music scholars
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry scholarships
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
King's Exhibitions
ExhibitionAcademic
What is assessed: Exhibitions are the school's lesser academic merit awards for Year 9 entry, below King's Scholarships
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 5% fee reduction
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry awards
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Art Award
AwardArt
What is assessed: Award assessment for Year 9 entry (assessment dates vary by category; see the school's scholarships page)
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 10% fee reduction for scholarships / 5% for exhibitions
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry awards
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Dance Award
AwardOther
What is assessed: Award assessment for Year 9 entry (assessment dates vary by category; see the school's scholarships page)
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 10% fee reduction for scholarships / 5% for exhibitions
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry awards
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Design Technology Award
AwardOther
What is assessed: Award assessment for Year 9 entry (assessment dates vary by category; see the school's scholarships page)
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 10% fee reduction for scholarships / 5% for exhibitions
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry awards
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Drama Award
AwardDrama
What is assessed: Award assessment for Year 9 entry (assessment dates vary by category; see the school's scholarships page)
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 10% fee reduction for scholarships / 5% for exhibitions
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry awards
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Sport Award
AwardSport
What is assessed: Award assessment for Year 9 entry (assessment dates vary by category; see the school's scholarships page)
When: Year 8
What it's worth: 10% fee reduction for scholarships / 5% for exhibitions
How to apply: Application for Year 9 entry awards
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
Means-tested bursaries
BursaryOther
What is assessed: Means-tested bursaries assessed on family finances (no examination)
When: Application deadline 31 October in the year before entry
What it's worth: Up to 100% of fees
How to apply: Separate bursary application by 31 October of the preceding year
Official scholarship information
Checked 2026-10-28
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