At King’s School Rochester we welcome children from Nursery (3+) through to Sixth Form.
You can experience our School for yourself by coming to one of our Open Mornings or arranging a private tour during term time on a date that suits you.
If you would like to find out more information or register your child for a place at King’s School Rochester, please contact Sue Webb, Head of Admissions, on 01634 888590 or admissions@kings-rochester.co.uk.
Nursery (3+)
The Nursery at King’s School Rochester is co-educational and accepts children the term after their third birthday.
Following your child’s registration and payment of a non-refundable registration fee, an interview with the Head of the Nursery & Pre-Preparatory School will be arranged, to include an informal assessment of your child. If successful, the Head will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form, along with an Acceptance Deposit.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
We encourage all children to attend a taster session in the Nursery prior to starting to familiarise them with their new surroundings, make friends and meet the Nursery team.
We will hold a ‘What you need to know about Nursery’ session at the beginning of each term, after your child has started. Each June there will be an Information Evening for all Nursery parents (current and future) to meet each other, the Nursery team and share key information.
Reception (+4)
Offers of Reception places are made following an informal interview with the Headmistress and a short, simple assessment of the child, usually carried out by the Deputy Headmistress. All children who are registered for entry are invited to interview. Many children join King’s from other local Nurseries, and our own Nursery School.
We hold Open Mornings twice a year to give you and your child the opportunity to look around the school, as well as information sessions for new Reception parents.
If successful following your child’s registration and visit to School, the Headmistress will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form. An Acceptance Deposit is payable at the time of completing the acceptance form.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
Years 1-3 (5+)
Children who have registered an interest to join the School will be invited to attend a Taster Day which includes a short, simple assessment of the child and a short interview with the parents. Interviews and assessments are designed to be relaxed and informal.
If successful following your child’s registration and visit to School, the Headmistress will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form. An Acceptance Deposit is payable at the time of completing the acceptance form.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
Year 4 (8+)
Year 4 is the first year in our Preparatory School.
All children who have registered an interest in joining the School will be invited to an assessment and interview with the Headmaster of the Preparatory School. The assessment will be in English, Maths and Non-Verbal reasoning. Many children enjoy a Taster Day prior to admission and often visit King’s for the first time on an Open Morning.
Following your child’s registration and visit to School, the Headmaster will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form if you wish your child to join us at King’s. An Acceptance Deposit is payable at the time of completing the acceptance form.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
Year 7 (11+)
Every year we hear from our new Year 7 parents that King’s is a great place to get used to being at Senior School. They feel that their children have the best of both worlds – Preparatory and Senior – because, rather than starting life at the bottom of a huge secondary school alongside pupils who already seem like adults, our Year 7s are taught by specialist Senior School teachers in Senior classrooms and alongside older boys and girls from 13 to 18, but have their base within the smaller Preparatory School. This arrangement gives children the time to get used to new, more sophisticated methods of learning with specialist subject teachers, whilst still having the support and space to find their feet and grow in confidence as one of the top two years in the Preparatory School.
All children who have registered an interest in joining the School will be invited to an assessment and interview with the Headmaster of the Preparatory School. The assessment will be in English, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Many children enjoy a Taster Day prior to admission and often visit King’s for the first time on an Open Morning.
Assessments for 11+ entry take place in the November or March prior to entry on the following September.
If your child is unable to attend either of these Assessment Days, we will be happy to accommodate tests on alternative dates.
Following your child’s registration and visit to School, the Headmaster will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form if you wish your child to join us at King’s. An Acceptance Deposit is payable at the time of completing the acceptance form.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
Remove / Year 9 (13+)
Many external candidates are admitted to King’s Senior School at Remove (Year 9) after sitting Common Entrance papers in the May/June preceding the September of entry.
Places are also offered following interview and on the basis of school report for those wishing to join King’s from schools which do not prepare pupils for Common Entrance.
Before the examination the pupil is invited to visit with his/her parents for a tour of the School followed by an interview with the Headmaster. He/she is also welcome to spend a day or two in School on a Taster Day either before or after the examination. Many pupils often visit King’s for the first time on an Open Morning.
The primary focus in the Senior School is on academic attainment at GCSE and A Level without early specialisation. Pupils are expected to take 9/10 GCSEs and 3 subjects at A level before applying to University.
Following your child’s registration and visit to School, the Headmaster will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form if you wish your child to join us at King’s. An Acceptance Deposit is payable at the time of completing the acceptance form.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
Lower Fifth / Year 10 (14+)
Pupils wishing to join King’s in the Lower Fifth (Year 10) often visit King’s for the first time on an Open Morning and the join us for a Taster Day getting to know their peer group, staff and King’s routines. They also attend the GCSE Subject Forum Evening held every year in early March, preceding the September of entry.
Pupils are invited to visit with their parents for a tour of the School followed by an interview with the Headmaster.
The primary focus in the Senior School is on academic attainment at GCSE and A Level without early specialisation. Pupils are expected to take 9/10 GCSEs and 3 subjects at A level before applying to University.
Following your child’s registration and visit to School, the Headmaster will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form if you wish your child to join us at King’s. An Acceptance Deposit is payable at the time of completing the acceptance form.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
Lower Sixth / Year 12 (16+)
Sixth Form at King’s is an exciting place to study. Applicants are offered places based on GCSE results, an interview with the Headmaster and school report.
With 23 A level subjects on offer plus the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Sixth Form at King’s is an exciting and challenging place to prepare for Higher Education or career training. Every year our Sixth Form leavers go on to take up places at a wide range of universities from Oxbridge to Russell Group, newer, vocational universities like East London and Hertfordshire and prestigious, specialist institutions such as The Royal Academy and Royal College of Music. King’s prides itself on supporting and advising all Sixth Formers to be able to get to the universities and colleges and on to the courses they want to set them on their chosen career paths.
Pupils require five 9 to 4 grades with a 6 in those subjects chosen for A level study, although for Modern Foreign Languages, Maths or Science, an 7 or 9 is preferred.
Many external Sixth Form candidates visit King’s for the first time on an Open Morning and then join us for a Taster Day. They also attend the Sixth Form Subject Forum Evening held annually in the Michaelmas Term, preceding the September of entry.
Following your child’s registration and visit to School, the Headmaster will make a formal offer of a place and ask you to return an Acceptance Form if you wish your child to join us at King’s. An Acceptance Deposit is payable at the time of completing the acceptance form.
We will also approach your child’s current school for a reference. Only once this has been received will your child’s place be secured.
Founded in 604AD, King’s School Rochester is the second oldest school in the world and the oldest Cathedral Choir School. Whilst we are steeped in history and surrounded by breath-taking heritage, our vision is modern and resolutely forward-looking.
Our latest ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) report rated us “Excellent” in all areas and we are incredibly proud of the excellent facilities and dedicated teaching staff we have here that delivers an outstanding education to 650 girls and boys aged 3 to 18 years old.
Located in Kent, South-East England, Rochester is just over half an hour’s train journey away from St Pancras International, with Heathrow and Gatwick airports just 75 minutes away.
Boarding at King’s School Rochester is a true home-from-home experience. There are 55 boarding beds available (21 girls and 34 boys) for pupils from Year 7 (11+) through to Sixth Form. Our boarding community is small enough to have a family-like feel, where everyone knows one another and is treated as an individual, whilst the wide mix of nationalities makes English the common language and gives boarders a very immersive British education. The aim is to ensure that all boarders grow up in a secure, caring environment where each child receives the necessary care, attention and opportunities to develop and mature educationally, socially, physically and spiritually.
The fantastic academic results produced at King’s represent a huge amount of hard work and dedication by both the pupils and their teachers. It is also our core belief that our pupils learn just as much outside the classroom as they do inside. Throughout the School, there is an extensive range of co-curricular pursuits from which to choose. In addition to our comprehensive sport, music, drama and arts programmes, we offer an impressive range of activities centring around personal development. King’s also provides an outstanding Careers and University application service to pupils and the pastoral care and links with parents and guardians have been graded as ‘Excellent’ in all inspections.
Music is a huge strength here and the School is privileged to be able to use the Cathedral as its Chapel and for many performances. The Sports Centre provides pupils with a state-of-the-art facility alongside a heated indoor swimming pool, a bespoke boat-house for rowing and a stunning cricket pitch on the Paddock. For Drama, the pupils have a fully equipped studio for rehearsals and King’s is a proud partner School of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Art & Design department is a hub of creativity and imagination and our purpose-built creative studio ensures our pupils enjoy plenty of space and natural light for their latest creations.
At King’s School Rochester we believe in giving you the courage to be your best. We nurture the individual and celebrate diversity of talent – there truly is no typical King’s pupil. Our motto “Work Hard, Play Hard and Look After Each Other” is encouraged and practiced through the School and our pupils are given the mindset, knowledge and self-belief they need to step out, flourish and emblazon their own positive mark on the world.
Entry Requirements
King’s School Rochester is a popular and often oversubscribed school but we are sometimes able to offer individual places in non-standard entry years so do please ask.
Most pupils from overseas join us at standard entry points aged 13, 14 or 16 into Years 9, 10 or 12. Younger pupils sometimes join in Year 7 subject to a suitable level of English. These four years are the best years for a new pupil to join as they can very quickly make new friends and settle into life at King’s at the same time as larger groups of other new joiners.
For entry to Sixth Form, five 4 grades at GCSE or equivalent are required with a B grade or equivalent in the subjects to be studied at A level. For Maths, Sciences and Languages an A grade or above is required.
Application Process
Pupils are able to board at King’s Rochester from age 11. To begin the application process, please contact our Head of Admissions, Sue Webb, on +44 (0)1634 888590 or email admissions@kings-rochester.co.uk.
International pupils will need to complete a Registration Form and pay the Registration Fee (currently £100). The Head of Admissions can then start the entrance proceedings outlined below.
Assessment
Applicants are assessed on the basis of their school reports, qualifications achieved and reference from their current Headteacher as well as on the face-to-face or Skype interview with the Principal.
Pupils of all ages sit papers in English and Mathematics and pupils wishing to enter aged 11 or 12 into Years 7 or 8 also sit tests in Non Verbal Reasoning. Pupils
wishing to enter Sixth Form are also given specific tests relating to the subjects they wish to study for A level if GCSE examinations are not being taken.
We require applicants to take our tests under supervised conditions, either here at King’s School Rochester or under examination conditio00ns in their own school by special arrangement or in their local British Council office.
Application Deadline
We ask that all applications for September entry be received before 10th December of the preceding year.
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