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    Our Admissions Process

    Read our review

    Thank you for your interest in enrolling at Kimbolton School. This step-by-step guide will take you through our Admissions process for Early Years (4+) and KS1 through to Sixth Form. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to email our Head of Admissions, Mrs Rosie White, or call her on 01480 862209. She will be happy to chat through any aspect of joining our school.

    Academic Year 2023-24 Entry

    Key Dates for September 2024 Entry

    • Prep Open Morning (booking essential) - Friday 6 Oct 2023
    • Senior Open Morning (booking essential) - Saturday 30 September 2023
    • Sixth Form Open Morning (booking essential) - Saturday 30 September 2023
    • Bursary application deadline (First to Fifth Forms, Years 7 to 11) – Wednesday 15 November 2023
    • Entering the Sixth Form Open Evening – 16 November 2023
    • Sixth Form Taster Mornings - Monday 4 December 2023
    • Deadline to register your child for entry (Reception - Sixth Form)  Thursday 30 November 2023
    • Bursary application deadline (Sixth Form, Years 12 and 13) – Thursday 30 November 2023
    • Senior School entrance examination – Saturday 3 February 2024
    • Prep School entrance assessments please contact our Registrar for details
    • Offers of places - for all levels of entry, will be sent out by Saturday 17 February 2024
    • Deadline for acceptance of a place – Friday 1 March 2024

    Key Dates for September 2025 Entry

    • Prep Open Morning (booking essential) - 3 May 2024
    • Senior Open Morning - Saturday 21 September 2024
    • Sixth Form Open Morning (booking essential) - Saturday 21 September 2024
    • Prep Open Morning (booking essential) 4 October 2024
    • Entering the Sixth Form Evening - November 2024

    Other Events

    1. Explore our School

    Arrange to visit us! You might like to take a virtual tour of our campus, read our most recent reviews and inspections, or view our video galleries for Lower PrepUpper PrepSenior School, and Sixth Form.

    Our website can give you a taste of what life is like at Kimbolton Prep (primary) and Senior (secondary) schools, but nothing beats a visit in person. Our Open Mornings are a great way to see Kimbolton in action, or you can arrange a visit at a time to suit you. We would be delighted to meet you, and you can be assured of a warm welcome. Kimbolton is within easy reach of Cambridge, Bedford and London, but should you wish to stay overnight, there is a wide variety of local accommodation.  Please note: our Prep School (for Primary Reception, KS1 and KS2) and Senior School (Secondary Years 7-13) are at opposite ends of Kimbolton village.  If you are visiting the Secondary School the postcode is PE28 0EA; for the Prep School the nearest postcode is: PE28 0JJ. 

    2. Register for Entry

    If you would like your child to be considered for entry, we first require a completed Registration Form and a non-returnable Registration Fee of £100 to cover our administration expenses. Please ensure you have read our Notes on Registration. You may also wish to view our Admissions Policy.

    3. Assistance with Fees

    We offer scholarships and assistance with fees (in the form of bursaries) from age 11. We will only consider applications from parents or guardians who have already registered their child for entry and paid the registration fee (currently £100).

    Bursary Application Deadlines:

    • First to Fifth Forms (secondary school, Years 7 to 11) entry in September - 15 November of the previous year
    • Lower Sixth (secondary school, Year 12) entry in September - 30 November of the previous year

    Applications submitted after these deadlines will be considered only if sufficient funds exist.

    For further information see:

    4. Entrance Assessments

    4+ entry (Lower Prep – Reception, Years 1 and 2)
    All candidates for entry are visited at nursery, playschool or home by a member of the Lower Prep staff, so we can get to know them in a familiar environment. We then invite children to join in with our current children’s classroom activities for a couple of days in January. These classroom visits include age-appropriate assessments.

    7+ entry (Upper Prep – Years 3 to 6)
    In Year 3 we add another class. Children will be invited to join us in the classroom for one day towards the end of January, during which they will undertake fun activities and assessments. This is followed by the Saturday entrance examination. Testing encompasses English, Maths and Reasoning (Verbal and Non-Verbal).

    11+ entry (First Form – Year 7)
    Candidates are invited for interview in January prior to our entrance examination. The examination comprises papers in Mathematics, English and Verbal Reasoning.

    Information on access arrangements can be found on our Policies page.

    Entry at 13+ (Third Form – Year 9)
    Entry at 13+ for candidates from preparatory schools is via Common Entrance, which is taken in May/June. All other candidates are invited for interview in January and then sit our entrance examination (Mathematics, English and Verbal Reasoning).

    16+ entry (Sixth Form – Years 12 and 13)
    Candidates are interviewed in the January or February prior to entry and are made an offer of a place subject to meeting our GCSE entry requirements. These are: at least 5 GCSEs at grades at 6 or above, with passes in Maths and English. Subjects to be studied at A Level should have been passed with at least a grade 6.

    5. Offer and Acceptance of a Place

    Offers of places for all levels of entry will be sent out by February half term. The deadline for acceptance of a place is normally the first Monday in March prior to starting in September. 

    A deposit is payable when you accept our offer of a place. 

    6. Preparation for Arrival

    Following acceptance of a place, in May, you will receive a joining pack of information from our Registrar. This will include information on our uniform, bus service and optional music lessons, as well as forms to complete before the start of term. You may additionally like to explore our parents' area, which has useful day-to-day information about school life including Kim Club (our before and after school club), sports fixtures, extra-curricular activities, the Kimbolton School Parents' Association and much more.

    We look forward to welcoming you to Kimbolton!

     

    Admissions Team

    Head of Admissions

    01480 862209

    Admissions Assistant

    01480 862206