Senior Admissions

To register, please complete and return our Registration Form along with the appropriate registration fee.  If you require bursarial support, this must be made clear at the time of registering your child.  Registrations are welcomed throughout the year.  Places will be offered subject to space and availability in each year group.

If you would like to apply for a 2025 place, please register by the 31^st October 2024 to be added to the New Year assessment list.

Registration Form

All children registered by the deadline are invited to attend an Assessment Morning during the Lent Term prior to September entry.  Assessments will be held on a Saturday morning.

2025 Senior School Assessment Morning: Saturday 18^th January 2025

Entry assessments are carried out via the QUEST online platform.  They cover verbal and non-verbal reasoning alongside Maths and English.  Time concessions for candidates who have been awarded extra time can be accomodated within the QUEST platform.  Written evidence from your child's school is required for this provision to be accessed.  Candidates do not need to be fluent touch-typers to complete the assessments.

Candidates will also be asked to complete a short written task.  Laptops can be used for this if candidates have a prior arrangement.  The morning will also include an interview with a member of the Senior School Leadership Team.

A report from your child's current school will be requested by the Admissions Team prior to the Assessment Morning.

Further assessment sessions will be scheduled throughout the academic year to accomodate late applicants.

A place at King's Ely Senior School is subject to your child's assessment result, their current school report, and feedback following their interview.

Offer Letters are sent out by post at the beginning of February.  The Acceptance Form is included with the Offer Letter.

Acceptances (of first wave offers) are due by the first working weekday in March, in line with the Cross Association of Practice for Schools.  Extensions cannot be offered, unless in exceptional circumstances.  Waiting list candidates will be kept informed, via email, of the availability of places, but a student's position on the waiting list will not be revealed.

Payment of the deposit is required with the return of the completed Acceptance Form.  For overseas students, who are not resident in the UK, the Additional Deposit (equivalent to one full term's fees) is payable with the return of the Acceptance Form.

Joining details, uniform lists and house allocation are sent out by the end of May in the School's Welcome Pack.  The main Induction Day for King's Ely Senior students starting Year 9 in September is towards the end of June each year.

During their Year 9 Transition Morning, all students will meet their form tutor and spend time with their future classmates, participating in team-building activites which includes enjoying lunch in the 14th Century Monastic Barn. 

A new joiner Year 9 Parents’ Information Evening is held in June for all parents who have accepted places for September.  The evening will be an informal chance for parents to meet members of staff, including form tutors, and to have any outstanding questions answered.  The informative Parent Handbook is made available to take-away at this session.

We welcome late enquiries after the January assessments. These can progress to registration and assessment subject to space in the appropriate year group. Please contact the Admissions team in the first instance.

King’s Ely Senior is proud to offer a range of scholarship opportunities to students entering Year 9 either from King’s Ely Prep or from external schools (UK and international). The awards are designed to promote continued excellence in a student’s academic progress and their potential to excel in their chosen scholarship field.  Year 9 scholarships are offered in Academic, STEM, Music, Art, Dance, Drama and Sport.   Candidates are only allowed to submit an application for a maximum of two scholarships.  There are no set limits to the number of scholarships awarded each year.

A separate application form needs to be completed and submitted by the deadline stated below.  A student’s current school is required to countersign all scholarship applications.  Dates for the scholarship assessments are noted below.

For external candidates, scholarship offers will be made alongside the offer of a place for entry into Year 9.  Year 9 places are offered first to our scholars.

For further information on the King’s Ely Scholarship Programme, please click here.  Scholarships are also available to students entering Year 12 from King’s Ely Senior or external schools and colleges.

The deadline for signed and endorsed scholarship applications is Friday 2^nd December 2024.

Assessments of all candidates who have applied for scholarships take place on the following dates:

Music: Friday 17th January 2025

Drama/Dance: Friday 17th January 2025

STEM: Friday 17th January 2025

Sport: Monday 20th January 2025

Art: Tuesday 21st January 2025

Academic: Saturday 25th January 2025

How do I accept an offer of a place and secure this for my child?

A £600 deposit is payable to secure your child’s place at King’s Ely Senior.  This should be transferred, within fourteen days of receiving the Offer Letter, at the time of returning the signed Acceptance Form.

Will King’s Ely contact my child’s current school when we apply for a place?

Confidential school reports are requested after Registration and are considered before a place can be offered. Therefore, it is advisable for you to contact your child’s school in advance of registering at King’s Ely.

We wish our child to join mid-year. Is this possible?

Should you require a mid-term or mid-year start in Year 9, please contact Admissions to enquire about availability.  Year 10 mid-year transfers are unlikely given the fact that students will already be part way through their GCSE courses.

We wish to apply for a scholarship for Year 10 entry. Is this possible?

We offer scholarships for entry into Year 9 and Year 12.

My child has Special Educational Needs. What provision do you have?

King’s Ely Senior is proud of its SEN team and the support that it provides to students with a range of special educational needs.  The Admissions Team wil request, prior to a visit, a copy of a recent school report and any relevant Educational Psychologist’s report. During a visit, provision can be discussed with a member of the SEN team.  There is provision for individual support lessons to be given by a specialist teacher. These will be charged as an extra cost to the main fees.

If my child joins King’s Ely Prep will they need to take an entry assessment to transfer into King’s Ely Senior at Year 9?

Continual assessment is used for children wishing to progress from King’s Ely Prep Year 8 to King’s Ely Senior Year 9 with no formal assessment required. It is expected that all Year 8 pupils at King’s Ely Prep progress through to Year 9 at King’s Ely Senior unless the required notice is given.

Can my child bring a packed lunch?

All Senior pupils attend lunch in the Monastic Barn, where food is provided and included within the fees. Pupils do not bring packed lunches.  Dietary requirements and intolerances are provided for. The daily choice of menu items caters for a wide range of tastes and preferences.

Is there school on Saturdays?

Pupils do not have compulsory lessons on Saturdays. There are fixtures on Saturdays which pupils are required to attend should they represent a team. Other compulsory Saturdays are published in advance, such as Open Events and Ely Scheme Stage Camps. Rehearsals for drama productions and music concerts can take place on a Saturday.

I need my child to stay later after the end of the school day. Is there provision for this?

After school clubs finish at 17:30. We also offer flexi boarding, subject to availability. In cases of emergency, students can wait at one of the three senior boarding houses for a later pick up by a designated friend or family member.  This may be charged as an extra cost depending on the circumstances.

We would like to apply for Financial Assistance with the fees. How do we do this?

Bursary applications are accepted for Year 9 upwards. Please see the Financial Assistance section for further information.  The need for financial assistance must be shared with the Admissions Team at point of registration.