Sixth Form 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 availability in both the year group and on the chosen A level subject courses. 

If you would like to apply for a 2025 place, please register by the 31st October 2024 to be added to the New Year assessment list.  Please note: If you wish to apply for a Year 12 Scholarship, applications must be made by 25th October.

Registration Form

For students following a British curriculum who will be sitting GCSE examinations prior to their transition into Sixth Form, there is no formal assessment.  

Instead, all registered students for Year 12 entry are invited to attend an interview with the Head of King’s Ely Senior, Vice Principal Academic, or The Principal. Predicted grades are requested from a student’s current school along with a student reference.  School reports can only be requested after the 1st November 2024. 

Those students not following a British curriculum will be required to take assessments in English and Maths. The assessments can be taken remotely. Interviews can be carried out via TEAMS with our Director for International Students. 

The offer of a place will be made following the interview. It will be subject to a student’s GCSE results and A level course availability. 

All offers are subject to fulfilment of our entry criteria: 

Six GCSEs at Grade 5 or above with at least four being Grade 6 or above. If Maths or Science A Levels are being considered, it is recommended that a Grade 7 is achieved, as a minimum, at GCSE.  

If a student narrowly misses out on the entry criteria, the student is invited in for a discussion with the Head of King’s Ely Senior or the Vice Principal Academic. The meeting will determine if the offer is still valid and that King’s Ely’s Sixth Form remains the right place of continuing education for the student.

Offer Letters, including the Acceptance Form are sent out by post. 

Parents are required to sign and return the Acceptance Form, which includes confirmation that they have read and accepted the school’s Terms and Conditions. The required Acceptance Deposit is payable at this time.  For overseas students, who are not resident in the UK, the Additional Deposit (equivalent to one full term’s fees) is also payable with the return of the Acceptance Form.   

Please note that all international students, when joining King’s Ely Sixth Form, do so as a mainstream student.  There is a single fee (day or boarding) for all students following the A level programme of study. 

Prior to a student’s first day, they will be invited in to meet staff and students of King’s Ely Sixth Form.  Those who are looking to board will have the opportunity to visit their boarding house.  The sesion, which takes place in mid to late June, will be a chance to ask any remaining questions about life in King’s Ely Sixth Form. The event is designed for the students only. Parents are not required to attend. 

Students entering King’s Ely Sixth Form will also be expected to attend the Orientation Day which takes place on the school day immediately prior to the start of each new academic year in September. 

King’s Ely Senior is proud to offer a range of scholarship opportunities to students entering Year 12 either from King’s Ely Senior 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 12 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 endorse 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 12.   

For further information on the King’s Ely Scholarship Programme, please click here.  Scholarships are also available to students entering Year 9 from King’s Ely Prep or external schools and colleges. 

The deadline for signed and endorsed scholarship applications is Friday 25th October 2024. 

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

Sport: Saturday 9th November 2024 

STEM: Saturday 16th November 2024 

Music: Monday 18th November 2024 

Drama/Dance: Tuesday 19th November 2024  

Art: Tuesday 19th November 2024 

Academic: Saturday 23rd November 2024 

The combined value of any two scholarships cannot exceed 10% of the day tuition fee.  

Scholarship guidance, practice papers and application forms for Year 12 entry are available to download. 

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

A mid-year start date is not impossible but it is not the norm.  Such a request will take some careful consideration given that A level tuition will be well underway.   It will be dependent on the A level examination boards and the course content being studied.  Please contact the Admissions Team in the first instance. 

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. Places in Year 12 are offered on the basis of predicted grades and are subject to GCSE results.

Can my child bring in a packed lunch? 

All Sixth Form students attend lunch in the exclusive Old Palace Refectory, where food is provided and inclusive of the fees. Students do not bring packed lunches.  There is a wide-ranging menu (hot and cold) which caters for all tastes.  A take-out service is also available for those students who have other commitments during their lunchtime. 

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 Duke of Edinburgh 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? 

The Co-Curricular Programme finishes at 17:30. After which, provision can be made for a student to attend dinner in the Monastic Barn (at an additional cost).  Students can also return to the boarding houses to await collection (at a reasonable hour).  We also offer flexi boarding, subject to availability.

We wish to apply for a scholarship for Year 12 entry, is this possible? 

We offer scholarships for entry into Year 12. Please see the Scholarships and Awards section above.

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

Bursary applications are accepted for Year 12. Please see the Financial Assistance section for further information.  Please note that the need for financial assistance needs to be noted at the time of making a registration.