Entry at 11+
Entry at 11+ (Year 7)
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The deadline for applications to Year 7 is 15 September, one year ahead of entry. We are currently taking applications for September 2026.
We admit approximately 80 children into Year 7 each year, all of them day students – we do not offer boarding places in the Lower School.
Following registration, the first stage of the admissions process is a pre-test in the October/November of Year 6. Candidates will need to take the ISEB online pre-test if their current school offers this. Where a candidate is attending a school which does not offer the ISEB, but the student has taken the Kent Test or an alternative grammar school test, they may submit this score instead. If an applicant is not attending a school which offers the ISEB and is not already planning to take a grammar school test, we will ask parents to email the Registrar during the confirmation process to discuss the options.
Our admissions process is holistic, and during this first stage we will review not only the pre-test scores but also the other information we hold on file, such as the reference from the student’s current school and the information that parents have provided in the confirmation forms about the candidate’s wider interests. We will invite the majority of applicants to participate in the second stage, but in a small number of cases we may decide not to take a candidate through, when it is very clear from the pre-test process that Sevenoaks would not be the right environment for that student to flourish.
The second stage of the process takes the form of an assessment day at Sevenoaks in early January. On this day, all candidates will take written examinations in Maths and English (for which past papers are available) and participate in a group discussion activity.
Life in the Lower School
The Lower School is a golden time for our students: they enjoy all the benefits of secondary school but with none of the pressures. Free from impending exams, the diktats of national syllabuses and assessments, and prescriptive micro-management often found for this age, students are encouraged to enjoy these years, to use their time for work, for co-curricular pursuits, for service and for fun. Do take a look at the ‘My First Week’ video below to get an insight into life in the Lower School at Sevenoaks.
My First Week
MISSED THE DEADLINE?
If you have missed the deadline for registration, you can send your child’s most recent school report and a few sentences about their co-curricular interests by email to the Registrar. We will hold their details on our waiting list for late testing if a place should become available. Please do not complete the online application form until we advise you to do so.
OCCASIONAL PLACES
We very occasionally take pupils from our waiting list into Year 8. To go on to the waiting list, you should send your child’s most recent school report and a brief summary of their interests and achievements by email to the Registrar. Please do not complete the online application form or pay the registration fee. We would only arrange for testing if a place became available in Year 8.
