King Edward VI School, Southampton 11 Plus (11+) Exam and Admissions Information

Introduction

 

King Edward VI School (KES) in Southampton is an independent co-educational school for pupils aged 11-18. The school opened in 1554 as a grammar school to provide an education to impoverished boys in Southampton. In 1978, KES became an independent school, and five years later, girls were admitted into the Sixth Form. In 1994, the school became fully co-educational. King Edward VI Preparatory School is a feeder school to KES for pupils aged 2-11. 

 

Academic standards at KES are high. The curriculum challenges pupils, helping them develop their skills and reach their full potential. Results in public exams are consistently excellent. In 2024, 71.4% of GCSE grades were in the 9-7 range, and 91% of A Level grades were in the A*-C range. 

 

The co-curricular programme at KES is impressive. Pupils can choose from a wide range of activities, enabling them to pursue their passions and develop new skills while having fun. Available clubs include Chess Club, Electronics Club, Tap Club and Wargaming Club. Additionally, students raise money for charities and get involved with projects in the local community.

 

Exemplary pastoral care is a priority at KES. Every pupil has a tutor they can turn to if they need support and guidance. KES also has a school counsellor who offers emotional support to those experiencing difficulties. The counsellor is based in the Wellbeing Centre, where pupils can go if they feel overwhelmed and need some time out of the school day. 

 

 

 

Admissions Process for 11 Plus Entry to King Edward VI School, Southampton

 

A great way to start the admissions process is by visiting KES. You can attend the annual Open Evening, which is held in October. You can also book your child onto a Taster Morning and arrange an individual tour, giving you and your child valuable opportunities to learn more about the school’s ethos and daily life at KES.

 

If you feel your child would thrive at KES, you should fill out their enquiry form. You will then be sent an application pack in the Autumn term when your child is in Year 6. The application form must be submitted by the deadline in November of Year 6. A non-refundable registration fee of £120 must be paid (this fee is reduced to £36 if you are applying for a bursary).  

 

In January of Year 6, your child will be interviewed and will sit an admissions exam at KES on separate dates.  

 

In early February, you will find out if your child has been offered a place. If they have, you must accept or decline it by the March deadline and pay a £400 deposit. The deposit is refunded, minus any money owed to KES, within three months of your child completing their education at the school. 

 

King Edward VI School, Southampton: Scholarships and Bursaries for Year 7 Entry

 

Scholarships 

The following scholarships are available for 11+ entry:

• Academic
• Music
• Drama
• Art
• Sports

 

They are worth up to 5% of the school’s annual fees. There is no need to apply for an academic scholarship because they are awarded based on results in the admissions exam. The other scholarships do need to be applied for (the forms will be in your admissions pack).

 

For details about the scholarships, please click here.

 

Bursaries 

 

Bursaries are means-tested awards designed to enable children whose families cannot afford the fees to benefit from an education at KES. You may qualify for a bursary covering 100% of the school’s fees if your gross household income is less than £46,000. If your gross household income is between £46,000 and £92,000, you may be entitled to a partial bursary.  

 

You should contact KES using the email in this post if you are interested in applying for a bursary.

 

A new bursary recently became available at KES—the EPA (Sir Edward Penley Abraham) bursary, funded by a charitable trust that Sir Edward, a notable scientist, set up. This bursary is for children who have a flair for science. It covers 100% of the school’s fees. Only those with a gross household income below £46,000 should apply for the EPA bursary. 

 

11+ candidates applying for the EPA bursary will sit a 30-minute science exam as well as the English and maths entrance papers. 

 

For more details about bursaries, please click here.   

 

Our Top Tips for Preparing for the Year 7 Entry Exam to King Edward VI School, Southampton

 

We recommend the following when you are helping your child to prepare for the interview and assessment day at King Edward VI School, Southampton:

 

• Ensure your child reads regularly.

Reading regularly will expand your child’s vocabulary, ignite their imagination and enhance their reading comprehension and writing skills, which are crucial for the English paper.   

• Encourage your child to embrace activities outside of school.

Getting involved in activities they enjoy outside of school is great for your child’s wellbeing, giving them the opportunity to make new friends and grow in confidence. It will also provide them with plenty to talk about at the interview.

• Go through KS2 topics covered at school. 

Your child will need to recall what they have been taught at school in English and maths for the 11+ entrance exam. We recommend short but regular study sessions that start well before KES’s assessment day to cement their knowledge. 

• Adopt a healthy lifestyle.

A nutritious diet, adequate sleep and sufficient exercise will help your child maintain good mental and physical health. This will put them in a strong position to cope with the demands of a competitive entrance exam.  

• Promote a growth mindset. 

A growth mindset is the belief that hard work yields results. Mistakes are an opportunity to learn and not something to view negatively. Knowing their skills will improve with time and effort will help keep your child motivated.   

• Use targeted resources and practice tests.

Using targeted resources and practice tests is an ideal way to prepare for King Edward VI’s Year 7 entrance exam. Our resources and tests have been produced after careful research, meaning they can play an essential role in your child’s preparation. The practice tests will get your child used to answering questions when under time pressure. They can also be used to determine your child’s weaknesses, which can then be addressed in their study sessions. By the time they sit the entrance exam, they will feel ready, which will help them give a polished performance.  

 

Please look at the resources we recommend below.

 

King Edward VI School, Southampton: 11 Plus (11+)/Year 7 Entrance Exam Practice Materials

 

Recommendations for each section of the King Edward VI School exam can be found below:

English 

 

We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the English paper. They will help improve your child’s English skills through multiple-choice questions for the relevant topics:

 

Creative Writing

We highly recommend the following packs to prepare successfully for the Creative Writing paper. They will help improve your child’s writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and punctuation:

 

If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the King Edward VI School English and Creative Writing exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

11+ English Bundle - Save 30%

 

Mathematics  

 

We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the King Edward VI School 11+ maths test:

 

 

✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the King Edward VI School mathematics exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:

 

11+ Mathematics Bundle - Save 30%

 

Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.

 

Why do some of the recommendations above show me grammar school papers?

 

The main difference between independent and grammar school papers is the question format. Independent schools usually assess with standard format questions, which means students need to write out full answers. Grammar schools usually use multiple-choice format questions.

 

While King Edward VI School is an independent school, they actually use the grammar school (multiple-choice) format for some of their exams, which is why they are included in the recommendations above.

 

Please do contact us if you have any questions about our resources. We will do our best to help you. We want to take this opportunity to wish your child all the best in their entrance exam and at senior school.

 

 

The information provided about King Edward VI School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware that there may be future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you need clarification on anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of practice tests and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the King Edward VI School or any other test publisher.