Senior admissions

Please complete the form below and a member of the Admissions team will contact you to discuss your enquiry. Alternatively, you can contact the Admissions team directly on 01353 660702.

Please note that enquiries for all year groups in Senior can be made all year round, although visits during term-time are subject to availability.

To register, please complete and return our Registration Form along with the appropriate registration fee.

Entry assessments are carried out via the CAT4 online platform covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning. The computerised tests take just over 90 minutes. Please be aware that CAT4 offers no time concession for candidates who have been awarded extra time, as it is not deemed necessary. Equally, candidates do not need to be fluent touch-typers.

Following the CAT4 online test, candidates are asked to complete a short written task lasting no more than 15 minutes. Laptops can be used for this if candidates have a prior arrangement but no extra time will be allocated. Example questions are:

• Describe a place you like to visit
• Describe a time when you felt scared
• What is your favourite hobby and why?
• What is your favourite book and why did you enjoy it?

Entry assessment and interview: Saturday 15 January 2022

Offers are usually made by the start of February. Acceptances are due by the first Monday in March, in line with HMC guidelines. Extensions cannot be offered. Waiting list candidates will be kept informed via email of the availability of places, but positions on the waiting list will not be revealed.

Parents are required to sign an Acceptance Form, which includes confirmation that they have read and accepted the school’s Terms and Conditions, and to pay the required acceptance deposit.

For parents of children in Year 8 at King’s Ely Junior, there is an Introduction to King’s Ely Senior held in September each year. A further Parents’ Information morning is held in June for all parents and pupils.

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.

External and internal scholarship candidates are assessed at separate times in the Lent term before entry into Year 9. External candidates are invited for assessments in January and internal candidates are invited for assessments in March.

King’s Ely believes that it has a duty to ensure the continuation of excellence in the school by the designation of awards to talented pupils. Such awards are restricted to maximum of 10% of the day tuition fee and are subject to satisfactory performance and behaviour, and are reviewed on an annual basis and at the end of Year 11. Award holders whose families are unable to meet the remaining fees may apply for bursary support (Financial assistance). We advise that pupils should apply for a maximum of two scholarships/awards.

We are delighted to receive scholarship applications from pupils for the following:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
Academic (Mathematics, English and Persuasive Writing)
Music
Sport
Drama
Dance
Art

The combined value of any two scholarships cannot exceed 10% of the day tuition fee. Occasionally, the parent(s) of a pupil who has been elected to a scholarship is willing to surrender all or part of the emoluments for the benefit of another pupil who needs assistance. In such a case the student retains the title and privileges of a scholar. The school particularly appreciates gestures of this kind.

Scholarship guidance, practice papers and application forms for Year 9 entry are available to download.

The deadline for signed and endorsed scholarship applications for 2022 entry is:

Friday 17 December 2021 at Noon to Admissions. External candidates.

Friday 11 February 2022 at Noon to admissions. Internal candidates.

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

Sport: Monday 17 January 2022

Art: Tuesday 18 January 2022

Academic: Monday 24 January 2022

Music: Friday 14 January 2022

Drama/Dance: Friday 14 January 2022

STEM: Friday 14 January 2022

Shortlisted academic scholarship candidates will then be interviewed on: TBC

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

Sport: Monday 14 March 2022

Art: Tuesday 15 March 2022

Academic: Monday 14 March 2022

Music: Friday 18 March 2022

Drama/Dance: Friday 18 March 2022

STEM: Friday 18 March 2022

Deadline for all external Year 9 Scholarship Applications: Friday 17 December 2021 at Noon to Admissions

Deadline for all internal Year 9 Scholarship Applications: Friday 11 February 2022 at Noon to Admissions

External entry assessments and interviews: Saturday 15 January 2022

 

External scholarship assessments:

Sport: Monday 17 January 2022

Art: Tuesday 18  January 2022

Academic: Monday 24 January 2022

Music: Friday 14 January 2022

Drama/Dance: Friday 14 January 2022

STEM: Friday 14 January 2022

 

Internal scholarship assessments:

Sport: Monday 14 March 2022

Art: Tuesday 15 March 2022

Academic: Monday 14 March 2022

Music: Friday 18 March 2022

Drama/Dance: Friday 18 March 2022

STEM: Friday 18 March 2022

 

Can our child join in Year 10:
Spaces for entry into Year 10 are very limited and usually reserved for those wishing to board.

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.

My child has Special Educational Needs. What provision do you have?
Most recent school reports and an Educational Psychologist’s report will be requested before a visit. During a visit, provision can be discussed. However, we do not offer in-class support in Years 9 to 11. Individual extra support lessons can be given by a specialist and come with additional cost to the main fees.

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.

If my child joins King’s Ely Junior 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 Junior 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 Junior progress through to Year 9 at King’s Ely Senior unless the required notice is given. Should you wish to visit King’s Ely Senior for a private tour or would like to meet the Head or Principal, please contact admissions@kingsely.org

Can my child bring a packed lunch?
All Senior pupils attend lunch in the Monastic Barn, where food is provided and inclusive of the fees. Pupils do not bring packed lunches.

Is there school on Saturdays?
Pupils do not have compulsory lessons on Saturdays. There are fixtures on Saturday afternoons 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.

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.

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.

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.

How do I accept an offer of a place and secure this for my child?
A deposit is payable to secure your child’s place at King’s Ely Senior.