At age 11, children enter Year 7 at Westminster Under School for their final two years of prep education, a stage marked by an increasing number of learning and leadership opportunities. This is also a moment of transition. Pupils moving up through the School are joined by new classmates from other schools, making it an exciting time of new friendships and intellectual discovery.
Each year, approximately 40 boys and girls join Westminster Under School at 11+. To accommodate the expansion of the School and a fully co-educational community, the School has grown its physical site to include Chapter House, a light and spacious building with modern facilities designed equally for boys and girls. Within this interactive new space, children aged 11 to 13 can explore ideas and activities, set up and run clubs and societies, and take on positions of responsibility, helping to prepare them for the move to Westminster School in Year 9.
From Westminster Under School to Westminster School
The 11+ entry point is a unique one: pupils have secured entry to both schools. They enter the Under School in Year 7 before progressing to Westminster School in Year 9, with no further entry testing. Our Schools are a ten-minute walk from one another in central London.
Please read all the information below carefully and use our registration age checker to find out when you are able to apply for your child to join the School at 11+ entry, and to view the registration timeline.
11+ Entry Steps
Registration
- The first step in the 11+ entry process is for a parent to register their child online from 1 September two years before their intended year of entry; registration for that year will close on 30 September of the following year. Assessment and interview dates for 11+ entry the following September are published in the Information Booklet by the end of March each year.
- All SEND reports and Bursary applications must also be submitted by the relevant registration deadline – please read below for further details.
- As part of the application process, as outlined in School Fees, parents are asked to pay a registration fee, followed by an acceptance deposit if their child is offered a place. Any parent who is applying for a bursary for their child, and feels unable to pay one or both of these fees, may also qualify for a waiver when being considered for a bursary. For support, please email the Bursar’s Department.
- Those applying for 11+ entry to Westminster Under School cannot, at the same time, apply for 13+ entry to Westminster School. Children who are accepted into Westminster Under School at the 11+ entry point will spend Years 7 and 8 here, and can then move to Westminster School in Year 9, at the 13+ entry point, without the need to apply again or to take further entry tests.
School Visit
To get a sense of what being a pupil at Westminster Under School is like, parents can book onto one of our 11+ Open Mornings. We host open mornings in May and September each year for entry to the School the following year. These events offer parents the opportunity to book a small-group tour, which includes a visit to Westminster School.
Online Assessments
- In November of Year 6, all children who have applied for 11+ entry by the September deadline are invited to sit an online entrance assessments at the School in English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The assessments, used by many senior schools, are set by the ISEB (Independent Schools Examination Board) and are called the Common Pre-Tests. For more information about these tests, please refer to the ISEB website.
- Children can also sit these assessments at their present school provised it is before the deadlline. Parents will need to confirm this directly with the current school and, should email our Registrar to inform them of this arrangement. The ISEB will let us know the results of those who are registered with us but who have taken the assessments elsewhere.
The tests can only be taken once for all schools applied for, and children cannot re-sit them.
Written Papers
Once the School has the results of the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, selected children areasked to attend the next stage in the admissions process. They will be invited back to the School in January to take additional written papers in Mathematics and English; these papers can only be taken at Westminster Under School. The assessment day is informal and friendly – the papers designed to enable us to better understand the children’s abilities and potential. A teacher will be on hand to support and prompt children if they require it during the tests. Most children finish the assessment day having enjoyed the challenge.
Find out what is expected from each paper below.
THE MATHEMATICS PAPER (40 minutes)
It is expected that all children sitting the 11+ Mathematics test will have completed the standard programme of study contained within the National Curriculum at Key Stage Two, or its equivalent. It is also expected that these children are able to achieve Level 5 in their Key Stage Two SATs or their equivalent. We are particularly interested in a child’s ability to apply the mathematics they have learnt in the context of problem solving.
THE ENGLISH PAPER (40 minutes)
Children will be tested on their reading and writing skills, though the precise nature of these assessments will vary from year to year. Examples might include comprehension, questions about a specific text, descriptive writing activities, short reviews and invitations to continue a passage in the voice of the author. We are particularly interested in those with a history of wide-ranging and ambitious reading – in particular those with a developing awareness of how great writers use language for effect. The children will be expected to display a wide vocabulary and show that they are able to write both fluently and accurately.
Interviews
Based on the results of the written papers, in February, the School invites back selected children for an interview with two senior members of staff – one from each school – who will encourage them to talk about themselves to find out about their genuine interests and enthusiasms.
Offer of a place
Shortly after the interview day, the School will contact candidates to let them know whether they have been offered a place. The deadline for offer acceptance is usually in early March.
Further Information
What are we looking for in a pupil?
At the Under School we look for potential in the candidates and for boys and girls who have natural ability and who will, therefore, thrive here. Our challenge is to identify that potential, and find children whose natural ability will grow with the challenges a Westminster education provides. We recommend that parents avoid seeking outside tuition, which we feel can detract from freshness, spontaneity and eagerness to learn, some of the very qualities we are looking for.
Bursaries and Scholarships
We offer a range of academic bursaries and scholarships at 11+, upon entry to the School. For further information about bursaries and scholarships and how to apply, please refer to the Bursaries and Scholarships page.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Parents should inform the Admissions Department about a candidate’s particular needs, providing any reports from qualified professionals. The School is happy to make reasonable adjustments to the admissions process to enable SEND pupils to participate fully and to the best of their abilities. Extra time will be available, if required.
The Head of Learning Development (SENCO) works closely with the Admissions Team to make decisions about any access arrangements requested for entrance exams. The regulations set out by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) are used to determine whether or not a prospective pupil should be allowed any concessions in the entrance exams.
The School’s Admissions Policy sets out the ‘pre-conditions’ required for selection. All decisions relating to SEND matters are made with regard to the provision of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010. For information about SEND provision once a child joins the School, please refer to the School’s SEND Policy and Learning Development page.
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
The School accepts pupils whose first language is not English, and indeed many pupils speak two or three languages fluently, but lessons move at a fast pace and a pupil who does not have strong English language skills could struggle, so proficiency in English will be assessed to ensure an applicant has the minimum necessary grasp of the language.
Overseas Applicants
Westminster Under School is an independent day school and does not offer boarding. The School can accept applications from overseas if at least one parent is resident at all times in London and the child is able to commute daily from their home to School.
After Westminster Under School
Pupils who join the Under School in Year 7 go through the same process as Under School pupils in Year 6, at the same time, so their entry to Westminster School is automatic upon entering the Under School at the 11+ entry point.
While all pupils joining the under School at the 11+ entry point will continue their education at Westminster School in Year 9 and beyond, as well as the majority of our Year 6 pupils in receipt of an offer, our Year 6 pupils are also given full support as they consider their senior school options at the 11+ point, regardless of which school it is that they eventually move to. Find out more about life beyond Westminster Under School including recent pupil destinations. For further information about admissions, please refer to our Admissions Policy.
