Co-Education and a School for All Ages

2026 will see the start of one of the most significant and exciting set of changes in the almost 500-year history of Westminster — the introduction of girls into all years, and a new pre-prep.

  • 2026: Girls and boys will join a brand new pre-prep in Reception year at Westminster Under School
  • 2026: Girls will also join boys at Westminster Under School in Years 3 and 7
  • 2028: Girls will join boys in Westminster School’s Year 9 Fifth Form

To help meet the needs of our changing and expanding Westminster, we also announce the purchase of two significant new buildings.

Registration
  • Registration for boys and girls at 4+ opens in September 2024 for entry to Westminster Under School in September 2026.
  • Registration for girls at 7+, and 11+ opens in September 2024 for entry to Westminster Under School in September 2026.
  • Registration for girls at 13+ opens in October 2024 for entry to Westminster School in September 2028.

You can REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE and updates will be sent, including a reminder when registration opens.

A Westminster for Girls and Boys

The decision to educate both boys and girls has been taken positively by the two schools and their Governing Body, and is rooted in our long-term strategic desire to enable any child who would flourish at Westminster to be able to come here. What they will continue to need is a passionate love of learning and the ambition to pursue that passion, with superb teachers, in a unique setting that is both ancient and deeply progressive.

Co-education and expansion are, of course, based on demand — the number of parents, pupils, staff, alumni and interested outsiders asking about this has grown year-on-year. But, above all, it comes from a desire to make the schools available to as many children as possible, in part through increasing bursaries, to fully reflect the community we serve, and to shape that community in turn by educating brilliant young men and women with a commitment to making a difference.

Further co-ed information

Use our Registration Age Checker

By simply entering your son's or daughter's date of birth you will be given all their potential entry points and dates to both Westminster School and Westminster Under School

The New Pre-Prep

The ethos of Westminster – of being a happy and purposeful place of curiosity, creativity and learning — will be relevant to our new four-year-olds in Reception as it is to our 18-year-olds taking their A Levels.

Reception is both an exciting and nervous time for young children and their families. Westminster Under School understands this and will ensure children make strong foundations from which to quickly gain independence, self-confidence and an enthusiasm for learning – all while being allowed to be themselves and to act their age. The School will foster intellectual curiosity and ignite the natural enthusiasm for learning among its youngest students.

Further pre-prep information

Admissions

There will be little change to the admissions system, which is described in detail on each school’s website, along with the contact details of the admissions teams. Co-educational Westminster will have five entry points: 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+. This will give families much choice when considering Westminster Under School and Westminster School. Some children will join aged four and go all the way through to 18; others will want to look just at secondary level education, whether that be Year 7 at the Under School or Year 9 at Westminster School. Some may wish to go through the Under School and leave at 13+ – at present whilst most boys continue to Westminster School, some leave for the likes of Eton, Harrow and Winchester; girls would be able to consider similar moves.

  • The application window for the first Reception, Year 3 and Year 7 girls at the Under School will open at the start of September 2024, and will close in October 2025, for entry in September 2026.
  • The application window for the first year of Year 9 girls at Westminster School (those looking to go directly into Year 9 without going to the Under School beforehand) will open in October 2024 and close in September 2025 (when in Year 6), for entry in September 2028.
Building for the Future

Westminster School and Westminster Under School are historic institutions set largely within a UNESCO World Heritage site in the heart of London, comprising numerous buildings across various sites and covering more than 400 years in age.

On top of maintaining the existing estate and increasing sustainability to make a greener future for Westminster, the move to full co-education and introduction of pre-prep has given the school the exciting chance to add two new buildings to the estate, Chapter House and 11 Tufton Street.

Chapter House and 11 Tufton Street

The move to full co-education by 2030 and expansion of the Under School to include children from age four has meant the addition of two new buildings to the estate, Chapter House and 11 Tufton Street.

Further Information
 

Academic Matters

Pupil Care and Welfare

Sport and the Arts

Boarding and Day

Admissions

Find out when your child is able to join the School using the personalised age checker and timeline.

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Westminster School gratefully welcomes donations to support fundraising efforts across the School community.

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