Welcome to Sevenoaks. Our role is to give you the information you need to decide whether Sevenoaks is the right school for your child and, if so, to help you through the admissions process. If you think Sevenoaks is a good fit for your family, we very much hope that you and your child will visit Sevenoaks: there’s no substitute for seeing the school in action.
Although founded in 1432, Sevenoaks is modern, forward-thinking, fully co-educational, unstuffy, diverse, non-denominational and open-minded.
All our Sixth Formers take the International Baccalaureate Diploma, which has been taught at Sevenoaks for nearly 50 years. In the Middle School, all students study for IGCSEs and GCSEs, alongside our own core curriculum which encourages critical thinking.
Academically, Sevenoaks is fast-paced and both our exam results and university entry statistics are impressive, although we are emphatically not a hot house. Students leave us as broadly educated critical thinkers and creative problem solvers.
Entry Points
We have entry points for boarders and day pupils at 16+ and 13+, and for only day pupils at 11+. We take about 80 students at age 11, a further 100 at age 13, and roughly 80 to 90 at age 16, when we increase the cohort by nearly a third.
We are occasionally able to take one or two new students for Year 8 (12+) or Year 10 (14+). Please email if you wish your child to be put on the waiting list to test for one of these places. We never take new students into Years 11 or 13 (Upper Sixth).
The School Community
Sevenoaks is a co-educational school of around 1200 students with an even mix of boys and girls. There are no boarders in the Lower School, but over 40% of our students aged 13-18 board – about 450 in total. Day and boarding students are exceptionally well integrated and they both have lessons on most Saturday mornings in term-time, followed by sports in the afternoon.
Visit the School
We hold a number of Open Mornings and Group Visits throughout the year which give a general introduction to the school, a tour of the campus and, if appropriate, a visit to a boarding house. Following a visit you can arrange an individual meeting with a member of the Admissions team. We also offer virtual events if you are unable to visit us in person.
Criteria for Entry
Sevenoaks is a strongly academic school and we select students we believe will flourish in an intellectually exciting environment. All candidates are assessed through entrance tests, group discussion tasks and references or reports from the candidate’s current school.
The success of our students is partly due to a culture of mutual respect, admiration of success in any field whether academic or co-curricular, and a collaborative and supportive outlook within our student body. The character of our students is therefore very important to us and this is assessed through the group discussion task. The Admissions team also welcome the opportunity to get to know candidates during individual family meetings.
We are also keen to identify students who will benefit from our balanced and well-rounded education, and who will make a positive contribution to the life of the school. We therefore gather information about each candidate’s wider co-curricular interests through a personal statement at 16+, or a form which parents complete for younger candidates.
We are very happy for families to apply directly, but we are also willing to receive applications from agents. We pay commission to just a handful of agents with whom we have a long history and a formal agreement.
The deadline for applications to Year 7 is 1 September, a year ahead of entry. We are currently taking applications for September .
Admission is by competitive examination in Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning, a group discussion activity and a reference from the candidate’s current school.
We admit approximately 80 children, all of them day students – we do not offer boarding places in the Lower School. We take slightly more girls than boys as the local school system means more boys transition to secondary school at Year 9. From Year 9, we have a balanced mix of boys and girls.
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.
Visit us
We hold a number of Open Mornings and Group Visits throughout the year which give you a general introduction to the school and a tour of the campus. Following a visit, you can arrange an individual meeting with a member of the Admissions team. We also offer virtual events if you are unable to visit the school in person.
Application
The first step in applying is to complete the application form. You can register at any time up to 1 September, the year before you wish your child to join us.
Before you make an application, please use the age checker to make sure that your child’s age is correct for the year of entry. Pupils should be aged 11 on 1 September of the year of entry. However, we are willing to consider candidates who are a few months younger or older. Please email Admissions before completing the application form if your child’s date of birth falls outside the expected dates.
Late applicants should first email the Registrar before filling out the application form.
Parents’ Contact Details
The information given on the online application form is used for all our communications. It is therefore important that you notify us of any change of email, postal address or circumstances during the application process. This is particularly important if you have applied some years in advance of entry.
Cobfirmation
In the September prior to entry, we ask you to confirm that you wish to go ahead with the Year 7 entry process. We also ask you to provide us with more detailed information about your child’s co-curricular passions, as well as any medical conditions, learning support and special educational needs your child may have. At this time, we provide further information regarding the entrance tests. Day students who wish to apply for financial assistance should read the policy and apply at this stage. Candidates may also express interest in applying for a Music scholarship.
References from Current School
Before we can offer a place, we must receive a confidential reference from the candidate’s current school. We will write to the school once you have completed the confirmation forms.
Scholarships
If you would like to apply for a Music scholarship, your child will be assessed prior to taking the entrance examinations. Academic scholarships are awarded on the basis of performance in the entrance exams, plus the reference from their school.
Assessment Days
All candidates are invited to the assessment day at Sevenoaks School in January.
They sit papers in English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning, and participate in a 40-minute group discussion led by our teachers. Our friendly staff and students aim to make it an enjoyable day; we love to see the candidates making friends with each other and leaving with big grins on their faces.
Results
Offers of places, including scholarships, are sent by email to all candidates. Successful applicants will be given the opportunity to spend some time at the school for our Post-Offer Morning. We hope it will help you to make a final decision, although those who accept places beforehand are very welcome to attend.
Some candidates will be reserved. This means they have passed our tests and have demonstrated that they would be good Sevenoaks students. Places often become available in early March once the grammar school places have been announced. Parents are advised to keep in touch with Olivia Power, Assistant Director of Admissions, in this situation. We consider our reserve candidates as a pool, not a list. When a place becomes available, we offer it to the most suitable reserved candidate.
Accepting Your Place
Congratulations! We’re looking forward to seeing you at Sevenoaks soon. There are many activities for new students and parents that we will invite you to.
Acceptance of all places must be confirmed by the payment of a deposit (£2000 for day pupils) and the completion of a Form of Acceptance by the date, in early March, specified in our offer letter. Any candidate who decides not to accept their place is requested to inform us of their decision as soon as possible so their place can be released to candidates on our reserve list.
The deadline for applications to Year 9 is 1 October, almost two years ahead of entry. We are currently taking applications for September .
Admission is by competitive examination in Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning, a group discussion activity, and a reference from the candidate’s current school.
We admit approximately 100 students, of whom around 60 are boarders. We take slightly more boys at this point, as more boys transition to senior school at Year 9 through the local school system. This balances the mix of boys and girls. The new students integrate very rapidly with the pupils who joined us at Year 7.
The Middle School is large, cosmopolitan and vibrant. Every student is urged to be curious, creative, critically aware, and to develop their interests and talents to the full. Our Middle School curriculum is designed to develop the life of the mind. We have a broad range of academically ambitious courses that prepare students well for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the Sixth Form.
Visit us
We hold a number of Open Mornings and Group Visits throughout the year which give a general introduction to the school, a tour of the campus and, if appropriate, a visit to a boarding house. Following a visit, you can arrange an individual meeting with a member of the Admissions team. We also offer virtual events if you are unable to visit the school in person.
Application
The first step in applying is to complete the application form for either a boarding or day place. You can register at any time up to 1 October, two years before you wish your child to join us.
Before you make an application, please use the age checker to make sure your child’s age is correct for the year of entry. Students should normally be aged 13 on 1 September of the year of entry. However, we are willing to consider candidates who are up to six months younger or older. Please contact Admissions before completing the application form if your child’s date of birth falls outside the expected dates.
Late applicants should first contact the Registrar before filling out the application form.
Applicants onwards will have two options: Early Decision or Later Decision. The information currently on our website is for applications for a; we will update it with fuller details of the new process shortly.
Early Decision applicants will need to register by 15 September three years ahead of joining Sevenoaks. They will take a pre-test in the autumn and attend an assessment day in Sevenoaks in early January. Early Decision applications will be open only to pupils who plan to stay in their current school until they join us.
Later Decision applicants will need to register by 1 November 22 months ahead of joining Sevenoaks. A substantial number of places will be held open for Later Decision candidates, who will follow a process similar to the current one.
Parents’ Contact Details
The information given on the online application form is used for all our communications. It is therefore important that you notify us of any change of email, postal address or circumstances during the application process. This is particularly important if you have applied some years in advance of entry.
Confirmation
In the October, 23 months prior to entry, we ask you to confirm that you wish to go ahead with the Year 9 entry process. We also ask you to provide us with more detailed information regarding your child’s co-curricular passions, as well as any medical conditions, learning support and special educational needs your child may have. At this time, we provide further information regarding the entrance tests. Day students who wish to apply for financial assistance should read the policy and apply at this stage.
References from Current School
Before we can offer a place, we must receive a confidential reference from the candidate’s current school. We will write to the school once you have completed the confirmation forms.
Assessment Days
All candidates are invited to the assessment day at Sevenoaks School in April.
They sit papers in English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning. They also participate in a 40-minute group discussion activity led by our teachers, and a co-curricular taster activity. Our friendly staff and students aim to make it an enjoyable day; we love to see the candidates making friends with each other and leaving with big grins on their faces.
For international candidates, our staff travel to a number of cities to supervise testing and conduct group discussion tasks. You will be advised of the options at the confirmation stage. Please note that there is an extra payment to participate in one of these testing days.
Testing can also take place at a British Council or other approved centre, with the group discussion taking place online. Please contact the Registrar to discuss such alternative arrangements.
Results
Offers of places are sent by email to all candidates.
Some candidates will be reserved. This means they have passed our tests and have demonstrated that they would be good Sevenoaks students. We will be pleased to offer them a place if one becomes available later in the process. Parents are advised to keep in touch with Lorna Dolan, Director of Admissions, in this situation. We consider our reserve candidates as a pool, not a list. When a place becomes available, we offer it to the most suitable reserved candidate.
Accepting Your Place
Congratulations! We’re looking forward to seeing you at Sevenoaks soon. There are many activities for new students and parents which we will invite you to.
Acceptance of all places must be confirmed by the payment of a deposit (£2000 for day pupils; £5000 for boarding pupils) and the completion of a Form of Acceptance by the date in June specified in our offer letter. Any candidate who decides not to accept their place is requested to inform us of their decision as soon as possible so their place can be released to a reserved candidate.
Scholarship
Sevenoaks offers scholarships to honour and celebrate exceptional talent in academia, music, sports, drama and art. All academic and co-curricular scholarships are assessed in the spring of Year 8 and results are issued at the end of May via email.
Information about applying for scholarships will be provided in your offer letter.
The deadline to register for entry into the Lower Sixth is 1 August, 13 months ahead of entry.
Admission is by a group discussion activity, competitive examinations in Maths, English, Thinking Skills (essentially humanities and linguistics) and Science, and a reference from the candidate’s current school.
We admit approximately 85 students, most of them boarders, which increases the year group by more than a third. The new students integrate very rapidly with those who are already in the school.
Life in the Sixth Form
Our Sixth Form is large, cosmopolitan and exciting, comprising over 450 students from around the world – there are currently over 70 nationalities represented in the school. Every student is encouraged to be curious, creative and critically aware, and to develop their talents to the full. At the same time, we try to cultivate in our students the habit of reflection, while the school’s international outlook promotes understanding and open-mindedness.
Visit us
We hold a number of Open Mornings and Group Visits throughout the year which give you a general introduction to the school, a tour of the campus and, if appropriate, a visit to a boarding house. Following a visit you can arrange an individual meeting with a member of the Admissions team. We also offer virtual events if you are unable to visit the school in person.
Application
The first step in applying is to complete the application form for either a boarding or day place. You can register at any time up to 1 August, just over a year before you wish your child to join us.
Before you make an application, please use the age checker to make sure your child’s age is correct for the year of entry. Students should normally be aged 16 on 1 September of the year of entry. However, we consider applications from students over the age of 15.5 and under the age of 17.7 on 1 September in the year of entry. Please contact Admissions before completing the registration form if your child’s date of birth falls outside the expected dates.
Parents’ Contact Details
The information given on the online application form is used for all our communications. It is therefore important that you notify us of any change of email, postal address or circumstances during the application process. This is particularly important if you have applied some years in advance of entry.
Confirmation
By the end of August the year before your child intends to start at Sevenoaks, we ask you to confirm that you wish to go ahead with the Sixth Form entry process. We also ask you to provide us with more detailed information relevant to your child’s application and their most recent school report. Your child also needs to submit a 600-word personal statement about their academic and co-curricular interests. At this time, we provide further information regarding the entrance tests.
Day students who wish to apply for financial assistance should read the policy and apply at this stage. Candidates may also express interest in applying for a scholarship.
References from Current School
Before we can offer a place, we must receive a confidential reference from the candidate’s current school. We will give you notice of our intention to request the reference, which is usually after the candidate has taken the exams.
Scholarships
Sevenoaks offers scholarships to honour and celebrate exceptional talent in academia, music, sports, drama and art. Academic scholarships are examined after the assessment day by invitation, based on performance in the entrance exams and school references.
Assessment Days
All candidates living in or attending school in the UK are expected to come to the assessment day at Sevenoaks School in October, and all other candidates are encouraged to do so. However, we do usually hold assessment days in other locations such as Hong Kong and Mumbai, depending on demand. There is a charge for attending an international assessment day to help cover our expenses. Alternative arrangements can be made with the Sixth Form Registrar for candidates to test in their home country if necessary, usually at a British Council office.
All candidates sit four papers: English, Maths, Thinking Skills (humanities and linguistics) and Science. Applicants wishing to take Higher Level Maths sit an additional maths extension paper. Candidates also participate in a 40-minute group discussion led by our teachers. For those candidates not testing at the school, the group discussion is held online.
Results
Offers of places are sent by email on 1 December.
Some candidates will be reserved. This means they have passed our tests and have demonstrated that they would be good Sevenoaks students, and we will be pleased to offer them a place if one becomes available later in the process. Parents are advised to keep in touch with the Assistant Director of Admissions in this situation. We consider our reserve candidates as a pool, not a list. When a place becomes available, we offer it to the most suitable reserved candidate.
Accepting Your Place
Congratulations! We’re looking forward to seeing you at Sevenoaks soon. There are a range of induction activities for new students and parents to help you prepare to join the school.
Acceptance of all places must be confirmed by the payment of a deposit (£2000 for day pupils; £5000 for boarding pupils) and the completion of a Form of Acceptance by the date specified in our offer letter. Any candidate who decides not to accept their place should inform us of their decision as soon as possible so the place can be released to a reserved candidate.
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