King’s Wimbledon: 11+ or deferred 13+, then A levels or IB

Academic breadth comes with real choices and trade-offs

The Lower School curriculum includes French and Latin in Years 7–8. The Middle School choices add German, Spanish or Chinese in Year 9. A boy taking the additional Greek-and-Latin route has less space for art, music, drama or design and engineering. This is a genuine choice, not breadth without limits.

At GCSE, the normal pattern includes English Language and Literature, maths, French and three sciences, plus three options. Double-award science and other exceptions exist, so do not promise every child exactly ten qualifications.

The sixth-form curriculum offers A levels or the IB Diploma. A-level pupils begin four subjects and continue at least three in Year 13. They also complete a 3,000–4,000-word King’s Essay. That is not an EPQ. IB pupils take six subjects, three at higher and three at standard level, plus the IB core.

This makes King’s attractive for different learners. A pupil certain about physics, maths and further maths may prefer A-level specialisation. Another who wants literature, science and a language could value IB breadth. Neither route is automatically harder or better. Compare actual subjects, assessment style and workload with the pupil’s strengths.

Subject availability still depends on staffing and timetabling. For IB mathematics, the current policy lists Analysis and Approaches at higher or standard level and Applications and Interpretation at standard level only.

Try the journey at 4:20pm—and after the activity ends

The August 2026 curriculum policy gives registration at 8:30am, teaching from 9am and the formal day ending at 4:05pm. Friday afternoons normally mean sport for Years 7–9 and a wider activity programme for older pupils. Saturday fixtures also occur.

Published homework guidance normally gives Years 7–8 three roughly 20-minute tasks on a weekday, with some exceptions. At GCSE, three or four tasks may each take around 35–40 minutes, longer for science. These are planned durations, not measured evenings.

The school coach page says coaches aim to arrive by 8:10am and leave at 4:20pm on weekdays. We did not verify a late-coach service. Ask about the exact route, seat availability and what happens after a rehearsal or Monday sixth-form sports practice.

Sport also uses Kingsway in Motspur Park, and the Putney boathouse. A 4:05 finish on the main timetable therefore does not describe every collection point or return time.

Imagine Alex, who lives near Chiswick and wants to join a music group. The ordinary coach might make school workable, yet the rehearsal journey could require a parent collection. Before applying, the family should put that second journey into the calendar. This is a fictional planning example, not a description of King’s transport.

Find the activity your child can actually join

The music programme includes developmental and selective groups. Training orchestra, Sinfonia and concert band provide different entry points; symphony orchestra is generally for musicians around Grade 7 and above, while some chamber groups are auditioned or by invitation.

Individual tuition is £43.31 a lesson in the 2026–27 music information, normally for thirty 35-minute lessons a year. Lessons usually rotate through academic periods. Before-school, lunchtime and after-school spaces are limited and prioritised.

Clubs and societies include pupil-led opportunities. Drama includes acting, writing and technical work. Sport is prominent, but published team counts and achievements do not establish access for every age or ability.

Current phone rules may shape the day too. The August 2026 behaviour policy says phones remain switched off and locked away until pupils leave or 5:30pm, whichever comes first. Years 7–9 may bring basic non-smartphones only, subject to agreed medical, disability or safeguarding arrangements. School laptops remain part of learning; this is not a screen-free school.

Ask how being known works after the first few weeks

The pastoral structure gives Lower School pupils daily form tutors. From Year 9, vertical house groups are described as about twelve pupils. New 13+ and 16+ entrants receive a same-year, same-house buddy for their first year; sixth formers also mentor Year 9 pupils during their first months.

King’s publishes three counsellors and a weekday medical service operating 8am–5:30pm. We did not find current counselling waits or equivalent cover after 5:30pm in those pages.

The February 2025 ISI inspection found all standards met and identified co-curricular and partnership work as a significant strength. Its specific next step concerned more consistent oversight of teaching in the lower Junior School years—not teaching across the Senior School.

The safeguarding page describes external audits and termly governor oversight. The linked August 2026 policy itself says it is still with governors for approval. Ask whether it has since been approved and what changed after the latest audit. A compliant inspection is meaningful evidence from that visit, not proof that no child will encounter a problem.

Build the bill from the day your child would have

The current fee page gives September 2026 tuition inclusive of VAT. The annual amounts below are three-term arithmetic, not 2027/28 quotations.

For 2026/27, published school lunches total £1,304. A return coach totals £2,497.12; one-way is £1,665.97. Tuition, lunch and a return coach therefore make £36,813.12 for a Year 7 pupil or £39,621.12 for Year 9, before uniform, examinations, trips, music and other costs.

Sixth-form books and stationery are separately charged; the fee page says most standard books and stationery below sixth form are included. Ask for a written year-group schedule, especially where the contract’s broader extras wording appears different.

For September 2027, the deposits are £5,502 for Years 7–8 and £5,970 for Years 9–13. Those deposit figures do not establish next year’s tuition. The September 2026 contract normally requires withdrawal notice before the preceding term starts. Cancelling before entry with sufficient notice can still forfeit the deposit; without it, a term’s fees may be due.

The deposit is normally returned after the pupil leaves, subject to outstanding liabilities and contractual exceptions. It is security, not automatically a permanent joining charge.

Financial assistance and scholarships do not reduce fees in lieu of notice under that contract. Get the terms attached to your actual offer and seek advice if unclear. Our fees guide helps turn the headline into an ordinary-year, joining-year and exit-risk budget.

Bursaries and assisted-fee awards are different

The financial-assistance policy, reviewed in June 2026, distinguishes bursaries covering 80% or more from assisted-fee awards of 10–80%. The overlap at 80% is in the policy. An award may reach full tuition and can include agreed extras, but no family should assume every additional cost is covered.

For new applicants, support is available at 11+, 13+ and 16+, not ordinary Junior School entry. The child and at least one parent must have lived in the UK for the previous two years. The process considers income, assets, expenses and both parental households where relevant; it may involve a home visit.

Choose 11+ or deferred 13+ before test day

The 11+ page and 13+ page describe the same Year 6 English, maths and verbal-reasoning assessments. This is not ISEB. Under the August 2026 admissions policy, a family cannot apply for both routes. The choice can change before registration closes, not after the test.

Both current routes cover boys born from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016. Existing King’s Junior School pupils transfer without sitting the external 11+, although the policy allows discussion where a pupil may struggle to cope in Senior School. Do not mistake that separate internal route for an unconditional guarantee.

For 11+, accept by 3 March 2027 at noon. For deferred 13+, initial acceptance is 1 March 2027, with the deposit due in early February 2028. The place depends on satisfactory head-teacher reports during Years 7 and 8. Common Entrance, where taken, informs setting rather than acting as another admission hurdle.

Registration for the separate late 13+ route for September 2027 closed on 19 June 2026. It is not an open backup plan, and the current policy excludes pupils who previously sat the 11+ test. Ask admissions rather than assuming a later vacancy. Our 13+ guide explains how deferred offers affect the two years in between.

Already-registered late-route applicants sit their Year 8 papers on 24 September 2026. Selected interviews are in the week beginning 5 October, with results by 16 October and the deposit due 11 November. Those are not the deferred route’s dates.