Westminster School: girls join senior Year 9 from 2028

Girls, boys and the entry year: get the timeline right

Westminster’s coeducation timetable matters. The sixth form has educated girls and boys since 1973. Girls join Reception, Year 3 and Year 7 at the Under School in September 2026. The first girls join the senior school in Year 9 in September 2028; every year group across the two schools is planned to be coeducational by September 2030.

For a girl considering 13+, this is a chance to join a new chapter of the school, but it is not yet a long-established mixed lower-school experience. Ask about her particular cohort: house arrangements, changing facilities, sport, friendships and who is responsible for checking that the transition is working. A sixth-form tour cannot answer every question about being thirteen here.

Should we apply at 11+ or 13+?

The school’s route guidance recommends Under School 11+ for children whose current school ends in Year 6, and senior 13+ for those staying at prep school through Year 8. You cannot apply for both routes at the same time. An 11+ entrant spends Years 7 and 8 at the Under School, then moves to the senior school without a fresh application or ordinary entry test. Continued work and behaviour still matter under the admissions policy.

Do not interpret that as a reason to move a happy child two years earlier automatically. Compare the actual Years 7 and 8 education, travel, cost and friendships. Equally, a Year 6 leaver cannot treat a future Year 9 place as a plan for the intervening two years. Our private-school 11+ guide helps you build the wider Year 7 shortlist.

Check the combination, not just the list of A levels

Westminster’s curriculum stays broad before sixth form. French remains in the published GCSE core, and Year 11 pupils retain at least two sciences. At sixth form, pupils begin four subjects, with at least three required in Year 13. That makes early subject choice important without meaning every pupil must finish four full A levels.

The September 2027 subject grid has four timetable blocks, with one choice from each. Maths is in block one and Further Maths in block three. Latin and Music are both in block two; German and Spanish are both in block four. You therefore cannot select both Latin and Music, or both German and Spanish, under the published grid.

Put your child’s proposed four subjects against the actual grid before paying an application fee. Later switches depend on the timetable, space and academic approval, not just a change of mind.

There is also a distinction for a keen programmer: Computer Science is offered at GCSE, with an Extended Project Qualification built around a practical project in the Upper School, rather than a listed Computer Science A level. An EPQ is an independently developed project qualification, not the same course under another name. Compare the actual route with your teenager’s interests and any university requirements.

Our view: Westminster deserves a close look for a pupil ready to specialise deeply. A teenager who wants to keep a wider spread of subjects may also want to explore the IB at Sevenoaks or the A-level and IB options at Wellington. That is a curriculum comparison, not a claim that one qualification or school is better for everyone.

Try the journey for the whole week—including Saturday

The published school day has registration closing at 8.40am. Lessons or afternoon sport run to 4.10pm, with activities potentially taking the day to 5.30pm. Saturday lessons normally run from 9am to 1.05pm, and fixtures or rehearsals can follow.

In Years 9 and 10, pupils have at least two timetabled after-school activities. The activities programme offers variety, but it also means a journey calculation based only on lesson hours will be too optimistic.

Try the route at the actual morning time, and work backwards from a late finish. Include walking, changes, a delayed train and the point at which dinner and homework happen. A journey that is pleasant once with a parent can feel different after several full school days.

Sport is not all behind one gate: the school’s facilities include Vincent Square, a sports centre and a Putney boathouse, with other London venues also used. For a pupil with regular external training, establish which school commitments take priority.

There are attractive options beyond sport. Drama includes backstage, directing and pupil-led work; societies and talks give pupils opportunities to organise and explore interests. An extensive programme is useful only if your child can take part.

Boarding weekends depend on your child’s age

The boarding guidance is unusually important here. All boarders in Years 9–11 go home at weekends. A small proportion of sixth-form boarders stay, but the school describes Saturday evenings and Sundays as typically quiet. Boarding is term-time only. Westminster does not accept international boarders at 13+ and is not suitable for under-16 boarders whose parents live overseas.

For a UK-based family, weekly boarding could remove a tiring daily commute while preserving time together at weekends. For a teenager hoping for a large, lively residential community every Sunday, it could be a poor match. Ask how many pupils of the same age actually stay in the proposed house and what a recent weekend looked like.

All pupils belong to one of eleven houses; six provide boarding. Preferences are considered, not guaranteed. At 16+, choose day or boarding before registration. At 13+, the admissions page allows that decision later, by February in the entry year.

For a prospective boarder, the visit should include a bedroom, evening study arrangements and the adults on duty—not just the most photogenic parts of the school. Our boarding guide has a fuller set of weekend and pastoral questions.

Find out what support would look like in your child’s timetable

The June 2026 SEND policy describes Year 9 screening, study-skills help and drop-ins. Regular one-to-one support is usually for pupils with a formal diagnosis. In Years 9–11, learning-support sessions take place before school, at lunch or after school rather than by taking pupils out of lessons.

That last detail matters for a child already managing a long journey or tiring day. In-house support is free; external assessments or specialists may involve charges. A named department is a starting point, not a personalised support plan.

The learning-development page also acknowledges physical-access limitations in historic, multi-storey buildings, many without lifts. If mobility or sensory needs affect access, arrange a practical route-by-route discussion covering classrooms, toilets, lunch, sport and emergency arrangements.

For pastoral care, the school describes a housemaster and personal tutor alongside counselling and other support. Public descriptions do not settle waiting times or a particular child’s treatment needs.

One useful question is: “If homework starts taking our child twice as long as expected, what happens first?” Listen for a workable response involving the pupil and teachers, not simply a suggestion to become more organised.

What the inspection reports add to a school visit

The February 2024 ISI inspection found all standards met. Inspectors described effective safeguarding and pupils’ access to trusted adults. They also noted self-imposed academic pressure and staff efforts to prevent pupils taking on too much. Recommendations included broader contact with employers and continuing planned improvements to girls’ changing and toilet facilities.

The 2024 report is a dated independent assessment, not confirmation that every subsequent building project is finished.

There is a relevant earlier sequence. The November 2021 additional inspection found deficiencies in relationships and sex education, teaching and related leadership standards; safeguarding standards were met. The June 2022 follow-up found the focused requirements met after changes including weekly lessons and staff training.

Read those findings together. Neither ignoring the earlier problem nor presenting it as an unresolved current judgement is fair. A policy and a good inspection matter; neither guarantees every child’s experience.

Budget for the right fee category—and the commitment before joining

The 2026–27 senior fees below include VAT. Annual figures cover three terms; these are not quotes for 2027–28 or later entry.

The school lists teaching materials, lunch and most activities within fees; boarding includes accommodation and meals. Under School fees are separate—do not use its lower rate to budget for the senior years.

Ordinary senior application charges include £360 registration and a £2,400 entrance fee, plus a £4,000 acceptance deposit. The international sixth-form boarding deposit is £5,000, with £1,200 for visa sponsorship where needed. The entrance fee is not credited against the final term’s bill. Waivers and particular exceptions should be discussed before payment.

Read the offer contract carefully. The May 2026 admissions policy and fees page differ on when the 16+ deposit is returned after departure and on the wording for withdrawal before joining. Do not budget on the assumption that the deposit is freely refundable; your written terms decide that. The policy also describes an additional term’s fees for withdrawal after the spring, or Lent, term before entry.

Put acceptance payments, future fee increases and the cost of leaving beside the annual fee. Our fees and bursaries guide offers a family budgeting framework. A place can be academically right and still need a more cautious financial decision.

Day-place bursaries inside the M25

Means-tested bursaries can cover up to 100% of day fees. They are normally for day places, with an exception for King’s Scholars. Eligibility includes residence and immigration-status requirements: the child and at least one parent must have lived continuously in the UK for two years before application, and the parental home must be within the M25 at application and throughout the award. Check the full criteria with the bursar rather than relying on income alone.

The 13+ application starts while your child is still in primary years

For the ordinary 13+ route, registration opens on 1 October in Year 5 and closes on 30 September in Year 6. The current page is taking applications for September 2029 entry. Use its age checker rather than assuming the application year is the year before arrival.

1. Register and flag financial support. Declare an intention to apply for a bursary at registration. If application charges are a barrier, ask about a waiver before paying.
2. Autumn of Year 6: take the ISEB Common Pre-Tests in October or November; the school also requests the headteacher’s report.
3. After shortlisting: attend 40-minute English and maths papers in early January, then a separate interview in January or February.
4. Late February: offers are communicated. Financial assessment follows for relevant offer holders.

There is a long gap between an early offer and joining. Westminster calls its ordinary offers unconditional, but its policy still requires continued academic progress, good conduct and a satisfactory final school reference. Stay in touch with the prep school rather than treating the remaining years as a waiting room.

Keep a simple shared calendar: registration, pre-test arrangements, school report, London visits, financial paperwork and acceptance payments. Ask the current headteacher what they see as your child’s strengths and what needs steady work. A candid answer is more useful than reassurance that an application looks impressive.

Westminster reports around 125 Year 9 joiners, including just under half from its Under School, and around 500 applications to the external process. Those figures do not give a clean acceptance rate: internal progression, external applications, offers and eventual joiners are different groups. Nor is there a published score here that guarantees an interview.