King’s College School dates back to 1829, when it was founded by Royal Charter as the junior department of King’s College London. The preparatory section became a distinct Junior School in 1912, sharing the senior campus on the edge of Wimbledon Common.
KCJS is a selective day school for boys aged 7–11. The roll is a little under 300 pupils, organised into three-form entry in Years 3–6, and virtually every boy progresses automatically to the senior school at 11+.
Academic outcomes are exceptional: in 2023 the wider King’s community recorded 98 % A*/A at GCSE and 94 % A*/A/B at A-level, achievements mirrored by Junior School scholarship results. Facilities include a state-of-the-art sports centre, music school and expansive playing fields, all within 20 leafy acres on Wimbledon Common. Add in outstanding pastoral care, a vast co-curricular menu and guaranteed transfer to one of the UK’s top senior schools, and it is easy to see why demand is intense.
What is the 7+?
The 7 Plus is KCJS’s main intake assessment. It is sat each early October when boys are in Year 2, for entry into Year 3the following September. Roughly 300 candidates compete for about 54 places, meaning six hopefuls for every seat. Offers are issued in November so families can make decisions well ahead of state-school application deadlines.
What will my child be tested on?
The assessment is in two rounds:
- Written papers – English (reading comprehension & creative writing) and Mathematics (number fluency, reasoning, problem-solving).
- Reasoning – separate verbal and non-verbal sections to gauge underlying cognitive ability.
- Listening test – a unique 25-minute exercise that asks boys to follow spoken instructions and mark answers on picture sheets.
Helpfully, KCJS gives specimen papers in Maths and English, but do ask Clarendon if you’d like more past papers.
Short-listed candidates return for classroom activities and an informal interview that probes curiosity, collaboration and teachability.
How to best prepare my child
No one understands the KCJS 7+ like Clarendon Tutors. For over a decade our Wimbledon-based specialists have achieved the highest success rate in London, with more than 70 % of Clarendon pupils securing an offer or wait-list place last cycle. We do this by:
- Diagnostic benchmarking – proprietary assessments map your child’s current attainment to KCJS mark schemes, revealing precise learning gaps.
- Bespoke tuition – our hand-picked team (all Oxbridge graduates and trained primary teachers) delivers targeted lessons in core literacy, numeracy and reasoning, underpinned by metacognitive strategies that build exam resilience.
- Listening-skill mastery – exclusive Clarendon exercises mirror the KCJS audio test, training boys to process multi-step instructions swiftly and accurately.
- Mock-exam immersion – we run the only 7+ mock series in the actual format and time slots used at King’s, complete with examiner-style feedback and personalised action plans.
- Parent partnership – weekly progress reports, curated reading lists and practical games for busy families ensure preparation continues seamlessly between sessions.
Choosing Clarendon means entrusting your son to the foremost experts in KCJS admissions, armed with the best-in-class resources, insider insight and proven track record to turn potential into a place. Book an initial consultation today and let us chart the pathway to Wimbledon’s most sought-after prep school success.
Photograph by William Brierly / CC-BY-SA
