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Book a Free ConsultationKingston Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school for ages 11 to 18 in Kingston upon Thames that holds its own 11+ entrance exam at the school: two 50-minute papers, English and Mathematics. Applications for September 2027 entry have closed, and the exam for September 2028 entry will take place in November 2027. For September 2028 entry, candidates who show potential are interviewed in January 2028. The school puts entry at approximately 800 to 900 candidates for 150 places.
If you are weighing up whether the preparation effort is worthwhile, this guide sets out what the school's entrance process involves, when each step falls, and how it compares with the Tiffin schools' tests.
Kingston Grammar School 11+ tuition
Our specialist 11+ tutors prepare children for Kingston Grammar School's two 50-minute papers, English and Mathematics, held at the school in November 2027 for September 2028 entry. 91% of our students achieve their desired grades.
Book a Free ConsultationChecked October 2026
Kingston Grammar School's 11+ entry page describes September 2028 entry: the exam is at the school in November 2027, interviews are in January 2028 and offers are emailed in February 2028, while registration for September 2027 entry has closed.
The two Tiffin schools' Year 7 Admissions pages give Stage Two tests on 7 and 12 November 2026.
Kingston Grammar School describes itself as a co-educational independent day school for ages 11 to 18 in Kingston upon Thames. Despite its name it is not a state grammar school and is not part of either Tiffin school's testing: it holds its own entrance exam at the school, and its FAQs say what to do if a child's exam clashes with another school's. Its two main entry points are 11+ and 16+; for entry into Year 8, Year 9 or Year 10 the school asks families to contact its Admissions Team before applying, to confirm whether exams will be taking place.
Beyond the written papers, the school offers co-curricular scholarships in Art, Music and Sport at 11+, each with its own assessment. For children entering at 11, the process is a written exam in November, an interview in January for those who show potential, and a decision that weighs the exam, the interview and the school references together.
Kingston Grammar School holds its own entrance assessment at the school, separate from the Tiffin schools' Stage One and Stage Two tests. The assessment consists of two papers: English (comprehension and creative writing) and Mathematics, each lasting 50 minutes, according to the school's 11+ admissions page. The school says the papers are designed to align with age-appropriate National Curriculum levels.
There is a break between the two papers, when candidates can have a drink and a snack. Sample papers are emailed once a child is fully registered to sit the exam. Extra time is allowed in all papers, and a laptop may be used for written papers, if the family asks on the registration form and supplies a written recommendation from a Specialist Teacher or Educational Psychologist (the school's FAQs say a professional, either the current school or an Educational Psychologist). The school's Head of Learning Support reviews it and confirms any concessions, which are awarded only if the child would be granted the same concessions in external formal exams under Joint Council for Qualifications rules; the documentation has to reach the school by the registration deadline.
The written papers are not the whole picture. Before the exam the school asks the child's current Headteacher for a confidential report, and parents upload the child's most recent school report. Candidates who show potential in the written assessments are invited to an interview, which the school describes as a casual conversation about the child's interests and hobbies; it strongly discourages interview coaching because it wants to see the candidate's authentic personality.
The school's own admissions FAQs put 11+ entry at approximately 800 to 900 candidates for 150 places. Our arithmetic on that range, not a figure the school publishes: between 5.3 and 6.0 candidates for every place (800 ÷ 150 and 900 ÷ 150).
Once all entrance and scholarship assessments are complete, the school reviews each candidate's performance in full, taking into account the exam or scholarship results, the interview and the school references. For September 2028 entry it emails offers in February 2028, with acceptances due by the first week of March 2028.
Preparing for the Kingston Grammar School exam?
Our specialist Kingston Grammar School 11+ tutors work on the two 50-minute papers in the school's entrance assessment: comprehension and creative writing in English, and Mathematics, under the timing of the day.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppFor a family putting Kingston Grammar School alongside one or both Tiffin schools, the table sets their dates side by side, but the entry years differ. The Tiffin schools' dates are for September 2027 entry; Kingston Grammar School's published key dates are for September 2028 entry, from an exam in November 2027 to acceptances in the first week of March 2028:
| Step | Kingston Grammar School | The Tiffin Girls' School | Tiffin School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | Closed for September 2027 entry | Closed at 12.00 noon on Tuesday 1 September 2026 | Closed; 1 September 2026 in its notice, 2 September 2026 in its key-dates table |
| Written tests | November 2027, for September 2028 entry: English and Mathematics, 50 minutes each | Stage One 1 and 2 October 2026 (held); Stage Two Saturday 7 November 2026 | Stage One 2 October 2026 (held); Stage Two 12 November 2026 |
| Interview | January 2028, for candidates who show potential | — | — |
| Offers | Emailed in February 2028 | Monday 1 March 2027, from your local authority | Early March 2027 (National Offer Day), from your local authority |
| Acceptance | First week of March 2028 | — | Mid March 2027 |
Source: Kingston Grammar School 11+ entry page and apply-for-a-place page (September 2028 entry; registration for September 2027 entry closed); The Tiffin Girls' School and Tiffin School Year 7 Admissions pages and Tiffin School's registration portal (September 2027 entry), retrieved 24 October 2026. A dash means the school's key dates list no such step.
Our reading of those calendars, not a claim any of the schools makes: the columns belong to different entry years. A child in Year 6 in 2026/27 is in the September 2027 cohort, for whom the Stage Two tests, for those invited, are on Saturday 7 November 2026 for The Tiffin Girls' School and 12 November 2026 for Tiffin School, while Kingston Grammar School's registration for that cohort has closed. Kingston Grammar School's exam in November 2027 is for a child in Year 5 in 2026/27.
If a child has an exam at another school that clashes with Kingston Grammar School's, the school asks families to email its Admissions Team by the registration deadline, naming the other school, and says it will try to give an exam time that lets the child sit both exams that day. If a child is unwell on the day, the family must contact the Admissions Team before the exam starts; with a medical letter, the school will try to make alternative arrangements. The two Tiffin schools' tests are set out on our Kingston 11+ page and our Tiffin Girls' School 11+ page, and our Twickenham 11+ tuition page sets Kingston Grammar beside other independent schools for Twickenham families.
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For September 2028 entry the exam is in November 2027, in the autumn term of Year 6, so a preparation plan works back from November of Year 6. Starting structured work in Year 5 gives a child time to build genuine competence rather than cramming material in the final weeks.
Our 11+ specialists work with Kingston Grammar applicants on the English and Maths papers the school uses for 11+ selection, preparing students for the specific format and standards KGS expects. Our students have achieved a 95%+ offer rate across selective school entry. Book a free consultation to discuss a preparation plan for the Kingston Grammar School 11+.
A concrete tip for Kingston Grammar's format: practise both 50-minute papers in the same mock session, with a break between them as on the day, so sustaining concentration across English and Mathematics feels familiar rather than a shock. Building stamina across a full-length sitting is as important as content knowledge.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 1-to-1 tutoring for children preparing for Kingston Grammar School's 11+ entrance exam. Our tutors prepare children for Kingston Grammar School's own two-paper format — 50 minutes of English comprehension and creative writing and 50 minutes of Mathematics — rather than a generic 11+ syllabus. Sessions are tailored to each child's starting point, whether that means building foundational skills in Year 4 or refining exam technique in the final months of Year 6.
We work closely with parents throughout the preparation process, providing honest assessments of progress and adjusting the programme as needed. Our approach is structured and purposeful — we do not believe in padding sessions with material a child has already mastered. Every session is focused on moving your child closer to the standard required to compete for a place at Kingston Grammar School.
For official entry requirements and registration details, see the Kingston Grammar School 11+ admissions page, or book a free consultation to plan your child's preparation.
Leading Tuition is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 59 reviews, read on 3 October 2026, and 91% of our students achieve their desired grades.
Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Kingston Grammar School's 11+ entry, apply-for-a-place, admissions FAQs, scholarships and contact pages, and The Tiffin Girls' School and Tiffin School Year 7 Admissions pages and registration portal.
The school's 11+ entry page says applications for September 2027 entry have closed and that the entrance exam for September 2028 entry will take place at KGS in November 2027, with children in Year 6 when they sit it, which is Year 5 in 2026/27. Scholarship applications, recommendations for extra time or a laptop, notice of a clash with another school's exam and arrangements for children studying overseas all have to reach the school by the registration deadline. For September 2028 entry, candidates who show potential are interviewed at the school in January 2028, offers are emailed in February 2028 and acceptances are due by the first week of March 2028.
Two papers: English, covering comprehension and creative writing, which lasts 50 minutes, and Mathematics, also 50 minutes, with a break between them for a drink and a snack. The school says the papers are designed to align with age-appropriate National Curriculum levels. Sample papers are emailed once a child is fully registered. Before the exam the school also asks the child's current Headteacher for a confidential report, and parents upload the child's most recent school report to the admissions profile.
The school's admissions FAQs put it at approximately 800 to 900 candidates for 150 places. On our arithmetic that is between 5.3 and 6.0 candidates for each place (800 divided by 150, and 900 divided by 150). Once all entrance and scholarship assessments are complete, the school reviews each candidate's exam or scholarship results, interview and school references together before emailing offers; for September 2028 entry, that is February 2028.
Yes, for candidates who demonstrate potential in the written assessments. For September 2028 entry the interviews are at the school in January 2028. The school describes the interview as a casual conversation exploring the candidate's interests and hobbies in a friendly atmosphere, and it strongly discourages interview coaching because it prefers to observe the candidate's authentic personality. The interview is weighed together with the exam results and the school references when offers are decided.
No. Kingston Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school that holds its own entrance exam, while Tiffin School and The Tiffin Girls' School each hold their own Stage One and Stage Two tests. The entry years differ: The Tiffin Girls' School closed registration for September 2027 entry at 12.00 noon on Tuesday 1 September 2026, and Kingston Grammar School's registration for September 2027 entry has closed too, while its exam for September 2028 entry is in November 2027. Where a child's exams clash, Kingston Grammar School says it will try to give an exam time that lets the child sit both exams that day.
For a clash, Kingston Grammar School asks families to email its Admissions Team at registrar@kgs.org.uk by the registration deadline, naming the other school, and says it will try to give an exam time that lets the child sit both exams that day. If a child is unwell on the day, the family must contact the Admissions Team before the scheduled start of the exam; as long as they can supply a medical letter as proof of illness, the school will try to make alternative arrangements.
Yes, co-curricular scholarships in Art, Music and Sport. Each needs a separate assessment, held in November or December, with exact dates confirmed closer to the time. Families indicate their interest on the registration form, and the scholarship application then appears in the online admissions checklist; the scholarship application deadline coincides with the registration deadline. When offers are decided, the school reviews each candidate's exam or scholarship results together with the interview and the school references.
For September 2028 entry, work back from the exam in November 2027, which falls in the autumn term of Year 6. Kingston Grammar School's own admissions FAQs say its papers are broadly in line with the knowledge expected from National Curriculum teaching in English and Mathematics, and that it does not recommend tutoring in these subjects. For families who do prepare, the work is less about new content than about practising the English and Mathematics papers under a 50-minute limit. Structured work through Year 5 gives time to build those skills without cramming, and a diagnostic assessment shows where a particular child needs to begin.
Our specialist 11+ tutors prepare children for the two papers in Kingston Grammar School's entrance assessment: 50 minutes of English comprehension and creative writing and 50 minutes of Mathematics, practised together with a break between them as on the day. We start with a diagnostic assessment and build a programme around the gaps it finds, and we plan around the Tiffin schools' dates for families sitting both. 91% of our students achieve their desired grades. Book a free consultation to plan your child's preparation.
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