Chinese and UK year groups, the routes schools list for mainland China, where tests are sat, and the TB-test and visa rules
Book a Free Consultation13+ entry from mainland China means joining a UK boarding school in Year 9. Dulwich College sets September 2027 entry by birth date, 1 September 2013 to 31 August 2014. ISC schools educated 5,576 pupils from mainland China whose parents live overseas in 2026, and the Home Office issued 2,301 Child Student visas to Chinese nationals in the year to June 2026, the 2026 quarters being provisional.
Planning 13+ entry for a child abroad?
Tuition is delivered online via a high-quality video platform, meaning our specialist tutors are accessible to families regardless of location. Our specialist tutors build structured programmes tailored to your child's target school and current ability level.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppThe UK side fixes the entry year, so start there. Dulwich College’s Year 9 entry page gives the age of applicant for September 2027 entry as “For boys born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014” and, for deferred entry to Year 9 in September 2029, as “For boys born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016”. Winchester’s 13+ Application Guide for 2026–2027 labels its Year 6 cohort “13+ YEAR 9 2029”. The September 2028 cohort sits between the two ranges, which is our arithmetic and not a school’s statement.
| Year 9 entry | UK year in 2026-27 | Born |
|---|---|---|
| September 2027 | Year 8 | 1 September 2013 to 31 August 2014 (Dulwich College) |
| September 2028 | Year 7 | 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015 (our arithmetic) |
| September 2029 | Year 6 | 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016 (Dulwich College, deferred entry, a route open only to boys at 13+ prep schools in the UK: “Boys at 13+ Prep Schools in the UK only”) |
Chinese schools run to a different rule. The Ministry of Education publishes the Compulsory Education Law, and Article 11 reads:
第十一条 凡年满六周岁的儿童，其父母或者其他法定监护人应当送其入学接受并完成义务教育；条件不具备的地区的儿童，可以推迟到七周岁。
Our English rendering, with the Chinese text governing: children who have reached the age of six are to be sent to school by their parents or other legal guardians to receive and complete compulsory education, and in areas where the conditions are not in place the start may be postponed to seven. Because the law allows that postponement, a grade alone does not fix a birth year. Cranleigh makes the same point from the UK side: its UK-system page says “School systems vary around the world, so a pupil's age and current grade do not always align directly with a UK year group.”
Two of the schools we read publish tables that include China, and they disagree.
| School and document | What its table sets against the China entries |
|---|---|
| Winchester College, 13+ Application Guide 2026–2027 | “Primary 6” against Year 7, ages 11 – 12; “Junior 1” against Year 8, ages 12 – 13; “Junior 2” against Year 9, ages 13 – 14 |
| Cranleigh School, UK-system page | “(Junior High) Year 1” against “Year 7 (age 11-12)”, entry point “Prep - 11+ entry” |
For the first year of junior high, Winchester’s table points to Year 8 and Cranleigh’s to Year 7. For a child in that year now, that is the difference between September 2027 and September 2028 entry. Both are the schools’ own mappings, and this page does not choose between them. Give each school the Chinese grade and the exact date of birth, and ask in writing which year group, and so which entry year, the child would join. Our guide to which UK year group a child moving from abroad joins covers other school systems, and the 13+ from overseas hub the wider picture.
The boarding-school admissions pages we read on Sunday 4 October 2026 were not uniform about mainland China. Six name a contact or partner for mainland applicants, and a seventh, Cranleigh, says families may apply directly. Each is quoted below and linked; this page does not name or rank the representatives.
The wording runs from “should first register” (Harrow) to a welcome to apply directly (Cranleigh). Whether a family in mainland China may approach Harrow, Oundle, Shrewsbury, Tonbridge or Charterhouse without the named contact, and whether registering that way changes any date, are questions for each admissions office, put in writing. For Hong Kong, see our 13+ from Hong Kong guide.
ISEB’s support portal says “The tests can be taken by pupils in the UK and overseas.” (ISEB support page). Its page on finding an invigilation centre says “If you need to find an invigilation centre, please review the map below to see if there is a centre in your area that you can contact.” Read on Sunday 4 October 2026, that map listed British Council offices at Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai among its mainland China entries. ISEB’s portal says parents and guardians “should always confirm that their child can take the tests with the invigilation centre before selecting them during registration”, and its answer on adding a centre says “Unfortunately, a parent or guardian cannot add a venue as a new invigilation centre.” Our guide to the ISEB Pre-Test abroad covers the test itself.
UKiset’s About page says “UKiset can be taken anywhere in the world through online invigilation.” and “If you have specific requirements or you are unable to sit the test at home, it is possible to arrange the test at one of our approved test centres.” It is “designed for students aged between 9.5 and 18 years old” UKiset’s home page links to a separate UKiset China site. What the test contains is set out in our UKiset explainer. For how lesson times read across time zones, see our guide to online tuition across time zones.
Not sure which stage each target school sets?
Where a school states that its assessment does not require tutoring, we will tell you so rather than sell you preparation for it.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppOur guides to which entrance test each school sets and to video interviews cover the schools beyond China.
Ask each admissions office in writing which venue it would use for your child’s city, who books it, and whether a stage shown as “at the School” can be taken another way.
Dates are the schools’ own, read on Sunday 4 October 2026 and labelled with the Year 9 entry they serve.
Year 6 or Year 7 now, with 2028 or 2029 entry in view?
Leading Tuition provides specialist 13+ entrance exam tuition across all stages — ISEB Common Pre-Test preparation in Year 6, Common Entrance subject coaching in Years 7 and 8, and school-specific scholarship support.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppMy son was low in confidence after COVID and the gaps in learning were building up. Using this service helped plug those gaps, rebuild confidence, and improve his ability to learn properly again.
Harrow’s Year 9 entry page says “An applicant at a school that does not prepare for CE at all, for example a state-maintained school or an overseas school, who has been offered a place at Harrow will be expected to sit CE examinations in three subjects in June of Year 8 as a minimum; namely English (Core), Science (Core) and Mathematics (Core and preferably the Additional paper. Please note that the Additional Mathematics paper is compulsory for applicants from Singapore, Mainland China and Hong Kong)”. Wycombe Abbey’s admissions page says of its 13+ Assessment Day: “There are also optional papers in Modern Foreign Languages (French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese)”. See our Wycombe Abbey 13+ guide.
On English, Oundle’s 13+ page says “it would be advantageous for all applicants from overseas to provide us with a UKiset report prior to registration”, and Tonbridge’s international page says “an Upper Intermediate level or higher is essential, equivalent to CEFR C1.”
For a child now in Year 6 or Year 7, a UK prep school before Year 9 is one option. Three senior schools’ own words:
For the full walk-through see our Child Student visa guide for 13+ families and our guide to educational guardians; this section is the China-specific part.
The basics, from GOV.UK. For an application from outside the UK, GOV.UK’s overview says “The earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course. You’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.” The applicant either uses the ID Check app or has fingerprints and a photograph taken at a visa application centre, and “you may have to travel to get to your nearest centre (this could be in another country)” (apply page).
The TB test. China is on GOV.UK’s list of countries where a TB test is needed. The China page says a test is needed “if you’re coming to the UK for 6 months or more and both of the following apply”: “you’ve lived in China for 6 months or more” and “you were living there (or another listed country) within the last 6 months”. For the appointment it says “children under 17 years must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; you must bring an original and copy of your passport or ID card” (testing in China). If the test shows no TB, GOV.UK’s overview says the applicant is given a certificate “which is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray”. GOV.UK’s list of approved clinics in China has headings for cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
Guardians and sponsorship. GOV.UK’s page on where the child will live says, of a nominated guardian, “you can only live with them for up to 27 days in a row”. Shrewsbury’s overseas page says “All pupils who reside outside the UK are required to have a guardian”. It also says “we cannot issue a 'Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies' (CAS) number for your visa application until we have received this form”. The Department for Education’s National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, Standard 22, includes “22.5 Under no circumstances should school staff be appointed as an educational guardian for boarders” (NMS for boarding schools).
Ready to talk through the entry year and the target schools?
Tuition is delivered online via a high-quality video platform, meaning our specialist tutors are accessible to families regardless of location. Our specialist tutors build structured programmes tailored to your child's target school and current ability level.
Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppISC counts pupils in its member schools. Its census counts non-UK pupils whose parents live overseas. Its Table 4.1 gives, for Mainland China, “Mainland China 10,207 5,576 4,631” under the headings “Total non-UK pupils Parents overseas Parents in UK” (Table 4.1): of 10,207 non-UK pupils from Mainland China in 2026, 5,576 have parents overseas and 4,631 have parents in the UK. The census text then says “Mainland China remains the largest source of these pupils, followed by Hong Kong.”, where “these pupils” are the non-UK pupils whose parents live overseas, and “The number from Mainland China has declined to 5,576 in 2026, down from 6,258 in 2025, following two years of recovery, and is now below 2024 levels.”
The Home Office counts visas issued, by nationality. Its entry clearance dataset (sheet Data_Vis_D02) gives Child Student visas issued to Chinese nationals, by quarter, which we have summed. The Home Office notes “Data from Q1 2026 onwards are provisional.”
| Calendar quarter | Child Student visas issued to Chinese nationals |
|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 (July to September 2025) | 1,861 |
| 2025 Q4 (October to December 2025) | 148 |
| 2026 Q1 (January to March 2026), provisional | 64 |
| 2026 Q2 (April to June 2026), provisional | 228 |
| Sum, year to June 2026 | 2,301 |
| Same four quarters a year earlier (2024 Q3 to 2025 Q2) | 3,617 |
Chinese nationals come first among all nationalities in those four quarters. One quarter, July to September 2025, holds 1,861 of the 2,301.
ISEB says “The tests can be taken by pupils in the UK and overseas.” (source). Its centre-finder page sends families to a map, and on Sunday 4 October 2026 that map listed British Council offices at Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai among its mainland China entries. ISEB’s portal says parents and guardians “should always confirm that their child can take the tests with the invigilation centre before selecting them during registration”.
The pages differ, so ask each school. Harrow says “applicants from Hong Kong or China should first register with our representatives” (Year 9 entry page). Marlborough says “We advise families to contact us directly rather than using educational agents but families applying from mainland China are invited to contact one of our official representatives:” (international admissions). Cranleigh says “Families are also welcome to apply directly” (UK-system page).
Two of the schools we read publish tables that include China, and they disagree. Winchester’s 13+ guide for 2026–2027 sets China “Junior 1” against Year 8, ages 12 – 13; Cranleigh’s table sets “(Junior High) Year 1” against “Year 7 (age 11-12)”. For September 2027 Year 9 entry, Dulwich College admits boys born between “1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014”. Ask each school in writing which year group your child would join.
GOV.UK’s China page says a test is needed “if you’re coming to the UK for 6 months or more and both of the following apply”: “you’ve lived in China for 6 months or more” and “you were living there (or another listed country) within the last 6 months”. Its testing page adds “children under 17 years must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; you must bring an original and copy of your passport or ID card”.
GOV.UK’s Parent of a Child Student page says “Your child must be aged between 4 and 11 when you apply, and be attending an independent school in the UK.” Its Child Student pages add that the parent can get the visa only if the child is under 12 (“you’re under 12 years old”) or “you have a brother or sister who is under 12 years old and also has a Child Student visa” (where you’ll live).
Both series fell. The ISC census says “The number from Mainland China has declined to 5,576 in 2026, down from 6,258 in 2025” for pupils whose parents live overseas (ISC Census 2026). The Home Office dataset gives 2,301 Child Student visas issued to Chinese nationals in the year to June 2026, against 3,617 a year earlier, with the 2026 quarters provisional. The first counts pupils in ISC member schools whose parents live overseas; the second counts visas issued by nationality.
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 Sunday 4 October 2026 against each school’s own admissions pages, ISEB, UKiset, GOV.UK, the Ministry of Education’s published text of the Compulsory Education Law, the ISC Census 2026 and the Home Office entry clearance dataset.
Our specialist tutors build structured programmes tailored to your child's target school and current ability level. See our 13+ tuition page and the 13+ from overseas hub.
Book a Free Consultation