King’s Canterbury Registration: Key Dates and Deadlines

King's School, Canterbury takes its largest intake at 13+, into Year 9, and the registration route depends on where your child is at school now. Children at a prep school are assessed through the ISEB Common Pre-Test in Year 6, while children from other schools and overseas take the King's Entrance Exams in Year 8, by which point registration must be in. Knowing which route applies, and registering in good time for it, is the single most important thing to get right. This guide explains both routes and the timeline.

The two registration routes

King's Canterbury takes its main intake at 13+, into Year 9, which the school describes as its largest point of entry, and it runs two different routes depending on a child's current school. Children at a UK prep school are assessed earlier, through the ISEB Common Pre-Test in Year 6, followed by an Experience Day at King's. Children from non-prep schools and from overseas are assessed later, through the King's Entrance Exams in Year 8. The two routes lead to the same 13+ entry but happen at different points and look different in their detail, so the first thing to establish is which one applies to your child. Registering for the wrong route, or missing the deadline for the right one, is a common and avoidable mistake.

The prep school route

If your child is at a UK prep school, the route runs early. Children sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test at their current school in the autumn term of Year 6, and on the strength of those results they are invited to King's for an Experience Day in February of Year 6. Offers are then made in the spring of Year 6, based on the pre-test, a formal reference from the prep school, and the child's time on the Experience Day. Because this route begins in Year 6, registration needs to be in place well before then, around three years ahead of entry, and prep school families are advised to consult their prep head about timing. If King's is on your list and your child is at a prep school, treat this as an early decision rather than one for Year 7 or Year 8.

The non-prep and overseas route

If your child is at a non-prep school or applying from overseas, the route runs later and the registration deadline is firmer. Registration must be completed by November of Year 8, and the King's Entrance Exams follow, taken in Year 8. The exams combine an online reasoning assessment with written Maths and English papers and an interview, held at King's or, for overseas candidates, by video link. Offers are made in early February of Year 8, based on the exam results, the interview and a reference from the current school. Families on this route are advised to register at least a year in advance, and to arrange a visit to the school before applying. Our guide to the King's assessment explains both routes in full.

How to register

Registration is completed through the school's online registration form, along with the non-refundable registration fee of £200, which begins the admissions process for your child. The school strongly encourages families to visit first, whether through an open morning, held in May and September, or an individual tour, so you can meet the admissions team with your child before applying. If your child is offered and you accept a place, a deposit of £2,400 is payable to confirm it, and from 2026 entry an additional deposit of one term's fee, paid in advance, also applies, with overseas families asked for two terms' fees. The full cost picture is set out in our King's Canterbury fees guide.

The full admissions timeline

Our full guide to getting into King's Canterbury walks through both routes in detail.

Common registration mistakes

The most common mistake is misjudging the route, since a prep school child is assessed in Year 6 and a non-prep or overseas child in Year 8, with quite different deadlines. Confirm which applies to your child early. The second mistake, for prep school families, is leaving registration too late, when the route begins around three years ahead of entry. The third is leaving the current school unbriefed, when King's places significant emphasis on the school reference and a teacher given notice can write a far stronger account than one asked at the last minute.