King’s Canterbury Interview: Tips and Common Questions

King's School, Canterbury interviews its 13+ candidates as part of the admissions process, and the interview carries real weight alongside the assessment and the school reference. It is a conversation with a member of staff, held at King's on the day of the entrance exams for those taking them at the school, or online for overseas candidates. The school is looking for genuine engagement and a child who will contribute to its wider community. This guide explains what the interview involves, what King's looks for, and how to help your child prepare without turning them into a rehearsed performer.

What the King's interview involves

King's Canterbury's 13+ interview is a conversation with a member of staff, held as part of the entrance process rather than as a formal panel. For children taking the King's Entrance Exams at the school, the interview takes place on the same day, while overseas candidates are interviewed online by video link. The interview is one of three elements the school weighs when making its decision, alongside performance in the assessment and a confidential report from the current school, and King's places significant emphasis on that reference. Because the conversation is intended to get to know your child as a person, a child who is comfortable talking about their interests, and honest when they are unsure, comes across far better than one delivering answers learned by heart.

What King's is looking for

King's uses the interview, alongside the assessment and the reference, to judge not only academic ability but also how a child will fit into and contribute to the wider life of the school. With its celebrated musical tradition and rich co-curricular life, King's is looking for children who will throw themselves into all the school offers.

King's weighs a child's potential contribution to the wider school community, not just their academic performance.

This shapes how you prepare. A child who can talk warmly about a book they love, an instrument they play, a sport they pursue or an idea they find genuinely interesting, and explain why, will impress far more than one who arrives with polished, pre-packaged answers.

Common interview themes

No two King's interviews are identical, but they tend to explore familiar ground. Your child may be asked about the subjects and activities they enjoy and why, about a book they have read or an interest they pursue, and about what attracts them to King's in particular. Given the school's strong musical and co-curricular life, the conversation often turns to what a child does beyond the classroom, whether music, drama, sport or other pursuits, and how they might contribute at King's. For a boarding applicant, it may touch on how they feel about boarding and living away from home. The interviewer may invite them to talk through something they find interesting, so questions that open up a conversation are common. None of this needs a scripted response. What helps is a child who has thought a little about why they want to go to King's and can speak honestly and warmly about themselves.

How to prepare your child

The aim is a confident, genuine child, not a rehearsed one, so the best preparation looks very little like exam practice. The single most useful thing you can do is have real conversations at home, so your child is used to expressing and explaining their opinions. Encourage them to think about what they enjoy and why, and to come up with a question or two they would genuinely like to ask about King's, particularly about the activities they hope to take up. Reading with reflection helps, since a child who reads widely has more to say, and any experience of being away from home makes the prospect of boarding feel familiar rather than daunting. For overseas families, a little practice with the online format helps a child feel at ease on screen. For the academic side, our guide to the King's assessment covers both routes.

On the day

A few practical things help your child give their best account. A good night's sleep matters more than last-minute preparation, and arriving in good time means they are relaxed rather than flustered. They should know that the member of staff they meet wants them to do well, and that it is completely fine to pause and think before answering, or to say they are not sure. Encourage them to talk warmly about what they enjoy, and to show genuine interest in what King's offers. For an online interview, a quiet, well-lit room and a tested camera and microphone let their natural personality come through. A child who treats the conversation as a chance to be themselves, rather than a test to pass, tends to come across exactly as King's hopes.

A note for parents

It is natural to want to prepare your child thoroughly, but King's staff are experienced at telling a genuinely curious child from a heavily coached one, and they consistently favour the former. Your most valuable contribution is not drilling answers. It is giving your child a home where ideas are discussed, opinions are welcomed, and reading and real interests are part of daily life, and making sure the current school knows early that King's is the goal. That preparation lasts well beyond a single conversation, and it happens to be exactly what the school is trying to find.