Know exactly where your child stands for The King's School, Chester
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The King's School, Chester 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The King's School, Chester 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
The King's School, Chester
The King's School, Chester is an independent, co-educational day school that admits pupils into Year 7 (known as Removes) through a two-stage entrance process. The assessment consists of exams administered in January, which include Quest Admissions, followed by a compulsory interview stage. Located on a thirty-three acre campus in Cheshire, this historic school was founded by Henry VIII in 1541.
If your child rows, or might, this is a school where that is far from niche! The boat club dates from 1883, the school has its own boathouse on the Dee in the middle of Chester, around 160 pupils row, and it starts in Year 3. King's is an independent co-educational day school for four to eighteen on a thirty-three acre campus on the southern edge of the city. Year 7 is called Removes, and entry is by examination each January.
Henry VIII founded it in 1541, on the dissolution of St Werburgh's Abbey, which became Chester Cathedral. The motto has been carried ever since: Rex dedit, benedicat Deus, the King gave it, may God bless it. The school spent roughly four centuries in the monks' old refectory in the cathedral precinct before outgrowing it, took a 999-year lease on the Wrexham Road site, and moved out in 1960, when the Queen Mother opened it. It still goes back for a cathedral service every term.
It has been fully co-educational since 2003, girls having first joined the sixth form in 1998, and the infant school opened in 2015, so a girl and a boy applying at eleven are applying to exactly the same thing. Pastoral care runs through tutors and heads of house, with a buddy system and wellbeing nurses who are trained mental health professionals. The Good Schools Guide says the school 'consistently delivers on academic results while not being afraid to look ahead and embrace change'. It suits a child who wants an old school that is not stuck in it.
Key facts
Annual fees
Senior School (Year 7 / Removes and above) £6,826 per term for 2026/27, including VAT, plus a compulsory lunch charge of £370 per term. The school states all fees include textbooks and standard exam fees. Registration fee £60 per child, payable online with the registration form. No deposit amount is published.
Admissions
Admissions contact
admissions@kingschester.co.uk
Admissions phone
01244 689553
Registration form
https://www.kingschester.co.uk/register/
Sibling policy
What this school tests
Online Entrance Test
English
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
- Spelling
- Vocabulary
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Match to a Group of Figures
- Most Like Three Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Odd Shaped Matrices
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Vertical Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- 2D View of 3D Shape
- 3D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Building Blocks
- Combining Shapes
- Diagonal Reflections
- Figure Missing from Image
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Nets of 3D Shapes
- Shape Completion
Puzzles And Problem Solving
- Number Properties & Proportion
- Logic & Systematic Thinking
- Geometry, Measures & Data
- Equations & Early Algebra
- Magic Shapes & Additive Puzzles
- Calculation Fluency
Critical Thinking
- Logical & Deductive Reasoning
- Inference & Evaluation
- Extracting & Distilling Information
- Visual Sources
- Comparison & Ordering
- Data Analysis
- Codes & Decoding
Written English Paper (Writing)
English
- Creative Writing - Descriptive
- Creative Writing - Narrative
Catchment area
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
2025: 85% of all grades at 9-7, described by the school as its strongest performance in 16 years, with 38% at grade 9 and 96% at 9-6 (school's own published figures).
A-level results
2025: 25% of grades at A*, 60% at A*-A and 85% at A*-B, described by the school as its best results in three years and its highest proportion of A* grades since pre-pandemic grading (school's own published figures).
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does The King's School, Chester use for the 11+?
The school uses Quest Admissions and independent exams as part of its assessment process.
Is there an interview stage for Year 7 entry at King's Chester?
Yes, the admissions process is a two-stage system that includes an interview stage.
Is The King's School, Chester co-educational or single-sex?
The King's School, Chester is a co-educational school, welcoming both boys and girls.
What are the school fees for Year 7 at The King's School, Chester?
For the 2026/27 academic year, Senior School fees are £6,826 per term, including VAT, plus a compulsory lunch charge of £370 per term. Textbooks and standard exam fees are included.
What is the website for The King's School, Chester?
The official website for the school is https://www.kingschester.co.uk/.
How much is the registration fee for King's Chester?
There is a registration fee of £60 per child, which is payable online alongside the registration form.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2391.7951777962544!2d-2.902417022011179!3d53.16771427223788!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x487ac2c418fcc5c3%3A0xa3dde0b0e051a6c3!2sThe%20King's%20School%20Chester!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sph!4v1787821051539!5m2!1sen!2sph
