Following in Westminster School’s footsteps, KCS Wimbledon is the latest established London boys’ school to announce its transition to a fully co-educational school over the coming years.
Girls have long played an integral role within the King’s community. The school welcomed girls into its sixth form for the first time 15 years ago, and currently educates around 150 sixth form girls each year, whose presence and impact extend throughout the school. Over the coming decade, the school looks forward to welcoming girls and boys in every year group of the King’s junior and senior schools and Wimbledon Common Prep School.
Accordingly, the timeline for moving to full co-education will be as follows:
From September 2027, girls and boys will be admitted into the Reception year at Wimbledon Common Prep School (Squirrels). This is the pre-prep school owned by KCS which has been operating as a boys’ prep-prep for over 100 years. There is no automatic transfer to KCS Junior School and all children from Wimbledon Common Prep School will have to sit the 7+ exam to enter the King’s College Junior School, as they do now.
From September 2029, girls and boys will be admitted to year 3 in the junior school (known as Transition) at 7+, and at 8+ and 9+ in subsequent years, transferring to the senior school without a further examination as they do now.
From September 2033, girls and boys will be admitted to year 7 of the senior school at 11+, and to year 9 (fourth form) of the senior school at 13+ in September 2035.
Girls and boys will continue to be admitted to the lower sixth (year 12) at 16+, as they are now.
The head, Dr Anne Cotton, has commented: “This is an enormously exciting new chapter for King’s, and one of the most significant developments in the school’s near 200-year history. As we embark upon our third century as a school, I am delighted that we are now able to welcome into our community any child who will thrive here.”
The school is planning a modest increase in the numbers of pupils joining which will be made possible by significant planned developments of its campus, particularly the development of a new dedicated junior school building.
