United Kingdom · London
The useful Westminster facts sit on the school’s own pages — who may board before 16, when girls arrive at 13, the 2026–27 fee table, and a 2024 inspection that called pupil-led service a significant strength.
Questo ritratto è ancora in inglese. Le altre lingue arrivano scuola per scuola.
Curricolo come lo pubblica la scuola:GCSE · A-Level
Lingue di istruzione:English
Westminster School is a day and weekly-boarding senior school in Little Dean’s Yard, next to Westminster Abbey and a short walk from Parliament Square. The school’s own pages call it a co-educational independent school for ages 13–18. The Independent Schools Inspectorate, visiting on 27–29 February 2024, recorded 769 pupils, of whom 183 boarded, an age range of 12 to 19, and a charity overseen by a governing body. Inspectors listed Dr Gary Savage as Head Master. That name is also on the school’s current welcome page.
The useful questions are not “is it famous.” They are: Can this child live with the pace of a central-London week that includes Saturday morning school? Do you need a boarding house before 16, and do the parents actually live in the UK? Are you applying for Year 9 in 2028 or later, when girls arrive at 13, or for a sixth form that has been mixed since 1973? And can you pay the one-time entrance fee as well as the termly bill?
Westminster talks about a liberal education in the sense Queen Elizabeth I’s 1560 charter used the phrase: “liberally instructed in good books.” Head Master Dr Gary Savage repeats that line on the school page. About 125 children join Year 9 each year, from around 500 applications, with about 250 invited to interview. Just under half come up from Westminster Under School on Vincent Square.
It will not take an under-16 boarder whose parents live abroad. International boarders join at 16+ only. Under-16 boarders must have parents resident in the UK with whom they can stay at weekends. The Under School is day only. Big Ben is, in the school’s own boarding copy, a daily alarm clock. Ask about the Tuesday, not only the Yard.
The inspectorate address is Little Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PF. Vincent Square is the sports ground and the Under School site. The senior sports centre is about a ten-minute walk. Boarders can use the gym on weekdays 16:30–18:30, and on Mondays the gym, sports hall, dance studio and rowing suite from 20:00–21:30.
Six boarding houses sit in and around Little Dean’s Yard. Some rooms overlook Parliament and the Abbey; one house has a roof terrace. The library is staffed until 21:00 in term time. The Manoukian Music Centre is open for evening practice. Ask to see an ordinary house common room and a Year 10 classroom, not only the Abbey door.
The inspectorate noted a historic, shared site. Access between buildings is controlled. Fire practices happen each term, including in boarding time. Toilet and changing facilities met requirements in 2024, but leaders recognised that some facilities for female pupils still needed upgrading — one of the two recommended next steps.
Think in two bands, then the house.
Fifth Form to Upper Shell (Years 9–11). Year 9 is the first year at the senior school. Forms are mixed-ability except for French, classics and mathematics, which are set. Periods last 40 minutes. The published Year 9 common curriculum includes classics (Latin and Greek together), theology and philosophy, RSHE in small groups, a Camden Liberal Arts period, science as three separate subjects plus an extension period, and carousels for drama/computer science and electronics/product design.
Year 10 rebuilds the forms. English and the three sciences stay in form; other subjects are set. Pupils take seven compulsory subjects and five options. A modern language — German, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish or Russian — counts as a double choice. The school expects a practical subject in the mix. Pupils going into Year 10 have access to 28 subjects, including nine modern and classical languages. Year 11 studies nine subjects plus weekly RSHE. English language and literature are two GCSEs in one block. Pupils must keep at least two of the three sciences.
Sixth Form and Remove (Years 12–13). All pupils are expected to study four A-Level subjects in Year 12 (seven periods each) and at least three in Year 13 (eight periods each). The school offers 23 A-Level subjects, arranged in four blocks; you pick one from each block. Further Mathematics means Mathematics in Block 1 and Further Mathematics in Block 3 — two entrance papers, two full A-Levels. There is no written entrance exam for Art; portfolios are assessed on exam day (or online for overseas candidates). Sixth-formers also take weekly RSHE and Wellbeing. In Year 12 they take Options and Cultural Perspectives in nine-week blocks. Electronics AS, an EPQ from physics or computer science, and extra modern languages can sit in that Options time.
The inspectorate said teachers have significant subject knowledge and that lessons stretch thinking. Pupils consistently achieve high examination results. That is the inspectorate talking about the school as it found it in February 2024, not a forecast for your child.
Every pupil belongs to one of 11 houses, whether they sleep in school or go home. The official house list is Ashburnham, Busby’s, College, Dryden’s, Grant’s, Hakluyt’s, Liddell’s, Milne’s, Purcell’s, Rigaud’s and Wren’s. King’s Scholars board in College. Houses are allocated by the school. Preferences are heard; they are not a promise. The school asks day-place parents not to name a favourite house unless there is a strong family connection.
Between a quarter and a third of pupils board in term time. Boarding is weekly and term-time only, with Saturday morning school. Years 9–11 go home at the weekend. At 16+, a small number stay, but Saturday night and Sunday are typically quiet. All six boarding houses are in or around the Yard, five on the main site and one a short walk away. At the 2024 inspection, one house was for female boarders and male day pupils; the other five mixed male and female day and boarding pupils. That snapshot will keep moving as 13+ girls arrive.
Boarders have a structured evening prep. A Head of International Pupils looks after sixth-form overseas boarders. A Year 7 boarder-taster evening exists for 13+ offer-holders who said they were interested.
13+ (Year 9). Register in Year 5, the academic year of the tenth birthday. Registration opens on 1 October of Year 5 and closes on 30 September of Year 6. 13+ entry in 2029 is now open. You cannot apply for 11+ at the Under School and 13+ here at the same time. Under School 11+ joiners spend Years 7–8 on Vincent Square and move up without another entrance test (they still sit The Challenge for King’s Scholarships or Head Master’s Awards). Children whose primary ends in Year 6 are pointed at 11+ Under School entry.
In Year 6 the child sits the ISEB Common Pre-Tests at their prep school in October or November. Scores are age-adjusted. A current-school report is requested in November. Families who go forward sit further Mathematics and English tests (40 minutes each) in early January, then an interview in January or February — overseas candidates must come to Westminster for both. Offers — the school calls them unconditional — go out by the end of February of Year 6, still expecting good Year 8 conduct and an unreserved March reference. A waiting-list child can be promoted as late as the end of June in Year 8. Boarding versus day is due by February of the year of entry. King’s Scholars must board in College.
16+ (Year 12). Registration for September 2027 opens on 1 June 2026 and closes on 30 September 2026. The bursary deadline is Wednesday 23 September 2026. About 600–650 candidates sit the exams; about 190 are interviewed; the school offers 75–85 places, plus a waiting list. Most sixth-form applicants are girls; selection is academic, not boarding-versus-day.
Open days for 2027 entry: Saturday 13 June and Monday 7 September 2026, booking from 1 April. There are no separate 16+ tours. Exams are Saturday 7 November 2026, 09:00–14:00: a 45-minute paper in each of four A-Level subjects. Overseas candidates may sit at a British Council on 7 November, or, with permission, on 6 or 8 November. Music as one of the four must be sat at Westminster on the 7th. Interview day is Saturday 28 November 2026, in person only — four subject interviews, a general interview, and a 45-minute assessment. Offers go out in December, conditional on eight (I)GCSE passes at A / 7, of which at least four at A / 8–9* in the A-Level subjects. Offer-holders spend a day in March 2027, by which time houses have been allocated.
For 2027, overseas candidates must have been born between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011. Anyone with English as an additional language submits a UKiset or IELTS Academic profile before 30 September 2026. A UK-based guardian is required if parents live abroad; the school closes for half-term and two Exeat weekends a term. Child Student visa sponsorship exists at 16+ only.
The Challenge (13+ King’s Scholarship). Sat at Westminster in mid-May of Year 8. You do not need to hold a place already; if you sit only for the scholarship and miss it, a regular place is not offered. The application, countersigned by the current head, is due by 28 February of Year 8. From 2027 the core is seven papers plus two specialisms; Head Master’s Awards sit alongside the King’s Scholarship. Syllabus notes are on the bursaries page.
All figures below are inclusive of VAT, except the acceptance deposit, which the school says is not subject to VAT. The Governing Body usually reviews the next year’s fees by the end of the summer term and publishes in early July. Confirm the live page before you budget.
| Pupil type | Per term | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 13+ day | £16,456 | £49,368 |
| 16+ day | £17,482 | £52,446 |
| 13+ and 16+ boarding | £23,094 | £69,282 |
| 13+ King’s Scholars | £16,456 | £49,368 |
| 16+ King’s Scholars | £17,482 | £52,446 |
King’s Scholars pay the day rate and must board in College. The published fee covers tuition, teaching materials, lunches, and most clubs, societies and enrichment. Boarding adds accommodation and all meals.
One-time costs
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration (13+ and 16+, non-refundable) | £360 |
| Entrance fee on acceptance | £2,400 |
| Acceptance deposit | £4,000 |
| Acceptance deposit, international boarders (16+) | £5,000 |
| Child Student visa sponsorship | £1,200 |
The 13+ entrance fee is not offset against the last term. It is refunded only if the prep school later says the child has not kept the expected standard and is not admitted. Under School 11+ transfer pupils do not pay it. A 100% bursary holder does not pay it. The 13+ deposit is due by 1 September of Year 8 and comes back after the child leaves if the account is clear. At 16+, the entrance fee is non-refundable; the deposit is not returned if the child withdraws before joining.
A first-year 13+ day place is not “about £49,000.” It is registration + entrance + deposit + three terms — £55,584 before music, trips or a visa. A 16+ boarder adding the international deposit and visa charge is higher again. Do the sum on the live page with your extras.
Bursaries and scholarships. The two Westminster schools spend about £2 million a year on means-tested bursaries, up to 100% of day fees. A full bursary also covers uniform, travel, equipment, books and compulsory expeditions. Boarding bursaries are not awarded except when combined with a King’s Scholarship. Eligibility is strict: right to live and study in the UK; at least one parent and the child lived in the UK for two continuous years at application; family inside the M25 throughout; parents British or Irish, or settled / pre-settled / indefinite leave that lasts until the child leaves. Mark intent at registration. Awards are reviewed every year.
There are 48 King’s Scholars, usually 12 a year: up to eight at 13+ and four at 16+, under 14 or under 17 on 1 September of entry. Music awards: up to eight at 13+ (10% of the day fee, free tuition on up to two instruments) and up to three exhibitions; up to four at 16+ on the same 10% basis. Grade 7 (13+) or Grade 8 (16+) on the first instrument is the usual expectation. The Henry Purcell Organ Scholarship is biennial, one holder at a time.
The February 2024 visit found all Standards met. Inspectors called pupils’ initiative and contribution to society a significant strength: publications in most subjects, pupil-led lectures, and more than a third of pupils in volunteer work. Governors had commissioned external reviews on gender and race; the personal-development and RSE programme had been rebuilt. Relationships, they wrote, were now characterised by “sophisticated respect and tolerance.”
Two recommended next steps: more careers contact with employers and employees; and continue upgrading changing and toilet facilities for female pupils. The school had identified 141 pupils with SEND and a very small number with an EHC plan. English was an additional language for nine pupils. Fluency is tested on admission, with intense support in the first half-term if needed. That is one visit, not a promise about your child.
The 13+ page names a tradition of identifying potential in pupils with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD and ASD. Extra time or a word processor in entrance exams is granted only if public-examination criteria are met. Study Skills wants an up-to-date specialist report and a current-school letter on normal way of working — both by the registration deadline. At 16+, previous concessions do not transfer automatically. Ask what support looks like for this child’s Tuesday.
Ask which year you are applying for, and whether that year is already mixed at 13+. Ask how boarding works on a Saturday night in Year 10 versus Year 12. Ask whether you meet the M25 and two-year UK-residence rules before you tick the bursary box. Ask to see Year 9 and Year 12, not only the Abbey. If you live overseas, ask about the guardian, the Exeat weekends, and whether a British Council seat exists on 7 November.
We are not ranking Westminster. We are not guessing a 2028 gender mix in Year 9, or inventing a 2027–28 fee. The inspectorate’s 769 and 183 are a February 2024 count. Read the current fees, 13+ and 16+ pages, and the 2024 ISI report before you resign a flat. This is a map. The school still has to be the right Tuesday.
Pagine e documenti ufficiali che abbiamo letto. Se un numero conta per il bilancio o la domanda, aprite il link e controllate che sia ancora valido.
Orientamento amichevole, non una domanda. Date, rette e programmi si muovono. Confermate tutto con la scuola.
The useful London map is not a league table. It is which river, which leaving paper, and a commute you should time in January rain, not on Open Morning.
13 minAlcuni ragazzi fioriscono in un corridoio di bauli e cioccolata. Altri hanno bisogno della loro stanza e del cane. Entrambi sono permessi. Il tragitto è anche una forma di convitto.
15 minLe lettere sul diploma contano. Non sono tutto il ragazzo. Ecco come distinguerle senza mal di testa, e senza fingere che ogni porta resti aperta.
16 minNon vi serve un algoritmo perfetto. Vi servono poche cose vere su vostro figlio, una lista un po’ noiosa sul frigo, e il coraggio di ignorare un bel campus che non vi sta.