United Kingdom · Kent
Sevenoaks is a selective day and full-boarding school for ages 11–18. Pupils take GCSEs or IGCSEs before an all-IB Sixth Form. Entry routes, costs and boarding commitments need separate scrutiny.
Sevenoaks School is an academically selective, co-educational school in the Kent town of Sevenoaks. It has day pupils from Year 7 and boarders from Year 9. Saturday morning lessons and afternoon sport form part of the normal timetable.
The school is a sensible candidate for a pupil who wants broad, demanding study and will participate fully beyond lessons. It is a poor fit for a family seeking weekly boarding, a light Saturday, or A Levels.
The Lower School covers Years 7 and 8. The Middle School covers Years 9–11, leading to GCSEs and IGCSEs. Middle School pupils also complete the school’s own diploma, which records academic and wider participation.
Every pupil in Years 12 and 13 studies the full International Baccalaureate Diploma. Sevenoaks does not offer A Levels. A family should therefore test the pupil’s appetite for six subjects and the IB core before accepting a Sixth Form place.
The September 2025 ISI inspection found all applicable standards met. It identified service and partnership work as a significant strength. It also asked leaders to make classroom use of individual learning plans more consistent.
Boarding is full boarding and begins in Year 9. The school has eight single-sex houses, including two reserved for Sixth Form pupils. Younger boarders normally share; Sixth Form rooms are usually single or double.
About 75% of boarders remain at school on an ordinary weekend. Houses close for five exeat weekends each year. Families must arrange accommodation with parents, guardians or friends on those weekends.
The contract treats day and boarding places as different. A Middle School boarder may request a day place for Year 12 with two terms’ notice, subject to capacity. Other Middle School changes require at least two terms’ notice and normally occur only after an academic year.
A pupil who joins as a Sixth Form boarder cannot change to day status. Leaving boarding without written approval can leave boarding fees payable through Year 11 or Year 13. Ask Admissions to confirm any expected change before accepting.
The three main entry routes have different timetables. Registration is not a rolling application unless the school explicitly confirms a late-testing route.
The music scholarship deadline is 13 November 2026. Scholarship applications do not replace the academic admissions process.
Early Decision is only for children whose current school continues through Years 7 and 8. For September 2029 entry, registration closes on 21 September 2026. Testing begins with ISEB and continues with written papers and group work in January 2027.
Later Decision is the route for pupils who need a later timetable, including many overseas applicants. For September 2028 entry, register by 1 November 2026. Assessments take place in spring 2027. An overseas venue may charge a local fee.
The VAT-inclusive registration charge is £260 for day applicants and £450 for boarders. Deposits are £2,000 and £5,000 respectively. Occasional places may arise in Years 8 or 10, but never Year 11.
The standard deadline was 1 September 2026, so it had passed when this page was checked. Families may send a recent report and co-curricular summary for the late-testing waiting list. They should not pay to register unless Admissions invites them.
Applicants submit a school report and a 600-word personal statement. Assessment covers English literature, mathematics, science and humanities, followed by group discussion. Higher Level mathematics candidates sit an additional paper.
The normal age is 16 on 1 September. The published range is older than 15 years 6 months and younger than 17 years 7 months. The registration charges and deposits match the Year 9 figures.
Sevenoaks publishes fees per term, including VAT. The annual figures below are our three-term calculations, not separately quoted packages.
| Place | Per term | Three terms |
|---|---|---|
| Day, Lower or Middle School | £12,514 | £37,542. |
| Day, continuing Sixth Form pupil | £12,734 | £38,202. |
| Day, new Sixth Form entrant | £14,461 | £43,383. |
| Boarding, Middle School | £20,472 | £61,416. |
| Boarding, continuing Sixth Form pupil | £20,639 | £61,917. |
| Boarding, new Sixth Form entrant | £22,383 | £67,149. |
Fees include weekday and Saturday lunches, textbooks and exercise books for timetabled subjects. Music, drama, sport or language tuition, equipment, clothing, stationery and some activities are extras. Those charges also attract VAT where applicable.
The deposit is security, not another year’s fee. It is normally returned after the final account when the pupil leaves. The school may instead apply it to fees in lieu of notice, unpaid extras or the final bill.
If an accepted pupil does not start, the deposit is normally forfeited. The Early Decision Year 9 exception allows a refund when notice arrives before the first day of January in Year 7.
Before a September start, withdrawal notice is normally due by the end of the preceding Lent term. Later notice can trigger one term’s fees at the rate applicable on the intended start date. If a place is offered in the immediately preceding term, the contract instead allows 14 days from acceptance. A current pupil also requires one full term’s written notice.
There is no routine refund for absence, study leave, a short term or a mid-term departure. Everyone who signs the acceptance form is jointly responsible for the debt unless the school agrees otherwise in writing.
Means-tested assistance is separate from academic selection. Awards may cover 5% to 100% of tuition and are reviewed, usually annually. They can change if household circumstances change.
Standard assistance normally prioritises pupils who can make a reasonable daily commute. The admissions policy also records a narrow funded-boarding route through the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation. Families needing boarding aid should establish eligibility before applying.
Scholarships are honorary and usually do not reduce fees. A music scholarship can include tuition for one instrument. The financial-assistance policy may reimburse a registration charge when aid is awarded and offers an upfront waiver for eligible free-school-meal families.
The school expects an overseas pupil to complete at least a two-year course. Its admissions policy normally expects five years of education mainly in English and at least B1–B2 ability, approximately IELTS 6. Ask whether current evidence is sufficient before registering.
Sevenoaks can sponsor eligible Child Student visa applicants only as boarders from Year 9. It does not sponsor day pupils. The administration charge is £500 plus VAT, currently £600.
The current visa policy requires one year’s boarding fees in advance before the school issues the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. That is a timing requirement, not an additional year’s tuition. Parents, not the school, make the visa application.
A new visa application is normally needed when a sponsored pupil moves from Year 11 into the Sixth Form. A parent living overseas or far from school must appoint a nearby education guardian, usually aged at least 25. The school does not appoint one.
Sevenoaks is not a specialist SEND school. Families must disclose known needs before assessment so the school can consider adjustments and whether its provision is suitable. Admission remains selective after reasonable adjustments.
Support ranges from classroom strategies to groups and individual sessions. Sustained one-to-one provision is case-specific, and supplemental support or external assessments may be charged. Obtain the frequency, staff expertise and likely cost in writing.
The policy defines some pupils as EAL when English is not used at home and recent schooling was not English-medium or bilingual. Short-term examination adjustments and fortnightly EAL teaching may be offered after assessment.
The defining choice is not simply day versus boarding. It is an all-IB Sixth Form inside a seven-day school rhythm. That combination suits an independent, academically secure pupil who wants a busy communal life.
Families weighing residential life can also use our day or boarding guide.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
Walthamstow Hall is a selective girls' day school in Sevenoaks for Years 3 to 13. Its senior pupils take GCSEs or IGCSEs followed by A levels, not the IB. Applications for 2027 Year 7 and Year 9 entry close on 2 October 2026.
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BristolBristol Grammar School is a selective, co-educational independent day school from Reception through Sixth Form. Its subject range makes it worth considering for a child who wants academic choice while living at home. Senior and Sixth Form fees are £7,422 per term from autumn 2026. Admissions pages still describe the previous entry round, so families applying for 2027 need a new timetable.
CheltenhamCheltenham College is a selective co-educational senior school for ages 13–18. It combines day places, full boarding and limited day boarding with GCSE, A-level and vocational routes.
Sevenoaks School is co-educational, offers day and full boarding places, and requires every sixth-former to take the IB Diploma. Walthamstow Hall is a girls' day school whose sixth form offers A levels. That curriculum and boarding distinction should drive the shortlist.
8 minStart with the child and a realistic weekly timetable. Then confirm who provides care, which nights are covered, and what happens when plans change.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.