Ages 
Under Dr Cotton’s leadership, change is in the air with an increasing emphasis on pastoral care and pupils’ individual responsibility to others (inside and outside school). But pupils here continue to receive outstanding teaching and are given the opportunities and encouragement to find their metiers. ‘It is good to be good at something, even if it is obscure,’ one of the younger pupils told us.
This dynamic, fast-paced, busy and buzzy environment is not necessarily right for every child but, for one who is academically curious and keen to get involved, securing a place here could well prove to be the start of something very special.
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Overview & data
- Notes
- Co-ed sixth form
- Pupil numbers
- 1,215 ·
- Sixth form numbers
- 598 ·
- Religion
- C of E
- Fees
- £31,230 - £34,212 pa
- Local authority
- London Borough of Merton
- Area guides
- Linked schools
- School ownership
- Charity, board of governors
Headteacher
Head
Dr Anne Cotton
Since 2022, Anne Cotton. Educated at a girls’ school in London before accumulating qualifications at Oxford: a classics degree, an MSt in classical languages and literature, and a DPhil. She admits she ‘fell into teaching by chance’ and feels
Entrance
Three entry points: 11+, 13+ (either, not both) and 16+. Massively competitive. Junior pupils enjoy automatic transfer (having already been through a rigorous selection process at 7+). At 11+, exams (at the school, even for overseas candidates) in
- Open days
- September
Exit
An impressive list of leavers’ destinations with Durham, UCL, Cambridge and Oxford the most popular in recent years. In 2025, 41 Oxbridge and 15 medics. Good numbers to leading US universities with interest growing. Costs often offset by scholarships
Latest results
In 2025, 98 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 88 per cent A*/A at A level (95 per cent A*-A). IB average point score 42.
A levels or equivalent - Average points score (2024)
What is this?
These figures tell you the average grade and average points that pupils achieved in their academic qualifications. A maximum of 60 points are available for a grade A* at A level.
Teaching & learning
School has a reputation for vigorous academics. The level of teaching is high and ‘the pace is fast’. A pupil told us, ‘The school is academic, but it doesn’t feel pushy,’ and explained that it is an environment where ‘you just want to do the work’.
- Qualifications taken in 2024
- A level
- GCSE
- IB
Sixth form
The choice between IB and A levels is entirely up to individual students and is ‘not intellectually determined’. Around 50 opt for the IB each year and the school was named the ‘Independent IB school of the year 2025’ by the Sunday Times. For A
Learning support & SEN
School has focused recently on the support they can offer pupils with learning needs. Around ten per cent of pupils access support (mainly ASD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, and speech and language needs but also visual and hearing impairments and
Arts & extracurricular
This is a very, very busy school where the arts flourish, extracurricular activities have a high profile and pupils are expected to engage.
Music participation is huge. Each year, around a hundred senior school concerts, recitals, services,
Sport
Wednesday afternoon sees sport for all. Head believes there is ‘a good culture’ and sport is enjoyed by pupils playing at all levels. PE staff work across the entire school and across all abilities. In the lower school, the main (but not exclusive)
Ethos & heritage
This is a place steeped in history (evidenced by portraits in the older parts of the school and the ‘bricks missing from the front hall where bombs dropped’) and in tradition, but it is also forward looking, innovative and constantly evolving.
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
A key part of the pastoral system, and one of the school’s USPs, is the vertical tutor group system from years 9 to 13. Each of the tutor groups comprises two or three pupils from each year group under one tutor. At the start of each year, leavers
Pupils & parents
Parents are mainly professional: some ‘glamorous’, most affluent, many ‘uber wealthy’. A few regarded by locals as inconsiderate (especially with regard to driving and parking) but lots are ‘two properly working parents’, we were told, ‘and plenty
Money matters
Fees at the high end but comparable to the competition. Scholarships largely for kudos. A charitable foundation provides bursaries ‘to ensure King’s is properly accessible’ and the aim is to be ‘needs blind in terms of finances’. Ambitious plans
- Fee information
- £31,230 - £34,212 pa
The last word
Under Dr Cotton’s leadership, change is in the air with an increasing emphasis on pastoral care and pupils’ individual responsibility to others (inside and outside school). But pupils here continue to receive outstanding teaching and are given the
