The School’s standard entry points are at 7+, 8+ and 11+ for entry to the School in Years 3, 4 and 7. Outside of these entry points we do not actively seek to recruit new pupils as we are almost always full. Occasionally, however, some families leave the Under School, usually in order to move overseas. In this case, there may be occasional places for candidates in Year 5 and Year 6 to join the School, provided the following criteria are met:

• A child may only join the School in September each year – children do not join mid-year.
• Any child joining must be of an academically equal standard to boys who are already at the Under School, and must be at home with a stimulating, questioning and fast-paced environment.
• As with other pupils in Years 5 and 6, they will need to go through the usual procedures that other candidates go through in order to gain their place at their senior school of choice, usually Westminster School or Eton College (but other choices of senior school continue to be supported)

For the academic year beginning in September 2024, we are now not accepting any new applications for occasional places unless there are extenuating circumstances. 

Any families who wish their child to be considered for an occasional place, should contact the Registrar, Alycia Lee, by email in the first instance. At this stage only basic details will be required, such as the school that your child is in now, a copy of their most recent school report and details of the most recent standardised assessments, such as CATs, where taken. Any information provided will be treated in a strictly confidential manner and we will not contact your child’s existing school at this stage. After the documents are supplied will let you know whether it is likely that your child would be considered, should a place become available.

If an occasional place becomes firmly available, then we will contact you as soon as possible. At this point, you will again need supply us with your child’s most recent data, if this has changed. This data must again include their most recent school report if this has been updated since documents were first supplied.

Following this, we may then invite your child to come to the School for a morning or afternoon for an informal interview with a senior member of staff and some further age-appropriate written tests, most likely in English or Maths. This work will be similar to the type of work being completed by his peers in this school at the time and must be done in person – we are unable to carry out these tests remotely. We will also require a reference for your child from their headteacher at their existing school.

Following this process, we will contact you to let you know whether the application for an occasional place has been successful, almost always for the start of the next academic year in September. If this is the case, a deposit will be payable, as is usual when any offer is made, and all parts of the School’s Terms and Conditions will apply.

The following points should be carefully considered:

Children who have previously applied at 7+ or 8+: Unless there are extenuating circumstances, children who have sat for 7+ or 8+ at Westminster Under School cannot normally be considered for occasional places and must instead sit the 11+ assessment for entry in Year 7.

Proof that your child can live and study in the UK: Occasional places, as with entries at standard entry points, are conditional on showing proof that your child can live and study in the UK by uploading a copy of any relevant supporting documents such as passports, resident permit and/or visas. Unfortunately, if we do not have evidence that your child can live and study in the UK, we will be unable to make an offer.

Tier 4 Visas: For occasional places we are unable to sponsor pupils who require a Tier 4 visa.

Fees: As is standard procedure, the School can only take pupils from another independent school where it is confirmed that there are no fees owing.