Co-Education at King’s House School

The Governing Board and Senior Management Team reached the decision for the school to become co-ed following extensive research and much consideration. This change has been led by parent demand, and we have experienced a strong desire for co-education from both current and prospective families over many years.

King’s House Nursery has been co-educational since it opened in 2009, and this move allows girls in the Nursery to stay on at the school for the first time. Both boys and girls now have the opportunity to benefit from all that a King’s House education has to offer. We are able to better serve the needs of the local community, becoming the only co-ed prep school in Richmond. We also appreciate that many parents value the practicalities of all their children being in one school.

Following the announcement in March 2023, the first girls joined King’s House School in Reception and Year 1 in September 2024. As a mixed ability inclusive school, girls and boys in King’s House Nursery are guaranteed a place in Reception. In the Nursery we now have two pre-school classes, called Squirrels and Rabbits, which feed into our two-form entry Reception. 

In response to parental demand, girls will also be able to join Years 3, 4, 5 and 7 in September 2025. For girls looking to join senior schools for weekly boarding at 13+, King’s House now provides an option for them to stay at a local day school for Years 7 and 8. 

Children in the Nursery will now continue to be in co-ed classes throughout their time at King’s House. A nurturing environment, happiness and excellent pastoral care remain at the heart of our ethos and the King’s House community, and our pupils will continue to receive this. We believe any cultural change in the Junior and Senior Departments as a result of co-education will be for the better, with boys and girls learning from each other in an inclusive environment in preparation for a modern world. The boys will continue to receive the same level of excellent sporting provision and participation in team sports that they currently experience.

King’s House will remain a mixed-ability inclusive school, with all children in the Nursery being offered a place in Reception. There is no formal assessment to join at these entry points. We are proud of our broad and balanced curriculum which allows each child to develop holistically, and this will continue as a co-ed school.

As part of our planning and preparation we conducted an audit of the curriculum to ensure we continue to support the needs of all pupils, enabling them to reach their potential. For example, in the Junior Department we reviewed the English resources and ordered additional books to ensure all children’s interests are reflected. 

The Senior Department curriculum is currently being reviewed to ensure it caters to the needs of all pupils, although we don’t envisage a change of lesson allocation for Years 7 to 8 due to the move to co-ed. The breadth of curriculum is a strength of our provision, and this has been enhanced by the introduction of the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) from September 2024 for the Humanities subjects in Years 7 and 8. This allows us tot tailor the curriculum, and develop the children’s learning in a more research and investigative based way using collaboration and teamwork skills.

Our current extra-curricular programme is wide-ranging and varied, and clubs include Art, STEM, Chess and Young Enterprise. We continually review the clubs on offer, and this is led by pupil interest. Break and lunch time clubs in the Senior Department are also often run by older pupils, and many activities already take place within the school day as part of the curriculum, such as whole year group productions. We are particularly interested to hear from parents on additional ideas for clubs which they think their children may enjoy and benefit from.

Current extra-curricular activities can be viewed here.

We believe in ‘sport for all’, and this philosophy will continue as we expand the range of sporting opportunities available. Pupils will continue to take part in a wide range of activities in their PE lessons, ensuring that they have the skills needed to access and play all the key team sports.

We are committed to providing a high level of competitive sport for boys and girls, and over the coming months preparations will be made to ensure that we offer the best possible range of team sports. King’s House School Sports Ground already has excellent provision and facilities for girls’ sports. Ms Williams joined the department as the Lead on Girls’ Games in September 2024, and will be leading on provision.

From September 2023 dance was added to the Junior Department PE curriculum, where pupils rotate on a carousel of sports, developing fundamental skills such as throwing and catching in fast-paced, fun PE lessons. From Year 1 pupils will rotate around mixed gender sports in Games, including football, rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, athletics, and tennis in Years 7 and 8. We are currently liaising with a range of prep schools in preparation for sports fixtures. Pupils can currently take part in cross country and swimming clubs, and any new clubs will be guided by pupils’ interests.

We see pastoral care as a real strength of an education at King’s House, with a strong staff team supporting pupils through a range of measures including excellent tracking and monitoring. In the Junior Department, Mrs Budgen and Mrs Doliveux have undertaken additional Level 3 safeguarding training and will be working closely with the girls. A working group is currently looking at pastoral care for girls joining Years 7 and 8, considering PSHE, SEN and medical issues involving our School Nurse and SENCO. As part of her role as Head of Year 7, Ms Kirk will be overseeing the girls’ pastoral care.

Class sizes will stay as they are at present. Total numbers at the school are dependent on a number of factors and are not predicated on moving to co-education.

Previously, around half of the Reception class was made up of boys from King’s House Nursery, and half from external joiners. As girls will now be able to move up from the Nursery and be guaranteed a place in Reception, we anticipate that the number of places available to boys, and external starters to Reception, will decrease slightly over time.

In September 2024, 14 girls joined the Junior Department across Reception and Year 1, and the Nursery has an almost 50:50 ratio of boys to girls this year. We anticipate that this will naturally feed into the School in the coming years, and in September 2025 expect about a third of the Reception cohort to be girls.

Based on provisional feedback with parents, we believe a minimum number of 6 girls in Year 7 would make this move viable to provide sufficient numbers for friendships and sports.

There are no plans to move from 13+ to 11+, and the Board remains committed to listening to parents and reviewing societal and market trends and conditions. Whilst many girls’ London day schools start at 11+, and we will support girls in this process, we hope to also provide an option for those families considering 13+ entry for their children to either day or boarding schools. 

Pupils will continue to be prepared for the Common Entrance at the end of Year 8 in most subjects, alongside the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate in the humanities. Common Entrance is now predominantly an end of prep school exam rather than another requirement for 13+ senior school entry.

King’s House will provide the same excellent advice and care for girls as our boys currently receive when choosing a senior school. Historically, most girls transition to senior school aged 11, and we anticipate that this will also be the case at King’s House. We will support them in this transition as we do with our current boys, starting at the future schools evening in Year 4. Helen Lowe will be assisting in this area of the move, helping to build relationships with girls’ senior schools. 

We already enjoy good relationships with the wide range of co-ed schools our boys move on to at 11 and 13, including KCS, Ibstock Place, Harrodian, Emanuel and Kingston Grammar School. Over the next few years, we will be improving our relationships with girls’ schools. We anticipate that these London day schools may include, amongst others, Putney High School, Surbiton High School, LEH, St Paul’s Girls’ School, Wimbledon High School and Godolphin and Latymer.

More information on our leavers’ destinations can be found here.

Whether pupils are looking to move on at 11+ or 13+, they need the same preparation and work throughout Years 5 and 6. The pre-tests for 13+ departure are run at the same time as those for 11+ and cover the same subjects and topics.

Our current staff team is extremely experienced in teaching both boys and girls. All of our Nursery Practitioners have taught both boys and girls, and our specialist Computing, Drama, French, PE and Music teachers also already teach children in the Nursery. Over 90% of our teachers have previously taught girls in a co-ed or single-sex environment, with many years’ experience. We are delighted to welcome Ms Williams to the PE Department in September 2024 as the Lead on Girls’ Games. Ms Kirk is currently overseeing those girls joining Year 7.

We have been working with Stevensons to finalise the girls’ uniform, and this will be available for parents to order for September 2024. Click here to view the uniform list. All pupils have the option to wear trousers/shorts as part of the uniform. 

Serious Stuff provides the Games kit from Year 1 upwards, and designs can be viewed here.

In the Senior Department, there are designated areas for sports and other activities, with rotas for each year group. Various clubs and activities will continue to be on offer at break times, with a mix of quiet areas and space for sports activities.

The Junior Department playground is zoned to facilitate and challenge pupils’ play and learning with a balance of different activities, and we reviewed resources to ensure all children’s interests are catered for, including adding a netball hoop.

For September 2025 applicants, the 11+ admissions process will involve the following:

1. Parents and their children visit King’s House for a tour of the school.
2. Parents can then register their children online here: https://kingshouseschool.org/admissions/register/
3. An assessment and activity morning will take place for pupils on Tuesday 8th October. This will involve an informal interview, a short INCAS test, team building and subject-based activities, and provide an opportunity for the pupils to get to know each other.
4. We would then ask prep schools for reports and any relevant existing testing data, before making 11+ offers before October Half Term.
5. An additional assessment date in January 2025 will also be available for later applicants.

Please contact Sally Bass on or 020 8940 1878 for more information.

For admissions enquiries, please contact the Registrar, Sally Bass, at or 020 8940 1878. Parents can also contact the school at with any questions.

A preparation and refurbishment programme is underway to realign our school infrastructure, ensuring it is ready to welcome girls into school and bring to fruition our plans to develop the school estate for the benefit of all staff and pupils.

The Nursery playgrounds and Senior Department lobby were refurbished in the 2023 summer holidays, alongside minor updates to the Junior Department. In 2024 we also refurbished the downstairs Nursery classrooms, with Squirrels and Rabbits becoming our pre-school classes. The Reception outdoor area has been renovated with a new surface, additional resources and a reconfigured layout to enhance the space. The Reception and Year 1 classrooms have also been renovated with new flooring and paint, alongside new carpet and painting in the communal areas. A new music practice room was created, as well as a quiet space for reflection near the playgrounds. 

New lockers were installed in the Senior Department in September 2024, and over the next year separate girls’ and boys’ toilet areas will be created. A facilities working group will look at any additional changes that may be needed ahead of September 2025, for example considering the playground. King’s House Sports Ground already provides first class sports facilities for both boys and girls.