An Assured Place (AP) allows members of the Hampton Schools’ Trust to secure a senior school offer at Hampton or LEH without sitting the usual 11+ or 13+ entrance exams. Instead, offers are made based on standardised assessments already in use at the Prep Schools, in-class progress, and guidance from the Prep Heads. Pupils remain under consideration for an Assured Place right up until the start of Year 6 (for 11+ entry) or Year 8 (for 13+ entry), giving every child the best possible opportunity to secure an Assured Place.
Your questions answered
How and when will pupils be assessed?
We appreciate that young children develop at different rates. To ensure pupils at Kew College Prep and Newland House School have every opportunity to secure an Assured Place at Hampton and LEH, assessments are made on an ongoing basis, rather than at a single fixed point.
Assured Place decisions are made by panels at Hampton and LEH, comprising of members of their Senior Leadership Teams and Head of Admissions, in consultation with the Prep Heads. They consider a range of factors over time, including standardised assessments already used at the Prep school, in-class progress, and guidance from the Prep Heads. LEH and Hampton will also visit Kew College Prep and Newland House School to observe pupils in classes.
For entry at age 11 at Hampton and LEH, prep pupils can be assessed at any point between Year 3 and Year 6 (and from Year 2 in exceptional cases); for Hampton entry at age 13 from Newland House School, boys can be assessed at any point between Year 3 and Year 8 (and from Year 2 in exceptional circumstances).
This gives children multiple opportunities to be considered over several years, rather than relying on a single test on a single day. Any child who doesn’t meet the required admissions standards can continue to be assessed as they progress through Prep school.
Are there a set number of Assured Places?
There is no set number of Assured Places on offer to Hampton and LEH. Any Kew College Prep or Newland House School pupil who meets the required admissions standards will qualify for an Assured Place.
How transparent will the process be? Will parents be told when their child is being assessed? Can you opt out?
This is a continuous process that draws on the same assessment data already collected as part of everyday teaching – there are no specific Assured Places tests.
Every pupil at Kew College Prep or Newland House School is automatically considered for an Assured Place as part of regular panel meetings, so there’s nothing parents need to arrange or request. If parents would prefer their child not to be considered for an Assured Place, they are welcome to opt out at any time by speaking to their child’s prep school.
How will places be allocated fairly?
The same panel-based process is applied consistently across Kew College Prep and Newland House School. Prep schools present each pupil’s case, but the final decision sits with the senior school panel – ensuring every child is assessed against the same standard, wherever they are in the Trust.
When will the new Assured Places schemes come into effect?
The schemes will apply with immediate effect from the announcement of the Hampton Schools’ Trust in September 2026. The first panel meeting will take place before October half term 2026 for current Year 6 pupils only. Pupils in other years will be considered for the first time later this academic year.
How will this affect current Prep Year 6 pupils?
Pupils currently in Year 6 at Newland House School and Kew College Prep will have the opportunity to receive an Assured Place at a panel meeting before October half term 2026. Those who do not receive one can sit the 11+ entrance examination for Hampton and LEH, or the 13+ for admission to Hampton, as normal.
How will this affect current Year 8 pupils at Newland House?
Pupils in Year 8 at Newland House School will be able to receive an Assured Place at a panel meeting before the end of the autumn term. The cut-off point for Year 8 will be the end of the autumn term.
How will this affect current Prep Year 5 pupils?
Current Year 5 pupils will be considered for the first time at the end of the autumn term 2026, with results shared with parents shortly before Christmas 2026. We will write to Year 5 parents with further information on this matter in due course.
What are the entry points for an Assured Place to Hampton or LEH?
For Newland House School pupils, Assured Places will be available at Hampton for Year 7 (11+) or Year 9 (13+). LEH will only offer Assured Places for Year 7 (11+).
If a pupil at Newland House School is offered an Assured Place at Hampton before Year 6, their parents will be able to select whether they would like it to be for entry at 11 or 13.
For pupils at Kew College Prep, Assured Places at Hampton and LEH will be for entry at Year 7 (11+).
When will Assured Places be announced each year? Will it be before the 11+?
Assured Places will be offered once pupils have reached the required admissions standards. This may happen at any point from Year 3 to Year 6 (from Year 2 in exceptional circumstances), with a final cut-off at the start of Year 6, before the 11+/13+ examination takes place for LEH and Hampton. For boys in Year 7 and Year 8, the final cut-off will be at the end of the autumn term in Year 8.
If my child is offered an Assured Place, when are families required to accept and pay a deposit?
Families are required to register their child and pay the deposit in March of Year 5 (Year 7 for 13+ entry). If a pupil receives an Assured Place after this date, the deposit is payable immediately.
If a child does not meet the Assured Place standard, what happens then?
If a child has not been offered an Assured Place by the start of Year 6 (before the 11+), they can still apply for entry to Hampton via the 11+ or 13+ route, or to LEH via the 11+ route – just as any other applicant would. More information about the 11+ and 13+ admissions process can be found here.
Could the Assured Places scheme lead to increased academic pressure at an earlier age?
The Assured Places Scheme is designed to give families interested in Hampton and LEH greater certainty and to ease the pressure often associated with the 11+ and 13+ process. Rather than a single exam, Assured Places are based on ongoing assessment woven into the existing Prep curriculum.
Can pupils still be awarded a scholarship if they have an Assured Place?
It is important to note that pupils wishing to apply for an academic scholarship to Hampton or LEH will need to sit the schools’ 11+ or 13+ assessments, regardless of their Assured Place.
For co-curricular scholarships at Hampton, sitting the 11+ or 13+ is not required, however pupils will be required to attend the usual co-curricular scholarship assessment days.
For places on LEH’s Excellence Programmes in Sport or Drama, or for Music Scholarships and Exhibitions, sitting the 11+ is not required, however pupils will be required to apply for these opportunities and the attend assessment days as required.
Can pupils still be awarded a bursary if they have an Assured Place?
Families wishing to apply for a Bursary can do so through the normal processes in place at Hampton and LEH. Information about applying for a Bursary will be shared by our admissions teams.
What choices do families have? Will children still need to sit 11+ or 13+ entrance examinations?
For families who wish their child to progress to Hampton or LEH, an Assured Place means their child will not need to sit the 11+ for entry to Hampton or LEH, or the 13+ for Hampton.
Families of course remain free to consider other senior schools – in which case, their child would follow the usual 11+ or 13+ admissions process for that school. We will continue to provide the excellent academic and all-round education that fully prepares pupils to apply elsewhere with confidence for 11+ and 13+ entry.
Will Kew College Prep and Newland House School become official feeder schools for Hampton and LEH?
Hampton and LEH will continue to maintain strong relationships with all their respective Prep and Primary feeder schools, and will continue to welcome pupils from a wide range of schools and backgrounds through their admissions processes.
As members of the Hampton Schools’ Trust, the new Assured Places schemes offer an exciting new route for Newland House and Kew College Prep pupils to secure places at Hampton and LEH. However, these schools will not be the right fit for every child, and Prep heads will continue to guide and support families in finding the senior school that is right for every child in their care – whether that’s within the Trust or elsewhere.
Will Kew College Prep and Newland House School continue the same relationships with other senior schools, and continue to prepare children for those entrance exams?
We understand that Hampton and LEH will not be the right choice of senior school for every pupil, and that families rightly want to ensure their child goes on to the school that is best for them. Kew College Prep and Newland House School will continue to maintain and promote their strong relationships with a wide range of leading senior schools and provide the excellent academic and all-round education that fully prepares pupils to apply elsewhere with confidence for 11+ and 13+ entry.
Will entry criteria into Kew College Prep and Newland House School change in light of the Hampton Schools’ Trust Assured Places schemes?
There will be no changes to the admissions entry criteria into Kew College Prep and Newland House School.
Will Hampton Prep pupils be impacted?
As Hampton Prep is already a through school from 7 to 18, there will be no change to the route for boys automatically transitioning to Hampton senior school, unless they choose to pursue their senior education elsewhere.
Will more children now be competing for the same senior school places?
A significant number of pupils already join Hampton and LEH from Kew College and Newland House School (as well as from Hampton Prep and LEH Junior School), alongside pupils from a wide range of primary and Prep schools across South West London.
We do not expect the new Assured Places scheme to increase competition, rather create a more streamlined option for pupils from Kew College and Newland House School in cases where a place at Hampton or LEH is their preferred choice.
How will wellbeing be managed among those going through the process and among those who aren’t successful?
Pastoral care of every child is a priority across all schools in the Hampton Schools’ Trust, and pupil wellbeing remains at the heart of this process. Prep staff at both Kew College Prep and Newland House School have extensive experience supporting families to find the senior school that is right for each individual child – ensuring that every pupil moves on feeling positive, confident and excited for the next stage of their academic journey
