Hampton Schools’ Trust – Assured Places Schemes

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 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).  

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 met the required admissions standards can continue to be assessed as they progress through Prep school.

There is no set number of Assured Places on offer to Hampton and LEH. Any Kew College Prep or Newland House pupil who meets the required admissions standards will qualify for an Assured Place. 

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 the two Prep schools 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. 

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. 

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.

Pupils currently in Year 6 at 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 as normal. 

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. 

For pupils at Kew College Prep, Assured Places at Hampton and LEH will be for entry at Year 7 (11+). 

Assured Places will be offered once pupils have reached the required academic 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+ examination takes place.  

Families are required to register their child and pay the deposit in March of Year 5. If a pupil receives an Assured Place after this date, the deposit is payable immediately. 

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. For more information about these admissions processes, please go to the relevant website.

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+ process. Rather than a single exam, Assured Places are based on ongoing assessment woven into the existing Prep curriculum.  

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+ assessments, regardless of their Assured Place.  

For co-curricular scholarships at Hampton, sitting the 11+ 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. 

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 their admissions teams.

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.  

Families of course remain free to consider other senior schools – in which case, their child would follow the usual 11+ 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+ entry.

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.  

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 will continue to maintain and promote our 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+ entry. 

There will be no changes to the admissions entry criteria into Kew College Prep.