Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School admissions guide
Sevenoaks runs 13+ entry as two routes with deadlines a year apart. What Early Decision and Later Decision mean, what is assessed, and which one you are in.
By Richard and Freddie, who joined The Perse in 2019 and left in 2026 after Year 13 to become expert admission tutors.
Last checked 18 August 2026
Most pages about Sevenoaks describe one 13+ process. There are two, they have separate registration deadlines a year apart in a child's life, and a family is in one or the other.
If you have read about the Sevenoaks 13+ and found a November date, you have been reading about the later of the two routes. This guide covers both, and what is actually assessed.
Two routes, one year group
| Early Decision | Later Decision | |
|---|---|---|
| Register by | 15 September, three years before entry | 1 November of Year 7 |
| ISEB pre-test | Autumn of Year 6 | Autumn of Year 7 |
| Second stage | Assessment day in early January | March or April of Year 7 |
Both lead to the same place in the same year group, and both are assessed on the same four components. What differs is when.
Early Decision closes almost three years before a child would start, which is the earliest deadline of any school we cover apart from Eton. That is the one families miss, because at the point it closes most people have not begun thinking about senior schools at all.
Later Decision is not a consolation route
This matters, because "later" reads like "leftover". The School is explicit:
A substantial number of places will be held open for Later Decision candidates.
So it is a route with places attached rather than a waiting list. A family who discovers the September deadline has gone has not lost their chance, and a family choosing deliberately between the two is choosing on timing rather than on odds.
The honest version of the trade-off: Early Decision settles things sooner, which suits a family who is certain. Later Decision gives a child another year to develop before being assessed, which suits one who is a late bloomer or who is still deciding between very different schools.
What is assessed
Four components, and the same four whichever route you are in.
| Component | What it is |
|---|---|
| ISEB pre-test | Taken online in the autumn, in Year 6 or Year 7 depending on route |
| English and Maths examinations | Competitive papers at the second stage |
| Group discussion activity | Sat alongside the written papers |
| School reference | From the candidate's current school |
The group discussion is the one families do not expect and cannot revise for. It is also the one where a quiet, capable child can go unnoticed, which is a preparation problem rather than an ability problem.
Worth noting that the English and Maths papers are described as competitive rather than qualifying. That means the target is a relative standard rather than a pass mark, so "good enough" is not a fixed thing you can practise towards. It depends on the year.
Scholarships, in Year 8
Scholarship assessments sit on their own timetable, after the main admissions decision:
- Academic: late March of Year 8
- Co-curricular: late April or early May of Year 8
So a scholarship is not something you apply for alongside entry. It comes later, once a place is settled.
The sixth form is the IB, not A Levels
Sevenoaks teaches the International Baccalaureate rather than A Levels.
That is a genuine difference rather than a detail. A family shortlisting Sevenoaks alongside other sixth forms is comparing two different qualifications with different shapes: the IB keeps six subjects running with an extended essay and a theory of knowledge course, where A Levels narrow to three or four. It suits a child who wants breadth and does not yet want to close doors, and it suits one who specialises early rather less well.
Every entry point
| Entry | Sat in | Joins | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11+ | Year 6 | Year 7 | Published separately by the School |
| 13+ | Year 6 or Year 7, by route | Year 9 | Early Decision or Later Decision |
| 16+ | Year 11 | Year 12 | Sixth-form entry, onto the IB |
How to prepare
Establish which route you are in before anything else. The assessment is the same either way, but the calendar is completely different, and preparing to the wrong one is the failure mode here.
If Early Decision is even a possibility, treat 15 September of Year 6 minus two as a hard date and work backwards from it. It arrives before most families are thinking about this at all.
Build for the pre-test in the right autumn, then move to timed English and maths papers. Because those papers are competitive rather than qualifying, practice should be marked against a standard rather than against a pass mark.
Rehearse the group discussion. Not the content, which cannot be known, but the format: being one of several children in a room, offering an idea without dominating, and building on somebody else's. A child who has done it once behaves completely differently the second time.
Our Sevenoaks School page has the shorter version, with both routes side by side on one screen.
Common questions
- What is the difference between Early Decision and Later Decision at Sevenoaks?
- They are two separate registration routes into the same year group. Early Decision registers by 15 September three years before entry, sits the ISEB pre-test in the autumn of Year 6, and has an assessment day in early January. Later Decision registers by 1 November of Year 7, sits the pre-test that autumn, and has second-stage assessments in March or April of Year 7.
- Is Later Decision at Sevenoaks a fallback for people who missed the deadline?
- No. The School states that a substantial number of places will be held open for Later Decision candidates. It is a route with places attached rather than a waiting list, so a family who finds the September deadline gone has not lost their chance.
- What does Sevenoaks assess at 13+?
- Four things: the ISEB pre-test, competitive examinations in English and Maths, a group discussion activity, and a reference from the candidate's current school. Both routes are assessed on the same four components; only the timing differs.
- When are Sevenoaks scholarship assessments?
- In Year 8, after the main assessment is settled. Academic scholarship assessments fall in late March, and co-curricular ones in late April or early May.
- Does Sevenoaks do A Levels?
- No. Sevenoaks teaches the International Baccalaureate in the sixth form rather than A Levels. A family comparing Sevenoaks with other sixth forms is comparing two different qualifications, and the IB suits a child who wants breadth over early specialisation.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against the following on 18 August 2026. Where a school does not publish a detail, the page says so rather than filling it in from elsewhere.
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