74% of Year 6 Pupils Awarded Head’s Recommendation for King Edward VI Southampton 

We are delighted to share that 74% of Year 6 pupils have been awarded the prestigious Head’s Recommendation, securing their guaranteed place at King Edward VI Senior School for Year 7 this September.

Parents found that the Head’s Recommendation route was ‘considerably less stressful knowing that they have secured a place’ and a ‘hugely positive experience’. The Head’s Recommendation pathway offers families a secure and less stressful route to senior school, without the need for traditional entrance exams. Instead, it recognises each child’s progress over time, their academic potential, and their social and emotional readiness for the next stage.

Our Year 6 pupils sat the KES entrance exam at Worthy Park House earlier this year, a day ahead of the main sitting at King Edward VI Senior School. This unique arrangement ensured a familiar and supportive environment for our pupils, reducing stress and helping them perform at their best. Those parents who had experienced older children taking entrance examinations in previous years, said that it had ‘helped [their child] relax in a familiar environment and give their best performance on the day’ and that their child was ‘appropriately nervous because they wanted to do well but far less nervous than they might otherwise have been.’  

Parents also highlighted that removing the pressure of performing well in a one-off exam has enabled their child to relish what is such a special year at Prince’s Mead, allowing them to ‘enjoy all the extracurricular activities without the guilt’, being ‘free to concentrate on learning rather than simply passing an exam’, and ‘enjoy their last Prep School Christmas, with all the magic that entails at this age.’

Head Adam King commented:

You can find out more about the Head’s Recommendation Pathway at Prince’s Mead here.