Westminster School

Focus

Intellectual curiosity

Day fees 2025/26

$61,900-$66,700

Boarding fees 2025/26

$88,100

Term dates

• Term 1: 4 September to 10 December 2025
• Term 2: 7 January to 28 March 2026
• Term 3: 21 April to 1 July 2026

Ages

13-18

Pupil count

781

Spear’s Review

Westminster School has been in existence since the 14th century and was linked to Westminster Abbey until the 1868 Public Schools Act established the school as an independent body.

At this highly academic institution – exam results are consistently exceptional – students are encouraged to develop an open-minded approach to learning and to maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and compassion. Beyond the classroom, activities such as music, drama and sport, as well as a variety of student-run societies, allow them to widen their interests, meet new people and gain new experiences. Approximately 180 pupils board each year. 

In 2026, the school has seen the start of the introduction of girls into the pre-prep and under schools. From 2028, girls will join boys in Westminster School’s Year 9; currently they join at Sixth Form.

Academics

In 2025:

• 98 per cent of GCSE results were grades 7-9
• 88 per cent of A-Level results were A* or A

Head teacher

Dr Gary Savage grew up in Suffolk. He read history at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, taking a double first before completing a PhD on the political culture and foreign policy of later 18th-century France. He was head of history and master-in-college at Eton College, and then became under master at Westminster School for four years. From 2010 he was head at Alleyn’s, and in September 2020 he returned to Westminster School as head master.

University and college destinations

In 2025, 72 pupils took up places at Oxford and Cambridge, and 19 pupils continued their education at an Ivy League school. Pupils have historically enrolled at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, McGill, MIT, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale.

Admissions

Entry for students aged 13+ begins with visiting the school for the first time in Year 5. In Year 6, applicants take ISEB common pre-tests in mathematics, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Interviews follow, as well as further tests in mathematics and English, and a report from the pupil's current school. Unconditional offers are then made for entry into Year 9 aged 13.

The system described above is for pupils who can remain at their prep schools until they are 13; pupils who attend primary schools finishing in Year 6 should be registered for 11+ entry to Westminster Under School.  

Registration for 16+ entry opens in the summer a year before entry. Entry is by competitive examination and interview. Candidates choose four entry examination subjects – the four subjects they plan to take for A-Level. The offer of a place is conditional on a candidate achieving a minimum of eight (I)GCSE passes at A/7 grade, of which at least four are A*/8-9 in the subjects to be studied at A-Level. 

Notable alumni

A number of household names have attended Westminster School throughout its long history. These include:

• Christopher Wren (architect)
• Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer)
• Helena Bonham Carter (actress)

Accessibility

Heathrow Airport: 1 hour

Location

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