China, Shenzhen
Let the school know you're thinking of applying — they can share their prerequisites and help you through the process.
It's best to ask — circumstances can change at any time.
1. Book a campus visit or virtual tour and create an admissions account. The school uses OpenApply for event booking and the application portal; parents should choose the correct campus (Pre‑Prep or Main School), pick the exact year group they are applying for, and use an email address they will keep because that login will be used for the whole application. (See booking fields and campus list on the OpenApply portal.)
2. Complete the online application form in OpenApply and upload required documents. Typical items the system asks for are the applicant's legal name and date of birth, parent/guardian details, current school reports, passport/ID copies, and immunisation/health records — make sure scanned documents match the form field requirements and that names match legal ID. Allow time to translate or certify any documents not in English or Chinese before upload.
3. Pay the application fee (if required) and submit the application for processing. The school's published fee schedule shows a one‑time application fee and a refundable deposit as part of first‑year charges for new intakes; expect to be invoiced after an initial application is accepted. Parents should confirm the current amounts and refund terms with admissions before payment because fees and refund conditions can change year to year.
4. Assessments and interviews are scheduled once the application and documents are complete. For entry to Years 1–6 the school's FAQ says the admissions assessments include CAT4 testing plus an interview; for Years 7–8 the school lists CAT4, a writing test and an interview. For kindergarten/early years there is usually an observational session or parent‑child meeting — read the specific test guidance so you can prepare the right ID, school reports and any required samples of work.
5. Wait for the admissions decision and, if offered, review the acceptance paperwork. If an offer is made you will normally receive an acceptance letter or offer and an invoice for the enrolment deposit/first term fee — check the acceptance deadline carefully, the exact deposit amount shown on the invoice, and the school's refund policy before you pay to secure the place. Keep correspondence and payment receipts in case you need them later.
6. Complete registration tasks and prepare for transition. After payment of the deposit and any required enrolment forms, the school may ask you to complete health forms, bus enrolment, uniform orders and other pre‑start checklists in the portal; you should also confirm start‑of‑term dates and induction/transition visits for your child. If your child needs learning support, disclose this early and upload any assessment reports so the school can plan support measures before term starts.
7. Practical items to be ready: legal ID (passport or national ID), recent school reports and transcripts, immunisation records, proof of residence for the correct campus, and any educational/psychological reports where relevant. If you are applying from overseas, check visa/guardian requirements for the relevant year group (the school may also offer boarding from Year 4 and above; confirm the boarding eligibility process separately). These specifics are referenced in the school's admissions pages and FAQs.
The King's School Shenzhen's senior‑school navigation includes a Scholarship Programme section, which indicates the school runs some form of scholarships at the senior level; however the detailed official scholarship terms (eligibility windows, application deadlines, selection criteria and award levels) are not fully published in a single detailed page that I could retrieve. Third‑party coverage and local school reports indicate the Shenzhen campus has offered senior‑school scholarships in recent years (academic scholarships and performing‑arts/specialist awards have been referenced) and that award levels reported in local media range from partial awards (for example 10% of fees) up to full tuition awards for outstanding candidates. Because third‑party articles summarise past programmes and the school's own scholarship page does not publish full application rules in the public HTML I could access, I recommend contacting admissions to request the current scholarship policy, application form and deadlines (and to ask whether awards are means‑tested, merit‑based, renewable, or limited to particular year groups).
The King's School Shenzhen (Qianhai campus) opened for the first cohort in late October 2022 and is sited in Shenzhen's Qianhai Shenzhen–Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone. The school operates a 12-year Cambridge-based programme (including A-levels for senior students) and runs a separate King's kindergarten that uses the UK Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The campus was planned as a full boarding prep/senior school (boarding capacity cited by the school) and includes specialist rooms, sports provision and a dormitory building; it also runs robotics and drone/technology activity programmes and UK exchange links with the Canterbury school. The school's published recruitment/launch materials state an initial planned intake of about 200 students across 13 classes in its first year. All items above are taken from the school's official website.