Admissions Procedures

Entry to all stages below Year 7 (Kindergarten for children from 2 to 3 years, Pre- School and Infants for children from 3 to 7 years and Juniors for children from 7 to 11 years) is by application to the school. In the Kindergarten, priority is given to siblings and children taking places on a full time basis: children starting during the year are allocated places according to availability. We invite parents and prospective pupils to visit the school to meet the Head of the Preparatory School, Mr John Rice, or Head of Infants, Mrs Caroline Porter. If appropriate, children may spend a day, or part of the day, in school where they join in lessons and activities. This is also an opportunity to assess skills in literacy and numeracy in an unobtrusive way.

Entry to the Senior School in Year 7 (11 years) for all external candidates is through the Entrance Examination. The exam consists of papers in Maths and English. This is held in January or early February each year. Practice papers are available from the Admissions Secretary (01253 784104). We may also ask for a copy of the latest school report or write to the primary school for a written reference, which usually indicates potential performance in SATS tests.

Entry to the Senior School at points beyond Year 7, including the Sixth Form, is through interview with the Principal and report or reference from the previous school. Where appropriate, we take account of predicted GCSE grades. For the Sixth Form, we usually look for a minimum of 5 GCSE passes at grades A to C.