Admissions

Please click here to download a copy of our prospectus and here for a copy of the registration form and fee information.  Parents are most welcome to come and see the school, either at one of our Open Mornings or on a day to suit you.  Please contact the Headmaster's Secretary and Registrar Fiona Long who will be  happy to make an appointment for you to come for an individual tour. 

Entry into the Kindergarten 'Honey Pot', age 2+, is non-selective and is arranged on a strictly first-come, first served-basis.  Maximum numbers are restricted to a total of 30.

Entry into the Kindergarten 'Beehive', age 3+, is automatic for those moving up from the 'Honey Pot'.  Any spare spaces are offered on a non-selective, first-come, first-served basis.  Maximum numbers are again limited to 30.

For entry into the main school Reception classes, age 4+, precedence is given to those moving up from the 'Beehive'.  Spare places are allocated on first-come, first-served basis.  Maximum numbers in Reception are normally restricted to 36 (two classes of 18).

Entry (from outside) into Reception is also non-selective, although when children have been previously attending a nursery, we ask for a brief report to confirm satisfactory cognitive and social development.

Entry into Year 1, age 5+, is automatic for those moving up from Reception.  Spare places are then allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to report and entry test.  Maximum numbers for Year 1 and beyond are 40 per year group (two classes of 20).

A candidate may be accepted for entry into any year group provided that a place is available, and provided that we are able to obtain evidence that Pennthorpe should prove a good choice academically and that he or she will be happy here.

We normally gather evidence from four different sources:

• talking with parents

• confidential report from previous school

• entry test

• observation during a preliminary visit

Our entry tests are non-competitive and designed to assess a pupil's literacy and numeracy skills, along with his or her academic potential, within the context of the Pennthorpe curriculum and of the entrance examination requirements of the senior independent schools to which the majority of our pupils transfer.  We encourage each applicant for entry after the start of Year 1 to spend at least one morning or whole day with us, typically during the term before entry.  This gives us the opportunity to administer the entry test and to observe the pupil in the classroom setting.  Importantly, it also gives the pupil the opportunity to have a brief experience of the school, to meet his or her future classmates, and so to allay some of the anxieties that inevitably accompany a move to a new school.  A preliminary visit incurs no obligation on either side.

If you would like to request a prospectus, make an enquiry about availability of places in a particular year group or book a tour of the school, please email the Headmaster's Secretary, Fiona Long, at f.long@pennthorpe.com.  There is a £100 registration fee per family regardless of the number of children which should accompany the registration form,and there is a separate £500 deposit per child payable on confirmation of the place which is payable approximately a term and a half before the start date of your child(ren).

If you would like a copy of our admissions policy, please click here.