Admissions
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Senior School Registrar: email Mrs Clare Woodgates +44 1483 899609 |
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Prep School Registrar: email Mrs Sarah Waller +44 1483 899665 |
Senior School
SENIOR SCHOOL
Admission is by assessment during the Autumn Term for entry the following September. This includes entry into the Senior School by members of the Prep School. Most girls enter the Senior School at 11+, although some places may be available at later stages particularly for 13+ boarders and places for the Sixth Form. Means-tested bursaries, up to full fee awards, are available at 11+ or Sixth Form entry.
An 11+ Taster Morning and Taster Boarding events are provided in the Autumn Term prior to entry and are very valuable opportunities for girls to see whether St Catherine’s is the right school for them.
Girls sit 11+ Entrance Examinations in Mathematics, English, Science and Verbal Reasoning, and these are devised by St Catherine’s, based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum content. At 13+, tests are taken in Verbal Reasoning, English and Mathematics at the appropriate level.
SIXTH FORM
We welcome a number of new girls - day and boarding - into the Sixth Form each year. Assessment is by examination and interview. At registration girls nominate their likely choice of subjects for Sixth Form study and on the Assessment Day will sit three subject specific tests, each of approximately 30 minutes duration, plus an online general paper lasting 90 minutes which gives an indication of IQ and academic potential. Successful candidates are interviewed in person or by Skype. Girls should have a minimum of six GCSEs at Grade 6 and above, including Maths and English. Grade 7 is preferable in subjects chosen for A Level study.
How to Apply
- Applicants will be considered as candidates for admission to the school once the Registration Form (online form above) has been completed and returned, along with the non-refundable registration fee, currently £150 (£250 for overseas students).
- An Acceptance Deposit of £500 (Day Pupil), £1,000 (Boarder in the UK), a term’s fees (for overseas’ boarders) is payable when parents return the Acceptance Form to the School. It is refunded (less any outstanding charges) when the pupil leaves, or is credited if a full term’s fee in lieu of notice is paid.
- For further details, please contact the relevant Registrar.
Admission Steps - Senior School
Prep School
Admission is by assessment for entry the following September in the preceding October for 4+, and the preceding November for 5+, 7+, and 9+. Other assessment dates will be arranged for occasional places in all year groups as they arise. Please contact our Registrar for more details.
At 4+ girls visit the school for a morning. Through play, teacher observation and teacher/pupil interaction, girls’ literacy, numeracy, physical and social skills are assessed.
At all other ages, assessment consists of tests in English and Mathematics, written by members of the Departments, respectively, as well as a Verbal Reasoning paper. Each girl will also have an informal interview where she will talk about herself and her interests.
How to Apply
- Girls are welcome to join us for a taster session before they register with us. They can join us on a typical school day, meet our girls and staff and understand all that St Catherine’s has to offer.
- Applicants will be considered as candidates for admission to the school once the Registration Form (online form above) has been completed and returned, along with the non-refundable registration fee, currently £150 (£250 for overseas students).
- An Acceptance Deposit of £500 is payable when parents return the Acceptance Form to the School. It is refunded (less any outstanding charges) when the pupil leaves, or is credited if a full term’s fee in lieu of notice is paid.
- For further details, please contact the relevant Registrar.
Admission Steps - Prep School
Admissions Dates
Key admissions dates can be found here.
Find out more
Join us for an Open Morning. You can find dates and the booking form here. If these dates are not convenient then we’d be delighted to arrange a private 1:1 visit.
Register your daughter
If you would like to register your daughter for entry into any year group, please complete our registration form.
Reception 4+
We run regular play assessments for our 4+ Reception classes. We also hold 4+ Reception Taster Afternoons which give you and your daughter the opportunity to meet our girls and staff and enjoy our Pre-Prep classrooms. Parents are asked to stay with their daughters for these sessions.
Years 1-6
For entry into Years 1-6, girls are invited to come in and spend time with us on a Taster Day. Spending a typical day with us gives your daughter the opportunity to meet her peers and our staff and learn what St Catherine’s has to offer. Please book a place here. Following a taster session, your daughter will be invited for a formal assessment in English, Maths and Reasoning.
Overseas Applicants
We are happy to arrange a ‘virtual visit’ to meet us and learn more about our school. Alternatively, individual visits can be arranged while you are in the UK. Girls can be assessed while they are overseas. Please contact our Registrar for more information. Please note that we do not issue Child Student Visa numbers to girls in the Prep School.
Post Offer
We are delighted to welcome girls back to see us again for a variety of events to help them feel part of our school before they join us and to ensure a happy and successful transition to St Catherine’s.
More information
Please contact our Registrar, Mrs Sarah Waller, for more information about our school and admissions process.
Both Schools
A confidential report from the girl’s previous Headteacher will always be requested, except at 4+, and used as part of the selection procedure. The report requests information about each girl’s academic performance and potential, any specific learning difficulties, how best to manage any disability, and curricular and extra-curricular interests.
Applicants with a disability will be assessed on their academic performance as outlined above. Parents of applicants with a disability should make this clear on the application form so that the School can make every reasonable effort to adapt its admissions procedures to accommodate the applicant on the Assessment Day. Any parent of an applicant who has a disability is also asked to let the School know so that proper access can be arranged for pre-admission school visits/information mailings, and subsequently for school events, should the applicant be successful in the entrance tests.
