Admissions and Fees

Everything you need to know about joining us

Welcome!

Choosing and joining a school can be a really daunting and overwhelming time. We know Frensham isn’t quite like other schools, we’re really proud to be different. But how can you be sure we’re right for your child? Luckily, we have a very experienced Admissions Registrar, Sarah Windsor, who is here to help you do just that. Sarah has been at Frensham for over 20 years and knows the school through and through. She knows where we have spaces and who the school is best for and she can take you step by step through the entire admissions process. She’s helped hundreds of children find their place here.

“I joined the Junior School at Frensham Heights in 1997 as the Junior School secretary – I had such an amazing time working with the younger children, their parents and a fabulous team of teaching staff.  As my own children grew up and became more independent, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to move up to the Senior School to take over the role of Admissions Registrar for the whole school. This was an exciting new challenge and my knowledge of the Junior School made this a perfect role for me!  What an amazing place Frensham is! I feel so privileged to work here and meet so many interesting parents and children and watch them fly as they move through the school!”

If you’re considering Frensham for your child, please get in touch with Sarah at [email protected] or call 01252 792561.

Our Admissions Process

We want every parent to be sure that Frensham is the right place for their child to grow. By chatting with our Admissions Registrar and joining us for an open morning or private tour,  we hope you’ll start to get a strong understanding of what makes us different.

Most children join the school during the following year groups: Nursery, Reception, Years 3, 7, 9 and 12. If places are available, children can register to join other year groups but we do fill quickly from Year 2 upwards so it is worth registering your interest for 2020 entry as soon as possible and ideally before the following dates:

Our Middle and Senior School Assessment Day for September 2020 took place on Saturday 18 January 2020. If you are interested in entry into Yrs 7 – 10 in September 2020, please get in touch with Sarah on [email protected] before registering.

We will be running taster days w/c 24 February and 2 March for children interested in joining us in either Year R, 1 or 2. These days will include an element of informal assessment but the emphasis will mostly be on making sure your child has a really great day and enjoys their time with us.  If you would like your child to join a taster day, please complete the registration form by Friday 14th February.

Should you have missed the registration and/or assessment days, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Where spaces are available, we are happy to invite potential students in individually for assessment and interview on a mutually convenient date.

The registration fee for all prospective students is £100 which is non-refundable. After registration, your child will be included in our entrance assessments and invited to events at school during the year, creating plenty of opportunities to see the school in action and meet other families informally.

We choose our students based not just on exam results, but also on who we believe will thrive and benefit from everything the school has to offer and who, in turn, will fully contribute to the life of the school. We are only able to provide support for children with mild learning difficulties and strongly encourage parents to send a copy of any professional educational report into the school for feedback from our Head of Learning Support before registering. If Frensham is not the right place to support your child, we can certainly advise you on where might be more suitable.

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Our Assessment Process

Our assessment process is slightly different for each area of the school. The best place to start, no matter the age of your child, is to come in for a visit and then register once you’ve decided Frensham might be the right place for you. We have summed up below the different processes, but if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Junior School: Nursery - Yr 6

Nursery
Once you have registered, we’ll invite you to bring your child in for an informal visit of about an hour to meet the teachers and other children properly and to explore our wonderful Early Years facilities. Children need to be three years old at the time of entry or in the first half term they join and they really must be fully toilet trained.

Reception – Year 6
Registered children looking for a September 2020 start in Years 3-6 are invited in for an assessment morning on Saturday 30 November 2019.

Assessments take place in Maths, English and the children will also have the chance to meet some of our Junior School teachers as well as spend time with Katherine Bluck, Head of Junior School. We aim to give feedback within a few days. The assessment is designed to give us a good idea of your child’s reading, spelling and maths level.

We will be running an assessment morning in late January 2020 for registered children looking for a September 2020 start in Years R-2.

Middle & Senior School: Yrs 7 - 11

Years 7 – 10
The first stage of our assessment process is an invitation to join a group interview with the Head and the Head of the Middle or Senior School. This will take place in the week before the Assessment Day.

Please note, our Middle and Senior School Assessment Day for September 2020 took place on Saturday 18 January 2020. If you are interested in entry into Yrs 7 – 10 in September 2020, please get in touch with Sarah on [email protected] before registering.

The morning of the assessment day is spent taking some short tests in Maths, Spelling, English Reading Comprehension, Non-Verbal and Verbal Reasoning and also Creative Writing. Those applying for Years 9 or 10 will also complete an assessment in Science.

After lunch, the children will then spend the afternoon in enjoyable activities with their peers followed by tea, to which parents are invited.

The day is designed to assess the whole child. Academic tests help us determine if your child will be able to access the curriculum but places go to those who have also demonstrated positive character, attitude and the potential to contribute to and thrive at Frensham.

We aim to have all papers marked and offers made within one-two weeks.

Deferred Entry and Pre-testing

Deferred Entry and Pre-testing

Pretesting offers an opportunity for children to be assessed in the Spring Term of Year 6 for a place in Year 9. By completing assessment at this stage, families can be offered peace of mind and security with regards to their children’s education and the children themselves are free to enjoy their last years at prep school.  Note that we will still welcome applications from families of children in Year 8 who would prefer to leave assessment until this stage.

Assessment

Our assessment process is the same for both pretesting candidates and those currently in Year 8. We use standardised tests that are age adaptive so that younger children are not at a disadvantage.

Sixth Form

Sixth Form:

Students will be invited to join a small group interview with the Head and Head of Sixth Form. Students also sit a 45-minute general paper, complete an online standardised test and three 20 minute questions in subjects of the student’s choice (note those students looking to study Maths or Science at A Level must complete an assessment in these subjects).

Students must have achieved, or be likely to achieve, at least six GCSE passes at grades 9 – 4, with, where relevant, a grade 6 in the subjects they want to study at A Level. Students who want to study Mathematics at A Level should preferably have achieved, or be likely to achieve a grade 7 in Mathematics GCSE. Students who want to pursue the subject at A Level with a grade 6 will be considered and will have a short interview with the Head of Mathematics to determine their suitability for the course.

Sixth Form: Scholarship Students

Students who wish to be considered for a scholarship should complete the online form which we will email to you in October.   

Academic Scholarship candidates will be invited to join a small group interview with the Head and Head of Sixth Form before completing a 45-minute general paper, an online standardised test and a 60-minute scholarship paper in a subject of the student’s choice.

In addition to completing the Sixth Form entrance assessment process, Sports, Drama, Dance, Art or Music Scholarship candidates will be invited to an audition and interview with the Head of Department relevant to their chosen scholarship.

Individual Needs

Frensham Heights is proud to welcome students with Individual Needs, but with a small Learning Support team, we can only support a small number of children in each year.

If your child has Individual Needs we will need additional information about any known or suspected difficulties or diagnoses relating to your child’s health, wellbeing or learning abilities – such as a formal Educational Psychologist, Medical or Specialist Teacher’s report and an informal conversation with your child’s current school. This information will help us see if we could reasonably meet your child’s needs. Importantly, it will also help us see if your child could thrive and benefit from everything the school has to offer and be able to contribute in full to the life of the school.

Where we feel that we could support your child, we will invite them to begin our assessment process. If we don’t think we can sufficiently support them, we will let you know as soon as possible to let you consider more beneficial options.

To find out more about Learning Support at Frensham Heights, please follow this link.

Offers

Offers are normally sent out within one-two weeks and you would normally receive one of four potential responses.

  1. Guaranteed offer: successful candidates will be offered a guaranteed place to start in September 2020 (or the start of Year 9 for pre-test candidates). Places must be accepted by the first Monday in March
  2. Waiting list offer: these candidates we be offered a guaranteed place as soon as a place becomes available
  3. Offer to retest (pre-test candidates only): if we feel your child has not quite reached the level required in the pretest, but we think they would really benefit from a Frensham education, we may invite them to come back for assessments in Year 8
  4. Regret: if we unfortunately feel that Frensham is not quite the right fit for your child.

Deposits

If you wish to accept an offer of a place at Frensham for your child, we would ask you to pay a deposit as follows:

Junior School: £300

Middle & Senior School: £500 (day) or £750 (boarders)

Parents of overseas boarders are asked to pay a full term’s boarding fees in advance to secure a place for your child.

Should you accept a deferred place at Frensham, we would request a deposit of £1000 per child for day places and £1500 per child for a boarding place.

Our Fees (per term for the 2019-2020 school year)

Nursery

Nursery
EYFE Scheme:
EYFE session (8:30 – 11:30am): Free of charge
Morning including lunch: £20
Afternoon including lunch: £35
Full Day: £38
Outside EYFE Scheme:
EYFE session (8:30 – 11:30am): £29
Morning including lunch: £48.50
Afternoon including lunch: £35
Full Day: £67
Extended Day activities: £5.50 per hour or part thereof

Reception - Yr 6

Reception: £2,370
Years 1 & 2: £2,900
Year 3: £3,470
Extended Day activities: £5.50 per hour or part thereof

Year 4: £3,550
Years 5 & 6: £4,390

Middle School

Years 7 & 8 day students: £6,300
Years 7 & 8 boarding: £9,150
Years 9, 10, & 11 day students: £6,610
Years 9, 10, & 11 boarding: £10,290

Sixth Form

Years 12 & 13 day students (concession – students from Yr 11): £6,610
Years 12 & 13 day students: £7,020
Years 12 & 13 boarding students (concession – students from Yr 11): £10,290
Years 12 & 13 boarding: £10,690
Download our full schedule of fees here