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 particularly in the current situation when we sadly can’t welcome you to visit us in person?

The answer is to please get in touch and let us guide you through our admissions process. From virtual open mornings to personalised virtual tours and assessments as well as conversations with the teaching team, we have adapted our admissions to ensure you are still able to truly understand what makes Frensham different and special.

If you’re considering Frensham for your child, please get in touch with Sarah at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

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 Registrar and joining us for our virtual open morning or a one to one conversation with Rick, we hope you’ll start to get a strong understanding of what makes us different. It’s important to us that 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.

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 fill quickly from Year 2 upwards so it is worth registering your interest for 2021 entry as soon as possible. Please be aware that there is a non-refundable registration fee for all prospective students of £150.

If you are interested in a place for September 2020 please still get in touch with Sarah on [email protected] as, depending on the year group, we may still be able to help.

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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 with mild learning difficulties 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.

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

Our Assessment Process

Our assessment process is slightly different for each area of the school. We are currently assessing all those children looking for a place in September 2020 through online interactive and written assessments taking place at home. Please get in touch with us as we would be delighted to explain how this works.

From September we hope we will be able to re-introduce elements of our face to face assessment held here at school. You’ll find more details below of what this will likely involve although of course we will adapt our plans to ensure we keep everyone safe.

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 2021 start in Years 3-6 will be invited in for an informal assessment morning in late November.

The children will complete some short tasks in in Maths and English and also have the chance to meet some of our Junior School teachers and spend time with Katherine, Head of Junior School. We aim to give feedback within a few days.

We will be running an assessment morning in late January 2021 for registered children looking for a September 2021 start in Years R-2.

Middle & Senior School: Yrs 7 - 11

Middle & Senior Schools: 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 which itself is in mid-January.

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

In late November, 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.

Offers

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

Guaranteed offer: successful candidates will be offered a guaranteed place to start the following September (or the start of Year 9 for pre-test candidates). Places must be accepted by the first Monday in March
Waiting list offer:these candidates we be offered a guaranteed place as soon as a place becomes available
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
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:

Nursery: £300

Junior, Middle & Senior School: £500 (day) or £1000 (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.