Admission Procedures
We understand that looking for the right school for your child can feel somewhat stressful particularly if this is linked with a change of job and / or location. For some parents it may also be the first time you have considered an independent school for your child and you are not sure what to expect or to do. Although the admission process can appear quite a daunting prospect it is really quite straight forward. The essential thing to keep in mind when applying for a place is to plan well in advance. To make the whole experience a little easier, please find below our step by step guide to the application and admission procedure for St. Michael’s School.
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Request a prospectus: Visit the school: |
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Register: During your visit to the school the Head will give you a Registration Form along with a copy of our Admissions Procedure. Once the Registration Form and Registration Fee, currently £50.00, have been received by the school your child will be placed on a waiting list for entry into your child’s year group. Registrations are considered on a strictly chronological basis, but with preference being given to siblings already at the school or on our waiting lists.
Offer of a place – Nursery and Reception children: Roughly a year before your child is due to start school the Registrar will you send you an Offer letter and an Acceptance Form. All Offer letters are sent out at the same time to children on our waiting list.
Familiarisation Visit – Nursery and Reception children: Children will be invited into Nursery and Reception to visit the staff and meet the other children who will be joining in September. You will not be able to stay with your child for these visits. Nursery children are invited in for two afternoon sessions from 1.30 p.m. – 2.45 p.m. and Reception children for one day 9.15 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. Because we understand you may be a little apprehensive about leaving your child with complete strangers, we will also invite both you and your child for a preliminary visit before their actual familiarisation to meet the staff and acclimatise yourselves with the Foundation Stage Department.
Offer of a place Year 1 – Year 5: Places can only be offered as and when they become available. When we are in a position to consider your son or daughter for an available place he or she will be invited for a 2 day familiarisation and assessment visit (see below). The Head will contact you, usually late in the afternoon of the second day or the next morning, to discuss your child’s experience during their visit and to inform you of whether or not we are able to offer the place to your child. At this stage the offer is still subject to a satisfactory reference from your child’s current school which we will seek once you have notified the school that your child is being considered for a place here. Once all this is satisfactorily completed a formal offer letter will be sent out to you.
Familiarisation and Assessment visit Years 1-5: This is a two-way process for your child to see whether they like the school and for us to ensure that our curriculum will suit the individual child. There are no formal entrance exams or tests but the class teacher will conduct some assessments with your son or daughter to gauge their current level of ability. This allows us to assess how they compare with the rest of the year group.
Please note, that only under exceptional circumstances, will we admit children into Year 6. To be admitted, the child will need to undergo the same procedures as children in years 1-5.
Accept the place: Congratulations! You have made the first step to ensuring a first class education for your child. We will require a deposit of £250.00 to accompany the Acceptance Form to secure the place offered. This deposit is refundable once your child leaves St. Michael’s School, hopefully in Year 6! Please ensure you read the Standard Terms and Conditions and that you have understood the Declaration statement on the Acceptance Form before signing and returning to the Registrar.
New Parents’ Meeting: For children starting in Nursery and Reception there is an evening meeting, normally held at the beginning of July, at 8.00 p.m. in the school Hall. Here you will have an opportunity to meet all the Foundation Stage staff and the Head will give you a brief introduction to the school. The school’s uniform outfitters will be there to show you our uniform and also take orders if required.
Information pack: Prior to your child starting you will receive a pack of information that includes a Uniform and Equipment list (also available on the website) and all the administration forms that need completing and returning to school before your child starts as well as other information about the school.
And that’s it! If you have any questions or are unsure about any details please call the school and speak to the Registrar. The Registrar can be contacted via the school office and is available during term time as well as all through the holidays via the school email or by leaving a message on the school answerphone.