Edgeborough

Admissions Policy

Philosophy

Edgeborough aims to provide an all-round education of high quality to all pupils with the ultimate goal being preparation for admission to Independent Secondary schools at 13+ through Common Entrance or Scholarship. In this educational process, the happiness and holistic development of the children is paramount, and parents considering Edgeborough as a school for their child should therefore always be aware of these long-term aims. It is an exciting yet demanding journey both intellectually and physically, with many challenges and demands, and the rewards are correspondingly rich.

The Process

Admission to Edgeborough begins with a call to the Headmaster’s Secretary to arrange a visit to the school. It is recommended that you book your visit well in advance to give yourself maximum time. The initial visit involves a personal meeting with the Headmaster together with a comprehensive tour giving you an opportunity to meet with pupils and to see the school in action. It is advisable not to bring your child on this first visit unless there are exceptional circumstances.

If, following this first interview, you wish to take things to the next stage, there are registration forms available in the prospectus which should be filled in and returned, with the registration fee, to the Admissions Secretary.

Assessment

The majority of Edgeborough pupils join the school in the Nursery or Reception (Robins or Wrens Classes) - i.e. when they are 2 to 4 years old. Assessment here is conducted over a period of time by the Nursery or Reception staff. In the unlikely case that any serious problems are identified, the Head of Nursery or Pre Prep will alert parents during the course of their first year.

Entry at any other stage in the school depends on the availability of places and will be conditional on two equally important factors: an informal assessment and a current school report.

The informal assessment is a ‘total immersion’ day spent at Edgeborough in which the child joins a class and takes a full part in all the activities, academic and extracurricular, of the school. In the Lower and Upper Prep, he or she will have a ‘buddy’ for the day to act as guide and friend. The class teacher will give verbal feedback to you following this visit, either at the end of the day, or if this is not possible, within the next twenty-four hours. A report will also be submitted to the appropriate Head of Department, and to the Director of Studies and the full up to date report from the current school considered.

Should the outcome of those procedures be satisfactory, the Headmaster will formally offer a place to you in writing, and a deposit will be required to secure this place.

Prior to joining the school we offer also an Induction day, in which you and your child will be able to visit the school again and have the chance to meet staff, children and other parents, and to become more familiar with the school and its routines.

Monitoring Progress

Once at Edgeborough, the overall progress of your child is monitored carefully and regularly, ensuring that he or she is on track. Individual needs are at the heart of this process and specific programmes are set in motion for those who need extra provision, whether in the area of Learning Support, or when children have been identified as Gifted and Talented. In all cases, there are several avenues of communication available, all beginning with the child’s Class Teacher, and involving, ultimately, the Head of Department and the Director of Studies. With the busy curriculum at Edgeborough Learning Support can only be offered for up to an hour a week.

At the end of each Department (Nursery, Pre Prep, Lower Prep), there is an assessment, the results of which will provide the basis of information for entry to the next. Regular reports and Parents’ Evenings are an essential part of our communication system, and we encourage a continuous dialogue.

Future Schools

Considering future schools for your children should be done in consultation with the Headmaster, who will advise you on what can seem a very daunting and mysterious path. The process usually begins when your child is in the Lower Prep at around 8 or 9 years old.

There is an enormous variety of Independent Secondary Schools, some of which have begun to introduce interviews and pre-testing at 11+, but they all eventually require an Entrance Examination at 13+, as well as a comprehensive all-round report on the pupils themselves involving all their sporting, artistic and general strengths. Scholarships and awards are a separate issue, to be recommended only by the Headmaster in consultation with the Senior Staff.

Entry into their future schools is the final assessment of Edgeborough pupils, and in a competitive world it is vital that they are all thoroughly prepared. If for any reason we can foresee that this challenge would be too great for any of our pupils, we would alert you well in advance, and to avoid disappointment, recommend an alternative path. Ultimately, we want all of our pupils to leave Edgeborough feeling that they have begun their educational life happily and successfully and that they will be equipped with the skills, maturity and confidence to flourish and develop in the wider world of their secondary school.