Admissions guide - The Perse School

Admissionsguidewww.perse.co.uk

Visiting the SchoolWe encourage all prospective parents and pupilsto visit the School to experience what a Perseeducation has to offer. Our main open events arelisted on the right.There is no need to book for these events; moreinformation about what to expect is available onour website: www.perse.co.ukWe run Summer term open mornings on a normalschool day, taster sessions and activity days. Placesat these events must be booked in advance. Youcan also book a tour. For more information pleasevisit our website:www.perse.co.uk/admissions/visiting-the-schoolAutumn 2014 Open Days:The Upper Open MorningSaturday 27 September 9.30 – 12.30The Prep Open MorningSaturday 4 October 9.30 – 12.00The Pelican Open MorningSaturday 11 October 9.30 – 12.30The Sixth Form Open EveningTuesday 4 November 18.00 – 21.00How to applySelection in all our schools is based on merit andapplicants need to demonstrate their potentialto succeed in an academic environment. We alsolook for children who will take full advantage ofthe educational and extra-curricular opportunitieswe offer.The registration deadline for 2015 entry into the Prepand the Upper is 31 December 2014, and for SixthForm entry it is 12 November 2014. At the Pelicanthe registration deadline for Nursery is 31 December2014 while for Reception it is 28 August 2014To apply, please complete the enclosed registrationform and return it to the School with the £75registration fee (£100 for the Pelican) by the abovedates. Early registration is encouraged at all entrypoints but in particular at the Pelican to enablechildren to attend familiarisation visits.Online registration for the Sixth FormStudents wishing to apply for the Sixth Formcan do so using our online registration form.Online registration for 2015 entry will openin September 2014.Please go to http://applications.perse.org.ukto register online.

Admissions processAssessment for all entry points takes place in the academic year prior to the year of entry.The PelicanNursery (age 3-4)The main entry point for the Pelican is Nursery, whichis for children who are three years old by 1 Septemberin the year of entry. The assessment process consists ofthree playgroups at the School in early January of theyear of entry.Reception (age 4-5)We are able to take only a small number of extrachildren at Reception, which is for children who arefour years old by 1 September in the year of entry.The assessment process consists of two playgroups atthe School in the September before the year of entry.Admission to Years 1 and 2 is dependent on availabilityof places, which sometimes become available asfamilies move away from Cambridge.We are looking for children with a thirst for knowledgeand a keenness to solve problems. We note whetheror not they are curious, display attention skills, arepersistent and show initiative. We look at the wholechild, assessing a broad range of personal, physical,linguistic and mathematical skills appropriate to theirlevel of development.Through repeat visits to the School children becomeincreasingly familiar with our setting and enjoy theirplaygroup sessions with us.The PrepThe main point for entry to the Prep is Year 3 (7+).Admission to Years 4, 5 and 6 is dependent onavailability of places.Entrance tests at all levels assess the applicant’sabilities in maths, English and reasoning. A referencefrom their current school is also required. Prospectivepupils for Year 3 entry are expected to be on courseto achieve Level 3 at Key Stage 1 of the NationalCurriculum. Applicants for Years 4, 5 and 6 shouldbe working at, or show the potential to achieve,a level approximately one year ahead of theirchronological age. Selection for all year groups takesplace in mid-January of the year of intended entry.The Head of the Prep is always happy to showprospective parents around on a working day tosee the School in action. The School also offersprospective pupils who are at the start of Year 2the opportunity to spend a short time with theEntrance Test Co-ordinator. This relaxed one-toonesession is very helpful in gauging how a childis likely to perform in the entrance test. Detailedverbal feedback is communicated to parents.The UpperThe entrance test for Years 7 (11+) and 9 (13+) willbe held on Saturday 10 January 2015 and consistsof papers in maths, English and verbal reasoning.Sample papers can be found on our website.All applicants will also have an informal interviewwith a Perse teacher and a reference will be soughtfrom the child’s current school before the test.Sixth Form applicants will be invited to attendan interview at the School and we will seek areference from their current school. Interviewswill take place on Saturday 29 November 2014.Scholarship applicants also have scholarshipspecific assessments. The majority of scholarshipexaminations will also take place on Saturday29 November 2014; however, sports scholarshipassessments will take place on Thursday 27November and music and drama scholarshipassessments will take place on Monday 1 and Tuesday2 December. Offers for Sixth Form applicants areconditional on GCSE and IGCSE results. We normallyexpect a student to achieve a minimum of 70 pointsat GCSE (counting an A* as 10, A as 8, B as 6 etc.)from the best nine grades achieved, and at least anA grade in each of the subjects they wish to study inthe Lower Sixth.In the Sixth Form we are able to accept applicationsfrom non-EU nationals. The registration fee is £150.Non-EU nationals sit subject tests and a verbalreasoning test in addition to the interview. Applicantsfor whom English is a second language must also provetheir proficiency in English by taking an InternationalEnglish Language Testing System (IELTS) test.Applicants are required to achieve a score of atleast 6.5 in an IELTS test for admission to The Perse.We do not have any boarding accommodation sonon-EU students wanting to take up a place at theSchool must live with their parents or legal guardianor with an education guardian approved by the School.

BursariesScholarshipsWe are able to offer a number of means-testedbursaries in the Prep and Upper schoolsfor families with limited means, which range from5% to 100% of annual tuition fees. Means-testedbursaries are not available at the Pelican.Applicants applying for a bursary are subjectto the standard admissions assessment criteriathat form part of the entrance process. Placesare only offered to applicants who meet theadmissions criteria.All applications for bursary places are assessedon a means-tested basis and will include aninterview at the School. There are no residencequalifications; however family situations –including the number of school-aged children,the financial circumstances of both parentsand of any current partner of one or bothparents – will be taken into account, alongwith social security benefits and other financialdetails. These will include both capital andcurrent income. Any bursary awards made will besubject to annual means testing thereafter.Applications for bursary assistance should bemade by ticking the ‘Assistance with School Fees’box on the registration form which should bereturned to the School by the appropriate registrationdeadline. The Bursary will then contact parentsdirectly and issue a detailed means-test form tobe returned with full supporting documentationahead of the entrance test.For more information, please visit our websitewww.perse.co.uk/admissions/bursariesWe offer a number of scholarships to pupils enteringthe Upper school. All scholarships are awarded on meritand are typically worth 5% of the annual school fees.In Years 7 and 9, all applicants who take our entrancetest are automatically considered for an academicscholarship; there is no need to apply for this. Asmall number of music scholarships are also availableto Year 7 and 9 applicants. Candidates can applyby completing the music scholarship applicationform (available from the website or the admissionsoffice) and returning it to the admissions office bythe 31 December 2014 deadline.In the Sixth Form, students can apply for amaximum of two scholarships from academic,art, drama, general, music, and sport, all of whichhave their own assessments. Further informationon each of these scholarships can be found at:www.perse.co.uk/admissions/scholarships.Scholarship forms are available via the onlineregistration process, from our website or fromthe admissions office.To apply, please complete the relevant scholarshipapplication form and return it with your registrationform by the Sixth Form registration deadline of12 November 2014.Fees for 2014/15Upper termly tuition fee: £4,970Upper termly lunch fee: £219All Year 7 and Year 8 pupils have school lunch, butthereafter pupils can opt to bring in a packed lunch.Prep termly fee (combined tuition and lunch fee): £4,506Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 termly fee (including lunchand snack): £3,880Nursery termly fee (including lunch and snack for coresessions i.e. five per week): £2,180Nursery additional sessions: £36 per sessionContact us for more information:The PelicanTel: +44 (0) 1223 403940pelicanschoolsec@perse.co.ukThe PrepTel: +44 (0) 1223 403920prephmsec@perse.co.ukThe UpperTel: +44 (0) 1223 403805admissions@perse.co.uk