Entry Points
Most children join us in Pre-School, Reception and Year 3. Places do become available in other years from time to time, so please enquire if you would like to know more about mid-year admissions or admission to other year groups.
Our youngest Pre-Prep pupils can join us as soon as they are two and a half years old. This year group is called “Nursery”. They join us at any point during the school year subject to availability.
Children may also join Pre-School in the September after their third birthday. This year group is called ‘Kindergarten’ and is the school year before Reception.
Children are also welcome to join Pre-Prep directly in to Reception.
The Process
There are various steps in a successful admissions process:
When you enquire, we will find out a bit about you, have a chat about the school, and arrange a visit so that you can tour the school and meet the Headteacher.
A visit should give you a good sense of the school and our ethos. We have Open Mornings throughout the year and we can also arrange personal tours of the school at a time to suit you.
Once you have decided you would like your child to join Somerhill, you will need to complete our registration form and pay a £150 fee per child. This is a non-refundable fee – and is standard practice for most independent schools. Once you have registered, your child joins our waiting list. They will be offered a place when it becomes available (Pre-School) or invited to a taster session (Reception to Year 8).
Here at Somerhill prospective pupils are asked to take part in a Taster Day ahead of an offer of a place. Your child shall be teamed up with a ‘buddy’ who has similar interests to your child and will attend lessons and activities during a typical school day. Taster Days are designed to give your son or daughter the chance to understand and engage with school life here and to encourage a smooth transition when moving schools. The Taster Day experience is as much for your child as it is for us here at Somerhill; it is the chance to assess whether we are a suitable fit for your child and will be able to offer a happy school life and all the support they need. Following a successful Taster Day an offer of a place will be made.
Our offer will include information on fees, term dates, and our terms and conditions. If your child is currently attending a school that is a member of IAPS, we will need to contact them (with your permission) just to check they are aware and that everything is in order.
Acceptance of an offer involves you paying a deposit of £500 and committing to pay the termly fees, with a notice period of one term. For further details please refer to our Terms and Conditions, in the Parent Contract.
Depending on the age of your child we run a variety of induction programmes to help ensure a smooth transition into Somerhill. This will include meet and greet sessions with new teachers, organising “buddies”, invitation to holiday courses (age dependent) as well as linking new families with class representatives and invitations to school social events.
