Admission Procedures

Entry to Reception

Parents who have registered with the school will be invited to bring their daughters for an assessment with the Reception teacher, which will take place in the Autumn or Spring term preceding the September of entry. Offers of places to successful applicants will normally be made in the first half of the Spring term.

Entry to Years 1 and 2

Places in Years 1 and 2 are offered if space is available, following an assessment with the relevant form teachers. Reception, Years 1 and 2 will usually have approximately 10 pupils in each class.

Entry to Years 3 and 4

Places are offered, if space is available, in Years 3 and 4 on the basis of tests in Mathematics and English, usually administered by the class or subject teacher. There will be a maximum of 16 pupils in the class.

Entry to Years 5 and 6

Places are offered, if space is available, in Years 5 and 6 on the basis of tests in English and Mathematics. A pupil will only be accepted into the school at this stage if she is considered to be a suitable candidate for transfer to the senior school at the end of Year 6. There will be a maximum of 16 pupils in each class.

Entry to YEAR 7

External candidates will take entrance tests in English, Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning. These tests will take place at the school at the end of January for entry the following September, though applications can be made and assessments taken prior to this and places (for those who achieve an acceptable standard) may be offered at the time. An interview with the girl and her parent(s) may also be arranged. References will be required from the applicants’ current schools. Girls already in Year 6 will take the same papers as the external applicants. The results will be used for information only.

Entry Into Years 8, 9 and 10

Girls may take entrance tests to the school at any time, provided there are spaces. Applicants will be tested in English and Mathematics. Entry to Year 10 will be on the basis that the entrant’s chosen options match those of the current Year 10 and will depend on satisfactory performances in the English and Mathematics papers.

Admissions Criteria

This document should be read in conjunction with the school’s admissions policy document. In general St Margaret’s operates a policy of selection based on the following basic criteria:

• A prospective pupil's general parity with academic performance commensurate with her age (i.e. she is performing at a level generally expected, based on national standards, of someone of her age. As an example, we would anticipate that girls applying to join the school at Year 7 will be achieving around Level 4 or above in English, Mathematics and Science by the end of Year 6)
• Evidence from previous reports and/or when being assessed at St Margaret’s that she is likely to behave well at St Margaret's.
• A sense of commitment on behalf of prospective parents as to the importance of their daughter's education

Demand for places often exceeds supply. In these circumstances the following criteria will be applied when deciding priority:

• Academic performance when being assessed
• Prior academic performance (where applicable)
• Pupil's attitude to learning
• Pupil's character
• Parental commitment to St Margaret's aims and ethos
• Siblings will usually be given priority

Please note that the above are not in order of importance. For example, a girl with test results that are a little higher than another, but whose parents show little understanding of, or commitment to, St Margaret’s aims and ethos, may not be the one offered the place.

Admissions Policy

Introduction

St Margaret's School is an independent school for girls between the ages of 4 and 16. Entry to the school is selective, but not competitive. Our selection procedures aim to identify girls who have the potential to benefit from and flourish in the educational environment we offer. These girls will not, necessarily, be the ones who score the highest total of marks in formal assessments. Judgements on whether we can offer an individual girl a place will be based on: the assessment appropriate for her age group, an interview (where relevant), references from her previous school, and the discretion of the Principal. The Principal’s decision on individual applications is final. Further details of our admission criteria are outlined in a separate document.

Equal Treatment

We welcome girls regardless of ethnic origin, religious persuasion or social background. Human rights and freedoms are respected but must be balanced with the lawful needs and rules of our school community and the rights and freedoms of others. All candidates for admission will be treated equally, irrespective of race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, orientation, property, birth or other status.

Disibility and Special Education Needs

The School has limited facilities for the disabled but will do all that is reasonable to comply with its legal and moral responsibilities under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 and the Equality Act 2010 in order to accommodate the needs of applicants who have disabilities for which, with reasonable adjustments, the school can cater adequately.

The School needs to be aware of any known disability or special educational need which may affect a child’s ability to take full advantage of the education provided at the School. Parents of a child who has any disability or special educational need should provide the School with full written details at registration, or subsequently, before she takes the entrance examination or at interview. The School needs this information so that, in the case of any child with particular needs, we can assess those needs and consult with parents about the adjustments which can reasonably be made to cater adequately for the child’s needs both during the admission process and if an offer of a place is made. Similarly, if special educational needs or a disability become apparent after admission, the School will consult with parents about reasonable adjustments that may allow the child to continue at the School.