The Step-by Step Process for Entry to Saint Felix School

1. Contact the school and request a prospectus. (More Information)

2. Telephone for an appointment to meet the Headmaster, tour the school and see the department and staff in action OR attend an Open Morning (More Information)

3. Register your interest by means of a Registration Form and fee of £60.  You can do this after stage 4 if you would prefer. (More Information)

4. Bring your child to the school for a taster session and some assessments.  He/she can sit the entrance examinations on this day if entering the Senior School before January. An overnight stay can be arranged for prospective boarders.

5. Attend in January to sit the entrance examinations (for Senior pupils). If you have enquired later in the year these examinations can be arranged at a later date.

6. Receive an offer of a place.  If we feel Saint Felix is not the place for your child, we would not offer a place but would write to give you the reasons.

7. Accept the place by means of our Acceptance Form, Fee of £30 and a refundable deposit of £300.. (More Information)

8. Receive a Parents’ Handbook containing all the information you will need at entry.

9. Your child will be invited to attend an induction afternoon before the start of term.

----------------------------------

Requesting a prospectus

You can request a prospectus using our online request form, by telephone to the Registrar Mrs Judy Ellard or by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  It would be most helpful for us to know the age and date of birth of the prospective pupil(s), where they are currently at school and when you wish them to enter Saint Felix. Details of any special educational requirements, for example individual needs such as enhanced learning or EFL (English as a foreign language tuition) would also be helpful at this stage.

You are strongly advised and cordially invited to visit the school as soon as you receive a copy of our prospectus.  We will arrange for you to meet the Headmaster, have a tour of the school and the boarding houses if necessary and have a discussion with the Registrar.  You are advised to allow at least one hour for your visit.  Appointments are available throughout the year at a time convenient to you and you can come with or without your child.  We also offer Open Mornings during the year two of which are usually on Saturday mornings and one which is on a weekday morning.

Taster days

Following your visit to the school we offer a taster day to each prospective pupil. They will be paired with another child in their year group and follow the day’s usual timetable.  Pupils entering in the Junior School will also undergo an assessment in the classroom and take some cognitive ability tests.  In the Senior School, students sit entrance examinations in English, Mathematics and Science.  Sixth Form applicants are considered on their predicted grades at GCSE.

Boarding

If the child is a prospective boarding pupil we offer an overnight stay in order for them to experience a night away from home, with any activities which may be on offer.  Pupils who wish to join our elite swimming programme are also offered an overnight stay coupled with a training session.

Individual needs

Saint Felix has a gifted and talented programme and pupils on this programme are catered for with differentiation in various subjects throughout their time at the school.  If your child is already part of such a programme, please discuss this with the Registrar.

Similarly, if a child requires any particular individual learning, for example for dyslexia, dyspraxia or dyscalculia, this is the time to mention these needs and to discuss the provision of support.  The senior school at Saint Felix traditionally prepares children for GCSE, AS and A2 examinations and each child must be able to access the appropriate curriculum. We have a good Enhanced Learning department working with our children who have specific learning difficulties and use a system of withdrawal from class teaching.  Most of these children will have one, two or maybe three lessons a week of individual help. 

You can register your child at any time during the admissions process, by means of a Registration Form and a non-refundable fee of £60.  This does not automatically signify entry but it is taken as a significant commitment to pursuing a place at the school.

Once the school is satisfied that your child is a suitable candidate for entry and has been in to school for a successful taster day (in the Junior School) and has successfully sat the entrance examinations (in the Senior School), then an offer letter will be sent to you.  This will detail the year group and time of entry.  If you choose to accept the place, this is done by means of our Acceptance Form together with the fee of £30.  This form, accompanied by our terms and conditions, sets out the primary contract with the school and the financial obligations regarding notice and withdrawal, to which parents are required to agree.  All parents with legal responsibility sign these forms.  A child cannot start at the school until this process is completed.

Capabity in English

All students whose native language is not English and who wish to take up a place at Saint Felix will have achieved a minimum proficiency in English and parents will be required to agree to them following a course of English as a foreign language (EFL) at an extra charge to the fee bill. 

Progress through the school

It is expected that pupils who join the school at one of the younger entry points will enjoy a full career at Saint Felix, proceeding to and through the Sixth Form and on to university.  Occasionally it is necessary to review the case of a pupil who is about to move into Year 7 or Year 12 to be sure that it is in her or his best interests to do so.    Currently pupils continuing into Year 7 in the Senior school take the 11+ entrance examinations in the previous January, together with pupils who apply externally. This gives teachers a clear view of the level of attainment across the age group.

Progress of a pupil into the Sixth Form is normally assured by a combination of appropriate behaviour, hard work and academic success at GCSE (a minimum of 5 GCSEs at A* - C with at least Bs in their chosen A level subjects).  Experience shows that graduation into the Sixth Form should present no difficulty to almost all pupils who are admitted to the school.