Admissions Procedure

As a first step in considering Heritage, we would encourage you to prioritise an Open Morning. These occur twice each year, in October and May. No booking is required. Our next scheduled Open Morning is on Saturday, 11th May. Booking information will be available in the coming months.

The second step, or the first step if you are not able to attend an Open Morning, is to arrange a visit to the school during normal working hours for a tour and a meeting with the Headmaster. You will get a good feel for the school, and you can ask all the questions you may have about Heritage as you consider whether it is a good fit for your child. It is also an opportunity for the Headmaster to learn about your child.

The third step is for your child to come to Heritage for a ‘taster day’. The purpose of this visit is for the child to get a feel for what Heritage is like and for us to assess their academic levels, behaviour and social skills. Your child will participate in normal lessons for most of the day.

In addition, for children of Year 2 age and up, he or she will complete standardised assessments in Maths and English for up to two hours during that day.

Prospective Lower Prep (Reception) pupils have a play-based assessment in small groups which lasts about an hour. Pupils of Upper Prep (Year 1) age will usually attend for a half day and the class teacher will assess a child in the context of that day’s normal classwork.

For children already of school age, a Confidential Reference Form needs to be completed by your child’s current school; any offer of a place is conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory reference. Children who are offered a place need to be able to access mainstream classroom teaching effectively, with the high level of support available in small classes. They need to be cooperative and have a respectful attitude. With regards to academic ability, prospective pupils need to be able to achieve average to above-average scores in standardised assessments in Maths and English.

Children with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, who need a small amount of 1-1 support, can thrive at Heritage. We do not have the resources to offer more than a small amount of one-to-one or small group work up to Year 4 or 5. Parents can pay for a modest amount of additional in-school 1-1 support. As a rule, pupils with significant special needs requiring substantial 1-1 support will not be offered a place.

Following the ‘taster day’ assessment, you will be contacted by Heritage School within a week, usually by a telephone call from the Headmaster, about whether a place can be offered. You will then receive an offer letter, and you will be asked to return a signed Acceptance Form together with a non-refundable Acceptance Fee of £375. Once the Acceptance Form and Acceptance Fee has been received, your child’s place is secured. All other necessary information, such as consent forms and uniform information, will be sent to you at that time.