Entry procedures
Once an Application Form has been completed and acknowledged the entry procedure is:
NURSERY AND PRE-PREPARATORY SCHOOL (3-7)
Pupils join Colfe's either at 3+ when they would join a Nursery class of around 20 or at 4+ when they would make up a second class of around 20 children. Offers are made in the Autumn Term of the year preceding entry. Early registration is recommended for 3+ and 4+ because offers are made according to the date of registration (bearing in mind siblings, staff children and the balance of boys and girls in the year group).
Occasional places do become available at 5+ and 6+; these offers are dependent on informal assessments.
PREPARATORY (7-11)
Assessments for entry into Year 3 take place in January of the year preceding entry. These assessments are in Maths and English and are held on an individual basis with an experienced member of the Prep School staff. Occasionally places do become available in Years 4, 5 and 6. Please contact the Prep Secretary, Elaine Benjamins, should you require further details ebenjamins@colfes.com.
SENIOR (11-18)
11+ prospective pupils sit our entrance examination and are interviewed in January of the year preceding entry. Scholarships and Bursaries may be awarded on the basis of performance in the entrance examination and those pupils will be invited for an interview with the Headmaster. Offers of places are made after the examination, interview and on receipt of a suitable reference from the pupil's current school.
13+ prospective pupils take Colfe’s own tests in Maths, English and Science, again in January of the year preceding entry. Scholarships may be awarded to outstanding pupils at this level. An interview and suitable reference from the pupil's current school are also required before the offer of a place can be made.
Sixth Form prospective pupils are offered places based on performance in the entrance examination held in November of the year preceding entry and on an agreed minimum performance at GCSE. The examination consists of two general papers, one of which is an essay paper. Scholarships are available based on performance in this examination and are conditional on an agreed performance at GCSE.
Pupils with Special Educational Needs
The School does not discriminate against any pupil or parent whose child wishes to enrol, or is enrolled under the terms and conditions of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001). We welcome enquiries and applications from all boys and girls. Entrance to the School is competitive and based on academic ability.
Individual arrangements can be made, subject to reasonable adjustments, for boys and girls with special educational needs to ensure that the examination (or other assessment) for entrance to Colfe’s is accessible to all. Pupils with special educational needs are admitted according to the same criteria as other pupils, provided that admission is compatible with:
- the provision of efficient education for the children with whom he/ she will be educated
- the efficient use of resources
There are no special facilities at the School for pupils who are physically disabled, nor any special units. However the School is committed to the integration of pupils with a wide range of needs, and their involvement in the whole life of the school, in line with our Equal Opportunities Policy and the terms of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001).