We understand that choosing the right senior school is an important and sometimes complex decision, for both parents and daughters. You will be supported through this process by our highly experienced Admissions Team, who will be your main point of contact throughout. They are here to answer your questions, help you to navigate anything that is unfamiliar, and generally provide guidance and reassurance during the admissions process.
We want our students to enjoy pursuing their academic interests, and to want to make a contribution to College life, in academic, music, art, sport or any number of other spheres. Each September around 160 girls join College, becoming part of a vibrant, diverse community of approximately 870 pupils, both boarding and day, and 600 academic and operational staff.
Of the thousands of girls who've passed through our doors since 1854, no two are the same, but each follows in the footsteps of every young woman who has gone before them. Each student leaves us with shared experiences, an excellent academic foundation, and well-equipped to meet the challenges of their lives beyond College.
We know that our excellent examination results at GCSE, A Level and IB might suggest that we accept only highly academic students; in fact, we are looking for those who have potential and a positive attitude to learning. The diversity of interests, outlook and ambition, is what defines and enriches our dynamic community.
There is no 'type' of girl at CLC. What you need is a positive outlook and a willingness to try new things. With these qualities, you will find kindred spirits who will support and encourage you to develop your potential, and define and pursue your dreams.
We recognise and understand that applications come to us from a diverse range of previous educational backgrounds and our admissions process is geared towards getting to know candidates, their ambitions and attainments in the context of their current and previous schooling.
Each September approximately 75 pupils - 50 boarders and 25 day girls - join us in LC1 (Year 7 / 11+) from junior schools across Gloucestershire, the UK and from around the world.
They join one of our nine junior Houses (six boarding and three day) and are taught in mixed ability groups in most subjects, with specialist Lower College tutors to help them settle in and mentor them throughout their initial years at College.
Below is the process for applying to join LC1 (Year 7 / 11+) in September . Subsequent years will follow a similar path and you should use this as an indicative timeline.
*Please note: Our Admissions process for day students remains open. Please contact our admissions team for further information.
View Our Virtual Tour
Alongside this website, our virtual tour video, lasting 12 minutes, will give you and your family an insight into CLC, the wealth of opportunities available and how it may suit your daughter.
Complete a Registration Form
We would encourage you to submit a Registration Form as soon as you have decided College is an option for your daughter. This means we can keep in touch with you, invite you to relevant events and inform you of key deadlines as they approach.
Visit Us In-Person for An Experience Day
An in-person visit will help you to get a sense of College and to imagine your daughter as part of our community. Our LC1 Experience Days are an optional opportunity specifically for families considering 11+ entry to tour the campus, visit day and/or boarding houses, and meet current pupils and key members of staff. There will also be opportunities for prospective girls to take part in fun activities with their peers.
Return an Entrance Exam Form
Registered parents will be sent an Entrance Exam Form to complete.
It must be returned by 1st August before Year 6 (1st August for September entry). This confirms you want to go ahead with your daughter's application and enter her for the Assessment Day.
Take Part in An Assessment Day
It is important for us to meet all our candidates as part of the application process, and Year 7 candidates are required to attend an Assessment Day.
Your daughter will participate in group discussions, activities and complete written and adaptive online tests in Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning. The day will provide another opportunity for girls to meet their peers and find out about the many different opportunities at CLC.
The assessment days for entry, will take place:
Places will be allocated by the Admissions Department.
A Briefing Paper summarising the subject content and skills we assess is available each year, as well as a suggested reading list, a copy of the previous year’s English entrance paper and a link to a Verbal Reasoning familiarisation exercise:
Offers
Places are offered in mid-November of Year 6.
Our team of assessors review each candidate’s performance across the entrance papers, her engagement and participation during the Assessment Day, and the reference we request from her current Head Teacher.
Take Part in A Scholarship Day
In the February of Year 6 (February for September applicants), the girls with the strongest performance in the entrance exams will be invited to participate in further assessments and interviews for an Academic Scholarship. Auditions for short-listed Music Scholarship applicants also take place the same week.
Our scholarships do not carry fee remission, but those who earn the title of Scholar will benefit from our bespoke Scholarship Programme.
Accept Your Place
You will have until the beginning of March in Year 6 (4th March for September entry) to accept your place and pay the acceptance fee and deposit.
Joining Information and House Placements
In June of Year 6, parents will receive confirmation of their daughter's House, and access to an online portal containing our joining information. Some of this information is for you to read at your leisure, other items have forms which require a response by a set date (for example, requests for music or drama lessons, medical forms, etc).
During the last few weeks of the Summer Term, you'll have contact with your new Housemistress.
Start College!
The time has finally arrived...
Arrangements vary each year, but new students tend to arrive a day or two before our returning students to give them a chance to find their bearings before the official start of term.
Each September approximately 50 pupils join us in LC3 (Year 9 / 13+) from junior schools across Gloucestershire, the UK and from around the world. They join one of our nine junior Houses (six boarding and three day) and are taught in mixed ability groups in most subjects, with experienced tutoring staff to help them settle in to College, and who remain with them through their GCSE exams.
Assessments take place two years prior to entry when candidates are in Year 7. Below is the process for applying to join LC3 (Year 9 / 13+) in September . Subsequent years will follow a similar path and you should use this as an indicative timeline.
View Our Virtual Tour
Alongside this website, our virtual tour video, lasting 12 minutes, will give you and your family an insight into CLC, the wealth of opportunities available and how it may suit your daughter.
Complete a Registration Form
We would encourage you to submit a Registration Form as soon as you have decided College is an option for your daughter. This means we can keep in touch with you, invite you to relevant events and inform you of key deadlines as they approach.
Visit Us In-Person
An in-person visit will help you to get a sense of College and to imagine your daughter as part of our community. A small number of Open Days per year are open to all and are listed on our website, other events are year group / admission year specific, and details are emailed to registered families.
Complete an Entrance Exam Form
Registered parents will be sent an Entrance Exam Form to complete.
It must be returned by 1st August before Year 6 (1st August for September entry). This confirms you want to go ahead with your daughter's application and enter her for the Assessment Day.
Ake Part in An Assessment Session
It is important for us to meet all our candidates as part of the entry process at our Assessment Day in the Autumn Term of Year 7.
For September entry, the Assessment sessions are 20th, 21st and 23rd November .
During the day, your daughter will undertake written papers, group discussions and team activities, and will be able to ask questions about life at CLC and discover the broad range of activities available to our pupils.
A Briefing Paper summarising the subject knowledge and skills we assess is available each year, as is a copy of the previous year’s English entrance paper.
Offers
Places are offered in December of Year 7 (15th December for September entry).
Our decision to offer a place is a holistic one based on the assessment day feedback, performance in the entrance exams and the reference we request from her current Head Teacher.
Accept Your Place
You will have until the beginning of March in Year 7 to accept your place (March for September entry) and to pay the acceptance fee.
Take Part in A Scholarship Day
In the Summer of Year 7 (Summer for September applicants), scholarship information is sent to parents who have accepted a firm or conditional offer of place. Academic, Music, Art and Sport scholarships are available for LC3 (Yr9/13+) entry.
Our scholarships do not carry fee remission, but those who earn the title of Scholar will benefit from our bespoke Scholarship Programme.
Scholarship assessments take place in the January and February of Year 8 (January and February for September entry).
The outcome of these assessments are released in the weeks after the assessments take place.
Joining Information and House Placements
In June of Year 8, parents will receive confirmation of their daughter's boarding or day House, and access to an online portal containing our joining information. Some of this information is for you to read at your leisure, other items have forms which require a response by a set date (for example, requests for music or drama lessons, medical forms, etc).
During the last few weeks of the Summer Term, you'll have contact with your new Housemistress.
Start College!
The time has finally arrived...Arrangements vary each year, but new students tend to arrive a day or two before our returning students to give them a chance to find their bearings before the official start of term.
Each year we welcome 45 new boarders and day girls into the Sixth Form, and the overall year group grows to approximately 160 at this point. Settling into the Sixth Form, as a new entrant, is made easier by the fact that all girls move to different houses after GCSE and so it is a new start for everyone.
The emphasis of Sixth Form life at CLC is on increased independence, both in the classroom and beyond. Our students are empowered to take responsibility for managing their academic studies, co-curricular activities and free time, with the aim of encouraging attainment, ambition and self-confidence.
On leaving CLC, our students are ready to explore a world of exciting opportunities and they go on to study a wide range of subjects at outstanding universities throughout the UK, Europe, the USA and across the globe.
Below is the process for applying to join SFC1 (Year 12 / 16+) in September . Subsequent years will follow a similar path and you should use this as an indicative timeline.
*Please note: Our Admissions process for day students remains open. Please contact our admissions team for further information.
View Our Virtual Tour
Alongside this website, our virtual tour video, lasting 12 minutes, will give you and your family an insight into CLC, the wealth of opportunities available and how it may suit your daughter.
Visit Us in Person
An in-person visit will help you to really get a sense of College, and help to imagine your daughter as part of our community. A small number of Open Days per year are open to all and are listed on our website. Other events are Sixth Form specific and details are emailed to registered families.
Complete a Registration Form
We would encourage you to submit a Registration Form as soon as you have decided College is an option for your daughter. This means we can keep in touch with you, invite you to relevant events and inform you of key deadlines as they approach
Ssay and Interview
By 17th July, applicants will be asked to submit a handwritten essay. This will be used to assess each applicant’s ability to express themselves in a coherent and cogent manner. Regardless of subject choice, all Sixth Form applicants need to be able to express themselves, in writing, in an effective manner and the essay will assess this ability. The essay titles will be sent to all registered applicants from start of the May half-term holidays.
Following submission of the essay and internal review, some candidates may be required to take part in a virtual follow up interview to discuss their essay. Please note that not all candidates will be required to interview at this stage.
Applicants for whom English is not their native language must submit a UKiset Profile
Complete an Entrance Exam Form
During the week commencing 3rd July, a link to the online exam form will be sent to all successful applicants. As well as providing basic information, applicants will be asked to submit their subject course preferences (A Level or IB) and to rank in order of preference the subjects they would like to study in the Sixth Form. For IB candidates, they will be asked to rank their HL followed by SL subjects. Along with the exam form, applicants will be sent a link to access support materials to help in preparation for the entrance exams.
The deadline for submissions of the of the completed exam form and separate Scholarship application forms if applying for Art, Music or Sport Scholarship is 30th September. Please note it may be necessary to close this point of entry at an earlier date if the number of applications is particularly high.
Details of the courses available are listed in our Sixth Form Courses Booklet, published annually in September.
Take the Entrance Exams
Entrance exams and assessments take place from 7th November and all applicants will be expected to attend CLC in person.
On the assessment day itself applicants will:
Short-listed Academic, Art, Music and Sport Scholarship applicants will participate in an additional assessment programme in the same week as the entrance exams. An online alternative may be offered depending on travel restrictions in place during the Autumn Term; details of this (if required) will be released nearer the time.
Offers
Places are offered at the beginning of December in Year 11 (1st December for September entry). Our team of assessors review each candidate’s performance across the entrance exams, interview, essay, and the reference we request from her current Head Teacher.
Accept Your Place
You will have until early December in Year 11 to accept your place (11th December for entry) and to pay the acceptance fee.
Joining Information and House Placements
In the Summer Term of Year 11, parents will receive confirmation of their daughter's House, and access to an online portal containing the enrolment information. Some of this information is for you to read at your leisure, other items have forms which require a response by a set date (for example, requests for music or drama lessons, medical forms, etc).
During the last few weeks of the Summer Term, you'll will be put in contact with your new Housemistress.
Start College
The time has finally arrived...
New Sixth Formers are invited to arrive ahead of the start of term for an orientation programme, details of which will be shared in the online enrolment pack.
Starting a new school can be unnerving, but there will be plenty of support in place to help you settle. All our returning students join new Houses and start new courses in Sixth Form - so it's an exciting new chapter for everyone.
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