Applying to independent schools is an exciting time, as you select the best school for your child’s future. The Sidcot School admissions process is outlined below, so you can be sure of exactly what you need to do to register your child for a place at our Pre-School, Junior School, Senior School, or Sixth Form.
From initial enquiry to the application itself, the Sidcot admissions team are happy to help you discover whether our school is the right one for your child. Read on to find out how to apply to Sidcot School on behalf of your child.
The 9 steps below outline the different stages you should go through when applying to Sidcot School.
Do Your Research
When you’re applying to independent schools, your journey should always begin with research. Take a look through our website to learn about the history of our school, our Quaker values, the extracurricular activities we offer, and discover our school values.
Visit Sidcot
It’s important to see the school for yourself before you apply for a place. You can sign up to attend an Open Day, come along to a taster event, or arrange a private school tour. We recommend that all applicants, including those living abroad, visit Sidcot during the admissions process. Learn more about opportunities to visit.
Attend A Taster Day
A Taster Day gives your child a chance to have a good look round the School and meet some prospective classmates and teachers. For Junior School students, the Taster Programme lasts for two days. For Pre-School pupils and pupils for Reception, it’s a half-day session. Taster sessions are an entry requirement for the Pre-School and Junior School but are optional for the Senior School.
Meet the Headmaster & Deputy Heads
Our Headmaster Iain Kilpatrick, Deputy Head (Academic) Christian Hughes, and Deputy Head (Pastoral) Joanna Leite like to meet all pupils who are thinking of coming to Sidcot Senior School, to discuss their motivation for applying, their subject interests, and what they can bring to the School. Students applying to Sidcot Junior School will meet Cath Dykes, Head of the Junior School.
Complete Your Application
The next stage is to complete the application form and return it along with the registration fee (Senior £150, Junior £75) along with your child’s most recent school report. If your child requires learning support, please also supply the relevant reports about their specific needs - for example, an Educational Psychologist report, or IEP (Individual Education Plan).
Assessments
We do not use Common Entrance Examinations at Sidcot. All applicants from Year 7 upwards take assessments in Maths and English. These are informal baseline assessments, not pass or fail tests, to help determine which teaching group a pupil will enter. A date can be arranged to suit you during the application process.
Offer Stage
As soon as possible after the interview or application, we will contact successful applicants with an offer.
Acceptance
To accept your place at Sidcot, please read the Parent Contract and return the completed Acceptance Form with the deposit and completed Medical Card. Shortly afterwards, we’ll email our joining instructions, which will include all the practical details you will need.
Joining Sidcot
In July (or just before you start at Sidcot if you’re joining us partway through the year), you’ll receive further instructions prior to your child’s start date including details about which House they will be joining.
The admissions process for Scholarship and Bursary applications is slightly different - please give us a call for further information.
Sidcot Admissions Policy
At Sidcot, we are not selective, beyond our expectation that our students will cope with the mainstream curriculum. Students can be accepted throughout the year from Pre-School to Year 9, providing space is available. Students are able to join examination Years 10 and 12 up to one half term late, at the school’s discretion, but students will not be accepted late into Years 11 and 13.
For entry to the Sixth Form, students must gain at least 5 A*-C grades at GCSE, especially in the subjects they wish to continue studying (if applicable). Students considering the International Baccalaureate Diploma or the AQA Baccalaureate, will need at least a GCSE grade A*-C in Maths and English.
Waiting Lists
Sidcot is a popular school - when there are no available places, students are invited to join the waiting list for their chosen year group.
If you have any questions about the Sidcot admissions process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Sidcot School is incredibly proud to be a leading international school welcoming overseas students.
If you’re applying for an international student place at Sidcot School, you can either do this directly or via one of our Agents around the world. Read on to find the most suitable method for you.
How to apply for an international student place at Sidcot directly
If you’re contacting Sidcot directly, without using an Agent, the admissions process for international students is the same as for UK students.
What’s more, if the international student applying has a globally recognised English qualification, they won’t need to sit our English entrance assessment (as long as the score meets our entry requirements).
How to apply to Sidcot using an International Schools Agent
Many of our families decide to use an Agent to help them find the best UK boarding schools for international students, or independent international schools that have facilities catering to their particular area of interest.
Find out more about the international Agents we partner with around the globe.
If you choose to apply via one of our Agents, please identify the Agent in your country you’d like to use when completing your application. We work with many Agents across the world, but even if yours is one we haven’t worked with before, they’ll be able to contact the school on your behalf and take your international student application forward. We don’t recommend one agency over another - that decision is yours to make.
Your Agent will contact our Admissions office to register your interest in Sidcot School and send through your most recent school reports. Our academic leadership team will consider these and decide whether they wish to take your application further. We use these reports to make an early assessment of your child’s abilities, so we can be sure that Sidcot can provide the appropriate education.
If you’re successful in the preliminary assessment, your child will be invited to take our entrance assessment in Maths and English. These tests take place under exam conditions at the current school or Agent’s office, and all exams are retested on entry to the school at the beginning of the academic year. These tests make sure the student has the correct level of English to take part in the life of the school, and that they can cope with the curriculum.
For entry to our Senior School and Year 11 Pathway (ages 12 to 16 years), international students need to be able to speak and understand the English language to a minimum of B1 on the Common European Framework. Entry into Sixth Form to study A Levels requires a minimum of B2. For IB, a minimum of C1 is required.
We offer an EAL (English as a second language) programme, which is designed to develop international students’ language skills.
These tests can also be taken as part of a visit to Sidcot, where families can enjoy a tour of the school, and meet other students (including international students), as well as teachers and Boarding staff. On these occasions, there would also be an interview with the Headmaster or Deputy Head.
Prospective students’ ability in English may be assessed during the interview, or using examination results in English IGCSE or IELTS. In cases where a visit is not possible, we request an interview via Skype. These arrangements will always be made by your Agent.
When the offer of an international student place is made, offer documentation will be sent to you or your Agent by post. You’ll need to read and sign the Parents’ Agreement and Acceptance Form, and return this to our Admissions team along with the deposit, the completed medical card, and UK Guardian details. Find out more about Educational Guardians and how they help international students make the transition to their new UK international school.
On acceptance you’ll also receive a pack of information, including our uniform list, insurance details, and term dates. A further pack of joining instructions including transport and boarding house information will be sent prior to the start date. View our Sidcot School parent information hub to find out more.
Please note: Students holding international passports (other than UK) will require a Confirmation of Acceptance to Study letter (CAS) to support their international student visa application to the United Kingdom Visa and Immigration office (UKVI). This will be issued on completion of all of the above steps. Your Agent will be able to help you with this. Sidcot School will not issue a CAS unless all criteria are met as per the UKVI regulations and in accordance with the Sidcot School Admissions policy, Appendix 2.
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