Choosing the right school for your child can be an exciting, but also daunting process. Our Admissions Team is here to ensure that at the end of the process you feel safe in the knowledge that you have made the right decision for your child.
Whether it is to discuss the admissions process, request a prospectus or arrange a visit, please do not hesitate to get in touch. In the meantime, I hope that our website gives you a flavour of life at Dauntsey's and addresses some of your initial questions.
Choosing the right school for your child can be an exciting, but also daunting process. Our Admissions Team is here to ensure that at the end of the process you feel safe in the knowledge that you have made the right decision for your child.
Whether it is to discuss the admissions process, request a prospectus or arrange a visit, please do not hesitate to get in touch. In the meantime, I hope that our website gives you a flavour of life at Dauntsey's and addresses some of your initial questions.
We aim to have a comprehensive, informative and welcoming process for admitting pupils to Dauntsey's. Selection for entry is based on academic criteria as well as carefully considering the character, interests and talents of each individual child.
We have three main entry points into Dauntsey's, age 11, 13, or 16, although occasionally pupils may be accepted into other year groups if space is available.
When pupils arrive into Lower School at Dauntsey's they will be part of a cohort of around 100 children who have come from more than 60 different schools, state and prep, local and overseas. This is fundamental to the friendly and unpretentious atmosphere that is ever-present at Dauntsey's. All pupils arrive ready to make new friends and make the most of the experiences that lie in front of them.
Within the first few weeks, pupils head off on a one-night residential trip. The trip provides an opportunity to further strengthen those friendships in the early days and gives them grounding for their future of an adventurous education.
The Lower School is very much part of main school, and many events and activities will involve pupils from across the whole school. First Form pupils are also mentored by a Sixth Form prefect who they meet with once a week, giving them additional connections in the Upper School. That said, we are fortunate to have our own base, The Lower School Centre, where pupils spend a great deal of time.
For candidates wishing to enter into the First Form/Year 7, assessments and interviews take place at Dauntsey's in mid January of the year of entry. At First Form, both day and boarding places are available, with an option of flexi-boarding in the First and Second Form (subject to availability).
The format of the 11+ entrance assessment is as follows:
Written assessment
Creative writing exercise – 30 minutes
Online assessments
English comprehension and SPAG exercise – 20 minutes
Maths – 30 minutes
Verbal Reasoning – 10 minutes
Puzzles and Problem Solving – 15 minutes
All prospective pupils are interviewed in the same week as the assessments. Those travelling long distances are welcome to request an interview on the same day as the assessments. All others are invited to come for interview later in the same week - Thursday or Friday.
Pupils arriving into the Third Form are joining in the final year of Lower School. We welcome approximately 35 boarders at this entry point and they are quickly welcomed into the fold and made to feel part of The Manor, our Lower School boarding house.
A year at the top of Lower School allows pupils a chance to get to know the school and their surroundings before moving into the senior boarding houses on the main campus in Fourth Form.
A highlight of the Third Form is our Moonraker Adventure Programme, a timetableof outdoor and adventurous activities run on a Friday afternoon for all Third Form pupils. Activities include: outdoor cooking, kayaking, cycling, first aid, expedition skills, navigation, orienteering, indoor climbing, sailing, shooting, survival, river crossing, sub-aqua diving and archery. In the summer, all pupils attend the Moonrakers Camp where over six days they have the opportunity to develop themselves through adventures in Aberdovey, North Wales.
For those joining at 13, selection is based on the ISEB Common Pre-Test (taken at prep schools in either the Autumn Term of their Year 6 or early in the Spring Term of their Year 7) and interview, or our own entrance exams. At this point of entry (Year 9) only boarding places are available.
The ISEB Common Entrance papers taken at prep schools in the summer of Year 8 and are marked by Dauntsey's staff and are used for initial setting purposes.
For those not at a prep school, entry is via interview and our own examination papers (English and Maths) are taken in the Autumn Term of a pupil's Year 8. Those living overseas take the examinations by arrangement either at their current school or at a British Council office and will be interviewed by Microsoft Teams
Moving up into Sixth Form is a key milestone in any pupil’s educational journey. It is a step up academically, emotionally and socially and the Sixth Form offering at Dauntsey’s has been developed to reflect this.
With some 260 pupils in the Upper and Lower Sixth - approximately 30 new pupils joining the Lower Sixth each year - it is a close-knit but vibrant community. There is a good mix of boarders and day pupils, and a fairly even split of boys and girls.
Sixth Form students enjoy the challenges of a broad-based and flexible curriculum, with plenty of opportunities for development beyond the classroom. The promotion of self-study skills and independent learning is central to the teaching and learning strategy, preparing pupils for Higher Education courses and the world of work. Setting students up for life beyond school is a priority and a dedicated careers team is on hand to help guide and advise students each step of the way.
For those joining the Sixth Form, selection is based on predicted grades, school reference and an interview. At Sixth Form, both day and boarding places are available.
We recommend registering early in the Autumn Term of Year 11. At the end of October we will request a report and reference from current schools, interviews are held in early to mid-November with places offered at the very end of November.
Scholarship examinations, interviews and auditions are held in early November.
Entry Requirements
Sixth Form candidates should be predicted a minimum of three level 7s and three level 6s at I/GCSE. We expect applicants to achieve at least a level 7 in the subjects they wish to study at A Level (where appropriate).
Those living overseas and not taking I/GCSE papers may take our own our own entrance examinations in: English, Maths and a General Paper, by arrangement either at their current school or at a British Council office and will be interviewed by Skype. Candidates who do not have English as their first language should refer to the International Candidates page.
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