We appreciate that choosing the right educational setting for your child is a hugely important decision, whether you are looking for a nursery place, or a day or boarding place at school.
We are here to make your application to Farlington, from first conversation to first day at nursery or school, as smooth and as easy as possible.
The best way for you to find out whether Farlington School or Little Farlington (our new nursery, opening in September 2023) is the right choice – for your child, and also for you as a family – is to visit us.
Our door is always open, whether you choose to attend one of our Open Events or book an individual visit.
If you would like to attend an Open Event at Farlington School, please see Visiting Farlington, where you will find details of our upcoming Open Events and be able to reserve your place.
If you would like to book an individual tour of the school, or register your interest in Little Farlington, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Becky Stevens in our Admissions Team, by telephone on 01403 282573 or by email: admissions@farlingtonschool.com.
Visiting Farlington
The very best way to get a true flavour of Farlington is to visit us. To arrange a tour, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Becky Stevens in our Admissions Team, by telephone on 01403 282573 or by email: admissions@farlingtonschool.com
Visits during termtime will include a meeting with the Headmaster, and a chance to meet some of our teachers and pupils. You will also enjoy a guided tour of our beautiful estate and fantastic facilities.
During school holidays, our Admissions Team will be able to give you a tour of the school and answer any questions you may have.
Open Events
We run a series of Open Events throughout the year and these are an excellent way to get a taste of life at Farlington – to meet staff and pupils, tour our grounds and facilities, and experience our exceptional catering.
Applying for A Place
Here at Farlington, we do our very best to ensure that our admissions process is as smooth as possible, from first enquiry to first day at school. Please find below a step-by-step guide to applying for a place at Farlington School or Farlington Sixth Form.
Prospectus & Enquiry - First, take a look at the Farlington School Prospectus and website. If you like what you see and would like to find out more, please contact our Admissions Department.
Visit – Next, come and see us! You are warmly invited to book a visit on a day to suit you, or to reserve a place at one of our Open Events.
Registration – Once you are happy to progress to registration, we ask that you complete our registration form and pay a registration fee of either £100 (UK pupils) or £150 (International pupils). We then request a Head's report from your child's current school or nursery/preschool.
Taster Day – After you have visited us and met key staff, we find it is helpful for pupils to spend a day (or, in the case of boarding, a night) with us. This gives your child the opportunity to make sure that Farlington is the right school for them.
Entrance Assessments – Please see below for details on the entrance assessments for each entry point. Whatever the year group of entry, we work hard to ensure that assessments are as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.
Offer – The next step is for us to offer your child a place at Farlington, provided that all entrance requirements have been met. You will receive an offer letter, together with a number of administrative forms to be completed and a deposit request.
Acceptance & Deposit – Once you have accepted our offer of a place, returned all the necessary paperwork and paid the deposit, your child's place at Farlington is secure.
Need-to-Know Info – Shortly afterwards, you will receive an email containing need-to-know details such as key dates, uniform requirements and Chromebook information.
It's time for you and your family to begin your Farlington adventure!
You can find details specific to our different entry points below. Of course, if you have any questions at any point in your child's admissions journey, you only need to pick up the phone and we will be delighted to help you out.
Lower School (Reception To Year 4)
We are very keen to meet all students before they apply for a place at Farlington. We welcome you and your child to come for a tour of the school and to meet the Headmaster.
We accept a very broad intake of students. We are looking for children who have developing social skills and will make the most of every opportunity to succeed, whatever their starting point.
Entrance Assessment
Middle School (Year 5 To Year 8)
We welcome new students into any year group within the Middle School, although the largest intake is at Year 7.
September entry is preferable but we are happy to consider students at any time of the year where the situation requires, provided there is space in the relevant year group.
We are very keen to meet all students before they apply for a place at Farlington, and we would welcome you and your child to make an appointment to tour the school and meet with the Headmaster.
Entrance Assessment
Although our excellent GCSE and A Level results might suggest we accept only students who are already achieving very high standards, we take a very broad intake of pupils. We are looking for students who will do well, whatever their education before joining us, and entry is often not as difficult as some people fear.
Following receipt of a satisfactory Head's report, entrance assessment for the Middle School takes the form of CAT4 testing, ideally by the end of the Autumn Term preceding entry. Please note that those who apply at other times throughout the year will be offered the chance to do the CAT4 test at another time.
If your child has already completed a CAT4 test (or equivalent) at their current school, results will be requested and there will be no need to redo the test.
If your son/daughter is at school overseas they will sit the papers in their own school, or if they have registered for a place through an agency, they can sit the papers in their offices. Students who are currently overseas will also be required to have an interview via video link, usually through Skype.
Senior School (Year 9 To Year 11)
We welcome new students into Years 9 and 10, but entry into Year 11 is not possible.
For Year 9, September entry is preferable but we are happy to consider students at any time of the year where the situation requires this, provided there is space in the year group. For Year 10, September entry is ideal; entry at other points in the year may be considered on a bespoke basis but we cannot guarantee being able to accomodate a transfer at this crucial stage of the GCSE course.
We are very keen to meet all students before they apply for a place at Farlington, and we would welcome you and your child to make an appointment to tour the school and meet with the Headmaster.
Entrance Assessment
Although our excellent GCSE and A Level results might suggest we accept only students who are already achieving very high standards, we take a very broad intake of pupils. We are looking for students who will do well, whatever their education before joining us, and entry is often not as difficult as some people fear.
Following receipt of a satisfactory Head's report, entrance assessment for the Senior School takes the form of CAT4 testing, ideally by the end of the Autumn Term preceding entry. Please note that those who apply at other times throughout the year will be offered the chance to do CAT4 tests at another time. If your child has already completed CAT4 tests at their current school, results will be requested and there will be no need to redo these tests.
If your son/daughter is at school overseas they will sit papers in core subjects in their own school, or if they have registered for a place through an agency, they can sit these papers in their offices. Students who are currently overseas will also be required to have an interview via video link, usually through Skype.
Sixth Form (Years 12 And 13)
A Sixth Form Evening is held in the Autumn Term prior to entry for current Year 11 students. We would then invite you for a personal tour to meet key staff and see us in action during a typical Sixth Form day.
Following registration, we will request a report from your son or daughter's current school, to include personal and academic references, and predicted grades at GCSE.
Entrance Assessment
Although our excellent GCSE and A-Level results might suggest we accept only students who are already achieving very high standards, we take a very broad intake of pupils. We are looking for students who will do well, whatever their education before joining us, and entry is often not as difficult as some people fear.
Our Sixth Form entry requirements are typically for students to achieve a minimum of 45 points at GCSE, including grades 4 or above in English and Maths.
Subject to a satisfactory report from their current school, your child will then be invited to meet with Mrs Penny Hart, Head of Senior School, for a Pathway Planning Meeting (PPM) to discuss their personal Sixth Form journey.
Farlington has long welcomed international students, who bring with them a different perspective and contribute to the school's global outlook. Friendships are quickly built, and life-long international connections made. We have a lot of experience in looking after international students and our staff understand how difficult it can be if you are living away from home for the first time, and will make sure you have all the information and help you need before coming to the UK. Once at Farlington, we continue to help and advise students and their parents during their time here.
All international students at Farlington live in the boarding houses with British students, so they have the opportunity to improve their English outside the classroom. They can also join in with British students in the fantastic range of sports and activities that take place outside of lessons, including art, music, drama, extra-curricular activities, social events, and day and residential trips.
Applications from international pupils should be made via the Admissions Office in the first instance. Whether you are applying directly or through an education agent, we will guide you carefully through the process.
When making an initial enquiry, please provide as much information as possible about your child's academic achievements, interests and future aspirations, as well as his or her date of birth, first language and current school. We will need to see copies of your child's two most recent reports, together with a scan of his or her passport. International pupils are welcomed at Farlington for anything from half a term (subject to place availability). Please see below for specific requirements for international admissions.
If you have any questions at all, we would be happy to answer them; please contact Becky Stevens in our Admissions Team, by telephone on 01403 282573 or by email: admissions@farlingtonschool.com
The English Education System
If you have not previously been educated in the UK, our education system can seem confusing! To help our international applicants, please find below some basic information about the UK school system. Of course, if you have any further questions, please do just ask us; we will be very happy to help you!
All children in England attend compulsory full time education between the ages of 4 and 18. Our system is divided into the following stages:
The School Year in England
The school year in the UK begins in September and finishes the following July, and is split into three terms. Each term is around 12 weeks long.
Each term is divided in half, with a 'Half Term' holiday occurring in the middle. In October this is two weeks long, and in February and May this is one week.
Public Examinations in England
GCSE
All students in England follow the 'General Certificate of Secondary Education' (commonly known as 'GCSE') curriculum or its equivalent, which is normally taught over two academic years (Year 10 and 11), with students choosing their options in Year 9.
Students in the UK take between 5 and 12 subjects, and most students at Farlington take 9 or 10; some students may take more, some less, as our curriculum is flexible and can be tailored to the individual needs of the students. Students who are talented in a particular subject may also take their examinations early.
ALL students must take GCSEs in English Language (or English as an Additional Language (EAL) for learners whose first language is not English); English Literature; Mathematics; and Science (this may be either dual or triple award). All other subjects are optional for UK students. Since 2018, GCSEs have been graded from 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest, and equivalent to an A* in the old system.
A-Levels
A-Levels are taught across two years (Lower and Upper Sixth). At Farlington we offer 23 different subjects in the Sixth Form. There are no compulsory subjects, and students choose 3 or 4 that they excel at and enjoy. A-Levels are graded A* to E grades, with A* being the top grade.
Pre-A LeveL
At Farlington we offer our international students the opportunity to follow a Pre A-Level course to prepare them for starting their two-year A-Level course. This is ideal for those who wish to improve their English language skills. Please ask our Head of Admissions for more information.
Guardians for International Students
All students at Farlington whose parents either live abroad or spend long periods of time outside the UK MUST appoint an official guardian resident in this country for their child, who will take full responsibility for them if their parents are not available. Guardians act 'in 'loco parentis' and therefore should attend Parent Consultation events, and must be prepared to accommodate boarding pupils at Exeat Weekends and at Half Terms if they are not returning home.
English as A Foreign Language
Farlington welcomes international students and provides for the educational and cultural needs of students from all over the world. They participate fully in academic and extra-curricular activities while improving their English and gaining high grades in the English education system.
For students for whom English is a second (or sometimes third) language, specialist EAL teachers provide additional support appropriate to their needs and, where possible, one-to-one support is offered, particularly in the Sixth Form. This ensures that all students have access to the whole curriculum. In addition, we offer an English language programme tailored to suit the individual, enabling every student to achieve success in all subject areas.
We prepare pupils for both the IGCSE examination in English as a second language and for the academic module of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination. Pupils may also take the Cambridge FCE (First Certificate in English), PET (Preliminary English Test) and KET (Key English Test) examinations in December or June.
We aim to ensure that every student's language needs are fully catered for from the outset, so that they are well equipped to meet the challenges they will face when working in a second language.
Some EAL students are only at Farlington for a short time. The EAL teachers work to ensure that they benefit from their time with us by encouraging spoken English through discussion of news events, pronunciation work and paired reading. All overseas students are provided with a buddy, who meets with them regularly and helps them to integrate into the life of the school.
Visa Requirements
Farlington School is licensed as a Student Route Sponsor by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for entry to school, and offers Child Student visas.
International students from both outside and within the European Union, and Switzerland, must apply for permission to study in the UK.
Working with International Agents
International students join us at Farlington from a range of countries every year; some come to us via other families who already have experience of the school; some have found out about us independently; and some come to us via our network of partner educational agents.
The school has many longstanding agreements with exisiting agents, but we are always keen to expand our network to include new agents, particularly in geographic regions from which we would like to recruit more students. Please contact our Head of Admissions for more information.
Farlington is home to a significant number of international students from many different countries, who are all fully integrated into our family-type environment where co-operation, kindness and fun are key. Our international students are able to experience a traditionally English education, and their presence and global outlook means that all Farlington students are able to learn valuable skills enable them to thrive and become confident world citizens.
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