We warmly invite you to learn more about The Oratory Prep School. We are a non-selective independent school for children aged 2 – 13 (Nursery – Year 8), with boarding available from Year 3 upwards.
Whether you are seeking a school place in September or during the school year, we welcome you to come and meet our Headmaster, chat to our staff, pupils and parents and immerse yourself in our school to get a sense of what really sets us apart.
Our Registrar, Hannah Thomas, can be contacted on 0118 976 6924 or emailed via h.thomas@oratoryprep.co.uk and would be delighted to organise your visit and also answer your admissions queries ahead of your visit.
Step 1 – Registration
The first step in the admissions process is to fill out and return the Registration Form together with the non-refundable £75 registration fee. The form must be completed and signed by the parent or guardian who is responsible for the child. Please also provide a copy of your child’s birth certificate (Early Years pupils) or passport and their most recent school report.
Step 2 – “Taster”
The Registrar will work with you to set a date for a “taster” session when your child can experience our school, meet our Headmaster, make new friends and take advantage of all the opportunities on offer. Where children are unable to visit the school for a ‘taster’, for example, due to living overseas, we want to bring our school to life as much as possible and organise virtual tasters.
We get to know your child as well as we can when they visit and explore their interests and talents, observe their interactions with other children and teachers, as well as their attitude towards learning. Children will be assessed either informally or in a 1:1 session with a staff member. The reason for these assessments is to ensure that we feel your child can access the curriculum fully, truly thrive and meet their full potential, in all aspects of their education at our school. In instances where we consider that we are not the right school, we do our utmost to support parents in identifying an alternative school.
Step 3 – Acceptance
Following your child’s ‘taster’, the Registrar will provide you with feedback and the outcome of the offer of a place or an explanation as to why the school declines to offer a place.
An offer of a place is also subject to receiving satisfactory school reports from the child’s current school or Early Years setting, and, where applicable, school references, together with safeguarding information and, where relevant, confirmation that there are no outstanding fees.
Step 4 – Securing a place
If a place is offered, a £600 deposit is required to secure your child’s place and the completion of an Acceptance Form, which forms part of your contract with the school. The deposit is returned to you at the time that your child departs the school.
In instances where a place is accepted and the school is sponsoring a Child Student Visa Application on behalf of your child, the school and parents are duty bound to comply with the requirements of the UK Visas and Immigration Service (UKVI).
International Pupils
We welcome applications from international pupils. We are a UKVI Child Student sponsor and accommodate pupils of all nationalities. Children in Year 3 upwards can board on a full, weekly or flexible basis, and our boarding house is open at Exeat weekends.
Families from overseas follow our admissions procedure in the same way. If a prospective boarder, your child’s ‘taster’ experience could also include an overnight stay in our Boarding House.
If your child is unable to attend a ‘taster’ experience, we organise personalised virtual tours of our school and boarding house with opportunities to talk to our Headmaster, the Head of Boarding, teachers and pupils. As well as getting to know our school, this helps us to get to know you and your child, their interests and talents, and to gauge their level of English (where applicable).
If English is your child’s second language, we arrange informal virtual assessments with our Head of EAL. Overseas families are required to provide the same information for their child as expected for pupils living in the UK and as described in our Admissions and Equal Opportunities Policy.
We require school reports, references where applicable, and all supporting information, including specialist assessments and reports, to be translated into English. The school report should include information on your child’s knowledge and understanding of written and spoken English. This can be produced and submitted separately by your child’s English teacher.
We also require details of a nominated legal guardian, where applicable, before your child becomes a pupil at our school.
Eal
Intensive EAL support is provided for non native English speakers. The school has a track record in preparing pupils where English is their second language for a range of senior schools, including Abingdon, Eton, Marlborough College, Sherborne, St. Mary’s Ascot, Stowe School, The Oratory School, and Uppingham College.
Visas
We make every effort to assist families who require Child Student visas to study in the UK. Once a place has been accepted and a deposit and at least one term’s fees paid in advance, we issue Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS) documents. Our Registrar provides support throughout the visa application process.
Parents must ensure that their child is in possession of a valid visa before the start of the child’s first term. Parents must also ensure that their child’s passport and visa are renewed as required.
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