Sandroyd School

We completely understand that choosing the right school for your family is a big decision, especially if you're considering boarding for the first time. But don't worry, we're here to help you every step of the way!

At Sandroyd, we love welcoming new families and showing them around our wonderful school. You can get in touch with our Head of Admissions, Dinah Rawlinson, and she'll arrange for you to meet with our Headmaster, Mr. Speers, and take a personal tour of the school. We're also excited to invite you and your family to our Pre-Prep and Prep Open Mornings which happen several times throughout the year.

We want to make sure that you have all the information you need to make the best decision for your family, so please feel free to ask us anything. We're more than happy to answer any questions you may have and provide you with all the details you need to know about Sandroyd.

Admissions Process

If you would like to take your initial interest further, the following steps complete the application process:

• Register your child. Parents are encouraged to complete a Registration Form and return it to the Head of Admissions, together with the Registration Fee, as soon as possible. Whilst Registration doesn’t guarantee your child a place at Sandroyd, it does gain them a place on our admissions list. When spaces are limited, preference is given to those families who have registered earliest. As a small and popular school we do encourage early Registration.
• Taster Day . All registered children are invited to a Taster Day or Taster Boarding session. This Taster Day allows your son/daughter to experience school life and boarding on a normal school day.
• Assessment Morning. All registered children will be invited to an assessment morning the year before they are due to start. This is to ensure that we are the right school for their individual needs. It is an informal assessment that enables us to gain a snapshot of their ability in the classroom.
• Receive a formal offer of a place. An offer of a place will be made shortly after the assessment morning. At this stage, we then ask parents to secure the offered place by paying a deposit.
• New Children's Day. All new children are invited to our New Pupils’ Day, which is held in June each year. This is a wonderful day where new children join their peer group for a 'normal' school day with their parents welcome back to join the afternoon tea.

If you have any queries about admissions at Sandroyd or you would like to arrange a visit, please contact Mrs Dinah Rawlinson, Head of Admissions on 01725 530124 or email [email protected].

Escorted Travel

If required, the School Office will arrange transfers to/from the airport at the beginning and end of term and half term and at exeat weekends (where applicable).

We use a local taxi company whose drivers all have enhanced DBS clearance and who have experience of checking in unaccompanied minors. On occasions, it may be school transport with staff who accompany the children to or from the airport. When flights permit, we will arrange shared transport to reduce the cost to parents and on some occasions, a member of staff will travel with them to the airport to help with checking in.

There is also an escorted minibus service to/from Exeter at exeat weekends and half terms, and again, parents may book their children onto this through the School Office.

International Pupils

Sandroyd is a home from home for all children, whether they live 20 minutes or 20 hours away.

We are very lucky to have pupils from all over the world come and join us at Sandroyd. Some international pupils will join us for a single academic year, others will spend 4 or 5 years with us progressing on to senior schools within the UK.

We fully understand that for the majority of international parents, the primary aim of sending their child/ren to a UK boarding school is to enhance their English language skills whilst also experiencing the British culture. As such, we limit the number of children of any single nationality, both in a single year group and in the school as a whole, to ensure that they are given maximum immersion. This means that at weekends when the day children go home, the school continues to be predominantly filled with British children.

The admissions process for international children is by means of school reports and handwritten assessment. The Head of Admissions will be able to provide you with more detail on this. Early registration is essential for any international child. With limited places, we are full up to 18 months in advance of admission for some nationalities and we are rarely able to upgrade a waiting list place.

All children whose parents live internationally must have a UK based guardian who is able to have the children at exeat weekends, half terms (if not returning home) and at any other time when the child cannot be at school. A guardian may be a family member, a friend or a formal agent but we are unable to accept an international child without a named guardian. Many of the children receive invitations to spend weekends with other pupils who live locally but a guardian must be aware that this is not always the case. Parental permission is always sought when such invitations are received.

For any information regarding admissions or assessment for international children, please contact Mrs Dinah Rawlinson, Head of Admissions on 0044 1725 530124 or email [email protected]

For information on airport transfers, please see the main admissions section of the website.

Brexit and EU/EEA Pupils
The government has announced that the UK's new Student and Child Student routes, which are part of the UK's new points-based immigration system, will open for applications on 5 October . These new routes will replace the existing Tier 4 (General) and Tier 4 (Child) student routes.

From 5 October, all prospective international students, including those from Europe coming to study in the UK after the end of the transition period, will need to apply through the Student route before coming to the UK.

EEA students resident in the UK on or before 31 December do not need to apply through the route. They, and their family, are eligible to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme and have until 30 June to do so.

All overseas pupils studying at Sandroyd will be provided with a hard copy letter of confirmation from the Headmaster indicating they are full-time students at the School to help ease transit through immigration control.

Nursery Admissions

We understand just how important it is that you really get to know a nursery before you choose it for your family.

It is always a pleasure to welcome new families to Sandroyd. Please contact the Registrar, Dinah Rawlinson, to arrange an appointment to meet the Head of the Pre-Prep Polly Holbrook and have a tour of the nursery.

We also hold several Pre-Prep and Prep Open Mornings during the year to which prospective parents and their families are invited.