Applications for Year 7 September 2015 Any questions? Please contact the Registrar, Mrs Jackie Thomas 0118 940 5221 • [email protected] • www.shiplake.org.uk Application Procedure The formal admission round for pupils seeking places in Year 7 for September 2015 will begin in January 2015. Parents of registered pupils are asked to review and update the enclosed information form. While some of this data will be duplicated from the registration form that has already been completed, inevitably some information will have changed between initial registration and the formal admission round commencing. Assessment Process Shiplake College is a selective school but we do not select on academic ability alone. In each intake we admit pupils across a range of abilities. We look for pupils who will make the most of the opportunities and challenges that will lie ahead of them at the College and who will, in turn, contribute to and enrich the Shiplake community. Pupils will be invited to spend a day at the College on either Tuesday 20 or Wednesday 21 January 2015, whilst they are in Year 6 at their current school. During their visit the boys will undertake short assessment papers in English and Mathematics. They will attend a formal interview with the Headmaster and Head of Lower School, Mr Jones, and participate in a number of other indoor and outdoor activities. The assessment papers will take no longer than 1 1/2 hours in total and no advance preparation is required. They do not involve verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Copies of previous years’ papers are not available. The purpose of the day is not just for us to get to know your son a little better but also for him to get a better insight into life at the College, and enjoy his day with us. References will be sought from a pupil’s current school between September 2014 and January 2015. Bursary Applications As a registered charity, the Governors of Shiplake College are committed to broadening access to the school by offering to eligible parents/guardians means-tested financial support with the payment of school fees. Such support is known as a Bursary and these may be awarded in the form of a discount on tuition fees payable, depending on the financial, compassionate or other pertinent circumstances of applicants. However, as a relatively small school the available funds are limited. Please contact the College Bursary for further details and an application form. Applications for bursaries should be submitted by Tuesday 30 September 2014. Late applications will not be considered as awards are determined before offers of places are made in February. Offers of Places Unconditional offers of places will be sent out on Thursday 5 February 2015. Parents will be asked to secure offers by completing the Acceptance Form that accompanies the offer letter and by paying a deposit of £1,000. The deadline for acceptances is Monday 2 March 2015. The deposit is refundable when the pupil leaves the school after all outstanding invoices have been paid. Once the offer has been accepted at least one full term’s notice of the withdrawal of the respective pupil is required, irrespective of whether or not he has joined the College, otherwise payment of the fee for the following term will be due. A copy of the full Terms & Conditions will be provided with the offer letter. Successful applicants will be invited to an Induction Day on Tuesday 16 June 2015. Waiting Lists Pupils who are not initially offered places, and have not been refused a place, may have their names added to the waiting list in case a place should become available later on. Visits to the College If you have not already visited the College for a private visit and would like to do so, please contact the Registrar. Private visits include a discussion with the Headmaster, an optional tour of the College and, where possible, a chat with a Housemaster. Pupils are not required to attend a private visit, but will of course be most welcome should parents prefer them to accompany them. Please note it is not compulsory to have a private visit! Many parents feel that they have gleaned sufficient information about the College from attending Open Days and do not feel the need to return. All applications will be treated equally regardless of whether you have made a private visit or not. Our Open Mornings this year are on Saturday 27 September 2014 and Saturday 21 March 2015. We would be grateful if you could use the form on our website to book your attendance in advance. Scholarships Academic scholarships are awarded based upon exceptional results in the assessment papers and a corroborating report from the current school. All prospective pupils are eligible to apply for a Music or Sport (Rugby or Cricket) scholarship but should do so with a recommendation from their current school. A scholarship normally carries 10% remission of fees, unless otherwise stated, with Exhibition Awards available at 5%. If financial circumstances warrant it, parents should simultaneously apply for a means-tested bursary and the award may be increased. Pupils who wish to be considered for a scholarship must meet the criteria for their chosen subject as outlined on the College website, from where an application form is also available. The closing date for scholarship applications is Wednesday 31 December 2014, and applicants will then be invited to attend assessments during the Spring Term. The Day For some families the decision about the length of the school day and distance from home and the practicalities of travelling to and from the College each day, is a difficult one to make for Year 7. The school day for pupils in Year 7 and above will finish at 6.00pm. Pupils in Years 7 and 8 can finish at 4.30pm if parents are able to collect at this time, although this finish time is generally not recommended as pupils staying after 4.30pm have the opportunity to complete homework before leaving school. Pupils using the bus service will have supper from 5.30pm, and leave just after 6.00pm. There will also be occasions where pupils are required to remain at College after 6.00pm to participate in other extra-curricular events, e.g. visiting speakers or music concerts. Where a pupil is involved in an out of school activity, it may be possible for a pupil to leave school earlier than 6.00pm with agreement from the Headmaster. There is no school on a Saturday morning for pupils in Years 7 and 8, however, they may be asked to attend a Saturday morning sporting fixture or open morning. Parents are given plenty of advance notice of a fixture that their son is required to attend. Learning Development Provision Shiplake has, in the past, enjoyed an excellent reputation for providing for pupils with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia. Whilst the numbers accepted with some form of learning need have reduced in recent years, we believe the quality of our provision has increased. In our experience, many pupils who receive some form of learning support in their current schools find that their needs can be effectively met within the mainstream classes at Shiplake without the need for any additional support. Learning Development is provided to pupils in Year 9 and above and about 18% of the College receive such additional support. We are unable to provide a formal structure of learning support in the Lower School. If, after having reviewed your son’s performance in the assessment papers, it is felt that learning support would be of benefit, the degree of support required would need to be taken into consideration before an offer of a place in the Lower School could be made. It is often the case that the small class sizes of Years 7 and 8 offer a greater level of individual attention, and boys who would be able to learn well within this environment would be offered places. If, however, the level of support is higher than we can provide within this environment, we will not able to offer a place within the Lower School, and it will be suggested that your son remains registered with us for possible entry into Year 9. Transport The College employs local coach companies to run routes from the following areas: Beaconsfield Maidenhead Bourne End Marlow Caversham Reading Station Charvil Shinfield Cookham Sonning Cookham Dean Sonning Common Crowthorne Twyford Dorchester-on-Thames Wallingford Finchampstead Wargrave Gerrards Cross Watlington Henley-on-Thames Wokingham Hurley Please note that the cost of transport will be in addition to the published school fees. Further details, including specific routes and stops, can be found on the school website. We look forward to welcoming you and your son to Shiplake College in January for his assessment day.