How to apply
If you would like to enquire about registering for a place at Hall Grove, please email Mrs Lindsay Vetch on admissions@hallgrove.co.uk or complete our enquiry form and we will be in contact.
The Headmaster is available to speak to prospective parents, telephone meetings and private tours can be arranged through the admissions email. We also hold an Open Morning each term.
If you have already visited and would like to register your child, please download the registration form here and email it to the admissions address above. There is a £200 registration fee due at this stage and the bank account details are on the second page of the form.
Virtual Tour
Please find below our virtual tour of Hall Grove. This is intended to give you an idea of the layout of the school as well as the different year group sections and our specialist classrooms. The tour was not professionally filmed and so may appear unpolished in parts.
Admissions Timeline
Prospective parents contact the Admissions Team: 01276 470015 or admissions@hallgrove.co.uk
- Initial visit to Hall Grove on an Open Morning or by individual appointment.
- Parents register pupil(s) and pay non-refundable £200 Registration fee(s).
- Pupils are assessed according to their year group, as detailed in our Admissions Policy. An offer of a place will be made shortly after the assessment process and a deposit of £1,000 is required to secure the place on acceptance.
- Induction Mornings for those joining the school in September take place towards the end of the Summer Term and further Joining information will be posted in mid-July.
We are very happy to consider entry to all year groups during the year, subject to availability.
Entry to Pre-School
Following a visit to the school, the child’s current nursery/childminder will be contacted and asked to complete a transition report. Parents are also invited into school for a Stay & Play session with the Early Years staff.
A place will be offered once this visit is completed and a progress report and information from any childminder/nursery the child attends has been reviewed by the Head of Early Years.
Entry to Reception
Every child is invited into school for a Stay & Play session with the Early Years staff. The child’s current nursery school will be contacted and the child’s key worker will be asked to complete a transition report. In the unlikely event that we have any concerns about the child’s suitability for Hall Grove at four years of age we will discuss these with the parents; otherwise we will confirm the offer of a place following the child’s visit and receipt of the nursery report. In practical terms this means that a place is usually confirmed in the Spring Term prior to the next year’s September intake. However, in some cases this will be subject to further pre-school visits.
Entry to Year 3
Pupils are invited to attend group assessment days in the Spring term. These take place over two consecutive days and children are assessed in English and Maths. They will also be observed interacting with their peers. A report is taken from the child’s current school and offers made before the end of the Spring Term.
Entry to Other Pre-Prep and Prep Years
Prospective pupils are invited to spend two days at Hall Grove, during which they will participate in normal lessons and are assessed in Maths and English. Children will also be observed in class and asked to undertake some written assessments to gauge their suitability for the school. Pupils entering the school from Year 4 and above will often have a short, informal interview with a senior member of staff.
Teachers will pass their lesson observations to the relevant Section Leader and this feedback, coupled with a report from the current school, is sent to the Headmaster who, as in all cases, will make the final decision to offer a place. Children applying from overseas, unable to visit the school may be asked to complete online assessments.
Entry to the Senior School
The admissions process for all applicants, both internal and external, starts with a discussion between parents and the Headmaster to discuss the Hall Grove Senior School and the opportunities it offers. If it is felt that the senior school is the right fit for the applicant, they will then move into the assessment phase.
External applicants will attend an Assessment Day at Hall Grove, designed to give every child the opportunity to demonstrate their potential.
The day will include:
- Online assessment in verbal, non-verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning.
- A written task, which cannot be prepared for.
- An interview with a senior member of staff.
A pastoral and academic reference will also be sought from the external applicant’s current school.
Places are offered based on performance in the assessment, school reference and the Headmaster’s overall impression of the child’s suitability for life at Hall Grove.
Internal candidates will complete the same assessments. Senior school places will be offered to Hall Grove pupils based on assessment performance, current academic record and their contribution to the wider life of the school.
To join Hall Grove at any point after the start of Year 9, please contact the Admissions team.
Boarding
Any family interested in boarding will meet the Headmaster or the Head of Boarding for a tour of the Boarding House and discussion.
The school is able to offer boarding for up to 10 x Girls and 10 x Boys per night 7 days a week during term time. This opportunity is open to children from Year 3 upwards. We work with families to decide on the best option for them, whether it be full boarding, weekly boarding, regular flexi boarding or simply the option of a one-off stay.
To find out more about Boarding at Hall Grove please see our Boarding page.
Admissions Policy: The Whole School Policy (including EYFS and Boarding)
We at Hall Grove take pride in welcoming children from diverse backgrounds. We are pleased to have within the school family a wide range of ethnicity and we maintain especially good links with the Asian community. Hall Grove pays due regard to the Equalities Act of 2010 and reasonable adjustments are made for pupils with Special Educational Needs/Disabilities (SEND) in terms of admissions. The school expects to be updated by parents/carers as and when circumstances for those with SEND change.
Whilst our Assembly worship is broadly Christian in character, we have children from all faiths and we are pleased to support them and help develop their spirituality in as many ways as possible. We make allowances for special diets and for individual religious observance.
We have a fine record of achieving academic excellence, as witnessed by results at the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Common Entrance and Scholarship Exam. We aim to help all our pupils become secure, happy and self-disciplined individuals through a diverse programme of academic, sporting, outdoor, artistic and musical activities. No child will be prevented from attending the school on grounds of their faith, culture, race or family background. Our Equal Opportunities policy extends to children with learning difficulties or with physical incapacities and we will always make a reasonable adjustment to the working of the school to accommodate an individual need. We respond sensitively to medical needs, family circumstances and to individual educational needs, recognising that every child is unique and all will develop at different rates and at different stages.
No child is offered a place at Hall Grove unless it is felt that his/her aptitude and ability will enable them to flourish within the School’s particular ethos.
To thrive in this atmosphere it is essential that the children who join the school are well-motivated, have the potential to achieve the learning outcomes set by the teaching staff and can adapt quickly to the educational and social demands of a carefully structured and busy school day.
To ensure that the pupils we accept at Hall Grove meet these criteria we liaise closely both with the parents and any pre-school, nursery or school the children are currently attending.
