Admissions and Information
Registration & Admissions Introduction
Taster Days
Pupils may join Cheltenham Prep School in any year group and may join the Nursery School from the term in which they turn three. Entrance in all years is usually in September but entry at any point during the year is possible, subject to place availability.
Prior to receiving a place offer, we request that all pupils hoping to attend Cheltenham Prep School join us for a Taster Day. These are offered on school weekdays in term time and enable your child to experience a normal school day within their year group. Each visiting child is given a ‘buddy’ for the day who is in the same class, making our visitors feel at home from the outset. During the Taster Day, we will informally and unobtrusively assess your child to make sure that they will thrive within our community.
Entry into Years 7 and 8 is selective and is based upon our assessment of a child’s ability to thrive at College. Entry to younger year groups is also assessment based, but this is less formal and focused primarily on whether or not a child will flourish within our school environment. Boarding places are available for all pupils from Year 3 upwards. Cade House, our Boarding House is located in the main building of Cheltenham Prep School and has separate self-contained accommodation for boys and girls. Pupils wishing to enter the school as Boarders are invited to have an overnight taster Boarding Sleepover. The Admissions Team are responsible for all aspects of the entry procedure and will be happy to assist with any additional questions you may have. They can be contacted by email: prepadmissions@cheltenhamcollege.org or by telephone: 01242 265 639.
Visiting Us The admissions process normally begins with a visit to the school as this is by far the best way to see all we have to offer. You can come to an Open Morning or book a personal visit. A visit normally lasts around two hours and you will meet the Head, Deputy Heads or another senior staff member who would be instrumental in your child’s education. You will be given a tour of the school and be able to meet our current pupils. If you are interested in a Boarding place, you will also have the opportunity to look around Cade House. Please contact the Admissions Team to book a visit and/or to book onto an Open Morning.
Registration Registration to place your child on the entry list for admission may be made at any time. To register your child, please complete the online Registration Form which can be found on our website. The Registration Form must be completed and signed by both parents or legal guardians. Once submitted, this secures a provisional place on our entry lists and ensures that your child will be considered for a place at Cheltenham Prep School. Please note that in the event of places being oversubscribed, registration for a place does not automatically guarantee that a place will subsequently be available.
We recommend that all prospective Boarders or Flexi Boarders join us for a Sleepover in our Boarding House in addition to their Taster Day.
Entry into Pre-Prep Our Pre-Prep Department includes Nursery School, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Offers are made subject to children completing a Taster Day with us, and our staff confirming that we are able to meet each child’s needs academically and socially. The aim of the Taster Day is to assess your child’s development informally, ensuring we can offer the most appropriate care and education. Please note that children entering the Nursery School are expected to be potty-trained.
Entry into Years 3 - 8 After registration, pupils looking to join in Years 3 to 8 are invited to attend a Taster Day. At some point in this day, they will be asked to sit our age appropriate assessments. The assessment activities are relatively informal, and designed to ensure that all new pupils can access and enjoy our curriculum. Should a pupil find these particularly challenging, this will be highlighted to the parents. For pupils joining us in Years 7 and 8, children sit College entrance papers which, if successful, would result in a combined Prep and College place.
Military and FCDO Discount Cheltenham College has strong military links of which we are proud. We offer generous discounts for parents currently serving in the UK Armed Forces.
HM Forces Families in Receipt of CEA Pay 10% For eligible families, the HM Forces’ Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) supports the cost of boarding fees. For boarding pupils eligible for the CEA, service discounts are automatically applied, meaning families contribute just 10% of the gross boarding fees (10% of the VAT-inclusive termly fee).
Military Bursaries for HM Forces Cheltenham College also offers a Military Bursary to HM Forces families who do not receive the Continuity of Education Allowance. Fee remission is differentiated by rank as follows: 25% Discount Army: all ranks Captain and below. Navy: all ranks Lieutenant and below. Air Force: all ranks Flt Lieutenant and below. 15% discount Army: all ranks Major and above. Navy: all ranks Lt Commander and above. Air Force: all ranks Squadron Leader and above. Cheltenham staff include many ex-military personnel who bring first-hand experience and a deep understanding of how best to support the children of military families. Their expertise is complemented by our House system, which operates as an extended family and close-knit community. Together, this ensures both formal and informal pastoral support for every pupil. Within school, pupils are surrounded by friends and engaged in a wide range of academic and co-curricular activities throughout the week and at weekends. Cheltenham College is within easy reach of Salisbury Plain, Shrivenham, Brize Norton and the ARRC. Travel arrangements at the beginning and end of terms can be arranged through staff at the school with flexibility, where possible, to suit your needs.
Final Acceptance and Terms and Conditions When a place is formally offered, parents or legal guardians receive a formal Letter of Entry, Final Acceptance Declaration and a copy of our Terms and Conditions. The Final Acceptance Declaration must be completed and signed by both parents or legal guardians, then returned to the Admissions Team together with the relevant Final Acceptance deposit. This includes consent to adhere to all current school policies. We reserve the right to revise all policies on an ongoing basis. Non-UK residents will be required to pay a full term’s fees as their Final Acceptance deposit. We reserve the right to require a banker’s reference and/or an additional deposit before a pupil is admitted to Cheltenham Prep School.
In all cases, the deposit provides financial security against the final fee invoice that is raised after a pupil has left and it is put towards final outstanding items where necessary. The deposit will be refunded at the time the pupil leaves, minus sums due to the school.
Visa Requirements for International Pupils Some pupils may require a Child Student Visa in order to be able to study in the UK. While it is the responsibility of parents or guardians to determine whether or not their child needs such a visa (and to apply for it), the Admissions Team will provide the required Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS) to enable you to do this once the place has been formally accepted. The CAS is issued, on request from either parents, legal guardians or agents, in the term prior to entry and can be used when making any visa application. Further details regarding visas and entry into the UK may be obtained from the United Kingdom Visa and Immigration (UKVI) website: www.gov.uk/child-study-visa Please note that we only support Full Boarding Child Student Visa applications.
Guardianship All parents who reside abroad, or who spend extended periods abroad with work, must appoint a guardian in the UK to act with their full authority. Pupils whose parents have failed to appoint a guardian will not be permitted to begin their studies at The Prep. The choice of guardian is the responsibility of the parent. The guardian should be at least 25 years of age, English-speaking and be a British citizen or have permanent settled status (indefinite leave to remain). The guardian must be based no further than 90 minutes from The Prep and AEGIS accredited. For further information, please read the guardianship policy which is available on our website: www.cheltenhamcollege.org/college-policies
Fees Information on our fees and additional charges are on the Cheltenham College website.
Policies School policies are available to download from our website and include: Admissions, Boarding Principles, Bursaries, Child Protection and Safeguarding, Complaints Procedure, Data Protection (Privacy Notice), Guardianship and Health and Safety on our website: www.cheltenhamcollege.org/policies. More information can be obtained from the Bursar’s office on bursar@cheltenhamcollege.org
Who’s Who Head prep.head@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Mr Nick Drake
Senior Deputy Head n.drake@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Mr Noll Jenkins
Deputy Head (Pastoral) n.jenkins@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Miss Charlotte Webb
Deputy Head (Academic) c.webb@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Mr Jonny and Mrs Emma Bell
Cade Houseparents prep.boarding@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Mrs Rebecca Hughes-Noon
Head of Pre-Prep (The Nursery School to Year 2) r.hughes-noon@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Dr Kit Perona-Wright
Assistant Head Creative Arts, Compliance & Co-Curricular k.perona-wright@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Mr Duncan Simpson
Assistant Head, Admissions d.simpson@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 522 697
Mr Tom O’Sullivan
Senior Leadership Team
Admissions Mrs Kate Paterson
Admissions Lead prepadmissions@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 265 639
Mrs Anisa Rowe
Tours and Events Lead prepadmissions@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 265 639
Mrs Natasha Millard
Tours and Events Co-ordinator prepadmissions@cheltenhamcollege.org
01242 265 639
Special Responsibilities Mr Andy Theedom
Head of Lower School (Years 3 & 4, ages 7 - 9) a.theedom@cheltenhamcollege.org
Dr Kit Perona-Wright
Head of Middle School (Years 5 & 6, ages 9 - 11) k.perona-wright@cheltenhamcollege.org
Ms Sarah Reid
Head of Upper School (Years 7 & 8, ages 11 - 13) s.reid@cheltenhamcollege.org
Mrs Christina Conner
Head of Learning Support c.conner@cheltenhamcollege.org
Ms Catherine Solomon
Head of Wellbeing c.solomon@cheltenhamcollege.org
Cheltenham College Prep School Thirlestaine Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7AB Tel: +44 (0)1242 522 697 prep.reception@cheltenhamcollege.org
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