What Next?
We very much hope you enjoyed meeting the Leighton Park team and had the opportunity to ask plenty of questions. We have tried to answer a few of these in this leaflet, but if you should have any more queries, please don’t hesitate to ask us. We will be happy to help.
Admissions Team
Claire Elmer & Fiona Jones e: admissions@leightonpark.com t: 0118 987 9608
Discover more:
Saturday 27th September Annual Open Morning, 9.00am-11.00am for Year 7 to 10 entry
Friday 10th October Weekday Open Morning, from 9.00am
Tuesday 14th October Taster Day for Year 7 Entry (Current Year 6 pupils)
Thursday 16th October Taster Day for Year 9 Entry (Current Year 7 & 8 pupils)
Friday 7th November Weekday Open Morning, from 9.00am
Tuesday 11th November Taster Day for Year 7 Entry (Current Year 6 pupils)
Important Dates for September 2026 Entry into Year 7 or 9:
Friday 14th November
Registration, Bursary and Scholarship Application Deadline
Monday 24th November Scholarship Assessment Day for Music
Wednesday 26th November Assessment Day for Year 9 entry
Friday 28th November
Academic Scholarship Assessment Day for Year 9 entry
Tuesday 2nd - Friday 5th Scholarship Assessment Days for Art, Dance, Drama and Sport
December
Friday 12th December Offers for Year 9 entry sent to families by email
Saturday 10th January Entrance Tests for Year 7 entry
Friday 16th January
Academic Scholarship Assessment Day for Year 7 entry
Friday 30th January Offers for Year 7 entry sent to families by email
Friday 6th February
Friday 6th March
Acceptance Deadline for Year 9 entry
Acceptance Deadline for Year 7 entry
What is the Admissions Process at Leighton Park?
1// Registration
Once you have decided that Leighton Park is the right place for your family, you can register by completing the application form online at www.leightonpark.com/howto-apply.
You will be asked to upload a copy of your child’s passport and latest school report. The registration fee of £150 can be paid at the end of the form by credit or debit card.
The registration deadline for September 2026 entry is Friday 14th November 2025 for Year 7 and Year 9 entry.
Families may also wish to apply to our bursary or scholarship programmes, details of which are available on the back of this leaflet.
2// Assessments
The assessments for entry in September 2025 will take place as follows:
Wednesday 26th November 2025 for Year 9 entry
This will consist of an assessment day which will include online tests in Maths and English, a piece of creative writing, a group activity, an individual interview and lunch with our current students.
Saturday 10th January 2026 for Year 7 entry
This will consist of an online Maths and an online English test, a piece of creative writing and an interview with a senior member of staff.
We do not expect any additional preparation and prefer to see how your child performs without coaching. We are a selective school and need to ensure our students are able to access the curriculum we offer. Please be assured that if
your child is working at the standard expected for their current year group and their school has not alerted you to any particular issues, they should find the assessments challenging but manageable.
3// Offers
Offers, with reference as appropriate to any scholarships applied for, or to additional support required will be sent out to parents by email as follows:
• Friday 12th December 2025 for Year 9 entry
• Friday 30th January 2026 for Year 7 entry
Bursary applications are handled independently by the Bursary Team and will not form part of your offer letter from the Admissions Department. The Bursary team will be in touch with you directly if you have applied for a Bursary.
4// Acceptance of your Offer
To secure your child’s place you will be required to complete the acceptance form and make payment of the appropriate acceptance deposit.
For students joining in September 2025 the deadline for acceptance of our offer is:
• Friday 6th February 2026 for Year 9 entry
• Friday 6th March 2026 for Year 7 entry
Please note that as we are regularly oversubscribed places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached.
5// Welcome to Leighton Park
We have a supportive transition programme to ensure your child is confident and reassured about joining their new school community. In the Summer Term before they join we will invite you to several events such as Orientation Day and our al fresco concert. New friendships are nurtured in the first couple of weeks of September through our Newcomers’ Day and our Welcome Event for Parents & Guardians.
Bursaries
At the heart of our Quaker values, Leighton Park Trust aims to improve accessibility to those students who would otherwise be unable to benefit from its education on financial grounds.
For September 2026 entry, the Bursary Application deadline is Friday 14th November 2025.
Application forms are available from Finance Manager, Jenny Rowe, at jennyrowe@ leightonpark.com. They include a Confidential Statement of Financial Circumstances form for an independent company, Bursary Administration Ltd. BAL will review the form and undertake a home visit to discuss the application with you in a sensitive and confidential matter. Their feedback will then be submitted to the School’s Bursary Committee for a decision on the value of the bursary that may be awarded. Bursary applications are handled independently by the Bursary Team and will not form part of your offer letter from the Admissions Department. The Bursary team will be in touch with you directly if you have applied for a Bursary.
Individual Learning Centre (ILC)
We are able to support some special educational needs such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or working memory issues, if they are deemed to require no more than one hour one-to-one support per week. We do not have classroom assistants or scribes. If you feel your child would benefit from ILC support, please ask the Admissions Team to arrange an appointment with our Head of Learning Support/SENDCo. Children with specific learning needs who are entitled to extra time and/or the use of a word processor will be allocated this for their assessments. We will require evidence of any access arrangements at point of registration.
Scholarships
Students joining in Year 7 or Year 9 are welcome to apply for one or more scholarships in Art, Dance, Drama, Music and Sport. Year 9 applicants can apply for an Academic scholarship. Year 7 applicants may be invited to sit an Academic scholarship assessment following the result of their entrance assessment.
For September 2026 entry the Scholarship Application deadline is Friday 14th November 2025.
If your child has been selected for a Scholarship, they will be invited for their assessment on the following dates:
Monday 24th Music Scholarship November Assessment Day
Friday 28th Academic Scholarship for Year November 9 entry
Tuesday 2nd Sport Scholarship December Assessment Day
Wednesday 3rd Art Scholarship December Assessment Day
Thursday 4th Dance Scholarship December Assessment Day
Friday 5th Drama Scholarship December Assessment Day
Friday 16th Academic Scholarship January Assessment Day for Year 7 Entry
Shinfield Road, Reading RG2 7ED www.leightonpark.com Tel: 0118 987 9608
Email: admissions@leightonpark.com
