Application Process
Year 7 September 2026 Entry
Application Process
Children wishing to join New Hall in Year 7 are warmly encouraged to arrange a visit via the Admissions Department. We also invite you to attend our Open Day on Saturday 27 September 2025 by booking here and our Taster Day for Year 7 entry on Saturday 4 October 2025. To book, please complete the form.
All children applying for a place to join Year 7 in September 2026:
1. Register on ISEB Portal by 24 October 2025 using this link RegisterISEB
2. Complete the Applicant Form here by 24 October 2025
3. All students are automatically considered for academic scholarships following ISEB Entrance Assessment results. To be considered for one of the Music, Sport or Catholic Scholarships, please submit a Scholarship Application form to New Hall by 24 October 2025. If you would like to be considered for a Modern Language Award, please email admissions@newhallschool.co.uk
4. Receive notification from New Hall regarding the Interview and Creative Writing Assessment which takes place at New Hall, 3-14 November 2025
5. Sit the ISEB Entrance Assessments, (either at New Hall on Saturday 15 November, or at their own school between 10-21 November)
6. Places are offered by the end of the Michaelmas Term, December 2025
7. Sport and Music Scholarship Assessments, January 2026*
8. Scholarships and Awards offered by February 2026
9. Accept by the deadline: 2 March 2026
* A shortlisting will take place in early January 2026
Entrance Assessments
All children wishing to apply to join New Hall at Year 7 are required to sit the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, which includes Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English, and Mathematics. Taking approximately 2.5 hours, these are taken on a day between 10-21 November 2025.
Please inform New Hall’s Admissions Department whether you would prefer your child to take the assessment at New Hall on 15 November, or on a day between 10-21 November at your child’s current school. If you choose for your child to take the assessment at their current school, please check that their school is registered as an Invigilation Centre by contacting them in advance.
ISEB Registration Process
Parents register their children through the ISEB Guardian Portal. Please select whether your child will be taking the assessment at their current school or at New Hall.
Additionally, please provide information about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and / or if your child has English as an Additional Language (EAL). You will need to upload any relevant documents on the ISEB Portal.
Once reviewed, New Hall will then approve all of the submissions by early November.
If your child is sitting the assessment at New Hall, it is necessary to provide the New Hall Admissions Department with documentation to support any request for additional time. Please take note of your child’s Applicant ID for the Year 7 Applicant Form 2026.
Interview and Assessment
Every child applying to join Year 7 is given an interview with a senior member of staff at New Hall, which lasts approximately 15 minutes.
During this interview, your child will give a three minute presentation on a topic of their choice. Please note that it is not possible to accommodate laptops for PowerPoints or any technical equipment. However, if your child wishes to show the interviewer something on an iPad, that is permitted. If your child would like to bring a prop to support their interview, we would be delighted to see them.
As well as the interview, your child will sit a 30-minute creative writing assessment. Both the interview and assessment will take place at New Hall during a half-day session between 3-14 November 2023.
Parents will receive specific details on the date of your child’s interview by the end of October.
Academic Reference Request
In addition to the ISEB assessment, creative writing task, and interview, a reference from your child’s current headteacher holds significant weight in the assessment process. New Hall will request this reference directly from your child’s current school upon receiving the completed Year 7 application form for September 2026.
Scholarships & Awards
For Year 7 entry for September 2026, we have a number of scholarships, available to girls and boys.
Please refer to the Scholarships and Awards booklet for further information and all relevant scholarship application form links.
Students applying to join Year 7 are automatically considered for the Year 7 Hawley Academic Scholarship and Year 7 Academic Scholarships. These are based on Year 7 ISEB assessment results. Therefore, for academic scholarships, there is no separate scholarship application form.
Year 7 scholarships and awards are assessed separately for girls and boys, and each scholarship is offered in both the Girls’ Division and the Boys’ Division.
Students are ranked based on performance in our assessments, and scholarships are offered to the best performing students. Where candidates of a similar ability are being considered for scholarships and awards, preference may be given to students who are practising Catholics and/or who commit to boarding. Most scholarships have a monetary value attached to them. Please see the Scholarship & Bursaries Policy here for more information.
Additionally, up to two scholarships are available from New Hall’s sponsored Academy, Messing Primary School. There is no separate scholarship application form for this.
Bursary Assistance
For the academic year 2026-27, our Governors have established a hardship fund to help support existing students to remain at New Hall School, with priority being given to students in examination year groups.
There are no new bursaries available for incoming students in Year 7, and parents of joiners are required to provide assurance that they have the means to pay fees in full.
Visiting New Hall
We are pleased to offer families considering Year 7 entry an opportunity to tour the School on weekdays during the Michaelmas Term. There are also opportunities to meet with SLT, Director of Boarding and Admissions, and Heads of Departments to discuss your child’s schooling.
Should you wish to visit, please contact the Admissions Department on admissions@newhallschool.co.uk or on 01245 236 098.
Communication of Offer Decisions
We communicate offer decisions via email before Christmas 2025, ensuring you receive timely information regarding your child’s application to New Hall. Please do let us know of any achievements, interests or passions of your child during this process.
