Welcome to Admissions
My name is Louise Cook and I am the Registrar at Heath Mount. I would be delighted to discuss the possibility of your son/daughter joining our school and am here to assist you at every stage of the admissions process. Demand for places across the school is high and we recommend you contact us as early as possible. I look forward to answering any questions you may have. Please contact me at registrar@heathmount.org or call 01920 832916.
Mrs Louise Cook
ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Visit Us
As a first step, we always encourage families to come and visit us to get a feel for whether Heath Mount is the right fit for your child. You are very welcome to visit on a weekday for a private tour with the Headmaster, Mr Gillam, or you can attend one of our Open Mornings.
Register
Prospective pupils may be registered with us from any time after birth. We do encourage early registration as places are limited and our Prep-Prep is often oversubscribed. You will be given a registration form to fill in and a £100 registration fee is payable per child.
Taster Days
Children looking to join from Year 1 upwards are invited to an informal assessment during a ‘taster morning’ with their peer group – joining in lessons, activities, and playtimes. While we are not a selective school, we do ask pupils to complete a maths and English test to ensure they can access our broad curriculum. We aim for our taster mornings to be a relaxed and fun experience for the children.
Offer & Acceptance
If we can offer a place, we ask you to fill in an Acceptance Form and pay a deposit of £750 to secure the place - refundable on your child leaving the school. Most children join us at the start of the academic year in September but if circumstances mean you need to join at another point in the year we will work with you and your child to ensure they have a smooth transition. If a place isn’t available straight away, we are always happy to add your child to a waiting list.
Moving Up Morning
All new pupils from Reception upwards are invited to join us for a Moving Up morning in June to meet their new form teachers and classmates.
ENTRY POINTS
Pre-Nursery Entry (Age 2+)
Children can join us in the term that they turn three and the number of sessions can be flexible to fit in with the individual child. The Heath Mount Pre-Nursery programme runs alongside our Nursery programme and promotes learning through play, alongside some structured/planned activities designed to help develop skills and knowledge. The Pre-Nursery children have their own classroom, the Blueberry room, and they are part of 'blue group'. All children have access to the Nursery classrooms in the Nursery block as well as the garden playground and the Three Bears forest school area.
Nursery & Reception Entry (Age 3-4)
Children can join us in Nursery for the term after their 3rd birthday for a minimum of 5 sessions per week which should include 3 morning sessions. We are not a selective school and do not assess children starting at this stage, but we do meet with all families interested in joining us to ensure we are the best fit for their needs. We offer home visits from Mrs Dakakni, our Head of EYFS, or Mrs Taylor, Head of Pre-Prep in the term prior to your child starting. In addition, we host a picnic for our new families in the week before the start of the September term.
Year 1 & 2 Entry (Age 5-6)
We occasionally have spaces in these year groups, please contact us to check availability. Children are invited for a ‘taster morning’ and an informal assessment in maths and English. We also ask for a reference from their current school and a recent school report.
Prep School Entry (Age 7+)
For entry into the Prep School, we invite prospective pupils for a taster morning and assess pupils in English and maths. We will also seek references from your child’s current school as well as their most recent school report.
Year 7 Entry (Age 11+)
Occasionally we are able to offer Upper School places in Year 7. In Years 7 & 8 we prepare children for their senior school and scholarship exams, teaching in small classes and ensuring the children have the study skills and preparation needed for pre-tests, exams and interviews. We offer scholarship programmes in music, art, sport, drama and academics. Prospective pupils are invited to join us for a taster morning and will undertake assessment in English and maths. We will seek references from your child’s school as well as their most recent school report.
Where do pupils move on to?
Our pupils move on to a wide variety of day and boarding schools both locally and further afield. In 2023 pupils took up places at Haileybury, Bishop’s Stortford College, The Leys, Oundle, St Albans School, Ampleforth, Eton, Framlingham, Gresham’s, Uppingham, Millfield, Radley, Rugby, Sedbergh, St Francis College and St Chris. In recent years pupils have also accepted places at Bedford, Felsted, Gordonstoun, Harrow, Wycombe Abbey, Brighton College, Queenswood and Benenden. The Headmaster, Mr Gillam, and our Future Schools Manager, Adelaide Fiddes, work together with each family to advise on the school best suited to their child.