ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 2017 - 2018 In addition to the other information within our prospectus, this booklet provides useful information regarding admission to New Hall Preparatory and Senior Divisions. Further details are available on our website www.newhallschool.co.uk MISSION AND ETHOS STATEMENT New Hall, a Catholic boarding and day school, provides the best start in life, enabling students to meet confidently the challenges of the wider world. Here academic excellence is achieved in surroundings where relationships are based on care, trust and respect. We welcome students from many traditions, building a Christian community that has at its heart prayer and service to others. ADMISSIONS PROCESS The main entry points to the school are: Pre-Reception (the academic year in which a child has his/her 4th birthday), Year 7 (age 11+), Year 9 (age 13+) and Year 12 (age 16+). Entry to other year groups may be permitted but is subject to availability. The principles relied on in the selection of students for admission are designed to ensure the school will remain a Catholic school. New Hall accepts students of any or no faith. Applications for admission will be considered from parents and guardians who are in sympathy with the aims and ethos of the school and whose child will benefit from the academic curriculum of the school. To read our full Admissions Policy, please see www.newhallschool.co.uk/admissions-policy. Preparatory Divisions Pre-Reception (age 3+) Entry to Pre-Reception is by parent meeting and a trial session, held at the child’s nursery/ pre-school. If the child does not attend a nursery/ pre-school, the trial session will take place at New Hall. Preference will be given to those seeking a full-time, rather than part-time place and there is a minimum requirement of 6 sessions per week. A session is either a morning or an afternoon. Entry into other year groups Parents are welcome to register their children to enter Reception and Years 1-6 in the Pre-Prep & Preparatory Divisions, however, day places only become available in these year groups should a current pupil leave the Pre-Prep or Preparatory Division. In the circumstance that a space arises, a child will be selected from the waiting list, taking into account the school’s Admissions Policy. Additional full or weekly boarding places are available from Year 3 onwards. Should a place not become available for a child’s requested term of entry, the registration will roll over to the next academic year until a place becomes available. Should a child reach Year 6 before a place has become available in the Pre-Prep & Preparatory Division, parents will be contacted regarding Senior Division entry. There is no need to re-register for Senior School entry. Senior Division Year 7 (age 11+) It is highly recommended that all candidates attend the Year 7 Taster Day in October, there is also an information session for parents. Entrance into Year 7 is based upon an interview, entrance examinations in English (multiple choice and a written paper), Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning, which are held in November, as well as a current Headteacher’s report. Applications from pupils who attend traditional preparatory schools which make provision allowing them to continue their education up to 13+, and which are not part of a structure which connects them to a particular senior school, will only be accepted (subject to the other relevant criteria set out in this policy) for Year 9 entry. Assessments may be sat in Year 8, or earlier in Year 6 if preferred, and any offer made will be for a place at the start of Year 9. Year 9 (age 13+) Entrance into Year 9 is based upon an interview, entrance examinations in English, Mathematics and Verbal Reasoning, which are held in January and current Headteacher’s report. Candidates who are being prepared for Common Entrance examinations by their current school will normally sit these in May/June prior to entry in September. Candidates who are successful in the New Hall Year 9 Assessments will be given a conditional offer of a place subject to Common Entrance examinations. Sixth Form Division (age 16+) Students are encouraged to attend the Sixth Form Division Admissions Evening in October. Prospective students will need to achieve a minimum of two 7s and four 5 grades overall at GCSE. An offer of a place is based upon personal statement, school report, mock and predicted grades, school reference and interview with the Head of Sixth Form. International Students All overseas students are required to sit entrance examinations, including in English, at their current school, with an agent, the local British Council office or at New Hall. Prospective Sixth Form Division students are required to sit papers in the subjects they wish to study. A level of proficiency in English equivalent to at least IELTS 6.5 is required for entry to Sixth Form. BURSARIES New Hall School offers a limited number of means-tested bursaries, of up to 100% of fees. Details are available in the Bursaries & Scholarships Policy, which can be found at newhallschool.co.uk/about/ school-policies/. Applications for bursaries must be received by 8 January of the year of entry. For further details, please contact the Head of Finance or the Registrar. SCHOLARSHIPS New Hall School offers scholarships and awards at Year 7, Year 9 (external joiners only) and Sixth Form entry. Year 7 scholarships are assessed separately for boys and girls and each scholarship is offered in both the Boys’ Division and Girls’ Division. The Year 9 scholarship process is for external applicants. An internal candidate may only apply if they did not join the School at the start of Year 7 and/or did not sit the entrance assessment in the Michaelmas Term prior to Year 7. The boys and girls maybe assessed together or separately depending on the ability of the candidates. Assessment is based on performance in the New Hall entrance assessments as appropriate to the point of entry. The current Headteacher’s report/reference and interview also play an important part of the assessment process. Following the scholarship assessments, students will be ranked accordingly and scholarships will be offered to the best performing students overall. Preference may be given to full/weekly boarders and Catholics, where candidates of a similar ability are being considered for scholarships. The school celebrates the honour of all scholarship achievements and students who win scholarships gain an important benefit in terms of the public recognition, media coverage, school references, university admissions and job applications. There is a Most Able & Talented (MAT) Programme and scholars who are placed on the MAT Register are afforded additional target setting, monitoring and reporting. Most scholarships will have a monetary value attached to them with named scholarships being awarded as a percentage of fees to the highest performers in the assessments. All scholarships are net of prompt payment discount. The total value of the scholarships awarded will depend on the available funds. In the event that parents do not require the fee remission attached to a scholarship in order to afford the school fees, they are invited to donate part or all of the fee remission to a designated bursaries fund. Subject to the availability of funds, an additional means-tested remission up to 100% of fees may be awarded to a recipient of a scholarship, if the fees would otherwise be unaffordable. Year 7 Scholarships: Candidates follow the normal entrance procedure (assessments and interview). Candidates applying for a Music or Sport Scholarship will also undergo further assessment relevant to the scholarship. For entry in September, assessments will take place for boys and girls in November of the previous year. The following scholarships categories may be awarded at Year 7: Year 7 Academic Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to the student who excels academically. The highest achieving academic scholar will win the Year 7 Hawley Academic Scholarship. Year 7 Open Scholarship (all-rounder). The highest achieving all-rounder scholar will win the Year 7 Dennett All-Rounder Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a student who is likely to contribute exceptionally well to the overall life of the school. The recipient is likely to be in the top quartile academically, with major co-curricular strengths. Students will be selected from the scholarship assessments and the current Headteacher’s reference will be given careful consideration. Students applying for an all-rounder scholarship must also apply for at least one of the following scholarships/ award: music, sport or special talent (drama). Year 7 Diocesan Scholarship. The recipient of the St Augustine Academic Scholarship is likely to be in the top quartile academically. They will be a practising Catholic student who is currently attending a voluntary-aided Catholic primary school, and who has attended this school for at least the final 2 years. Candidates will need to provide a copy of their baptismal and first Holy Communion certificates. The priest reference form must also be completed. Year 7 Catholic Independent Schools Scholarship. The recipient of the Dolman Academic Scholarship is likely to be in the top quartile academically. They will be a practising Catholic student who is currently attending a Catholic independent school and who has attended this school for at least the final 2 years. Candidates will need to provide a copy of their baptismal and first Holy Communion certificates. The priest reference form must also be completed. Year 7 Music Scholarship. The highest achieving music scholarship candidate will win the Year 7 St Cecilia Scholarship. This scholarship includes tuition fees for one instrument (with the possibility of funding for 2 instruments, depending on ability and suitability of the second instrument).