HABERDASHERS’ MONMOUTH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AGENTS’ HANDBOOK CONTENTS Welcome Overview Admissions Key Facts at a Glance Boarding Life GCSE/IGCSE and A Level Options Fees University Destinations Term Dates Contact Details WELCOME I am delighted to introduce you to Haberdashers’ At all ages, pupils will be encouraged to take personal Monmouth School for Girls. Situated in an area of responsibility, to encounter challenge, to think ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’, Monmouth was recently for themselves and to understand service to the acclaimed as the third best place to live in the UK by community. The Sunday Times. You will immediately discover pupils enjoying a unique, purposeful and positive approach to International Students play a very important part in the learning and life that you simply will not find anywhere life of HMSG. Currently we have girls from the UAE, else. USA, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, China and Nigeria to name but a few living alongside our UK boarders. We combine the finest, modern education with the best traditional values, shaped by over a century It can be a daunting prospect moving, often half way of educational expertise. Academic excellence is around the world, to a new place, new school, full of important but it is the extraordinary individual touch new people. We can promise your student a HUGE which sets the school aside from its competitors. welcome and it won’t be long before she really does With over 605 pupils of which about 145 are boarders, regard us as her ‘second’ family. We are extremely HMSG and its prep school, Inglefield House, are just proud of the pastoral care we offer to each and every the right size to really get to know each other; for the one of our pupils. girls to learn in small classes but still enjoy the masses of extra-curricular opportunities on offer. I hope that this brochure provides all the information you need when you are considering the right school Academic results are impressive, ranked top in Wales for your clients. If you have any questions at all, please for GCSE results in 2013 and with 100% pass rate at do get in touch and we will get back to you promptly. A Level now a regular achievement, the vast majority of girls achieve places in their first choice university Please call my Registrar, to read subjects as diverse as medicine, law, languages, Mrs Karen Stafford-Smith, engineering and economics. Telephone: +44(0)1600 711104 or Email: [email protected]. Close links with our sibling, Monmouth School, provides a dynamic Sixth Form experience with seminar-style We look forward to hearing from you. classes in preparation for university. Our new Sixth Form boarding house, Augusta House, further eases Yours sincerely this transition between school and university. But HMSG offers much more than just grades. Whether a pupil’s passion is for Sport, Music, Drama, Photography, Dance or CCF, the School will encourage Mrs Caroline Pascoe BSc(Hons),MSc,NPQH her to reach the highest standard. It nurtures a “can- Headmistress do” spirit, facilitating the girls’ growing self-confidence. OVERVIEW Light, welcoming buildings in beautiful countryside, create an inspiring home from home where learning comes naturally. Celebrating 400 years of educational excellence, the family of Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools was founded in 1614. HMSG opened in 1892 as a sister school to Monmouth School for boys. Their endowment income underpins life at the School enabling us to offer highly competitive boarding fees. In fact, Tatler Schools’ Guide stated that “Monmouth’s fees are among the best value in the country”. Even the buildings at HMSG embody the School’s ethos of combining the best of traditional values with the modern needs of today’s students. The Schools have co-ordinated term dates and key Ultra-modern, purpose-built facilities nestle alongside events, they share the same Foundation and have the beautifully restored listed buildings, providing a stimulating same Board of Governors. environment where pupils can focus on their academic goals, feed their personal interests and belong to a wider The Heads, teachers and pupils are often in contact on community. a day-to-day basis, although each school is proud of its individual identity. We passionately believe in the academic advantages of single-sex education but also enjoy many joint extra- curricular activities with Monmouth School offering the best of both worlds. ADMISSIONS FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS We very much welcome enquiries from overseas Girls joining our prep school, Inglefield House, also need to students wishing to join Inglefield House or HMSG. sit an entrance assessment and we are usually happy to take There is currently a small number of overseas students those with a lower level of English provided parents agree and we take great care to maintain a good balance of to fund extra EAL (beyond normal expectation) if required. British and international students in the boarding houses. If a place is offered by the School then a deposit will be All international students will be taught in English and are, asked for. This is currently a term’s fees which is refunded therefore, required to have a good working knowledge of against the final bill when the student leaves the School the English language, both written and spoken. (subject to conditions) but is not refunded if the student changes her mind and chooses not to join the School. We offer English as an Additional Language (EAL) which is provided by experienced EAL teachers. The charge for What are the entry requirements? this is £200 per term and will be tailored towards the Our entry requirements are a satisfactory report from student’s individual profile. the current school, the passing of entrance exams, and, if appropriate, an interview by Skype or in person. When do students join? If boarding space is available, students can start at any Which year groups offer availability? time, for a minimum of one year. Shorter stays are We usually offer vacancies in Year 5 (9+), Year 6 (10+), available by negotiation. Students studying for GCSE Year 7 (11+), Year 8 (12+), Year 9 (13+), Year 10 (14+) and A Levels must be in school for the first day of the and Year 12 (16+). Michaelmas term. We strongly recommend that those seeking a strong What is the application process for overseas students? GCSE performance should join in Year 9 or earlier. First contact is Karen Stafford-Smith, the Admissions Registrar, with the details of your student and a copy of What are your application deadlines? her most recent school report (translated into English if We do not have a specific deadline but, given we only necessary). have 154 boarding places, there is usually a strong demand in the Michaelmas term for the following academic year. If the student is seeking Sixth Form entry we need to We would recommend that your client applies as soon know which four subjects your client wishes to study. as possible. If the Registrar feels that your client is likely to meet What about Visa applications? our entry requirements she will ask for a completed HMSG is registered as a Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsor application form and £60 registration fee. with the UK Visas and Immigration. If your client is seeking entry to the Senior School or Sixth Once a place at HMSG is offered, the Registrar will ask Form, you will be sent entrance examination papers for for a copy of your client’s passport so that she can apply your student to sit under strict examination conditions. for the necessary CAS. For GCSE a minimum IELTS of 4.5 is required. For A Level a minimum IELTS 5.5 is required. The CAS will only be applied for once the full deposit has been received by the School. KEY FACTS AT A GLANCE HEADMISTRESS Mrs Caroline Pascoe BSc (Hons), MSc, NPQH ADMISSIONS REGISTRAR Mrs Karen Stafford-Smith Telephone +44 (0) 1600 711104 Email: [email protected] ADDRESS Hereford Road, Monmouth, Monmouthshire NP25 5XT PUPIL NUMBERS Inglefield House - 130 Senior School - 337 Sixth Form - 138 TEACHER : PUPIL RATIO 1 : 9 BOARDING 145 of which 49 overseas non EU students, 15 Overseas EU students, 81 UK students ACCOMMODATION New boarding house 2012, all other accommodation refurbished 2013. In Top Twenty of Best Boarding Schools in UK. Six sitting rooms (with Wii, Xbox), computers, Pianos/Music Practice rooms, kitchens for boarders’ use. SCHOOL CAMPUS School campus houses Inglefield House, Senior School and Sixth Form. 25 acres of sports pitches, all-weather astro-pitch, netball and tennis courts, indoor heated swimming pool, Sports Hall, state-of-the-art Language and IT suites, Library and Careers Library, Theatre, Sixth Form Centre, 12 fully equipped Science Laboratories, Music School and Art studios, lecture theatre space and panelled Dining Room. SITUATION On a hill in the Georgian market town of Monmouth overlooking the Wye Valley in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. 2 hours train to London. 50 minutes to Bristol and Cardiff. GCSE RESULTS 2015 99.61% pass rate 74.8% A*/A 2014 98.0% 73.9% 2013 97.6% 76.4% 2012 97.1% 67.55% 2011 98.93% 71.65% A LEVEL RESULTS 2015 99.1% pass rate 79.6% A*- B 2014 100% 77.2% 2013 99.6% 80.6% 2012 100% 80.6% 2011 100% 80.6% FEES 2015/2016 Boarders per term (including tuition fees) £9,267 External Sixth Form entrant £8,741 Overseas Senior School £6,333 Overseas Inglefield House EXTRA LESSONS Music: Approximately £220 per term, per instrument/voice (10 x 30 minute 1:1 lessons per term) Learning Support: £200 per term.