We hold regular Open Mornings and publish full details of these on our website.  Bookings can be made via the website too.  These mornings involve a tour (usually conducted by children in Years 7 or 8), a brief speech from the Head and then informal conversation over coffee and cakes at the end. 

As a follow up, or as an alternative, we also provide private tours wherever possible and can tailor these to your requirements.  Please just get in touch with the Admissions Office to arrange.

• Contact Sara Baldwin on 01344 772134
• Email [email protected]
• Complete an online enquiry form 

If, after your visit, you are interested in your child being considered for a place then we ask that you complete our registration form (on our website) and pay a registration fee. We will also require a copy of your child’s most recent school report from their current school (if applicable).

You can register your child to join Wellington College Prep by completing the Registration Form.

Children applying for a Nursery or Reception place are invited to attend a short one hour session in the morning where the Early Years team spend time observing and interacting with the children.

Children wishing to join in Year 1 will be invited to a short one-to-one assessment with the Head of Junior school.  

Those wishing to join Year 2 are invited to an assessment morning – usually on a Thursday - where they will spend the morning in class followed by lunch with our existing children.  This can be extended to include the afternoon session if requested.  During this morning the Head of Junior school will spend time getting to know the child.

In advance of your child visiting us, please complete the consent form to enable us to be fully prepared to look after and to get to know your child.  Parents have a particular responsibility to inform the school of any issues or conditions and to disclose any reports (medical and / or academic) relating to the child.  Withholding information may lead to us reviewing our offer of a place.  For further information please contact the Registrar.

We cannot offer firm places to children without the completion of one of the visits described above and so it is important to factor this into your timings.

All prospective pupils will undertake a formal taster / assessment day for entrance to our Prep School.  This day can take place up to a year before prospective entry.  Generally, they take place during the Michaelmas term just under 12 months before a September start but those looking for places later than this, or on more of an ad hoc basis for a mid-year start, can attend a day at any stage of the year.

These days are intended to allow us to get to know your child in the context of the school as well as possible but they are also important for your child to have the opportunity to sample our culture and to meet their possible future peers.

For those intending to join Years 3 to 8, these will be one of our full school days.  We offer taster / assessment days on most Thursdays throughout the school year.  Of course, if you are travelling from overseas, we can look to be as flexible as possible. 

The taster / assessment day will usually begin with a GL Assessment CAT test* (for which no preparation is required – seriously…).  The results of this allow us to start to talk to you about your future school aspirations for your child and also to give you some initial guidance of where your child would be likely to sit academically within our current cohort of children.   At some stage during the day there will be an informal meeting with the Head providing your child the opportunity to talk about themselves and to ask any questions they might have.  The remainder of the day is spent shadowing a ‘buddy’ and following them to their lessons, clubs and sports practices (where appropriate).

During the day, the school staff will be considering all aspects to life at Wellington College Prep to assess, in our view, how likely each child will be to flourish in our environment. 

* the only exception to this will be for children applying for a Year 7 place who will have already sat the ISEB pre-test for Wellington College and who are happy for us to ask Wellington College for their results.

In advance of your child visiting us, please complete the consent form to enable us to be fully prepared to look after and to get to know your child.  Parents have a particular responsibility to inform the school of any issues or conditions and to disclose any reports (medical and / or academic) relating to the child.  Withholding information may lead to us reviewing our offer of a place.  For further information please contact the Registrar.

We cannot offer firm places to children without the completion of a taster / assessment day and so it is important to factor this into your timings. 

If there is a place available in the chosen year group and, subject to us believing that the child can flourish in our environment, a provisional place will be offered.  The place will not be finally confirmed, however, until a favourable reference from the current school has been received, an acceptance form has been signed and a £1,000 deposit has been received (£800 of this will be refunded when the child leaves the school but none of which is refundable if you decide not to take up the place).  Every element above is critical, but payment of the deposit will secure the place, and we will be happy to talk you through timings for the reference if required.

If there is no space available, then the child will be placed on a waiting list and the admissions office will seek to give you as much guidance as possible over the likelihood of a place coming up.

In advance of your child starting, we will ask you to complete our Joining Forms which will be sent to you in timely manner. If your child is starting with us at the beginning of the academic year, you will be sent the forms around the Easter beforehand, if they are joining at any other time, the joining forms will be sent after the acceptance fee has been received.

All joining forms MUST be completed before your child is allowed to start with us. 

All children joining Wellington College Prep at the start of September will be invited to the school for ‘New Children’s Day’ in June prior to the summer holidays.  This will be an opportunity to meet their new tutor and fellow classmates again and to learn more about what the year ahead will bring.

Early in the new term there will be lots of opportunities for new parents to meet one another, existing parents and school staff.

Wellington College Prep have a very small number of visas available each year.  Children who require sponsorship are placed onto a waiting list and places are confirmed, subject to availability, 6 months prior to entry in March, and visas are issued in May, 3 months prior to starting.