Entry Points and Assessment

The most obvious place to start Aldwickbury is at the very beginning in Reception. Our classes are small and welcoming providing a special place for your child to start their education journey.  

The school is not academically selective at 4+ however children need to be socially and emotionally ready for school. At the present time, places are allocated for the Reception classes from the date of registration. Parents are contacted preceding the academic year of entry to confirm that a place is still required. In the year prior to joining school, families are invited to Stay and Play sessions. During the spring term of the year preceding entry families are invited to attend a familiarisation visit, when children are observed in a relaxed, child-friendly environment whilst parents have an opportunity to meet staff and each other. A nursery reference is requested and our staff will visit every child in their nursery setting to observe and chat to their key worker. Children born in summer will not be disadvantaged by their birth month – our staff are experienced and will take this into account.  

All children from Year 1 onwards will be invited to attend an age-appropriate assessment to determine a good fit, academically and socially, before being offered a place at the school.   

Boys, and from September 2025, girls, are welcome to join us in Year 1 and 2 and settle in quickly due to the caring and attentive staff. We are looking for enthusiastic, well-motivated children who are keen to learn from the holistic curriculum on offer.  

Children are invited to join a class for a morning, following an online application and payment of a registration fee, where they will be informally assessed by an experienced early years practitioner in the following areas:  

• Social interaction (play based)  

• Phonics 

• Literacy and numeracy  

• Speaking and listening skills    

• Reference and most recent report from current school  

Children are therefore welcome, indeed encouraged, to ask questions and interact with their peers. No specific preparation is needed, we just want the children to be themselves.  

From September 2026, girls will be welcomed into Year 3 followed by Year 4 in September 2027.

Whilst the majority of boys in the middle part of the school move up from our Pre-Prep, there are always a number of new boys who join us in both Year 3 and Year 4. The classes in these year groups are still small and class teachers are there to look after the boys’ whole educational and pastoral needs.  

Boys are asked to attend an assessment morning following submission of a registration form and fee. The assessments are devised and conducted in-house by the Head of Juniors. This assessment is relaxed and aimed to familiarise the boys with the school setting. The assessment includes a tour of the school and play with our current boys. Where possible we aim to carry out assessment with several boys together. All boys are assessed in the following areas:  

• Social interaction in a class setting  

• Spellings 

• Literacy and numeracy 

• Speaking and listening skills    

• Informal discussion about hobbies and interests  

• Reference and most recent report from current school  

From September 2028, girls will be welcomed into Year 5 followed by Year 6 in September 2029.

At whatever stage your son joins Aldwickbury, our strong pastoral system will ensure he is not missed and is well looked after. A move to Aldwickbury at this stage can be good preparation for entry into senior schools and an excellent way to expand your son’s wider interests. In Year 5 class teachers are responsible for the boys’ whole educational and pastoral needs. In Year 6 boys are allocated a tutor who will oversee their progress for the remainder of their Aldwickbury education.  

Boys wishing to join the Prep School in Year 5 and Year 6 are asked to attend an assessment morning following submission of a registration form and fee.   

Assessments are carried out by the Head of Years 5 & 6 and/or the Director of Studies and are relaxed and aimed to familiarise the boys with the school setting. The morning includes a tour of the school and an opportunity to take part in a lesson with our current boys. Where possible we aim to carry out assessments with several boys together. All boys are assessed in the following areas:  

• Social interaction in a class setting 

• Reading  

• Maths  

• English (creative writing), speaking and listening skills    

• Pastoral interview about hobbies and interests 

• Teambuilding activity (when assessed in a group)   

• Digital adaptive tests which measure the following:  

  • Literacy  

  • Numeracy (non calculator)  

  • Verbal reasoning  

  • Non-verbal reasoning  

  • Spatial  

• Reference and most recent report from current school  

From September 2030, girls will be welcomed into Year 7 followed by Year 8 in September 2031.

Years 7 and 8 are often said to be the most special years in prep school life. Being in a prep school, rather than moving onto senior school until Year 9, gives boys an opportunity to grow emotionally and educationally prepares them for the next stage of their schooling. In Years 7 and 8 the boys develop leadership skills and learn to take responsibility not just for themselves but the wider school community. Aldwickbury's small class sizes can prepare boys to be the best they can in order to gain entry into their senior school.  

Boys wishing to join the Prep School in Year 7 and Year 8 are asked to attend an assessment morning following submission of a registration form and fee.   

Assessments are carried out by the Director of Studies and/or The Deputy Head and are relaxed and aimed to familiarise the boys with the school setting. The morning includes a tour of the school and an opportunity to take part in a lesson with our current boys. Where possible we aim to carry out assessment with several boys together. All boys are assessed in the following areas:  

• Social interaction in a class setting 

• Reading  

• Maths  

• English (creative writing), speaking and listening skills    

• Pastoral interview about hobbies and interests 

• Teambuilding activity (when assessed in a group)   

• Digital adaptive tests which measured the following:  

  • Literacy  

  • Numeracy (non calculator)  

  • Verbal reasoning  

  • Non verbal reasoning  

  • Spatial  

• Reference and most recent report from current school  

Children with a range of ability levels are accepted, however, the academic standard is such that the children can reach the entry requirements of various senior schools (both day and boarding) at 13+. It is important that children attending Aldwickbury can participate in, and benefit from, the balanced and broad curriculum. The children should be willing to contribute to, and be involved with, what is offered both inside and outside the classroom. Aldwickbury has strong traditions of involvement in many areas outside of the curriculum all of which are important in developing well-balanced, confident individuals and parents should be supportive of this ethos. 

All places at Aldwickbury are offered at the discretion of the Headmaster, and there are certain preconditions of entry. These are listed below: 

• The applicant’s family will support our ethos and objectives and will abide by the terms and conditions 

• The applicant is of the appropriate age and maturity 

• The applicant should enjoy satisfactory health enabling them to attend lessons and participate fully in all aspects of life at Aldwickbury 

• Within the constraints of the normal operation, Aldwickbury is able to provide adequate support that may be needed by a child such that they can benefit from the education available. 

All children must meet certain criteria, and these are listed below: 

• All children must have a competent grasp of the basic skills at a level appropriate to their age 

• All children beyond Reception will be assessed in order to ensure that they will be able to engage with our curriculum and style of education 

• A report from the current school, if applicable, will be required and should include comments on the applicant’s academic ability, talents, interests, attitude, behaviour and any other special circumstances which may be relevant 

• Any reports that relate to a child's specific needs (including Educational Psychologist, Medical or Speech and Language) should be given to the school at the assessment stage 

Transfer through the school will be automatic unless a child is struggling to engage with the increasing demands of higher years or is unable to meet the expectations set out in our Promoting Positive Behaviour policy. In such a situation, there will be extensive consultations with parents. 

Assessment criteria for each age group varies and can be found by clicking on the approriate year grouping.

At all levels of assessment, the behaviour of the boys will be monitored, and should be in line with our expectations. 

Although all boys must meet the entry requirements, there are some situations which may lead to special consideration at entry: 

• A brother already attends Aldwickbury 

• The father of the boy is an Old Boy of Aldwickbury 

On occasions where the Headmaster feels more information is required, the boy in question may be requested to return for a second assessment in normal lessons with current pupils.   

Places based on the assessment above will then be offered by the Headmaster after discussion with the relevant staff leading the assessment. 

The Head of Admissions will arrange a convenient time for the Headmaster to verbally feedback to families on this process.