Admissions Policy

The Headmaster’s aim is to offer places to those prospective pupils who demonstrate that they will be able to take full advantage of a Westbourne school education. We are committed to ensuring that admission decisions will be made by a process that is free from any discrimination on the grounds of disability; race; ethnic or national origin; gender; religion or belief. The school must also feel reasonably sure that we are able to educate and develop the prospective pupil to the best of his or her potential and in line with general standards achieved by the pupil’s peers, so that there is every chance that the pupil will have a happy, fulfilling and successful school career. These aims must continue to be met throughout the pupil’s time at the school.

Admission to Westbourne School is based on the following criteria:

• A prospective parent/guardian visit and a meeting between the Headmaster and the prospective parents/guardians.
• The successful completion of a day visit by all prospective pupils in Reception to Year 10. (The school does not normally expect nursery children to undertake a day visit but a home visit or a visit to the nursery by a member of staff may be carried out.)
• A satisfactory report from the prospective pupil’s previous school, playgroup or day-care centre covering academic, social and behavioural standards.
• The successful completion of informal entry assessments, carried out during the day visit, for all pupils from Reception to Year 10. Entry assessments will, wherever possible, be carried out on the basis of normal school work done during the day visit and will comprise:

a) Junior School Entrants
Work to assess reading, writing, spelling and mathematical ability (using tracking for the relevant year).

b) Senior School Entrants
Work in English (reading and writing) and Mathematics at a level appropriate to that of the group they would be joining. SATs results and those from KS2 & 3 tests together with CATS or MidYis data and any GCSE assignments carried out will also form an essential part of the entry process. This information will determine the ability set which the pupil will join if offered a place.

In all cases the school will endeavour to establish that his or her admission to the school is compatible with the learning of others.

A place will not be offered to any prospective pupil until all required information relating to behaviour and academic results to date has been received from the pupil’s previous school and assessed to the school’s satisfaction. The support of parents will be sought as necessary to obtain the required information from current or previous schools.

Westbourne School reserves the right to refuse entry into Reception to Year 10 or to refuse further progression up the school if the School’s structure, in the opinion of the Headmaster and teachers, does not meet the educational, pastoral and social needs of the pupil concerned.

Westbourne School will not usually accept applications for admission as follows:

• When application for a September place is made during the summer holiday period. In this instance, with all schools on holiday, it is not possible to assess a prospective pupil fully or to obtain the necessary information from previous schools. Any such application would be considered during the first week of the Autumn Term for entry during that term.
• Pupils in KS4 applying for a place later than the first term of Year 10, except where parents are relocating to the Sheffield area, and where the options offered by the school are compatible with those which are already being studied and where evidence can be produced of an acceptable standard of GCSE assignments to date. In such cases, entry will be considered up to the end of Year 10.

Special Educational Needs

Parents should bring a copy of the Educational Psychologist’s Report or Individual Education Plan to the school when meeting the Headmaster for any pupil who has a Special Educational Need.

Scholarships and Bursaries

• Awards may be offered at age 11, following scholarship examinations which take place in January of each year. Awards are dependent upon outstanding results being achieved in all papers taken. The number offered and their value will be decided following the marking process.
• The Music/Sport Scholarships are offered to children with musical/sporting talent hoping to enter Year 7 in the Senior School. A leaflet and an Application Form are available from the school office. The award is subject to annual review and requires the maintenance of an active contribution to the musical/sporting life of the school.
• Bursaries may be awarded to candidates whose parent(s) may be in need of financial assistance (see the schools Bursary Policy for further information). A Bursary Form is available from the school bursar.

Please note that non-compliance with any term of the offer could mean that any financial assistance is withdrawn and, in this event, the pupil’s parents will become responsible for payment of the totality of the fees including any financially-assisted element.