How to Apply

St Chris is an academically inclusive, non-selective school and our pupils have a broad range of abilities.

Our admissions process, detailed below, is designed to identify pupils who are able to benefit from our balanced and well-rounded education and to make a positive contribution towards the life of the School.

Students undergo age-appropriate assessments prior to entry to determine their current academic level for when they arrive at the school, to help us to identify any gaps in their learning that require support and additional resourcing, and to ensure that they are able to access our curriculum.

Admission decisions are also based on the school receiving a suitable reference from an applicant’s current or previous school.

Overseas applicants should click here to find out more information about our international admissions process.

Points of Entry

St Christopher School offers a continuity of education from Early Years (from the term a child turns 3) to Upper Sixth (Year 13).  

The usual points of entry into the Nursery (from the start of the term that a child turns 3); and then at 4+, 11+, 13+ and 16+.  

The school may also have occasional places at other ages; please contact the Admissions Department for details.  

We accept registration up to three years before entry. 

When there are places still available, applications and assessments may be made mid-year. The School does not generally accept pupils into Year 11 or Year 13, or after the first half-term of the academic year in Year 10 or Year 12.

Admissions Process

Step One – Register for a Place

Following your visit to the School, if you would like to apply for a place then the first step in the admissions process is for parents, or those with parental responsibility, to register for a place at St Chris by completing our online Application Form on our Admissions Portal. This includes the payment of a non-refundable Registration Fee of £100, and uploading your child’s most recent school report. We will also approach their current school for a personal reference.

Please clock here for further information for candidates with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Please do contact us with any questions or issues by email at admissions@stchris.co.uk or by telephone: +44 (0) 1462 650947.

Visit Admissions Portal

Step Two – Entrance Assessments

Nursery and Junior School

Nursery to Reception

It is expected that children will have the necessary social and developmental skills to be able to access the Early Years Curriculum. These will be observed during a Stay and Play Taster Session, where parents stay with their child. In the Nursery these sessions are one hour long, and for Reception, children stay for 1.5 hours including lunch.  

Year 1 to Year 4

Children are invited to a Taster Day (half a day in Year 1, a full day in Years 2 to 4) where they will join their age-appropriate class for the day. Pupils will complete age-appropriate benchmarking assessments in English and mathematics. Staff observations, school reports and references will be taken into consideration.  

Years 5 and 6

Children are invited to a Taster Day where they will join their ageappropriate class for the day. Children also undertake an online Cognitive Ability Test (CAT) as a bench-marking assessment. Staff observations, school reports and references will be taken into consideration. 

Senior School

Years 7 to 10

Applicants for the Senior School are invited to an Assessment Morning in the school year before they start, which either takes place in February each year for September entry or on a normal school day for entry at other points.  

The purpose of the Assessment Morning is for the School to benchmark and determine an applicant’s current academic level for when they arrive at St Chris and to ensure that they are able to access our curriculum. The Assessment Morning will also gauge their attitude to learning and their willingness to contribute to the wider life of the School.   

As part of the Assessment Morning applicants: 

  • Undertake an online Cognitive Ability Test (CAT);  
  • Take part in a lesson to enable them to experience learning at St Chris; 
  • Undertake an informal conversation with a senior member of staff for us to get to know them, and for them to get to know us. 

We will also ask for a reference from the applicant’s current school, including their disciplinary record.  

No specific preparation for the CAT or interview is needed, however applicants can bring with them an item linked to a hobby or interest that they would like to talk about at interview. 

Sixth Form

Year 12

Sixth Form applicants are invited for an interview with the Head or Deputy Head. 

Normally we would consider the candidate’s projected or actual GCSE results. Generally we expect candidates to obtain at least five GCSEs at grade 5 and above in order to follow an AS/A level programme, with at least grade 6 in the subjects selected for studying at A level, or in relevant subjects where a student is starting a subject from scratch (such as Psychology or Business Studies). We reserve the right to alter these expectations on a case-by-case basis. 

Those not undertaking GCSEs will need to show suitable ability.

Step Three – Offer

Offers are made in writing with a deadline for the acceptance of a place.  A signed Acceptance Form and the payment of the Admissions Deposit deposit by the deadline secures a place.

Waiting Lists

Where a year group is oversubscribed, we run a waiting list.  

We arrange our waiting list in the order of date of registration and give priority to: 

  • siblings of children who are already at the School or who have a sibling joining the School in the same admissions cycle; 
  • A child who has requested a weekly/full boarding placement  
  • A child whose parent is a member of staff employed by St Christopher School 

In line with the School’s coeducational status, waiting lists are separated by gender to ensure our coeducational balance is maintained.  

In-Year Places

Applicants for an in-year place should check first with the Admissions Department as to the availability of places.

Where a place is available, the usual Registration and Assessment process applies as per the points above.

The School will also request that a candidate come in to spend one or more Taster Days (Junior School) or a Taster Week (Senior School) with us before we progress to the Offer stage. 

Our Admissions Department will follow the process as outlined above and this will not be altered for individual circumstances. Under no circumstances should parents expect or request that the normal application process is changed or accelerated. 

Boarding

Applicants for boarding places will also be considered based on their suitability to board, with further information requested by the Registrar if necessary. The Head of Boarding will be fully consulted before an offer is made. 

For international students who require a Child Student visa, the registration process is the same, but instead of the usual school assessment, we organise an online English language test through Bespoke English Language Testing.  Following a successful English test, students have an online interview with the Head, Rich Jones.

Where a student requires additional support for the development of their English language skills, we will inform parents and agents at the offer stage, and there may be an additional charge for this. We offer weekly group EAL lessons at no additional charge.

Please visit the International Admissions pages to find out more about making an application as an international student, or the Boarding pages for more information about life as a St Chris boarder.

Admissions Policy

Please see our Admissions Policy for further information