Thank you for your interest in Pinewood. As Head of Admissions, I am here to ensure the admissions journey runs as smoothly as possible for you and your child(ren). I also manage the lists of prospective pupils. I am always delighted to help answer any questions you have about the school or admissions. We hope that the website has helped give you an insight of what Pinewood offers, but there is nothing quite like seeing the school, meeting our Head – Neal Bailey, and getting to know some of our pupils first hand.
Please do get in touch if you have any questions and/or if you’d like to arrange a time to view the school. You can either complete the enquiry form at the bottom of the page or email me at emilymiller@pinewoodschool.co.uk, or contact me on 01793 782554. I will then be able to discuss the admissions procedure with you, as well as giving you an indication of the availability of places in your required year groups. I look forward to hearing more about your family’s plans.
Mrs Emily Miller – Head of Admissions
To view our Admissions Policy, please click here.
Early Registration is advised as some entry points can be oversubscribed, with a waiting list in place. You can either formally register your child(ren) once you have visited the school, or you can register now and arrange your visit to the school at a future mutually convenient date.
The Admissions journey starts in the Autumn Term prior to the following September’s entry and we begin by contacting families of children registered at the top of our entry lists. We are always happy to consider children joining mid-way through the year, subject to the availability of places.
Registering involves completing the Registration Form online, which can be found by clicking here, and paying a non-refundable registration fee of £40. Details of how to pay the fee are within the online Registration Form. Formal registration does not guarantee your child a place at Pinewood, but it does secure their position on our entry lists.
If the year group your child would be joining looks to be oversubscribed, we give preference to the following considerations: date of registration, siblings, family connections – for example children whose parents/parent previously attended the school.
We are a non-selective school; however, we need to be satisfied that we are able to meet and continue to meet every child’s needs, and be confident that children will be able to flourish in the ethos of the school.
Children coming into our Pre-Prep (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) will be offered a place subject to receipt of an up-to-date school progress report from their current school (for children already at school) and, once the place has been accepted, they will be invited to spend a morning with their current year group, prior to joining. This is an opportunity to meet their new friends, teaching staff and to feel comfortable in their new school environment. All the details related to the familiarisation sessions will be communicated nearer the time.
Children who are joining the Prep School in Years 3-8 are offered a place subject to receipt of an up-to-date school progress report from their current school, and attending two taster days with their current year group. The purpose of the taster days is for the child to have the opportunity to experience everything that Pinewood has to offer, including lessons, extra-curricular activities and sports. At the same time, this gives the school the opportunity to ensure we are fully able to meet the needs of the child. During the taster days, children will be asked to complete low-key assessments in English, Maths and reading, to help with academic setting on joining.
If your child has any Learning Support needs I will be delighted to arrange for you to speak with our Head of Special Educational Needs (SEN), to discuss this further.
When a place is formally offered, whether in the Pre-Prep or Prep School, we will ask for completion and return of formal acceptance paperwork, along with an acceptance deposit of £900, within a given timeframe – usually 4 weeks from the date of offer. The acceptance deposit will be refunded from the final term’s fees.
The expectation is that your child will progress through the school until the end of Year 8 and that he/she will sit the relevant entrance exams for their chosen onward senior school at age 13+.
If you take the decision for your child to leave earlier than this, a term’s written notice is required, or payment of a term’s fees in lieu will be contractually due.
If you have more questions about Pinewood, please do take a look at our FAQs page first.
To get in touch with the Head of Admissions, please complete the contact form on the right.