Admissions Policy
The aims of this policy are:
To ensure compliance with the School’s charitable purposes, Ryde School is constituted as a limited company with charitable status. The School is a non-selective school for pupils aged 3-18; the Junior School age range is 3-11. Ryde School is designated a Church of England Faith School.
To identify and admit children who will benefit from an academic education and who will contribute to and benefit from the ethos and activities of our school community. We will only admit a child who has met the admission criteria relevant at the time.
Equal Treatment: We welcome children from many different ethnic groups, backgrounds and creeds. Human rights and freedoms are respected but must be balanced with the lawful needs and rules of our school community and the rights and freedoms of others. All candidates for admission will be treated equally, irrespective of their, or their parents’ race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, orientation, property, birth or other status. We expect all of our pupils to attend our school assemblies and church services which support our Christian ethos; parents may seek exemption on religious grounds.
Disability: At present, our facilities for children with disabilities are limited, but we will do all that is reasonable to ensure that the School’s culture,
policies and procedures are made accessible to children with disabilities. When a disability or special educational need is made known to us, we will consult with parents and make reasonable adjustments to our admission procedures and arrangements to enable a child, if he/she is able, to satisfy our admission requirements.
Procedures
Summary: Our admission procedure has four elements -
- Assessment of Attainment
- Interviews or school visits
- Character references - we place particular importance on good discipline and behaviour when considering applications for admission to the School
- Disability assessments (if applicable)
Entry points: Our main entry points are at Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 or Year 12. We would not normally consider entry half way through GCSE or A Level courses.
Entry tests: These are not selective, but designed to assess whether pupils will cope with our curriculum. It is our expectation that pupils achieve at least five C grades at GCSE level.
Pupils take papers in English and Mathematics and sit a Non Verbal Reasoning test, appropriate to the age of the candidate; pupils entering Year 9 might be asked to sit a French exam, for setting purposes.
The School is able to provide a small number of Ryde Assisted Places (into Years 7, 9 and 12). These places are awarded to high quality candidates and are competitive. Fee assistance is means tested. Pupils for these places sit our usual entry tests.
Please see the Awards and Scholarships section for further details.
Sixth Form Entry
Candidates wishing to enter the Sixth Form are usually required to have achieved a minimum of 6 GCSEs, five of which must be at Grade B or better.
Candidates may also be required to attend for interview with the Head of Sixth Form.
Interviews: These are of two kinds -
General interviews: In all cases there will be a general interview to explore the candidate’s interests, attitude to school, personal qualities, ability to contribute to the school community and support available at home.
Assisted Place interview: Such an interview may be used to explore a candidate’s academic ability in a subject.
Character reference: The Head of the candidate’s current school will be asked to provide a written reference as to the candidate’s academic ability, attitude and behaviour, involvement in the school community, talents and interests, and any other special circumstances such as special educational needs, or a disability. The reference may also include the results of tests taken at the school (such as NFER or SATs) and predicted grades at GCSE (if appropriate).
Candidate’s age: Very occasionally, we may offer places to candidates one year ahead or behind their standard year group, if we consider, as a matter of professional judgement, that this would be in the best interests of the candidate and the School.
Special circumstances: We recognise that a candidate’s performance may be affected by particular circumstances, for example -
- If he/she is unwell when taking tests or has had a lengthy absence from his/her school;
- If there are particular family circumstances such as a recent bereavement;
- If there is a relevant educational history, for example education outside the British system;
- If the candidate has a disability or specific learning difficulties;
- If English is not the candidate’s first language.
In any of these cases, we may request further information such as a medical certificate or educational psychologist’s report and any associated correspondence or details from the pupil’s current school (including samples of work) or any family history of dyslexia, as we consider necessary to make a fair assessment.
Disclosures: Parents must, as soon as possible, disclose any particular known or suspected circumstances relating to their child’s health, allergies, disabilities or learning difficulties.
Additional factors: Some year groups are oversubscribed. If we have to decide between two or more candidates who meet our admission requirements after all appropriate allowances and special consideration have been given, we may give preference to:-
- A candidate who already has a brother/sister in the school or whose parent is a former pupil here
- A candidate who has been registered for longer than others
- A candidate with a particular skill, talent or aptitude
Registration
Pupils will be considered as candidates for admission and entry to the School when the Registration Form has been completed and returned to us and the non-returnable registration fee paid. Admission and entry will be subject to the availability of a place and the pupil satisfying the admission requirements at the time. The School operates an equal opportunities policy.
Offer of a Place and Deposit/s
If, in due course, a place is offered, the deposit/s will be payable when parents accept the offer. Details of deposits are set out in the Fees List as varied from time to time. The Acceptance Deposit will be repaid by means of credit without interest to the final payment of fees or other sums due to the School on leaving. Until credited it will form part of the general funds of the School.
Moving to the Senior School
A pupil who is moving from the Junior School to the Senior School will be expected to show the ability, attitude and motivation to do so.
A Level Courses
It is assumed that a pupil will continue into the Sixth Form (and parents must in every case give a term’s notice if that is not the pupil’s and their intention) unless the pupil has been unable to satisfy the Sixth Form entry requirements.
We expect pupils moving into the Sixth Form to achieve at least five B grades at GCSE level, with B grades in the subjects they wish to study at AS level.
We also expect pupils progressing to the Upper Sixth to achieve at least D grades at AS level in subjects they wish to study at A2 level.
