WELCOME TO OUR ADMISSIONS PAGE
This section should contain all the information you need about the application process from very first point of contact to eventual enrolment.
Battle Abbey School generally has intake years in Reception, Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12, but we accept candidates at any stage of their educational journey assuming places are available.
Although not academically selective Battle Abbey is selective on character. As a small school built on community, it is essential that not only are we are the right school for you, but that you are part of our community.
This is how we have achieved our remarkable success over the years and our enviable reputation for pastoral care. The culture in the classroom, and the school in general, is critical in maintaining our friendly and supportive environment.
A pupil at a local traditional prep school in year 5 who expresses an interest in the Abbey for Year 9, may attend as many as three experience and immersion days, plus several taster days, prior to joining us. That’s excluding Open Days and personal visits. This is something we actively encourage as not only does it integrate the pupil with their potential cohort in advance, we also get a chance to see how the dynamics in the prospective year group might play out.
A standard application process might look something like this, though we often enrol pupils on short notice, or those who jump in at any stage of the process:
1. Prospectus request/enquiry via website form
2. Attendance at the next Open Day
3. Personal visit to the school during a normal school day
4. Attendance at any one or more of our Year 5, Year 6 or Year 7/8 experience days (depending on age)
5. Formal registration of interest
6. Taster days (usually one, or sometimes two)
7. Attendance at the Entrance Assessment day (November the year before entry)
8. Formal offer of place, including scholarships and bursaries
9. Visit on site uniform shop (or order online)
10. Attend New pupils tea party (just prior to start of term)
11. Start at Battle Abbey School
Whatever your route through the process the first port of call should be our Admissions team who are there to guide you through every step of the process—from your first enquiry to your child’s first day. Whether you’re considering entry in the Prep School, Senior School, Sixth Form, or even as a boarder, we understand that each family’s journey is unique.
We welcome families from the UK and overseas, both day and boarding, and are always happy to discuss individual circumstances, including advice on accessing financial support.
We encourage you to explore our school community, ask questions, and come and see what makes us such a vibrant and well regarded setting to learn and grow.
We look forward to welcoming you at the Abbey!
Battle Abbey is a non-selective mixed ability school and we welcome applications from all pupils, provided they can access the mainstream curriculum.
We have formal entry and assessments procedures for pupils joining the school into Years 7, 9 and 12. Entry into other year groups is very much welcomed if places are available. All applicants are individually assessed prior to offer letters being issued.
ENTRY INTO YEAR 7 & YEAR 9
The formal assessments for entry into Year 7 and Year 9 are held annually in November, though we will always consider pupils outside this time frame if places remain available. Generally speaking, Year 7 candidates sit their assessments in Year 6 and Year 9 candidates in Year 8. Please contact admissions@battleabbeyschool.com for more details.
The entrance assessments are primarily used for setting purposes, and far more onus is put on school reports and the applicant interview with the School Leadership Team than academic results alone. References are always sought from the pupil’s current school and all prospective pupils meet our Headteacher or other member of the Senior Leadership Team prior to places being offered.
SCHOLARSHIPS
As part of the assessment process children who are academically gifted will be considered for an Academic Scholarship awards. We also offer scholarships in Music, Drama, Performing Arts, Art, Sport and Computing.
Scholarships carry a financial benefit of up to 20% of the cost of tuition fees. In addition, we also offer bursaries. Such bursarial support is assessed by an independent third-party. The Admissions team will discuss available scholarships and bursaries with you during the application process.
SIXTH FORM ENTRY
We offer places for Year 12 entry based on a student’s predicted GCSE grades as well as interviews with the Head and/or Leadership Team, as well as the usual references from their current setting.
We encourage interested families to visit our Open Day and Sixth Form Open Event, usually held in Autumn. Please see our Open Day page for more information though you are welcome to visit us at any time by appointment.
We offer Academic, Art, Music, Drama, Performing Arts and Sports scholarships at Sixth Form level (though others may be considered in exceptional circumstances) with top academic scholarship awards being worth up to 20% of the cost of the fees. For more information on our Scholarships including the Joanna Lumley Sixth Form Performing Arts Scholarship please contact the admissions team on admissions@battleabbeyschool.com.
Full information for candidates can be requested from the Admissions Office. As well the as the Sixth Form focused Open Event, interested families are invited to arrange a personal visit to the school and the child can attend one or more taster days.
