Admissions

The Aldenham School Admissions Process

Aldenham is an all-round selective school with entry at 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) and

16+ (Year 12). We also consider pupils into other year groups if space allows.

International Students

Aldenham welcomes International students and is a fantastic location and environment to live and go to school in England.

Fees

Aldenham has a clear and transparent Fees Schedule. Find out more here.

Scholarship and Bursaries

Aldenham offers scholarships and means tested bursaries (financial assistance).

START THE APPLICATION PROCESS TODAY

What is your child’s date of birth ?

Day

Month

Year

Applying For A Place!

We aim to make our admissions process as smooth as possible for prospective families. If you have any questions at any stage of the process, do contact our Admissions Team.

Entry for 11+
Entry for 13+
Entry for 16+
Other

Your child could join us in

We recommend that parents considering Aldenham for their child at 11+ (Year 7) should register no earlier than the summer term of their child’s Year 5, and no later than of their child’s Year 6.

Entrance examinations take place at the end of November or the start of December in the child’s Year 6. We like to interview the children with the parents present to ensure that we will be the right school, and we will ask for a confidential reference and recent school report from the child’s current school.

Year 5 (Two Years Before Entry)
Parents should book a tour of the school with their child and attend an Open Morning. Consideration should be given to whether any boarding or flexi-boarding would be a valuable option, as this will need to be indicated at Registration. Children should be Formally Registered, ideally before the end of the summer term of Year 5.
Year 6 (One Year Before Entry)
If this has not already been done, parents should book a tour of Aldenham with their child and attend the October Open Morning. Children will need to be Formally Registered at the latest by mid-November. A confidential reference will then be requested from the child’s current school. The child is invited for interview with the parents present. These normally have taken place before the entrance examination, but later applications may need to be interviewed after the examination has taken place (assuming that there has been satisfactory performance). Scholarship assessments take place in the Christmas Term of the child’s Year 6.
Entry Assessment
Entrance examinations are online and take place in the child’s current school, so that it is a familiar environment and reduces unnecessary stress. If the school is unable to facilitate this, some sessions are run at Aldenham to enable the child to take the examination. To find out more about the examination itself, and to see some sample questions – please click here to read the Parent FAQs. Aldenham takes into account the result and ranking in the entrance examination, but also the interview and the reference and report from the current school. Aldenham is looking for well-rounded children who will contribute to the many and varied activities available, in addition to having high academic expectations
Offer of a Place
Offers will be made to successful candidates and acceptances must be confirmed in the March of the Child’s Year 6, along with a deposit to secure the place. Receipt of the entrance deposit guarantees a place in the School.

Your child could join us in

We recommend that parents considering Aldenham for their child at 13+ (Year 9) should register no earlier than the summer term of their child’s Year 6, and no later than <closing date> of their child’s Year 7.

Entrance examinations take place at the start of January in the child’s Year 7. We like to interview the children with their parents present to ensure that we will be the right school, and we will ask for a confidential reference and recent school report from the child’s current school.

Year 6 (Three Years Before Entry)
Parents should book a tour of the school with their child and attend an Open Morning. Consideration should be given to whether any boarding or flexi-boarding would be a valuable option, as this will need to be indicated at Registration. Children should be Formally Registered, ideally before the end of the summer term of Year 6.
Year 7 (Two Years Before Entry)
If this has not already been done, parents should book a tour of Aldenham with their child and attend the October Open Morning. Children will need to be Formally Registered at the latest by mid-November. A confidential reference will then be requested from the child’s current school. Children are invited for interview with their parents present. In the January of the child’s Year 7, the entrance examination takes place. Any scholarship assessments for 13+ entry will take place in the Christmas term of the Child’s Year 8.
Entry Assessment
Entrance examinations are online and take place at Aldenham. To find out more about the examination itself, and to see some sample questions – please click here to read the Parent FAQs. Aldenham takes into account the result and ranking in the entrance examination, but also the interview and the reference and report from the current school. Aldenham is looking for well-rounded children who will contribute to the many and varied activities available, in addition to having high academic expectations.
Offer of a Place
Offers will be made to successful candidates and acceptances must be confirmed in the March of the Child’s Year 7, along with a deposit to secure the place. Any subsequent scholarship offers will be confirmed in the Year 8 after assessment at that stage. Please note that choosing to wait for confirmation of any potential scholarship risks losing the place in the school. Receipt of the entrance deposit guarantees a place in the School in the September of Year 9. The only exception here would be if the current school updates Aldenham with a changed reference nearer the start time to let us know that the child is no longer suitable for a place at Aldenham. If this is the case, Aldenham would return the deposit.

Your child could join us in

We recommend that parents considering Aldenham for their child at 16+ (Year 12) should register no earlier than the summer term of their child’s Year 10, and no later than the end of the Spring Term of their child’s Year 11.

We like to interview the child to ensure that we will be the right school, and we will ask for a confidential reference and recent school report from their current school. If the child is sitting GCSEs or IGCSEs, we ask for predicted grades. If the child is not sitting GCSEs or IGCSEs, we ask them to sit an online entrance examination, which aids us in our decision making.

Year 10 (Two Years Before Entry)
Parents should book a tour of the school with their child and attend the Summer Open Morning. Consideration should be given to whether any boarding or flexi-boarding would be a valuable option, as this will need to be indicated at Registration. Children should be Formally Registered, ideally by the end of the Christmas term of Year 11.
Year 11 (One Year Before Entry)
If this has not already been done, parents should book a tour of Aldenham with their child and attend the 6th Form Open Evening in September. They should also attend the October Open Morning which will showcase the whole school if they have not attended the previous summer. Children will need to be Formally Registered at the latest by the end of the Spring Term. A confidential reference will be requested from the candidate’s current school. The child is invited for interview in person (or online for overseas candidates).
Entry Assessment
Entrance examinations for candidates not sitting GCSEs or IGCSEs are online and take place at the child’s current school, or in a British Council Office, if overseas. If this is impossible to arrange, candidates will have to travel to Aldenham to sit this test. To find out more about the examination itself, and to see some sample questions – please click here to read the Parent FAQs. Aldenham is looking for well-rounded children who will contribute to the many and varied activities available, in addition to having high academic expectations. The interview explores this, but also considers which A Level subjects the child would be interested in taking. It is important to have an idea, as not all combinations are advised or possible. It is also the case that some subject blocks fill faster than others.
Offer of a Place
Offers will be made to successful candidates on an ongoing basis, so delayed applications run the risk of all places being allocated already. Acceptances must be confirmed in a three week window after offer, along with a deposit to secure the place. Receipt of the entrance deposit guarantees a place in the School in the September of Year 12. The only exception here would be if the current school updates Aldenham with a changed reference nearer the start time to let us know that the child is no longer suitable for a place at Aldenham, or if the GCSEs and IGCSEs drop considerably from the predictions. If this is the case, Aldenham would discuss this with the family to ensure that the right decision is made for the child. If Aldenham is no longer appropriate, the deposit would be returned.

Your child could join us in

If you were hoping to join Aldenham at a non-standard entry point (such as Year 8, 10, 11 or 13), or wish to join during an academic year, please contact admissions@aldenham.com. Spaces do become available, but cannot be guaranteed, so it is important to discuss with the Admissions team before completing the Registration Form.

FORMALLY REGISTER NOW

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Joining Aldenham From Outside The United Kingdom

Our school has a proud and enduring history of educating students from around the globe. International pupils significantly enrich our community’s diversity and vibrancy. We warmly welcome applications from overseas full boarders starting from Year 9.

LEARN MORE Joining Aldenham From Outside The United Kingdom

FEES

What Are The Aldenham Fees?

Aldenham is an independent school with a board of governors who set the annual fee levels. Established by Richard Platt in 1597, Aldenham School operates as a charity (no. 298140) and reinvests any surplus funds back into the school. This commitment ensures that future generations of Aldenhamians enjoy the same exceptional British education that has been provided for over four centuries.

LEARN MORE What Are The Aldenham Fees?

SCHOLARSHIP AND BURSARIES

Scholarship Awards and Financial Assistance

Scholarships are awarded for Academic excellence, and also excellent in Sport, Music, Drama, Art, Design & Technology. It is also possible to apply for a means tested bursary (financial assistance).

LEARN MORE Scholarship Awards and Financial Assistance

EXPRESS INTEREST

The Aldenham School Admissions Process

International Students

Fees

Scholarship and Bursaries

What is your child’s date of birth ?

Applying For A Place!

Your child could join us in

Year 5 (Two Years Before Entry)

Year 6 (One Year Before Entry)

Entry Assessment

Offer of a Place

Your child could join us in

Year 6 (Three Years Before Entry)

Year 7 (Two Years Before Entry)

Entry Assessment

Offer of a Place

Your child could join us in

Year 10 (Two Years Before Entry)

Year 11 (One Year Before Entry)

Entry Assessment

Offer of a Place

Your child could join us in

Joining Aldenham From Outside The United Kingdom

What Are The Aldenham Fees?

Scholarship Awards and Financial Assistance

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