Here’s a helpful guide on how to apply to Orchard House School. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything at all, please call us on 020 8742 8544.
Step 1Register your Child
To apply for a place, you’ll first need to register your child with us via this form. We will then add your child to the waiting list for the relevant year group and email you to confirm. We encourage parents to register their child as soon as possible after birth, to give them the best chance of receiving an offer.
Step 2Visit Us
Once you’ve registered, we’d love to host you for a visit to the school and a meeting with the Headmaster to learn more about life at Orchard House. This can be organised with the Admissions department at a time that suits you. Please email us on registrar@orchardhs.org.uk to arrange a tour.
PATHWAY TO SENIOR SCHOOLReceive your offer
Offers for places at Orchard House are sent out approximately 18 months before the child is due to start in the school, usually the Spring of the year before they join us. Priority is given to siblings of current students and students who join us from Dukes Education nurseries or schools, and are then made in order of registration.
We will email you to inform you if your child has been offered a place in either Nursery or Reception, with a parent contract and acceptance form for you to sign and return. If an offer isn’t received in the first instance, we will always keep your child’s name on the waiting list to be offered a place if one becomes available in future.
STEP 4Accepting your offer
To accept your child’s place, you will need to sign and return the acceptance form, provide a copy of your child’s passport, and pay a deposit of £3,000 directly into the school’s account. This deposit will be refunded when your child leaves the school. For full T&Cs, please see our Admissions Policy.
Occasional Places
Joining us in Year 1 or above
If you wish for your child to join further up the school, please contact us to find out whether a place is available in the relevant year group. If it is, the school will then invite your child to undertake an assessment to establish your child’s level of attainment (focusing on Mathematics and English) to determine whether your child will be a good fit for the class and will be able to fully access the curriculum. For younger children, the assessment is more about whether your child will fit with the existing class than academic attainment.
The process is the same as above – registration followed by an offer being made via email. We will usually request the child’s latest school report from their current school, alongside an assessment if we feel this is necessary.
All offers for occasional places are dependent on availability and at the discretion of the Headmaster.
International Families
Joining us from abroad
If you are joining us from abroad, we are required to check the child’s right to reside in the UK before we can confirm a place at the school. If your child has a UK passport, a copy of this will be sufficient.
If your child does not have a UK passport, you’ll need to provide a copy of your child’s passport, and also provide either evidence of your child’s settled/ pre-settled status (for EU nationals living in the UK before 1 January 2021) or evidence of your child’s right to reside in the UK (visa/BRP for all other nationalities).
If your child holds a visa/BRP (Biometric Residence Permit), please provide the school with a copy of the passport, visa, entry vignette or current valid BRP (both sides of the card) for both the dependent child and parents. For full details about our admissions process and policy, please click here.