Requirements
Entrance to the School
The majority of girls enter the Senior School between the ages of 11 and 13, but girls are accepted at other ages, including the Sixth Form, subject to satisfactory tests. Although the School is normally full there are occasionally places available in all year groups and enquiries are always welcome.
Entrance into the Senior School, whether from the Junior School or from other schools, is by means of the Common Entrance Examination for Independent Schools. This is a qualifying, rather than a competitive, exam aimed at establishing whether a girl is suitable to follow the course that the School offers. Girls are then accepted in the order in which their names appear on our registration list. Early registration is therefore advisable but not essential. We are happy to accept registrations right up to Common Entrance and can often find places for girls at fairly short notice.
Final selection for entry depends upon the availability of places, the date of registration and a considered judgment that your daughter will thrive in the environment that we provide here at St Swithun's. The judgment is based not solely on Common Entrance marks but on the reference provided by the Head of her current school and any other relevant information that we have at our disposal. The papers that girls take vary according to age and full details are available from the School's Admissions Manager or the Independent Schools Examination Board.
Entrance to the Sixth Form
For entrance into the Sixth Form in September 2011, the deadline for applications is Thursday 30th September 2010.Entrance/Scholarship examinations will be held at the School on Friday 5th November 2010 (provisional). Examination papers can be sent overseas for candidates to sit under suitably invigilated conditions; in which case the papers will need to be returned to the School for marking by Friday 5th November 2010 (provisional).
All examination papers will be one hour long. Candidates will take three papers, usually in their nominated A2 subjects, or, if a non-examined A2 subject is proposed, alternatively in their first choice AS subject. The subjects in which examination papers will not be available includes Economics, Politics, History of Art and Art.
Past papers are not available, but the assessment is broadly based on the GCSE specifications.
For candidates invited to take part, Scholarship interviews and additional tests will take place at the School on Thursday 18th November 2010 (provisional).
A confidential report from the candidate's present school will be requested prior to the examination day.
Applicants whose first language is not English and who are unable to attend for assessment, will be required to achieve a score of at least 6.0 in the IELTS exam by the 1st March 2010.