Admission FAQ

Admissions

Our Main School Admission year is Year 7 (day and boarding). Applications for entry in September 2024 close on 31st October 2023.

Image of 2 male pupils sat on deckchairs in the quad

We do not have feeder schools and anyone is free to apply for a place at the College, irrespective of their current school.

Our admission number at Year 7 is 64 day places and 24 boarding places. We no longer have a formal entry into Year 9, however, we do have spaces available in boarding. Contact admissions@holyportcollege.org.uk to find out about availability in boarding beyond Year 7.

FAQs

If you have any questions about our admissions process please check our Frequently Asked Questions as you may find the answer here.

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How Do I Apply For Year 7 Entry?

DAY PLACES:
If you live within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, you can apply via the online admissions portal on the RBWM website, using the Common Application Form (CAF). You must make sure Holyport College is named as one of your six secondary school preferences. You can still apply for a Year 7 day place if you live outside of RBWM but the application must be made via your home local authority, naming Holyport College as one of your six secondary school preferences.

BOARDING PLACES:
If you live in England and are applying for a Year 7 boarding place, you must complete our Boarding Application Form, which can be found on the Admission Forms page of our website. In addition to this, you must also complete your home Local Authority Common Application Form (CAF). This can be done online or you can request a paper copy of the CAF. We cannot consider your application if you do not do complete a CAF. This does not apply if you live in the rest of the UK or overseas.

All pupils whose parents have returned an application for a boarding place will be invited to attend an interview in the autumn term to assess their suitability for boarding at the College. We will also obtain a reference from their current school to complete our assessment. You will be informed if your child is suitable to board by the end of the Autumn term. Any child found not suitable to board will have the Holyport College Boarding preference removed from their Common Application Form. Suitability to Board is not the offer of a place – places will be allocated by RBWM in accordance with our Admissions Policy and successful applicants will be notified directly by their local authority on 1st March. Applicants from outside of England will be informed of the outcome of their application directly by the College on 1st March.

BOTH DAY AND BOARDING PLACES:
You can apply for both a day and a boarding place in order of preference. This will count as two separate secondary school preferences on your Common Application Form and will be listed as Holyport College Day and Holyport College Boarding.  Please bear in mind before applying that if you are allocated a boarding place you will be expected to take up this place; your local authority will not be required to find an alternative school if you change your mind.

How Do I Apply For Year 9 Entry?

BOARDING PLACES:
If you are applying for a Year 9 boarding place, you must complete our Boarding Application Form, which can be found on the Admission Forms page of our website. All pupils whose parents have returned an application for a boarding place will be invited to attend an interview in the autumn term to assess their suitability for boarding at the College. We will also obtain a reference from their current school to complete our assessment. You will be informed if your child is suitable to board by the end of the Autumn term. Any child found not suitable to board will have the Holyport College Boarding preference removed from their Common Application Form. Suitability to Board is not the offer of a place – places will be allocated by Holyport College in accordance with our Admissions Policy and successful applicants will be notified by the College on 1st December. Second round offers for any places remaining after the first allocation will be made after 15th December.

What Is The Admissions Process For In-Year Transfers (Joining Holyport College In Year 8, Year 10 Or Transferring Into The Current Year 7 Or Year 9)?

Applying to join Holyport College at any other time except the beginning of Year 7 and Year 9 is an in-year transfer. We are currently full in all year groups but if any spaces become available, they will be filled immediately from the waiting list.

To join the waiting list for a day place, you need to complete an in-year transfer form, available on request by emailing admissions@holyportcollege.org.uk

To join the boarding waiting list, please complete our main school in-year boarding application form.

Our waiting lists are ordered in accordance with our admissions policy, not who has been on the list for the longest. A child’s place on the waiting list can change at any time. We cannot accept in-year transfer applications after the Spring term of Year 10.

What Is The Catchment Area For Holyport College?

Our designated catchment follows the Bray Parish boundary (please see our Admissions Policy for further details).

For all year groups, after priority places have been allocated, both day and boarding places are allocated based on geographical proximity (straight-line distance) to the College.

How Are Places Allocated?

Our Admissions Policy explains in detail how our places are allocated.

If I Make Holyport College My First Choice And Am Unsuccessful, Will I Have Less Chance Gaining A Place At Another School?

Absolutely not.  All preferences are treated equally and the order of preferences is only considered when a pupil is eligible for more than one place.  In these cases, RBWM will offer the highest ranked preference. If applicants place Holyport College as their first preferred school and they are unsuccessful, their remaining preferences will not be affected.  ‘First preference first’ is specifically banned by the Admission Regulations as a means of resolving oversubscription.

What Is The Appeals Timetable?

The School Admission Appeals Timetable can be found here:
School admissions appeal timetable

Are There Fees For Attending As A Day Pupil?

No.  Funding for the education of your child is made directly by the Department for Education.  

Is Holyport College Selective?

No. Holyport College has an inclusive admissions policy and is not selective on academic ability. This does not apply to Sixth Form applications.

Why Are There Priority Places For Some Children?

Like any state maintained school, Holyport College has a number of criteria in its admissions arrangements that give priority to certain children in the event of the College being oversubscribed. These include children who are in care or looked after (all schools must have this as a top priority). Also, children whose statement of special educational needs (SEN) names a particular school will be admitted.

Do You Accept International Applications For Boarding Places?

Admission to State Boarding Schools in the UK is limited to children who are nationals of the UK and are eligible to hold a full UK passport, or those who have the right of residence in the UK. Please note that the holding of a BN(O) passport does not make the child eligible for a State Boarding School in the UK.

Do You Allow Weekly Boarding?

Children can be collected at the end of the school day on a Friday and return on the Sunday evening. Please note there is no reduction in fees for weekly boarding.

How Much Does Boarding Cost?

Our fee for the academic year 2023/2024 is £16,158. Fees are payable in advance of the start of each term.

Do You Offer Any Bursary Boarding Places?

Each year Holyport College hopes to offer a number of boarding bursaries across Year 7 and Year 9, including one targeted at a child from any military family not entitled to financial support from the Ministry of Defence and children from low-income families who would be expected to thrive in a boarding environment.

Decisions on allocation of these places will be made by the Bursary Committee of the Governing Body, and will include close consultation with and reports from the child’s current school in an assessment of capacity to benefit from boarding provision at Holyport College. We will work closely with students, parents and staff to ensure that all boarding admissions represent the right decision for all parties. The cost of these bursaries will be funded by Holyport College and external sources. See appendix 1 of our Admissions Policy for more information.

Parents or carers who wish to apply for a bursary funded boarding place should complete our bursary application form before the application deadline and email any supplementary information which will be helpful to us. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide as much information as they deem necessary for us to assess the merits of the application.

Bursary applications and all supporting documentation must be received by the College before 31st October the year before entry at Year 7 or Year 9. We cannot consider bursary applications for any other year group and we cannot consider applications or documentation received after the closing date.

Do You Have A Waiting List?

Yes, we hold waiting lists for both day and boarding places. If your application for a place at Holyport College is unsuccessful you can request to join our waiting list. Places from the waiting list will be allocated strictly in accordance with our admissions policy. A child must be resident in the UK to join the waiting list for a day place.

An international application can be made to join the boarding waiting list, but any available places will be allocated in accordance with our admissions policy, therefore children on the waiting list living closer to the College will get priority.

Need more info?

If you have any further questions please contact us:

Main School Admissions: admissions@holyportcollege.org.uk
Sixth Form Admissions: 6thformadmissions@holyportcollege.org.uk