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Admissions Welcome
At St Michael’s Prep School we ensure that the admissions process is a happy and positive experience.
Choosing the right educational path for your child is often overwhelming. The Admissions Team at St Michael’s will guide you through the whole process from beginning to end and are always available to answer any questions that you or your child may have.
Prospective parents are very welcome to visit St Michael’s Prep and experience our happy, inspirational, initiative and harmonious community. Pre-booked individual tours are available on mornings during the week or you can attend one of our two Open Mornings each year.
We hope you find everything you require on our website, but please do not hesitate to contact us with additional queries. We would be delighted to hear from you.
International Parents
International parents who are unable to visit us are welcome to book a virtual meeting with our Head, Nik Pears, Head of Pre-Prep, Zerrin Leech, and Director of Admissions and Marketing, Jane Thornton.
We also suggest that you look at our Instagram, YouTube and Facebook pages, which are an excellent indication of everyday life at St Michael’s. There is also a virtual tour of our school which you can watch here.
Who to Contact
Jane Thornton - Director of Admissions and Marketing
jthornton@stmichaels.kent.sch.uk 01959 526042
Prospective Parent Feedback
“Dear Jane,
We would like to thank you for the terrific tour of St Michael’s yesterday. We enjoyed meeting you both, as well as seeing your incredible school.
We were struck by the warmth and kindness of everyone we met; pupils as well as staff. You have fantastic facilities, and we appreciate the time that was taken to show us around. My husband was particularly impressed with the IT education on offer, and we both commented on how pupils were enjoying lessons across the school. We believe in giving our son the right start and instilling in him the joy of learning and satisfaction from achievement. We can see this happening at St Michael’s.
Having spent the past few months visiting a number of schools, and following our tour yesterday, we both agreed St Michael’s as our unanimous choice. We believe St Michael’s would make a great fit for our family.”
Admissions Procedure
The entry points for St Michael’s Prep School are Nursery, Reception and Year 7.
We have availability in other year groups, so please call Jane to find out what places are available or to simply find out more about St Michael’s Prep.
Nursery
40 children are accepted from the September after their second birthday.
Reception
We have 14 additional places in Reception for new joiners.
Year 7
The number of places in Year 7 will vary from year to year.
Parents can contact the Admissions Team to book an individual tour which take place on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings during term time. We also hold two Open Mornings per year during the Autumn and Spring.
Parents can register children from birth for Nursery and Reception where they will be put on a waiting list until the offer of a place is made. Year 7 children can register at any point however, we cannot offer until they have a Taster Day (November onwards). Registration forms will be sent once requested and a £100 registration fee will be charged. Registration does not always guarantee a place.
Taster Days are offered to children from Year 1 upwards, unless the parents of a Reception child would like them to join after the Easter holidays; they would then be required to attend a Taster Day.
Taster Days take place in the child’s current year group. The Taster Day is a normal school day where the children are looked after by buddies.
We are an inclusive school and therefore do not have an entrance exam. We do however observe the children in Pre-Prep (Years 1 and 2) and ask them to complete English and Maths assessments in Prep (Years 3 to 8).
The Director of Admissions will contact you after your child’s Taster Day with feedback from the teachers and if the day has been successful, will offer a place to your child.
Children of all abilities are welcome at St Michael’s Prep School. Our only requirement is that they are eager to learn and respectful of others.
Occasionally, we meet a child who needs specialist teachers, a different pupil/teacher ratio or facilities that we are unable to provide. St Michael’s Prep has a long history of successfully making adjustments for pupils’ needs, however, the Head reserves the right to not accept for any of the above reasons as this is in the best interest of the child. This policy will not be applied in any way that breaches any obligations that we may have under the Equality Act 2010.
Should there be any concerns about your child after a Taster Day, you will be invited to discuss these with the Head or Head of Pre-Prep and your child may be invited to attend a second visit.
If appropriate, the Head of Learning Development will be asked to assist with any further assessment and discussion. In such instances, a conditional offer may be made. Once an offer has been made, you will be asked to complete the offer paperwork and make a deposit of £500 which you will re-acquire when your child leaves St Michael’s Prep School. Your child will then join us in June for a Move-Up Morning where all the children meet their new teacher and have a day of lessons in their new classrooms.
We do not accept Nursery vouchers.
In Reception we have settling sessions in the summer term (Trinity Term) and in Nursery in the winter term (Michaelmas Term).
A sibling discount of 10% will be offered to the fourth child of a family who attends St Michael’s Prep School. This sibling discount will continue to be applied for all subsequent children providing a minimum of four children are attending the school at the same time.