How to apply to Highfield Prep
Highfield Prep School is one of North Yorkshire’s leading independent Prep Schools for boys and girls aged 4-11 years.
Many children join us at the age of 4 and we admit around 30 children each year into our two Reception Classes. Children join us from a wide range of nursery and pre-school settings across Harrogate and the surrounding area, as well as from our associated Highfield Pre-School.
We also have lots of children who join us throughout the year in other year groups as families move into the area, or choose to move schools for other reasons.
We aim to make the process of joining Highfield a very personal experience as we understand that every child and every family has individual needs. We do have a number of Open Mornings and Information Evenings throughout the year, which are a great way of having a first look at our school, however we do recommend that you follow this up with a personal visit.
Here’s an overview of the process of applying to Highfield:
- Parent Visit : We normally recommend a personal visit with James Savile, Head of Highfield, as a first step. This is a great way to start to understand Highfield and what makes us so unique.
- Registration : Once you’ve visited, we’ll normally ask you to complete a Registration Form to confirm that you would like to proceed with your application. (For entry into our Reception Classes, we normally recommend registering during the Autumn Term of the year prior to your child starting school).
- Experience Days : As a next step, we typically like to invite your child to come in and spend some time with us, this might be a couple of hours, half a day or a full day, depending on the age of your child. We also like to see a copy of your child’s latest school report (where relevant) at this stage. If you’re looking for a place for your child to join us in Prep 2 onwards, we’ll also ask them to complete a short literacy and numeracy assessment as part of their time with us, just to help us get a little better understanding of their current development. We know that might sound a little daunting for young children, but please don’t worry, it will be based on the type of things they’re already doing on a day to day basis at school.
- Offer : Once we’ve met your child, we’ll normally aim to confirm if your application has been successful and make an offer as soon as possible, normally within a week. (Reception Class offers will normally be made by the end of the Autumn Term in the year prior to starting school).
- Acceptance : To accept your place, we’ll simply ask you to complete an Acceptance Form and return your deposit.
- Transition : For children joining our Reception Classes we have a formal transition process in place including a Welcome Supper for parents and a Welcome Day for pupils during the Summer Term. For children joining other year groups, we are happy to arrange an individual transition session. Whatever year group and whatever time of year, we aim to ensure that by the time you join us, you and your child will already feel part of our amazing Highfield community.
To find out more about applying to join Highfield Prep School, or to arrange a personal visit, please contact our Admissions Team on 01423 537045 or email admissions@hlc.org.uk. Alternatively, please feel free to complete the form below.