Entry Procedure
All admissions enquiries and applications should be made to the Registrar. A pupil may be registered at any time after birth.
Children normally join Duncombe at the beginning of the term following their second birthday. They embark on a planned programme of education starting in the Early Kindergarten class in Treetops, our Early Years department, and progress through to the end of Year 6 when they leave Duncombe to proceed to a senior school. Classes fill up very quickly and early registration is strongly advised.
Visits
Prospective parents are encouraged to visit Duncombe during a normal school day to see the school in action and to meet the Head. Please contact the Registrar to make an appointment.
Registration
Following a visit, if the parents wish to register their child, the enrolment form should be returned, accompanied by a cheque for £100, being the Registration Fee, made payable to Duncombe School. The registration fee is to cover the cost of administering the registration procedure, including administration of the waiting lists and is not returnable.
The School will then respond either:
by telling parents that the child has been placed on the admission list for a particular term and year, guaranteeing that he or she has a place, or:
by telling parents that the child has been placed on the waiting list for the relevant year group. The school will then be in contact again if a place becomes available at a future date.
The school reserves the right when compiling these lists to give preference to siblings where places are available.
Confirmation of admission
Definite places are confirmed a term prior to entry (for admission at two years old) or following the successful undertaking of the assessment for children over two years. Parents who wish to accept the place offered will be asked to pay a deposit of £250 by a certain date. This deposit will be returned, less any outstanding items, at the end of the pupil's final term in Year 6.
On receipt of the deposit, the school will send parents a Welcome Pack containing the information relating to the admission of their child. For children joining Treetops at two years old, a series of parent and toddler afternoons is held just prior to the date of entry to familiarise the parents and children with the school, the staff and their fellow parents and classmates. If a child is joining Duncombe at a later stage, he or she will be encouraged to make at least one further visit to the class before the date of entry.
If a child is withdrawn after the deposit has been paid, the school reserves the right to charge the first term's fees.
Admission at a later stage
Duncombe is a successful school and most classes are full with waiting lists for places. Vacancies arise occasionally and the Registrar is able to inform parents of the situation in a particular year group.
For entry after the age of two years but before the fifth birthday, the child is invited to spend a morning with the relevant class. The class teacher will informally assess him or her to ensure that he or she will integrate happily. Subject to a successful visit, the offer of a place is then made.
For entry to the Main School (over five years) we invite the child to spend a day with the class they are hoping to join. During the day he or she will complete a formal assessment with one of our individual needs teachers and be informally assessed by the class teacher. Duncombe will also ask for the last two reports from the pupil's current school. The offer (or not) of a place will take place after discussion between the relevant staff and the Headmistress.
