Admissions Enquiries
Please contact our Registrar for more information by emailing admissions@orwellpark.org or calling 01473 653224.
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Admissions Process
1. Enquiry
Deciding on the right school for your child can feel daunting but we are confident that having spoken to our Admissions Team you will be more equipped to navigate this process. Orwell Park School welcomes children with a range of talents and abilities, to enquire about a place for your son or daughter please contact our Admissions Team either by emailing admissions@orwellpark.org or calling 01473 653224.
2. Visiting the School
When you visit Orwell Park you will be met by our Headmaster, Guy Musson. You will be given a full tour of the School and also a chance to meet teachers and see pupils at work and at play. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and to discuss your son or daughter. Please allow an hour and a half for the tour. Ahead of any visit to Orwell Park the Admissions Team will ask you to complete our Registration Form and to electronically provide a recent school report as evidence of your child's current progress.
3. Taster Day
Following your visit to the School the Admissions Team will contact you to schedule a Taster Day (or a Taster Morning, depending on age) for your child. This is a fantastic opportunity for your son or daughter to meet current pupils and teachers and to see the School in action. We make every effort to ensure your child visits us on a day that is most suited to their passions so that they feel comfortable and confident from the off. They will be assigned a buddy. Where possible we will put your child into the class or tutor group they would join upon starting Orwell Park.
As part of the Taster Day we will ask your child (Year 3 and above) to sit a very simple and age appropriate assessment in English and Maths and they will attend a conversational style interview with Mrs Alex Kemsley, our Deputy Head Academic. It is important to highlight that our academic approach is ambitious but also inclusive. We ask for the assessment to be sat so that we can better understand each child’s abilities and place them into the correct sets. There is nothing that needs to be prepared in advance and there is no element of being able to ‘fail’ the assessment.
Prior to attending the Taster Day we ask that the non-refundable Registration Fee of £100 (£150 for overseas pupils) is settled and a Taster Day Form is completed to provide us with medical information, emergency contact details and permissions.
4. International Pupils
For children applying for a place at the School from abroad a conversational style Zoom call is arranged in place of the visit and the Taster Day. This is an opportunity for both parents and pupils to ask any questions they may have and also for our Headmaster, Mr Musson, to get to know the family making the application. Following this, and before an offer is made, we ask that assessments are sat remotely, ideally under exam conditions, and return to us for marking. Orwell Park School works with Newland Chase for all immigration matters relating to visas and we hold a Tier 4 licence.
5. Admissions Criteria
Orwell Park welcomes all pupils regardless of background, religion or ethnicity. Every reasonable effort will be made by our Learning Enrichment Department to accommodate pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities so that they are not disadvantaged in accessing the curriculum. In a minority of cases, parents may be advised that the School may not be able to meet an individual childʼs specific needs.
6. Offer
Following a successful Taster Day a member of the Admissions Team will be in touch to discuss feedback and to confirm that a place will be offered to your child and to agree the terms of this entry. The offer of a place to Orwell Park School will always be made in writing by the Headmaster and be sent from the admissions office. A deposit of £500 (£750 for overseas pupils) is required to confirm the place. This deposit will be refunded less any disbursements incurred when a pupil leaves the School.
7. Onboarding
Onboarding is a really important part of the admissions process and ensures that parents and guardians have all the necessary information to prepare their child for joining Orwell Park, including an introduction to their class teacher or tutor. It also allows us to gather vital information about your child and ensure we are ready to receive them on their first day.
8. Welcome
A member of the Admissions Team will meet you and your child on your first day of school along with their buddy. Once your child is settled into their classroom a collection time and location will be agreed and you will be offered a welfare update on your child via phone or email that morning. Becoming part of the Orwell Park family is something very special and we can’t wait to welcome you into our community.
Senior Schools
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Benenden School | 2
Clifton College | 1
Dauntsey's School | 1
Eton College | 3
Framlingham College | 1
Gresham's School | 4
Harrow School | 2
Ipswich School | 3
King's School | 1
Marlborough College | 1
Milton Abbey School | 1
Oundle School | 3
Reddam House | 1
Royal Hospital School | 2
Sedbergh School | 1
Sevenoaks School | 1
St Joseph's College | 1
The Leys School | 2
Tonbridge School | 1
Uppingham School | 7
Wellington College | 2
Woodbridge School | 1
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Ampleforth, Benenden, Brighton College, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Eastbourne College, Framlingham College, Gresham’s, Harrow, Ipswich, Ipswich High, King’s Canterbury, King’s Ely, King’s Worcester, Marlborough, Norwich, Oundle, Queen Ethelburga’s, RHS, Rugby, Stowe, The Leys, Uppingham, Westminster
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Ampleforth, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Dauntsey's, Downe House, Framlingham, Gresham's, Harrow, Ipswich, King's Canterbury, King's Ely, Marlborough, Oakham, Oundle, Royal Hospital School, Sedbergh, Shrewsbury, Stowe, Tudor Hall, Uppingham, Winchester, Woodbridge
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Gresham's, Ipswich, Langley, Malvern, Oundle, Radley, Repton, Royal Hospital School, Sedbergh, The Leys, The Perse, Uppingham, Wellington
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Eton, Gresham's, Harrow, Ipswich, James Allen's, King's School Canterbury, Millfield, Oakham, Oundle, Royal Hospital School, Rugby, Sainte Ursule Paris, The Leys, Uppingham
