Admissions Process

1. Enquire

Please contact the school directly by completing our enquiry form on this page, emailing admissions@holmwood.house or calling 01206 673750. Lucy Dyson, our Admissions Registrar, will be able to advise if there is space in the year group you are considering for your child. We welcome admissions into all year groups throughout the academic year from Pre-Reception for 3 year olds to Year 9.

2. Register

Following a meeting with the Headmaster, we will invite you to register for a place at Holmwood House, by completing our registration form and transferring the registration fee of £50. The receipt of this places your child on our class list for your chosen point of entry. Payments can be made electronically to Holmwood House Preparatory School: Account number: 43187330, Sort code: 20 58 69, (Reference: child’s name).

For children who are joining Pre-Prep, we would ask for a contact at your child’s current school or nursery, whilst for pupils who are joining the Prep School, we will ask for a recent school report and a reference from your child’s current school.

3. Offer & Place Acceptance

Once we have reviewed the information provided, we will be able to confirm whether we are able to offer a place for your child. Our Admissions Registrar will then send you an offer letter, parental responsibility form, final acceptance form and request for a deposit of £300. Return of this paperwork and deposit completely secures your child’s place at Holmwood. An email confirmation will be sent.

The deposit will be returned to you when your child leaves the school. In the event of the place being accepted and then cancelled in writing prior to entry, the deposit will be retained by the school.

4. Confirmation & Additional Information

A new joiner form will also need to be completed prior to your child’s entry so we can gather contact details, consents, medical information, etc.

1. Enquire

We welcome families for individual visits throughout the year and we also host regular open days. 

Our next open day is at 9.30am Friday 28 February 2025. Please click here to register your attendance.

2. Register

Register for a place and pay the £50 registration fee.

Registered pupils can join us for a Discovery Evening in the autumn or spring term when they can experience what life at Holmwood House is like. Please email admissions@holmwood.house for more details about our next Discovery Evening.

Pupils will be asked to sit an entrance assessment in November/December 2024, completing English and Maths Assessments and will be invited to a an interview with the Head. 

Pupils performing particularly well in the entrance test may be considered for an academic scholarship.

3. Offer & Place Acceptance

Offers of places will be issued by the 13 December 2024. 

Pupils who wish to be considered for a sport or creative arts scholarship should indicate this on their registration form and should submit supporting documents by 29 November 2024. 

Assessments will take place in January/February.

The deadline for the acceptance of places is 7 March 2025.

4. Additional Information

A programme of induction will commence in the summer term.

The detailed timeline for our Year 7 Entry Process for September 2024

In the first instance, we invite you to make an enquiry to receive our prospectus and more information about the school. Our  Admissions Registrar, Lucy Dyson, will then follow up with you and answer any questions you may have.

We believe that a personal visit to the school is invaluable and we very much hope that you will visit us. We hold two Open Mornings for prospective parents each year, one in September and one in March, but prospective parents are welcome to visit at any time throughout the year by contacting the Admissions Registrar to arrange a convenient time.

Discovery Mornings are also offered for potential Reception pupils and their parents once a term on Saturday mornings. These events are an ideal occasion for a first visit to Holmwood House, as they provide a fun and relaxed way to meet the staff and see the facilities.  However, it is also beneficial for those children that are already registered to join the school to attend, as they will have the opportunity to meet other children also joining the school, enabling them to make friends before they start, as well as allowing them to familiarise themselves with their surroundings. Taster mornings are free of charge to attend and open to any children in the age bracket given for each event.  Further details may be found in the admissions section of the school’s website.

The main points of entry are into Preschool, Reception and Year 7, however we admit pupils in to any year group that has available space.

Reception intakes can fill up quickly and so early registration is recommended.  All applications will be considered in the order in which they are received by the school and where a year group is already full, this will determine the child’s position on the waiting list.

(Due to the terms and conditions in the Essex County Council Early Years Education Entitlement contract with EYFS providers, Holmwood House no longer facilitates this funding in the Reception year for children under five. Early Years funding is still possible at the Nursery and in the Pre-Reception but not beyond.)

Admission into other year groups is based on a satisfactory result in an assessment test and taster day in school.  We aim to identify pupils who are able to benefit from our balanced and well rounded education and to make a positive contribution towards the life of the school.  We cater for a wide range of abilities.

Click here for a copy of the School’s admissions policy.

Click here for the most up-to-date terms and conditions.

1. Make an Enquiry

Please contact the Nursery directly by phone, email nurserymanager@homwood.house, or by completing our online enquiry form on this page. Vicki Shreeve or Clare Cutts, Nursery Managers, will be able to advise if there is space for your child. Children can join the Nursery from 6 months and up. Our nursery is very popular, so early registration is advised.

2. Register

Please complete and submit our online registration form, which will be sent to you by the Nursery managers upon receiving your enquiry. The receipt of this places your child on our room lists for your chosen point of entry.

3. Offer & Place Acceptance

We will send you a final acceptance form, parental responsibility form and request for a deposit of £150 (returned to you when your child leaves the  Nursery/School). Return of this contract and deposit secures your child’s place at Holmwood House Nursery. An email confirmation of receipt of these will be sent.

4. Confirmation & Additional Information

A digital new joiner form will also need to be completed prior to your child joining the Nursery so we can gather contact details, consents, medical information etc.

If you choose for your child to transition to our Pre-Reception or Reception class at the school, a Nursery to School transition form will be issued by the school Admissions Registrar and an additional £150 deposit will be payable to secure the school space. This total £300 deposit will be returned to you when your child leaves the school, less any disbursements. If your child leaves the Nursery at any other time, having given the requisite 8 weeks’ notice, your £150 Nursery deposit will be returned, less any disbursements.