Admissions

The Principal, together with the Heads of The Junior and Senior School and the Registrar, are responsible for admissions.

Admission entry points

The Junior and Senior School accepts applications for all year groups at any time of the year. The School takes the applicant’s age before the 1st of September to determine qualification for entry at:

Early Years 2: 3 years old
Early Years 3: 4 years old
Reception: 5 years old
Year 1: 6 years old
Year 7: 11/12 years old

Any deviation from the above age groups is considered only if an applicant is transferring from a different educational system in order to ensure continuity or for particular academic reasons. Written permission from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports may be required for a placement in a chronological age group other than the one specified in the official guidelines.

Applications are accepted for entry point at non-standard entry points at any year group depending on availability and on the relevant admission criteria for the respective year group as indicated below.

Application Process

The school admits 96 children in each year group with four form groups of maximum 24. However, in Early Years 2 we admit 40 children (two form groups of maximum 20) and in Early Years 3 we admit 72 children (three form groups of maximum 24).

Applicants will be considered as candidates for admission when the application form has been completed and returned to the school along with the relevant documentation and the (non-refundable) registration fee.

Due to high demand, early submission of application forms is advisable. Families with siblings are advised to apply (for Early Years and Reception) by June 30th of the academic year preceding the applicant’s proposed entry into the school.

In Year 7, applications need to be submitted at least 1 week before the entrance examination.

Assessment Criteria

Admission to The Junior and Senior School is based on the below:

Early Years 2, 3 and Reception:

Applicants are invited to an interview with an Early Years member of staff during the Autumn term of the academic year preceding the proposed entry into the school. A range of activities and tasks is undertaken in order to provide a comprehensive profile of attainment and aptitude. The areas assessed are social, fine motor and language skills. The assessment takes place in a warm and relaxed atmosphere to avoid any anxiety. A report from the applicant’s school at the time of application is also required, with comments on academic and social development. A selection committee (consisting of members of staff and Senior Leadership Team) convenes to decide on offers of a place.

Years 1-6

Assessments for admission are conducted on an individual basis and include an interview and an assessment in English, Mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. A report from the applicant’s school at the time of application and a school reference are also required.

Year 7

Children in Year 6 already attending our school have priority for Year 7 places if they:

have successfully completed the Year 6 programme (and satisfy the requirements as set in Year 4/5 for good conduct).
have applied at least one week before the deadline date for external candidates in the academic year preceding the proposed entry into the Senior School
have no pending fees
complete payment of the acceptance fee.

External candidates are required to take the entrance examination, which is usually held towards the end of March preceding the proposed year of entry within the period set by the Ministry of Education.

The entrance examination has a duration of 2 hours and is computer based. The assessment consists of three main parts:

English Literacy
Quantitative Reasoning
Non-Verbal Reasoning

Preparatory sessions are offered and details on the costs and exact dates are provided each year on the School website.

Years 8 and 9

Assessments for admission are conducted on an individual basis and include an interview and an assessment in English, Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning. A report from the applicant’s school at the time of application and a school reference are also requested.

Years 10 and 11

Assessments for admission are conducted on an individual basis and include an interview and an assessment in English, Mathematics, Science and Non-Verbal Reasoning. A report from the applicant’s school at the time of application and a school reference are also requested.

Year 12

Transfer after GCSE from Year 11 to the Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13) is not automatic and is dependent upon obtaining the required grades (9 to 5) at (I)GCSE in five subjects including Mathematics and English Language plus the minimum grades required by the Senior School to study their chosen options at A Level. Transfer to the Sixth Form is also dependent on the student’s behavioural record.

External applicants for places in the Sixth Form are required to fulfil our entry criteria of five (I)GCSE subjects with grades A* to C, or equivalent, including Mathematics and English Language plus the minimum grades required by the Senior School to study their chosen options at A Level. A report from the applicant’s school at the time of application is also required, showing the predicted grades for the subjects they will be taking at (I)GCSE Level. If students are transferring from an educational system other than the British system, further assessments for admission may be conducted on an individual basis, including an interview and examinations in the subjects to be taken at A Level.

The offer of a place

Offers of places are made in writing. The School is not obliged to state its reasons for rejection of an applicant, nor will it give out the examination mark obtained. Acceptance of a place offered must be confirmed within two weeks of an offer being made.

If payment has not been made by the deadline date set in the offer letter to internal or external applicants, the School reserves the right to withdraw the offer of a conditional place (and offer this place to another applicant from the waiting list). Should a parent subsequently decide not to take up the place offered after this time the entrance fee is not refundable. The confirmation fee is refunded in whole or in part to offset the genuine estimate by the School of the loss it will suffer by the parents failing to honour the contract with the School, and only when the place has been taken by another applicant.

Deferred entry

Parents/guardians of applicants who have been offered a place at the School and wish to defer entry must put this in writing to the Principal at the earliest opportunity and at least one month before the start of the Autumn term.

Applicants from overseas

The Junior and Senior School welcomes applications from overseas applicants. The submission of an application form should be accompanied by the latest available school report, sent electronically, with the remaining documentation submitted upon arrival to Cyprus prior to the entrance examination.

Over subscription criteria

If the school is oversubscribed the applicant is placed on a waiting list (in order of date of application) and places will be allocated according to availability, with priority given to those with siblings already at the School and taking any assessment into consideration (see above for procedure regarding Year 7 entry).

In cases of children of embassy staff

The school reserves, pending availability, one place in each year group (from Year 1 upwards) for children of overseas embassy staff until May 1st of the academic year preceding the applicants’ proposed entry into the school. If these places are not claimed, they are offered to applicants on the waiting list.

Children with Special Educational Needs/English as an Additional Language

Applications are accepted from children with Special Educational Needs as we are an inclusive school. It is, however, a prerequisite that all external candidates pass the entrance exams set by the school before they are offered a place at The Junior & Senior School. Special provision and accommodations will be made for the Entrance Exam if we have proof of prior provision from a previous school or an educational psychologist report completed and signed by a registered psychologist. However, the school reserves the right to refuse admission to a child with SEN if we consider the needs to be so severe that they go beyond our ability to support that child academically, physically, socially and/or financially. Similarly, we welcome children with English as an Additional Language and will support their integration fully.

Any SEN, EAL or medical needs must be declared on the application form. If any information is not disclosed and the school subsequently establishes that the condition was previously known, we reserve the right to ask the parents/carers to withdraw the child. While recognising and fully supporting parents’ rights to have a school of their choice for their children, the school’s ability to accept children with particular needs is dependent on the supply of resources suitable to the needs of the individual student. Where the school deems that further resources are required, it will, prior to enrolment, request the parents/carers to provide the resources required to meet the needs of the child as outlined in the psychological or medical report. The school will meet with the parents of the child to discuss the child’s needs and the school’s suitability or capability in meeting those needs.

Contact our Registrar for further details.