Admission Procedures

Pupils may join the school at any age from 3 to 11 depending upon the availability of places, which can be confirmed on initial enquiry to the Headmaster’s Secretary.

Nursery (Age 3 – 4)

Pupils may join the Nursery class in the term after their third birthday (ie if they are 3 in March, they join at the start of the Summer term in April).

During the term prior to joining your child can sample a day at school as an introduction to life at Truro School Prep. This also gives an opportunity for you as parents to have an informal discussion with the staff of the Pre-Prep. Initially pupils join the Nursery class part-time and may do either full days or mornings only; the exact arrangements can be discussed prior to joining and will depend very much on the individual and the maturity of the child in coping with the academic and social demands of school.

Pre-Prep

Admission to Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes is based on a taster day during which the class teacher will assess the child at an informal level. A report from the child’s current school is invaluable and if joining from another independent school, a report will be sought from the Head teacher, in line with protocol between independent schools.

Prep School

Entry at Years 3,4,5 and 6 is selective and based on tests in English, Mathematics, non-verbal reasoning and a small element of writing. The tests are designed to be done on sight and no specific preparation is required or recommended. Pupils are invited to spend the day at school, usually undertaking the tests in the morning with the Headmaster before joining a class for the rest of the day. A decision is made within 24 hours and communicated at the earliest opportunity to parents.

Every effort is made in all sections of the school to ensure that when a pupil attends for a taster day he or she is put at ease and feels comfortable and relaxed throughout.

FEES SUPPORT

No scholarships are awarded in the Prep School at any age.

Support with fees (bursaries) is in all cases means tested and may be offered:

• to assist current parents who experience sudden, unexpected financial difficulty (offered only on a short-term basis).

• to assist new parents whose children demonstrate strong academic potential, are enthusiastic participants in school life and who would not otherwise be able to take advantage of the opportunities on offer at the school. Support can only be offered up to the end of the Prep School at age 11 and continuation onto Truro would be dependent on the child gaining an assisted place.

We would like to be in a position to help everyone in the expensive business of private education and we are delighted to offer some assistance within the framework outlined above. But the school has virtually no endowment for bursaries, and help has to come from general income. We have to be stringent in order to be fair to all parents and look on the payment of the standard fee as the norm. It would be misleading if we allowed it to be assumed either that anyone has a ‘right’ to a bursary or that fees are negotiable.