Admissions
Admissions - Latest Information
We are now taking registrations for 2025, 2026 and beyond. Please contact the Admissions team via e-mail: admissions@hsaschool.co.uk or telephone 01483 760943 if you have any queries or require further information. Please also see 'Admissions - Frequently Asked Questions' below.
Admissions Policy and Procedure
Deciding on the right school for your child is very important and we believe that a personal visit is invaluable if at all possible.
We very much hope that you and your child will visit Halstead St Andrew’s School. We encourage everyone interested in visiting our school and/or registering with us, to complete the 'Register Your Interest' form. We will then be in touch to organise a personal tour with our Headmaster at your convenience or a video meeting. If you have any questions please contact the Admissions team via e-mail: admissions@hsaschool.co.uk or telephone 01483 760943.
We usually hold three open mornings, one each term, which give a general introduction to the school.
The first point of entry is into the Nursery (age 2). We may also have occasional places at other ages. Please contact the Admissions team for details.
Our admissions policy from Nursery up to Year 1 is non-selective and is operated on a registration basis.
Pupils wishing to enter the school from Year 2 onwards will need to provide their most recent school report for review prior to a place being offered.
Unless confirmed in advance, waiting list places for the forthcoming academic year (September) may be confirmed at the start of the Summer term (April) when occasionally places become available.
Registration
Registrations will be considered in the order they are received, however siblings will be given priority for places. Offers of places are subject to availability and the admission requirements of the school at the time offers are made. A copy of the current edition of the Terms and Conditions will be supplied on request.
If wishing to pursue an interest in the school, parents must send in a Registration Form (Request for a Place on the Waiting List) with a bank transfer for a non-refundable Registration Fee of £100 (Nursery and Pre-school) and £120 (inc VAT) for Reception to Year 11. There is a Registration Form available to download below.
Registration can take place at any time including prior to visiting the school (a Registration Form is enclosed within the prospectus). When a child is registered, his/her name is added to the list for entry in the relevant age group.
Assessment
Pupils applying to enter the school into Year 2 and above need to provide their most recent school report for review prior to a place being offered. On occasion, the school may then ask for an entry assessment.
In order to attend an entry assessment or scholarship exam, the school must be in receipt of a Registration Form and a non-refundable Registration Fee of £100 for Nursery to Pre-School and £120 (inclusive of VAT) for Reception to Year 11.
Acceptance of a Nursery/Pre-School place
On being offered a Nursery place at the school, parents will be provided with the School’s Terms and Conditions and Acceptance Form. Parents must sign and return the Acceptance Form and pay a deposit within 14 days, currently set at £1,000, in order to secure a place at the school. Upon joining, £500 of this deposit is returned on entering Reception. The remaining £500 deposit will be returned after the pupil’s final term at the School, provided that a term’s notice of withdrawal is given.
The deposit will form part of the funds of the school until it is credited to parents, without interest, when their child leaves the school. Deposits are not reimbursed if a pupil leaves whilst in or at the end of Nursery/Pre-School. Registration and Acceptance Forms must be signed by both parents unless a separate arrangement has been made.
Parents will also be sent an electronic copy of the current Parent Handbook. The Parent Handbook contains additional information including an appendix comprising of a number of policies and guidelines.
Acceptance of a Reception to Year 11 place
On being offered a place at the School, parents will be provided with the School’s Terms and Conditions and Acceptance Form. Parents must sign and return the Acceptance Form and pay a deposit within 14 days, currently set at £500, in order to secure a place at the school. This deposit will be deducted from the fees for the pupil’s final term at the school, provided that a term’s notice of withdrawal is given if the pupil is withdrawn. The deposit will form part of the funds of the school until it is credited to parents, without interest, when their child leaves the school. Registration and Acceptance Forms must be signed by both parents unless a separate arrangement has been made.
Parents will also be sent an electronic copy of the current Parent Handbook. The Parent Handbook contains additional information including an appendix comprising of a number of policies and guidelines.
Familiarisation
Children entering the Pre-Prep (Nursery to Year 2) and Year 3 will be invited for a Familiarisation session towards the end of the summer term prior to joining Halstead St Andrew’s in September.
Papers relating to a child’s entry (such as uniform lists etc) along with invitations to various school events and other relevant information will be given out at this stage. Parents will also begin to receive the school’s weekly newsletter by email.
Admissions – Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some questions that we are frequently asked – we hope you will find the answers useful.
Q. Can I visit the school at any time?
A. Every prospective parent is expected to have met with the Headmaster or a member of the Senior Leadership team before being offered a place at Halstead St Andrew’s. Appointments take place Monday to Friday in term-time and usually take about an hour which includes a tour of the school. It may be possible to make an alternative time or to occasionally visit during the school holidays but we feel it is very important for prospective parents to visit us during a “normal” day when the children are in school.
Q. When do most children join the school?
A. The vast majority of children join us in Pre-School in the Autumn term (September) after they have turned 3 years old. However, we do have a limited number of places in our Nursery for children who have turned two. We do not have dedicated intakes for or additional spaces in either Reception or Year 3, for example.
Q. Can children join at other times of the year?
A. Yes, although this happens less often and is considered on an individual basis. We would not recommend, for instance, that a Nursery child joins us at the beginning of the summer term.
Q. Are there places available in other year groups further up the school?
A. Occasionally places become available in other year groups.
Q. Can I put my child on a waiting list for future entry?
A. Yes, although this does not guarantee a place. A full term’s notice is required for a child to leave the school so you may not be offered a place for September until the beginning of the summer term (April).
Q. Can I find out where my child is on the waiting list?
A. Waiting lists change as some families register at a number of schools or may relocate out of the area whilst on the waiting list. Siblings are also given priority for places where possible so it is difficult to be precise about waiting list lengths/priority on list when it is constantly changing.
Q. If a place does not become available, will my child be moved automatically on to the following year’s waiting list?
A. No, please contact us to request that you would like your child to remain on the next year’s waiting list.
Q. Is the Registration Fee or Acceptance Deposit refundable?
A. The Registration Fee is non refundable and must be paid if you wish to register your child for a place at the school. The Acceptance Deposit is refunded at the end of the term when your child leaves the school except in the case of Nursery/Pre-School when half of the £1,000 deposit is refunded when your child enters Reception. It is not refunded if you cancel your acceptance of a place, even if you give more than a term’s notice. Please see our Terms & Conditions which will give you more information about the Acceptance Deposit and how it is credited.
Q. What does 'a term’s notice' mean?
A. A Term's Written Notice: means Notice given before the first day of a Term and expiring at the end of that Term. A Term's Written Notice must be given if: the Parents wish to cancel the place after acceptance; or the Parents wish to withdraw the Pupil who has entered the School; or the Pupil will not return for the following year even if he / she has achieved the required grades. Otherwise parents will be charged a term's fees in lieu thereof. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions.