Prospective pupils and their families are always welcome to visit the School by attending one of the Open Days that take place each Quarter or by making an individual visit. Either option may be arranged through the Admissions Office. We ask families interested in admission to the School to register on the registration form included with the Prospectus package. A non-returnable fee of £125 is payable on registration. Two years before entry we ask parents of registered pupils to confirm that Oundle is their first choice of school and to pay a deposit of £1000. This is returnable if an applicant fails to meet the School’s entrance requirements, but otherwise only in exceptional circumstances. In the case of late applications the deposit is payable on acceptance of a place.
Enquiries and Entrance Procedures for Boarders
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Admissions Information 2009/19
Entry at 11+
Applicants enter The Berrystead, the junior boarding House. Pupils transfer to a senior boarding house after two years. Entry is by written examination in January before entry in September. Applicants take papers in Mathematics, English, Science and the School's own Ability Test. They also have an informal interview. They normally sit these papers at Oundle and stay overnight although, if necessary, the examinations can be taken overseas
Entry at 13+
The majority of applicants sit the Common Entrance examination; a number enter by Oundle's own entrance tests which they take in Oundle in the February preceding entry. In addition to papers in Mathematics, English, Science and French, applicants take our Ability Test and have an informal interview. (Applicants may take these papers abroad, but it may still be necessary to ask some to come to Oundle for an interview). Applicants from preparatory schools sit the Common Entrance examination in June before entry in September. Various academic and other scholarships and awards are available for this age group. (Further information is available here).
There are five girls’ boarding houses and eight boys’ boarding houses, each admitting approximately twelve pupils a year. The Registrar can provide help with choosing an appropriate house. Houses often fill up at least three years ahead of entry.
Entry into the Sixth Form
Entry is by competition because Oundle takes in relatively few pupils at this level compared to some other schools (approximately twelve boys and five girls in a typical year). The minimum entry requirement is at least three subjects at Grade A and three subjects at Grade B, or better, including passes in English Language, Mathematics, a Science and a Language. In practice we would expect most successful candidates to have achieved Grade A or A* in most subjects. Applicants are normally invited to an assessment weekend in November.
Academic, music, art and technology scholarships are available for entry into the Sixth Form. (Further information is available here).
Fees and variable expenses
Fees include tuition, games, sanatorium, gymnasium, library, lectures and entertainment (not theatre). A few variable expenses are charged on the School Account as necessary, such as clothing and books, together with certain optional extras, including music lessons (a Quarter’s notice is required when music lessons are to be dropped, other than in exceptional circumstances).
Fees are payable in advance before the beginning of the Michaelmas, Easter and Trinity Quarters. As any delay in the payment of fees is, in effect, punitive on the great majority of parents who honour the rule, the School will make a surcharge on outstanding accounts and will add it to the next account. The School will charge 4% above Barclay’s Bank base rate, calculated on a daily basis.
The Governors of the School have the right to raise the fees after giving at least one Quarter’s notice. Fees per payment period: i)Sept-Dec; ii) Jan March and iii) April-July are as follows:
| Year 1: (Berrystead) | £6,590 |
| Year 2: (Berrystead) | £7,650 |
| Years 3 to 7: | £8,660 |