Admissions Guide

ADMISSIONS GUIDE

2023-24

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We are delighted you are interested in a Fettes education

Led by our Head of Admissions, Mrs Fiona Gordon, and our Director of External Relations, Mrs Debbie Atkins, our Admissions Team look forward to guiding you through the admissions process as you discover Fettes.

Each member of the team has a wealth of knowledge about what Fettes can offer your family.

admissions process

Our admissions process is divided into 6 stages Stage 1 – Information Gathering

Our website is designed to give you an excellent overview of Fettes. We hope this inspires, informs and enthuses you.Please also download our Fettes app which will enable you to keep up to date with our news. Please watch our two minute film -OdetoPlacecreated to capture the ethos of Fettes, and what a Fettes education means.

Next steps,complete the enquiry form on our website or contact us - admissions@fettes.com - and we will be delighted to send you our prospectuses and arrange a call: www.fettes.com/admissions

Stage 2 – Visit Us

Experience the true atmosphere of Fettes.

Open Day 2023

You are warmly invited to join us at our Open Day on the afternoon of Sunday 8th October. Registration is essential.

To register please click hereor contact our Admissions Team.

Individual visits can also be arranged throughout the year. If you visit us during term time, your visit will comprise a meeting with the Head of Fettes College or Headmaster of Fettes Prep School as applicable (or a member of the Senior Leadership Team if they are not available), a student-led tour and a meeting with one of our Houseparents will also be included.

Stage 3 – Registering Your Child

When you are ready to apply for a place at Fettes for your son/ daughter, the next step is to complete our Registration Form and provide the £100 non-refundable registration fee.

We would recommend earlyregistration where possible.

Stage 4 – Taster Days

Taster days are available and are a great way to meet peers and get a feel for life at Fettes. A buddy will be assigned and your son/daughter will attend lessons, sports and activities alongside them. Occasionally we are also able to offer overnight stays.

Stage 5 – Entrance Examinations

Once your son/daughter is registered, this ensures they will be invited to attend our Entrance Exams and where applicable, Scholarship and Award Exams and Assessments.

Entry into the Prep School

Pupils may join the Prep School from ages 7-12. The Entrance Assessments are held at Fettes in the February preceding entry although assessments can also be arranged at other times in the year. Each child will have a short interview as well as sitting an online Cat4 assessment. Older year groups will also take online assessments in English and Maths.

Entry at 13+ (Third Form)

Candidates must be 13 on 1st September in the year of entry. Applicants take the Fettes College Entrance Exams and can also take Common Entrance. The 13+ Entrance Exams take place at Fettes in the November preceding entry. Scholarship and Award Exams and Assessments take place in the February prior to entry and full details are given to all registered candidates.

Entry at 14+ (Fourth Form)

Candidates must be 14 on 1st September in the year of entry. The 14+ Entrance Exams take place in the November prior to entry.

Entry at 16+ (Lower Sixth)

Candidates must be 16 on 1st September in the year of entry. The minimum entry requirement into the Lower Sixth Form is six GCSE subjects at 6 or better (or the equivalent to this), and must include English Language and Mathematics.

The Entrance and Scholarship Exams and Assessments take place in the November prior to entry.

Remote Exams and Assessments

We strongly suggest candidates attend the Entrance Exams at Fettes but if this is not possible we can arrange for them to be sat at their current school. A Zoom/Teams interview will also be arranged.

Candidates who wish to be considered for one of our Scholarships or Awards must take the exams and assessments at Fettes.

We do not consider students for entry into Fifth Form or Upper Sixth.

Stage 6 – Offering You A Place

We aim to let all families know the outcome of exams and assessments as soon as possible. If your son/daughter has been successful, you will receive a formal offer for acceptance which needs to be returned to secure the place.

For students joining our senior school, you will receive details of the House you will be joining. This will be sent to you in the summer term before you join. You will also receive a New Entrants' Pack giving detailed information to help you, this includes all you need to know about the uniform, medical information, music lesson choices, Duke of Edinburgh etc. The Houseparent will also be in touch with you to fully support you as you transition into the School.

Examination and Assessment Dates

Sixth Form Entry (16+)

• Entrance and Academic Scholarship Exams – Monday 6th November 2023.

• All-Rounder Assessments, Art Awards, Music Awards and Exhibition, Piping and Snare Drumming Awards, Sports Awards – Tuesday 7th November 2023.

Prep School Entry

• Entrance Exams and Assessments for all year groups –Saturday 3rd February 2024.

Third Form Entry (13+)

• Entrance Exams – Monday 13th November 2023.

• Academic Scholarship Exams and All-Rounder Assessments - Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th February 2024.

• Sports, Music, Piping and Snare Drumming Assessments –Wednesday 7th February 2024.

Fourth Form Entry (14+)

• Entrance Exams – Monday 13th November 2023.

Admissions Philosophy

We offer each of our students the opportunity to make the most of their talents, to challenge themselves, and gain a wealth of new experiences in a happy and encouraging environment.

Fettesians are curious, creative, and kind, and we can maximise their full potential by affording them all the opportunities that a boarding education can offer whilst ensuring the highest level of care.

Our first interest is in potential students’ abilities – their inquiring mind, their initiative, their willingness to pursue a subject deeply and to think independently. We are also interested in what potential students have accomplished with those abilities – how they have ventured beyond their known talents and shown excellence.

We actively seek a student body that is racially, geographically and socio-economically diverse and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Differences in educational opportunities and individual circumstances are valued and are taken into consideration.

We use exams and interviews to assess the promise of each individual applicant and to determine which students will gain the most from, and contribute to, all that Fettes has to offer.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

Fettes College offers a range of Scholarships and Awards based on merit, each of which is awarded entirely at the discretion of the Head. Considerable kudos is attached to being a scholar at Fettes and Scholarships cover up to a maximum of 5% of the fees.

The following Scholarships and Awards are available:

• Academic Scholarships at 13+ and 16+

• Music Awards and Exhibitions at 13+ and 16+

• Sports Awards at 13+, 16+

• All-rounder Awards at 13+, 16+

• Piping and Snare Drumming Awards and Exhibitions at 13+, 16+

• Art Awards at 16+

To discuss the Scholarship and Awards process in more detail, please speak to the Admissions Team.

BURSARIES

Means-tested bursaries are available to any applicant who passes the Entrance Examinations for Fettes Prep School or Fettes College and requires financial assistance. The maximum reduction available is 100% of the fees.

There is a finite amount of funding available each year and parents are advised to refer to the 'Guide to Bursaries' to assess eligibility. This guide can be found on our website and can also be obtained from the Admissions Team.

All bursaries are co-ordinated through the Bursar’s Office. Please contact bursarsoffice@fettes.com.

Bursaries are managed independently to scholarships and awards.

international families

Fettes welcomes students from all over the world and we are proud of our international outlook and diverse community. All international students should read our International Students Policy which provides detailed information. This is available on our website and can also be obtained from the Admissions Team.

Visas

Any student who does not hold a UK passport or settled or presettled status in the UK must apply for a visa in order to study at Fettes College and Fettes Prep School. Fettes College is a registered Student Sponsor (via the Home Office's UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) unit). The College retains full discretion over the decision on whether to sponsor a student. As a general rule, Fettes will only sponsor boarding students and will consider sponsoring applications for day students in the Prep School only by exception.

If you think this applies to you please notify the Admissions Team. We require parents of any student applying for a visa to work with the account management team at Holmes & Partners who will discuss the application and visa requirements and provide all relevant information and support. Please be aware there is an additional fee for this service.

Guardians

Parents of students who are resident outside the UK must appoint a Guardian for the student who is based in the UK. The guardian’s role is to support the student and to deputise for the parents when they are unavailable. A guardian can be a relative or friends whom parents know and trust or a guardian appointed and monitored by a reputable guardianship agency. Further information can be accessed in our International Students Policy.

International Connections

We understand the needs of international parents and have vast experience caring for students from around the globe. Our Admissions Team will be happy to put you in touch with current parents, or a member of our Old Fettesian network, who may reside near you so you have a local point of contact if you wish.

fee structure

Session 2023-24

Fees per term (three terms per year)

Senior School

• Boarders £14,700 per term

• Day £12,350 per term

Prep School

• Boarders £10,230 per term

• Day £6,970 per term

There is a premium for entry directly into the Sixth Form. The premium is 10% of the Senior School first year fee. It may be paid termly on the basis of 5% of each of the two Sixth Form years.

All fees include the cost of all meals taken at School.

In the event that more than one sibling attends Fettes, there will be a reduction available on the total fees payable equivalent of up to 5% of the second child’s fees, 35% of the third child’s fees and 50% of subsequent children’s fees while they are attending Fettes together.

Children of serving members of HM Forces may also qualify for up to a 12.5% reduction in fees.

A non-refundable registration fee of £100 should accompany the registration form.

A deposit of £500 should be sent as a final entry fee when the offer of a place is confirmed. Parents who are not UK nationals and/or who are not domiciled in the UK are also required to deposit a full term’s fees.

Deposits will be offset against the student’s account for the final term.

Details of arrangements for the paying of fees will be provided in good time before the first term’s fees are due.

Fees are reviewed annually, and every effort is made to avoid an increase in the course of the school year.

quick facts

• 765 students – 580 in Fettes College (13-18) and 185 in Fettes Prep School (7-13)

• 52% boys, 48% girls

• College 72% Boarding, 28% Day

• Prep School 24% Boarding, 76% Day

• 75% UK residents, 25% live overseas

• Over 30 countries represented in the student body

• 125 full-time members of teaching staff

• The teacher/student ratio is 1 to 6

DISABILITY ACCESS

Providing applicants meet our standard entrance criteria, we welcome applications from disabled students for a place in our College. We have successfully integrated students with a physical disability in the past, but the extensive grounds and long distances between buildings do present serious challenges for students with serious ambulant disability.

We will nevertheless consider all such applications fully. We would be very happy for you to visit the College and discuss with us your son’s or daughter’s requirements and to see for yourself what we offer. We would be pleased to send you a copy of the School’s Disability Access Strategy on request.

the aims of fettes

To achieve our Vision and Mission we will ensure that our students:

• feel valued and respected as individuals

• receive the highest possible quality of education, engaging them in rigorous and relevant opportunities in a dynamic curriculum that creates life long learners

• feel safe, have a sense of personal worth, are thoughtful and considerate of the needs of others, while possessing a willingness to take on responsibility

• are encouraged to stretch and challenge themselves

• develop a sense of self-confidence, integrity, emotional resilience, loyalty, good manners, leadership skills and teamwork

• value a sense of community

• are surrounded by inspirational caring staff

• feel represented and are provided with equal opportunities regardless of gender, identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.

We have called our Vision - Fettes Moving Forward: A place to live. A place to learn. A place to grow.

"Youcandiscoverourvision-and howitshapesandinformsour future-atFettes.com/vision"

MEET THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Helen Harrison, Head Charlie Minogue, Headmaster, Fettes Prep School James Weatherby, Senior Deputy Head Jonathan Marchant, Deputy Head (Academic) Carolyn Harrison, Deputy Head (Pastoral) Peter Worlledge, Bursar