INDEPENDENT DAY & BOARDING EDUCATION FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGED 7-18
Admissions & General Information ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/21
Contents Open Mornings Visiting the School Registration Entry at age 7+ Entry at age 11+ 13+ Entry at age 16+ Offers Entry for International pupils Final acceptance and conditions Fees Additional Charges Financial Support Fee discounts Scholarships The House structure A Level and GCSE results School map
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“They achieve because they believe they can.” SCHOOL MOTTO
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Registration & Admissions Procedure
Introduction
Open Mornings
The majority of new pupils join the school in Years 3 to 6, Year 7, Year 9 or Lower Sixth. There are limited spaces available in Years 8 and 10. In the lower and middle school, entry is subject to passing the school’s own entrance tests. For the Sixth Form, a series of six or more GCSE at level 5 or above or equivalent qualifications are required plus an interview with the Head and a reference from their previous school.
These usually take place on a Saturday in March or late September. You will have an opportunity to meet the Head and Houseparents who will give you a tour of their house and most importantly, you will spend time with our pupils, who will take you on a tour of the campus and explain a little about what being a pupil at Christ College is like. Other key staff including the Deputy Head (Academic) and Admissions Registrar will be on hand to answer any queries you may have.
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Visiting the School An individual visit can be arranged to suit your commitments and will include a meeting with the Head and the remainder of the time tailored to your specific requirements. We also offer taster days, whereby pupils can come and spend the day at school shadowing their contemporaries. ‘Drop in’ events are scheduled during the year. Please see website for details.
Registration
Entry at Age 7+
Registration to place your child on the entry list for admission may be made at any time. To register your child please complete the Registration form and submit with the non refundable Registration fee of £150. This can be done through our website. Once processed, this registers your child on our entry list and ensures that your child will be guaranteed a place subject to fulfilling the entry requirements. If your child attends St Nicholas House, he or she is automatically registered for the Senior School and there is no additional Registration Fee.
Pupils joining St Nicholas House at Age 7+ will be invited to join a class for a full or half day during which a series of assessments will be undertaken. This will be accompanied by an informal chat with the Head of St Nicholas House to gauge the pupil’s suitability for entry. References will be sought from the pupil’s current school prior to making a final decision.
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Entry at Age 11+ 13+ Pupils joining Christ College at 11+ and 13+ will be expected to sit the School’s own entrance tests. This consists of Maths and English papers followed by a non-verbal reasoning test. Pupils will also have an interview with the Head and Deputy Head (Academic). The normal entry point is via the school’s Scholarship and Entrance Assessments which take place in January/ February each year. Those applying for scholarships will be interviewed and assessed by the specific Head of Department. Prior to attending the assessments all pupils must have completed the registration process. CHRIST COLLEGE BRECON 5
Entry at Age 16+
Offers
The usual entry requirement is 6 GCSEs or equivalent passes at level 5 (grade C) or better. For those subjects to be studied at A Level the minimum level required is level 6 (grade B).
Following Scholarship and Entrance Assessment Day, offers are made with the following possible outcomes:
A Sixth Form Information Evening is held in October/November. This event offers the opportunity to talk to Heads of Department about the subjects being considered for Sixth Form. Other key staff on hand to offer advice include the Head, Deputy Head (Academic) and Head of Futures. Senior Prefects also give an insight into life in the Sixth Form. Those wishing to apply for Scholarships will need to attend the Scholarship Assessment Day usually held on the Friday following the Information Evening.
• An offer of a guaranteed place with a scholarship having performed to the scholarship criteria in the Scholarship and Entrance Assessments • An offer of a guaranteed place following a satisfactory performance in the Scholarship and Entrance Assessments • No offer of a place if a pupil fails to meet the entry requirements. Pupils entering at Year 7 from St Nicholas House will not be required to sit entrance tests. For more information please contact the Admissions Registrar. If there is any concern about the suitability of a Year 6 pupil for Year 7, parent will be contacted early in Year 6.
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Entry for International Pupils Pupils join Christ College from a variety of backgrounds, both educationally and geographically. The overall percentage of international students is maintained at around 18% of the school population. We are immensely proud of our cultural diversity. For pupils applying from overseas, and whose first language is not English, entry is normally via online test in the following papers: • English as an Additional Language (EAL) • Maths Supporting references must be provided and papers are taken either at Christ College or at other locations agreed with the Admissions Registrar, provided adequate invigilation can be guaranteed. An interview with the Head is required and can either be held during a visit to the school or via Skype in certain circumstances.
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Some pupils may require a Tier 4 Student Visa in order to be able to study in the UK. While it is the responsibility of parents to determine whether or not the child needs a visa (and to apply for it), the Admissions Registrar will be happy to provide the required Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS) to enable parents to do this once a place has been formally accepted. The CAS is issued, on request from either parents or agents, and can be used by parents when making any visa application. Further details regarding visas and entry into the UK may be obtained from the United Kingdom Borders Agency (UKBA) website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visa-immigration
Please note that all parents resident abroad must appoint a guardian in this country to act with their full authority. Written confirmation of the details of each guardian must be completed and returned to the school in advance of the pupil’s first term and the school should be informed of any changes of details. The Christ College Host family Scheme arranges local host families for pupils. Host families provide or arrange appropriate accommodation when the pupil is unable to stay with parents during half terms and over Exeat weekend or in urgent circumstances. For details of the scheme contact: hosting@christcollegebrecon.com
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Final Acceptance & Conditions
Fees
Final Acceptance forms and Christ College’s Terms and Conditions are sent when a place is formally offered. The Final Acceptance form must be completed and returned to the Admissions Registrar, together with a £400 deposit (UK pupils) or £2000 (overseas pupils). The deposit provides financial security against the final fee invoice that is raised after a pupil has left and will be put towards final outstanding items where necessary. The deposit will be refunded at the time the pupil leaves, minus sums due to the school. Once paid, the Final Acceptance Fee will be forfeit if the pupil does not enter Christ College.
Fees are payable termly in advance and no later than the first day of each new term. Fees will be reviewed annually unless circumstances arise where a more frequent review is necessary. A term’s notice must be given in writing to the Head by the parent or guardian of those children who leave the school before completing their education ie at any stage before they have taken their A Levels. If a pupil is withdrawn without notice, a term’s fees in lieu will be charged.
Before a pupil is admitted to Christ College, parents or legal guardians must sign their consent to the school’s Terms & Conditions (attached to the Final Acceptance Form) This includes their consent to adhere to all current Christ College policies. The school reserves the right to revise all policies on an ongoing basis.
There are several schemes to help parents with the payment of fees. These include monthly instalments, extended payment period and payments in advance. The Bursar can provide details of these schemes and can also put parents in touch with an independent financial advisor to assist with payment planning. Please contact the Bursar via bursar@christcollegebrecon.com or telephone 01874 615440.
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Additional Charges Christ College has a policy of having as few additional charges to pupil’s accounts as possible and all predictable expenses are included in the School bill. Occasionally additional costs may be incurred which will necessitate a supplementary charge, but parents will always be informed beforehand. Additional charges are made for the following:
• LAMDA Speech and Drama lessons are charged at £20.41 per 30 min lesson • English as an Additional Language (EAL) is free for international students during their first year (four lessons per week). In any subsequent year there is a termly charge of £355 for four lessons per week. • Daily school bus transport to and from Christ College - subject to availability.
• All Public examinations • Individual Music lessons are charged at £26.00 per 40 min lesson
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Financial Support Christ College is committed to widening access by providing bursaries to pupils who, without such help, would otherwise not be able to attend. Bursaries are not dependent on performance or merit; they are available to any pupil who is able to meet our baseline entrance requirements and whom we feel will strongly benefit from an education at the school. All bursaries are means-tested and are based on a sympathetic scrutiny of individual family circumstances.
Fee Discounts Old Breconian
25% discount for children of past pupils
Forces
Pay only 10% of fees if eligible for the Continuity of Education Allowance
Process
Registration/Deposit by 30th June (prior to Sept start)
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Scholarships Christ College offers scholarships and exhibitions for new pupils entering at 11+, 13+ and 16+ to recognise academic, artistic, musical, dramatic, sporting and all round talent. In accordance with HMC rulings, scholarships and exhibitions are competed for openly on published dates.
COMPETITIVE SCHOLARSHIPS
11+
13+
ALWAY / ALL ROUNDER
ACADEMIC
ART
DRAMA
MUSIC
SCIENCE
SPORT
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
PROCESS
INTERVIEW & ASSESSMENT CHRIST COLLEGE BRECON 12
6TH FORM
The House Structure Christ College has seven houses. Each house is looked after by a team of house staff consisting of a houseparent and his or her spouse, a team of tutors and a senior domestic assistant. Boarding at Christ College is the responsibility of the Head, assisted by the Deputy Head (Pastoral) who is the immediate point of contact for houseparents. A schedule of adult presence in each house is maintained by the Deputy Head (Pastoral). The senior houses have a vertical structure which accommodates pupils from 13-18.
St Nicholas House
Alway House
De Winton House
Donaldson’s House
Junior day house for boys and girls ages 7-11
Day and boarding for boys and girls aged 7-13
Boarding for girls aged 13-18
Boarding for girls aged 13-18
Orchard House
School House
St David’s House
Boarding for boys aged 13-18
Boarding for boys aged 13-18
Day house for boys and girls aged 13-18
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GCSE Results
98% overall pass rate 30% Grades 8-9 51% Grades 7+
A Level Results A* / A
A*- B
A*- C
PASS
2020
45%
68%
91%
100%
2019
39%
69%
86.5%
99.4%
2018
46%
70%
84%
98%
2017
44%
65.3%
83.2%
98%
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Tennis & Netball Courts
1 St Nicholas House (Day ages 7 - 11)
Orchard Gardens
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16 Sports Centre & Fitness Suite
3 The Powell Art Centre
17 Donaldson’s House (Girls Boarding & House age 13-18)
4 Geography Dept & ICT Suite
18 The Chapel
5 Photography & Creative Arts
Cricket Nets
Cricket Square
15 Lord Brecon Classroom Block (inc. New Pavilion & I.T Suite)
2 Alway House (Boarding & Day House ages 11-13)
19 St Davids House, Library, Sixth Form Centre, & Futures Department
6 Swimming Pool
20 The Clive Richards Room (CRR)
7 Y Neuadd Goffa - Memorial Hall (inc Music & Drama Depts
21 School House (Boys Boarding & House age 13-18)
& The Powell Family Gallery) 8 Indoor Shooting Range 9 The Cartright Block (Modern Languages Faculty) 10 Main School Reception (Head & Bursary) 11 The Hubert Jones Science Centre 12 Senior Common Room 13 The Queen’s Building 14 Orchard House (Boys Boarding & House age 13-18)
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22 School Offices (inc Academic Offices, School Shop, Henry’s & The San) 23 Dining Hall 24 de Winton House(Girls Boarding & House age 13-18) 25 Christ College House (The Head’s House) 26 The Old Pavilion 27 CCF HQ 28 Hazell’s (Floodlit Astroturf Pitch)
“Warm relationships exist between pupils of all ages and between pupils and staff. It’s a marvellous sense of community.” THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE
Christ College Brecon, Brecon, Powys LD3 8AF Tel: 01874 615440 Email: enquiries@christcollegebrecon.com www.christcollegebrecon.com