Frensham Heights: parents’ guide to Year 7 entry

Frensham Heights is an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 11–18 in Farnham, Surrey. The school provides a progressive education – pupils wear their own clothes, everyone is on a first-name basis, and there’s no hierarchical system of prefects or head boys and girls. Frensham Heights aims to provide a level playing field for every pupil and values each child’s individuality.

An informal setting and small class sizes allow teachers and students to get to know one another better at Frensham Heights. Teachers learn each child’s strengths and weaknesses and reinforce where needed, but are mostly seen as friendly faces. Upon transitioning into Year 10, pupils have the choice to study a combination of GCSEs and alternative BTEC courses (First Award in Business, Tech Award in Performing Arts, and Specialist Qualification in Esports) or OCR Cambridge National Sports Science.

There are plenty of opportunities for pupils of all ages to get involved in the community and take part in charitable initiatives at Frensham Heights. The outreach programme is extensive; pupils in Years 7 and 8 socialise with local senior citizens every week, Year 9 and 10 ICT students mentor Year 5 children at a local junior school, and sixth form students create various workshops for primary children. Meanwhile, the whole school community comes together to collect, sort and deliver essential items for Farnham Help for Refugees.

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Key information for Frensham Heights

• Head: Mr Rick Clarke

• Address: Frensham Heights, Rowledge, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4EA

• County: Surrey

• Admissions contact: Sarah Windsor – [email protected], 01252 792561

• Age range and gender: 11–18, co-educational

• Number of pupils: 545

• Open day date: 30th November 2022 and 13th May 2023. Book tickets online

• Overview of selection procedure for 2023 entry: informal small group interview, entrance tests, school references and school reports

• Registration closes for 2023 entry: 30th November 2022

• Assessment date for 2023 entry: Saturday 14th January 2023

Frensham Heights fees and financial assistance

The current fees at Frensham Heights are £6,780 per term for middle school day pupils (Years 7 and 8) and £7,115 for pupils in Year 9 and above. Boarding is available for middle school pupils, ranging from £8,430 per term to £9,860 per term (3-day boarding to full boarding). School fees include all routine meals for boarders and lunches for day students in term time.

The school is able to offer means-tested bursaries ranging from 10% to 90%, and occasionally 100%, to middle and senior school pupils who meet the criteria. Applications for bursaries are managed by the Bursary Administration Ltd (BAL) on behalf of Frensham Heights, and each case is assessed on its own merits. If you think your child may qualify for a bursary for entry to Frensham Heights, you will need to submit a separate bursary application before the main registration deadline. For 2023 entry, the bursary application deadline is 29th October 2022.

Frensham Heights is able to offer a sibling discount of 10% for the third and subsequent child, once elder siblings have completed (or will complete) a phase of education at the school.

Scholarships are available at Frensham Heights, but these are non-monetary and are only applied for at the end of Years 7 and 9.

Frensham Heights term dates

The term dates at Frensham Heights for 2022–23 are:

• Autumn term: 8th September – 15th December 2022

• Half term: 17th–29th October 2022

• Spring term: 9th January – 31st March 2023

• Half term: 13th–18th February 2023

• Summer term: 25th April – 6th July 2023

• Half term: 29th May – 3rd June 2023

The term dates at Frensham Heights for 2023–24 are:

• Autumn term: 7th September – 14th December 2023

• Half term: 23rd October – 4th November 2023

• Spring term: 9th January – 28th March 2024

• Half term: 12th–17th February 2024

• Summer term: 23rd April – 5th July 2024

• Half term: 27th May – 1st June 2023

Admissions process for Year 7 entry to Frensham Heights

Frensham Heights aims to make its admissions process as informal as possible, in keeping with the nature of the school. While Frensham is selective, the school aims to educate the whole child and looks beyond test results when offering places. Frensham’s offers are based on choosing which children they believe will thrive and benefit from the school curriculum and, in turn, who they feel will be kind, passionate and active members of the school community.

Successful Year 7 applicants will start in the middle school at Frensham Heights. If you would like your child to be considered for a place in 2023, you will need to register them online and pay a non-refundable registration fee of £150.

All registered children will be invited to Frensham Heights in early January for an informal small group interview with the head and the head of the middle school. The staff will also request references from your child’s current school and copies of their two most recent school reports. In the week after the interview (Saturday 14th January 2023, for 2023 applicants), children will return to Frensham Heights for entrance assessments (see details about these below). Once children have completed the tests, they stay for lunch at the school and enjoy a range of activities in the afternoon. Parents are invited for tea at the end of the day.

Offers are normally sent to families within one to two weeks of the entrance tests. You will likely receive one of three potential responses for entry to Year 7:

1. Guaranteed offer: successful candidates will be offered a guaranteed place to start in September. Places must be accepted by the first Monday in March.

2. Waiting list offer: candidates will be offered a guaranteed place as soon as one becomes available.

3. Regret: no place offered if the school feels it is not the right fit for your child.

Frensham Heights 11 plus exam

Children who are registered for Year 7 entry to Frensham Heights will take four short tests in the January of Year 6:

• Maths: children will likely be assessed on their knowledge and application of the Key Stage 2 maths curriculum. This could include questions on number and place value, calculations, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry, and statistics. Our guide to 11 plus maths includes more details about the curriculum and the types of questions your child might encounter in their test.

• Spelling: SPAG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) is assessed in Year 6 SATs, so your child will likely be learning relevant spellings at school. For more details about Year 6 spelling, take a look at our guide to the Year 6 SATs English exam.

• English reading comprehension: This is commonly assessed in 11 plus English exams. Your child will likely be assessed on core skills including making inferences, deducing, rephrasing and summarising. Find out more about how to help your child’s reading comprehension skills here.

• Creative writing: In most creative writing tests, your child will be given an imaginary scenario and a set amount of time to write a short story about it. They will be assessed on their ability to write imaginatively and use literary devices to emphasise their writing. More support is available in our parents’ guide to creative writing in the 11 plus.

How to help your child prepare for the selection process at Frensham Heights

Build foundational knowledge

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