Senior Admissions
Scholarships & Bursaries
By
Apr 25, 2008 - 5:50:29 AM

Warminster School offers a number of Academic Scholarships to boys and girls entering at 7+, 9+, 11+, 13+ and 16+. Additionally, Scholarships are available to applicants displaying talent and potential in one or a combination of Music, Drama, Sport, Design Technology and Art.

Scholarships may be offered up to a maximum value of 10% of fees, depending on the performance of the candidate. Selection for the award of a Scholarship is by examination and interview.

Examinations will be held at the School in the Autumn term preceding the academic year of entry, or by arrangement. 

11+ and 13+ Academic Scholarships

The 11+ examination will comprise papers in Mathematics and English, a Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning Test and an interview with the Headmaster. The 13+ examination will include a Science paper. The English paper for both ages will include a comprehension passage and a free composition. The Mathematics paper will include a wide range of questions to accommodate candidates with different mathematical backgrounds. The papers will be designed to enable a candidate to show his or her academic potential, as much as to assess standards of literacy and numeracy. No special preparation is expected.

Sixth Form Academic Scholarships

A number of Academic Scholarships are offered to boys and girls entering the Lower Sixth at Warminster.

The formal assessment will consist of papers in Mathematics and English, a written paper in one of the subjects which the candidate proposes studying in the Sixth Form and an essay on a topical issue. All prospective Scholars will have individual interviews with the Headmaster and other senior members of staff. Candidates may wish to support their application with evidence of achievement to date.

Music, Drama, Sport, Design Technology and Art Scholarships

Candidates applying for Scholarships in any of the above areas are assessed on a combination of effort, notable ability and potential. Applications should be supported by relevant references and achievement to date.

The Foundation Awards

Principles

In keeping with the school’s mission, but also to enrich the life of this school and to confirm our commitment to open access, we are offering means-tested Awards to children who demonstrate the broad potentialities and values which the school seeks to develop.

The Foundation Awards are open to children aged between 8 and 16 to enter the school as day pupils. Candidates must demonstrate a strong potential to achieve success in more than one specialism and are assessed using the following age-related criteria:

• The potential for high academic achievement
• The potential to play at least one instrument (including voice) to a high standard;
• The potential to compete at a high level in at least one school team sport;
• The potential to take leading roles in school theatrical performances;
• The potential to achieve success in Art or related artistic skills (Photography or Design/Technology);
• The potential to make a significant impact in another area of the School’s rich extra-curricular life (CCF, Duke of Edinburgh Award etc).

Candidates should anticipate being able to provide some evidence of a minimum of two of the above before applying for the Award. In addition, the school will be looking for candidates who demonstrate a sense of purpose and commitment, who have good oral and written communication skills and who are keen to compete and achieve success, whilst acting at all times in a manner which will reflect well upon the Award and the School.

The Process

The Awards are open to external candidates only. We welcome applications from any background. The Awards may attract up to 100% funding for school day fees and extras that are deemed essential to the curriculum and/or essential to take up the place. In order for a Foundation Award to be made, parents must complete a confidential financial circumstances form, providing complete details of their income along with appropriate documentary evidence. This is assessed by the school before the offer of an Award is made.

Candidates wishing to apply for a place from the start of the next academic year should apply in the normal manner by completing the entrance tests held annually in the previous November. At the time of the application process, parents should make the school aware that they are applying for a Foundation Award and complete and return financial forms in a sealed envelope. These will only be opened if the school is anticipating making an offer of an Award.

N.B. Parents should note that candidates may be asked to return for a further set of interviews and tests after the normal assessment day.

Offers of Awards will be made shortly thereafter.

The philosophy of the School

The mission of Warminster School is to provide an independent education to a broad cross-section of the communities we serve. Warminster School exists to provide a high-quality but not exclusive academic education to a variety of boys and girls, varying in age from three to eighteen years and varying also across a relatively broad ability range – a characteristic which we celebrate.

As well as achieving excellent academic results with a strong emphasis on the notion of ‘value-added’, Warminster School pupils learn here to enjoy each other’s company, to lead committed and active lives, to benefit from a broad and outward-looking school experience within a culture which welcomes and celebrates participation, to rejoice in their own and each others’ achievements and to develop a range of skills which will enrich their lives and equip them for life beyond school.

MJ Priestley (Headmaster) and AC Martin (Bursar), December 2009